At the Watsontown Historical Society meeting tonight, we got to see a cast made by Bruce Schnure. It is an all in one cast tea cup, saucer, and spoon, donated to the historical society. Rick Wolfe read a short bio on Mr. Schnure, and it peaked my interest.
Bruce Whitmore Schnure
son of Nevin & Ethel Marion ( Boganrief) Schnure
Born 1914
Died 2012
Married
Myrtle Heronimus
Daughter of James & Margaret (Galer) Heronimus
Born 1916
Died 2005
Children:
Paul Schnure
Clare Schnure
1920 - Residence
Name Bruce W SchnureAge 5
Birth Year abt 1915
Birthplace Pennsylvania
Home in 1920 Hartley, Union, Pennsylvania
Race White
Gender Male
Relation to Head of House Son
Marital Status Single
Father's Name Nevin E Schnure
Father's Birthplace Pennsylvania
Mother's Name Ethel M Schnure
Mother's Birthplace Pennsylvania
Attended School No
Household Members
Name Age
Nevin E Schnure 25
Ethel M Schnure 24
William F Schnure 6
Bruce W Schnure 5
Kenneth R Schnure 3
1930 - Residence
Name: Bruce W SchnureBirth Year: abt 1914
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Marital Status: Single
Relation to Head of House: Son
Home in 1930: Hartley, Union, Pennsylvania
Map of Home: View Map
Dwelling Number: 229
Family Number: 246
Attended School: Yes
Able to Read and Write: Yes
Father's Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Mother's Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Able to Speak English: Yes
Household Members:
Name Age
Nevin E Schnure 35
Ethel M Schnure 35
William F Schnure 17
Bruce W Schnure 16
Kenneth R Schnure 14
Dean C Schnure 7
Bernice M Schnure 0
The Millmont Times, Vol 11 Issue 7, 1 Nov 2010, page 9
November 1, 2010
1935 Residence
Watsontown Pa, according to the 1940 census
1936 - Bruce Schnure married Margaret Hieronmus
Name: Bruce R SchnureEvent Type: Marriage
Marriage Date: 1936
Marriage Place: Laurelton, Union, Pennsylvania, USA
Denomination: Lutheran
Organization Name: Evangelican Lutheran
Spouse: Myrtle Hieronmus
1940 Residence
Name: Bruec SchnureAge: 25
Estimated birth year: abt 1915
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Marital Status: Married
Relation to Head of House: Head
Home in 1940: Watsontown, Northumberland, Pennsylvania
Map of Home in 1940: View Map
Street: River Front-houses Ave Not Numberes
Farm: No
Inferred Residence in 1935: Watsontown, Northumberland, Pennsylvania
Residence in 1935: Same Place
Sheet Number: 22A
Number of Household in Order of Visitation: 391
Occupation: Moulder
House Owned or Rented: Rented
Value of Home or Monthly Rental if Rented: 16
Attended School or College: No
Hours Worked Week Prior to Census: 40
Duration of Unemployment: 12
Class of Worker: Wage or salary worker in private work
Weeks Worked in 1939: 50
Income: 700
Income Other Sources: No
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Bruec Schnure 25
Myrtle Schnure 24
Paul Schnure 6
Clare Schnure 3
1940 - WWII Draft Registration Card
Name: Bruce Whitmore SchnureRace: White
Birth Date: 4 Apr 1914
Birth Place: Laurelton, Pennsylvania, USA
Residence: Watsontown, Northumberland, Pennsylvania, USA
Registration Date: 1940
Occupation: Watsontown Foundry Company
Weight: 160
Complexion: Light
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Black
Height: 5 8
Next of Kin: Myrtle Rebecca Schnure
Relationship: Wife
Household Members:
Name
Bruce Whitmore Schnure
Address in 1993 -
14 W 3rd St, Watsontown, PA, 17777-1602
2012 - Bruce Schnure Died
Find A Grave Listing
Name: Bruce Whitmore SchnureBirth Date: 4 Apr 1914
Birth Place: Laurelton, Union County, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Death Date: 29 Jul 2012
Death Place: Lewisburg, Union County, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Cemetery: Watsontown Cemetery
Burial or Cremation Place: Watsontown, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Has Bio?: Y
Spouse: Myrtle Schnure
Obituary
98 years old. Son of late Nevin and Ethel (Bogenrief) Schnure. Preceded in death by wife of 70 years Myrtle (Hironimus) Schnure in 2005, son C Eugene Schnure and brothers Bill, Kenneth and Dean Schnure.
Started work at Laurelton Foundry and later transferred to Watsontown Foundry where he served as superintendent for many years. Graduate of Hartley Twp HS. Member of First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Watsontown, Watsontown Masonic Lodge 401 F&AM, Keystone Rod and Gun Club, and Watsontown Lions Club. He had the opportunity to try-out for Phillies and Cardinals baseball teams but declined.
Cronrath-Grenoble Funeral Home, Watsontown
Sunbury Daily Item 30 Jul 2012
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The recollections of Bruce Shirk, as printed in the Millmont Times September 2011:
From 1938 until he entered military service in 1941 Bruce was employed as a molder at the Laurelton Foundry. Shirk thought that as many as 30 men were employed at the foundry during the time that he worked there. Nearly half of these men were molders. According to Bruce, molding was a tricky procedure. The end product depended on whether the sand had the right consistency and how well the molder had packed it. Bruce cast a variety of different parts during his employmThe Watsontown Foundry Company has been launched at Watsontown Pa with a capital stock of $10,000
Foundry, Volumes 18-19 ent at the foundry, including many of the legs and the griddles for the popular Mother’s Range cook stoves.
Other cast iron products made at the foundry included hog troughs, kettles, globe stoves, heatrolas, jacks (for jumping jack game), ornamental frog doorstops, weathervanes and many other items. Jacks cast at the foundry were also used to clean the cast iron pieces after they were removed from the sand mold and placed in tumblers. The foundry paid its molders only for the saleable pieces they produced. He said that on a good day he could make as much as $3. Bruce recalled how busy
the Laurelton State Bank was when payday rolled around at the foundry. The financial institution, located at 10 Weikert Road, was chartered about 1920 and continued to serve the banking needs of folks living in the West End until it merged with the Mifflinburg Bank in 1941.
When Bruce returned from his military service business at the Laurelton Foundry was on the decline. He was uncertain how much longer the foundry continued to operate. The names of some of the employees of the foundry during the time he worked there include: George Hauck, Bill Schnure, Les Kerstetter, Fred Kaler, David Gross, Bruce Schnure, Harry Pick, Chip Schell, Carl “Bup” Sampsell, Ray “Punchy” Shirk, Larue “Rat” Shirk, Percy Weidensaul, and Chas Hunter.
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"The Watsontown Foundry Company has been launched at Watsontown Pa with a capital stock of $10,000"
Foundry, Volumes 18-19
The Watsontown Foundry Crew
Date Unknown
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The Watsontown Foundry Comes Down
Posted: Friday, January 4, 2013 10:20 am
By Matt Farrand Staff writer
WATSONTOWN — Demolition of the foundry which cast Lewisburg Borough’s distinctive threeglobe street light stanchions is underway.
Workers arrived Wednesday at what was once Watsontown Foundry in trucks lettered for Moran
Industries and began the task of dismantling the site where the ancient craft was practiced.
The facility at Fifth and Ash streets in Watsontown waslast owned by Somerset Foundry, which ceased operations in Somerset one year ago. Select corporate assets of Somerset were bought in June 2012 by Whitman Castings, of Whitman, Mass.
Marty Kerrigan, of Whitman Castings, said Watsontown Foundry was known for the relatively simple process of sand casting, a technique for making useful objects out of iron which can be traced almost to the dawn of recorded history. “It still comes down to making a mold out of a tub of sand, packing it down and leaving a void in the sand after you take out a pattern of what you are going to cast,” he described. “In you pour the molten iron, and out comes the casting.” Kerrigan noted that at one time, foundries including the one he is currently associated with, were quintessential small businesses, often taking the name of the area where they were based.
“There used to be a foundry in almost every town,” Kerrigan said, but noted that the foundry business has changed perhaps more than any other classic smokestack industry.
“All of that has gone overseas,” he lamented, noting the growth of foundries in India, Pakistan and China. “Probably 70 percent of storm drains, scuppers and manhole covers are made overseas.”
Modern heavy equipment was used to knock down the brick structures and metal framed equipment which made up the Watsontown Foundry