Planted in the 1860s
History of the Gable Clan
WALTER HARRY GABLE and MABEL FERRENCE HURSH GABLE
Walter H Gable (born 05/29/1900, died 03/06/1974) lived on a farm as a youth. His father was a carpenter and did some farming. His mother was a housewife who helped with the farm work. He had fourteen brothers and sisters. On the farm, he had a small barber shop and cut his sibling's hair and the hair of surrounding farmers in the neighborhood.
Mabel Terrence Hursh (born 06/28/1902, died 11/22/1995) lived in York. Her father worked for the ice company and during the winter worked on the river cutting ice blocks and storing them for the hot summer months. She had two brothers and two sisters - John, Roger, Cora, and Fannie. Her parents were John and Iva Hursh.
Walter and Mabel met at a church function. Walter worked and lived at his home until he was 21 years old, giving all his money to help keep his family. When he reached 21 years of age, he and Mabel got married. They had six children.
After marriage Walter became a barber in the city of York, then started Gable Barber Supply. During this time, he and his wife attended the Stony Brook Mennonite Church and he was "Chosen by Lot" to become a minister. Mabel was active in church socials. Eventually Henry Eugene Gable and Charles Franklin Gable bought Gable Barber Supply.
Walter and Mabel both went to school until the eighth grade which in today's standards was a year or so of college. Walter furthered his education by taking courses that would advance his knowledge in what ever he was doing, whether it was preaching or sharpening barber shears: courses at Moody Bible Institue in Chicago and barber hair cutting shears sharpening in Chicago, plus other courses along the way.
After serving many years as a Mennonite minister in Stony Brook, PA, he joined the Evangelical United Brethren Church which later became the United Methodist Church. His first assignment as a EUB minister, he was sent to Shermans Dale where he had 5 churches to look after: New Bloomfield, Duncannon, Shermans Dale, Youngs, Snyders. The family lived in Shermans Dale at that time. His next charge was Oakville, PA where he had three churches. After two or three years, he was moved to Dover EUB which he served for several years. After the Dover charge he was transferred to Hagerstown, MD then to State Line, PA then to Freysville, PA. Being a minister, the family was welcomed in town activities and were very active in community affairs.
Children:
Dorcas June Gable took the Federal Typing Exam and worked at Letterkenny Army Depot for 30 years. Gladys Maree and Orpha Pauline Gable went to Thompsons Business School in York. Karl Gable graduated from Shippensburg University, joined the Navy to become a pilot then a Captain for US Air then Continental Airlines. Henry Gable became a Methodist minister. Lois Gable started Sesame Personnel, a business in York.