Jacob Alexander Sipe was the only son born to Peter and Catherine Sipe.  He was born on June 14, 1833 in Harmony, PA.  During the Civil War, Jacob served as a Union soldier with the 4^th PA Cavalry, Company L.  After the war, he returned to Venango County and married Henrietta Turk (born 1848) in 1865 in Brandon, PA.  The couple began their family in Rockland Township and raised their seven children there until they moved to Clintonville, PA sometime in the early 1880s.  In 1892 they moved from Clintonville to Wilmington Township, to a house on the corner of Lindsey Road and Old Mercer Road and later to their final home on an acre of land in Fayette.  Jacob and Henrietta raised seven children of their own and one grandchild (Jesse Sipe, the son of their daughter Charity).  Their children were as follows:

-         Oreanna (August 30, 1866)

-         Sarah Jane (Sadie) (November 8, 1868)

-         Charity Sophia (April 14, 1871)

-         Clarissa Elorna (March 28, 1873)

-         William Thomas (July 5, 1875)

-         Benjamin Franklin (October 1, 1877)

-         John Alexander (January 25, 1880)

Anthony Galli, a descendant of Jacob and Henrietta through their daughter Oreanna, dedicated a book to Jacob A. Sipe.  The following is what he wrote about Jacob’s years in the 4^th PA Cavalry:

“Jacob Alexander Sipe (often misspelled “Sipes”) was born June 14, 1833 in Harmony, Beaver County, Pennsylvania, the only son of six children born to Peter Sipe (1790-1881), a veteran of the War of 1812, and his wife, Catharine Bollinger, whose records show 1793 as her year of birth but indicate no date of death.  Jacob was by occupation a farmer, unmarried, when he enlisted in Venango County, Pennsylvania on October 9, 1861 for three years’ service in Company L of the 4^th Pennsylvania Cavalry.  His enlistment papers show that he had auburn hair, gray eyes, a florid complexion and was 5 feet, 7-1/2 inches tall.

                    Jacob served with this unit through its vicious campaigns in Virginia and Maryland until he became ill in the spring of 1863.  But records show he was present for company musters throughout July and August of 1863, and so probably fought with his unit at Gettysburg.  On August 22, he was detached to serve as a courier at the headquarters of the 1^st Army Corps, along with a few other troopers from the 4^th and 16^th Pennsylvania Cavalry regiments.  He held this important and interesting duty until the 1^st Corps was discontinued in March 1864.

                    Jacob then returned to his unit, but remained with it only briefly.  By the end of May, he was assigned to the dismounted camp at Light House Point for reasons not specified but probably for training of new men for his unit.  He returned to his regiment in September or October and was honorably discharged by Captain Duncan near Petersburg, Virginia upon expiration of his term of enlistment on October 31, 1864.  Army records show he was not wounded in combat, but he did suffer injuries to his right shoulder and back when he and his horse went down near Brandy Station. Virginia, and his horse rolled over him.”

Jacob and Henrietta’s oldest daughter, Oreanna Sipe, went by the name “Annie”.  She married Phillip Miller, who was 27 years her senior, and had four children: William, Lula, Jacob and Earl.  The family moved around and can be traced to Neshannock Falls sometime around 1891 when they signed an affidavit for Jacob’s pension, as well as to Nectarine, Pa, and Washington Township (Butler County), PA.  Their oldest son, William, never married and oral history tells that he died at the age of 30 in a coal mining cave-in .  There is some discrepancy on William’s date of birth, and therefore his age when he died.  Their daughter Lulu also died young, at the age of 20.  Some in the family believe that Lulu was killed by her husband, although their direct descendants were never told that this was the reason that Lulu’s children were raised by their grandparents. 

Jacob Miller was born in 1889 and married Mary Elizabeth Surrena, his first cousin through Oreanna’s sister Charity.  Annie’s youngest son, Earl, was born in 1894.  Earl was visiting his aunt Charity in 1913 when a traveling peddler named Harry Schmellen came to the house in the evening.  Harry stayed for dinner and spoke freely about how much money he was making in the peddling business, and when he left in the morning he was shot in the neck by Earl, who had been hiding in the bushes.  Earl stole the goods and ran away, believing the peddler to be dead; however, he did not die from the wound and Earl was soon caught by the authorities.  He spent 12 years in Western Penitentiary for “Shooting with the Intent to Kill” and 2 charges of larceny. 

            Jacob and Henrietta’s second daughter’s name was Sarah Sipe, but most people knew her as “Sade” or “Sadie”.  Sade married Jim Reagle and had three children of her own (Mary, Otto and Dora), as well as raising her brother Frank’s son Paul after his mother died in childbirth.  Sade and Jim raised Paul as their own and cared for his needs because the family said he had “crossed eyes” and was unable to care for himself.  Sade became very sick and went into the hospital for an extended time, which put the family in a tough financial situation.  Sade’s husband Jim became distressed over the family’s inability to pay for the hospital stay and the family feared that he would hurt himself.  They removed the guns from the home as a precaution, but forgot one gun.  Jim found the gun and used it to kill Paul before committing suicide.  Some family members relate that it was Paul who put Sade in the hospital after beating her up and that Jim killed him out of anger over what he had caused.  Others believe that Jim felt sorry for Paul and knew that he would not be able to care for himself when Jim committed suicide, so he killed Paul too.  Regardless of the reason for the murder, Sadie recovered from her illness and returned home.  She became ill again in 1940 and remained sick until she suffered a stroke in 1942 and her condition became critical.  She died at her home in Smith’s Corners (Rockland Township, Venango County, PA) in 1943 and was buried in Melat Cemetery.

            The following is the newspaper account of the murder/suicide:

Man Kills Adopted Son and Self; Tragedy is Discovered by a Friend

James W. Reagle, 72, Uses Gun in Tragedy at Smith’s Corners

James W. Reagle, 72, and his 20-year-old adopted son, Paul Reagle, were found dead of gunshot wounds in a bedroom of the Reagle home at Smith’s Corners in Rockland township, Sunday afternoon.

A verdict of murder and suicide was given by Dr. S.G. Foster, of Oil City, county coroner, who stated that an investigation that Reagle had slain his adopted son, then turned the gun on himself.

A .22 calibre rifle was used in the tragedy, the coroner said.  The youth apparently had been killed as he lay asleep in his bed and the aged man then crawled into his own bed and ended his life with a bullet from the same gun. 

                Had Been Despondent, Claim

The coroner said that Reagle had been despondent for some time.  His wife has been a patient in the Franklin hospital for several weeks and he was reported to have worried greatly over her condition and over financial obligations which he had been forced to incur. 

Investigating officers said that only recently members of the family, fearing that Reagle might undertake some tragic act, had removed a revolver which he had in the house.  The rifle, they said, was one which he had had for many years but about which they had forgotten.

The double tragedy was discovered about 1:30 o’clock Sunday afternoon by Everett Barr, 20, a neighborhood friend, who called at the home to take the younger Reagle to visit his foster mother in the hospital.

Sheriff Bell, who was with Coroner Foster and Private Vitto Reck of the state police investigated the case and said that Barr sounded the horn of his car several times and receiving no answer, entered the home, when he found the house unlocked, no one on the first floor and all fires extinguished, Barr investigated and came upon the bodies in the second floor bedroom, Bell said. 

                Shot at Close Range

                The young man had been shot at close range, apparently as he lay asleep the sheriff said, and indications were that he had been dead for several hours.  The bullet that had caused the death had entered the head just back of the right ear.

                The body of the elder Reagle was in another bed in the same room.  The covers were drawn up around him and the rifle with which the shooting was done was still in his grasp under the covers, the sheriff said.  Reagle evidently had placed the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.  The empty cartridge with which the boy apparently was slain was found in a pan beside the bed.  The other was still in the gun.

                According to Sheriff Bell, the condition of the bodies indicated that Reagle had been dead some three or four hours and the son considerably longer.  The wounds were such as would have caused instant death, it was stated.  Following investigation, Coroner Foster issued a verdict of murder and suicide and the bodies were removed to the Park funeral home in Franklin.  No arrangements for the service have been made.

Lived There Many Years

                According to officers, Reagle had resided at Smith’s Corners for years and was formerly employed as a Coal Miner.  Since the illness of his wife, members of his family and neighbors reported that he had been extremely despondent and this is believed to have led to the tragedy.

                The young man, Paul, was adopted by the Reagles when he was an infant.  He had defective eyesight and was almost totally blind in one eye, officers said, and this handicapped him in securing work.  He had been unemployed for some time.

                The youth was with friends on Saturday night, officers were told and returned home about 2 a.m. Sunday.  The elder Reagle was seen about the place Saturday, as it was learned, and at least one neighbor talked to him.  He seemed extremely despondent at the time, it was said.

            Charity Sipe was Jacob and Henrietta’s third daughter.  She had a son, Jesse Newton Sipe, before she married AJ Surrena.  Jesse was raised by Jacob and Henrietta.  He used the last name Sipe and referred to Jacob and Henrietta as his parents even though he knew that Charity was his biological mother.  As an adult, Jesse told his son Melvin that he believed that his real name should have been Hilliard, possibly the name of his mother’s boyfriend before AJ Surrena.  But his half-sister Rachel Pearl, a full-blooded daughter of Charity and AJ, says that her mother told her that Jesse was AJ’s son.  Jesse lived with his grandparents until he was married and moved with them to Fayette when he was three years old.  He remained in contact with his mother even after he moved.  She paid for him to take piano lessons, and his sister Pearl remembers that he played well and had a beautiful tenor voice, which he used in a group of other singers at weddings and special events.  Although Jesse was aware of his true parentage, many of his children were not, and his brothers and sisters were thought to be his cousins, just as his aunts and uncles were referred to as his brothers and sisters.

            Charity and AJ had six more children after they were married.  Lafayette is remembered for his temper and eventually moved to Florida.  Twins Royal and Ray died only a month apart- Royal from “spasms” and Ray from “stomach trouble.”  Charlie also died as an infant, although the cause is unknown.  Rachel Pearl (who went by “Pearl”) survived and had eight children of her own.  Seven of these children survived.  One infant died at only 9 months of age.  Pearl related that she was born with a “veil”, a flap of skin covering her face, and many other medical problems.  Charity and AJ’s final two daughters were Alice Gertrude (who went by Gertrude) and Mary Elizabeth.  Both sisters married first cousins.  The family lived in the Clintonville/Emlenton area.  Charity died in Clintonville in 1947 at the age of 76.  AJ was 93 years old when Charity died, and

went on to live another 9 months before he also died.

            Another daughter, Clarissa Elorna, was born to Jacob and Henrietta in 1873.  Clarissa was nicknamed “Claresy” or “Clara”.  She married George Powell in Hickory Township, Lawrence County, PA.  George was a fireman and the couple had five children: Bessie, Laura, Eva, Gladys, and Arthur.  Family members recall that Clara was gifted at crocheting.  She and George were eventually divorced, although the date of that divorce is unknown.  They spent most of their married life in Erie, PA.  It was in Erie that Clara died in 1947.  She is buried there in the Lakeside Cemetery.  Her oldest daughter, Bessie, died in her early 20’s, although the cause is unknown.  Laura was raped and strangled by a stocking on the way home from church in 1960.  John Willman, 36, was arrested and convicted of her murder and served time in jail.  Eva died of Tubercular Meningitis at age 21 in 1925.  Gladys raised Eva’s daughter Mary Jane.  (Mary Jane was married 3 times, the second time to Robert Clair Sipe (John Sipe’s son and Mary Jane’s cousin).  Gladys died in 1950.  Arthur was the youngest of Clarissa’s children.  He remained single until he died in 1979.    

Jacob and Henrietta’s oldest son, William Sipe, married Rebecca Byler, a Mennonite from Fayette.  The couple farmed and raised vegetables in Union City, near Erie, PA.  They adopted an 8 month old baby girl named Jessie, but  tragically lost the child when she died from complications after eating a piece of broom bristle that she found while crawling around.  The bristle bealed inside of

her stomach and she died of infection.  They never adopted another child or had any of their own.  William was 79 when his wife died in 1952 and he moved to Fayette to live  with his brother Jesse.  His brother John also lived in the area,