SAMUEL and RACHEL (BROWN) SHORT (Photo contributed by Jane Short Hower)
Contributed by rkohler3 on 6/25/12 - Image Year: 1960
SAMUEL McCLELLAN and RACHEL BROWN SHORT
Samuel McClellan Short was born May 4, 1883 at Waterloo, Pennsylvania. His parents were Mary Esther Barton and William John Short.
He was an ordained minister and educator. At one time he was a professor at the Tuscarora Academy, which then served as the Beale Township High School. This is where he met a student who was to become his wife, Rachel Elizabeth Brown.
Rachel was born February 26, 1895 at Academia, Pennsylvania. Her parents were Catherine Jane Campbell and Joseph Oliver Brown. The Brown family was prominent in the county, Rachel' s grandfather, Joseph Oliver Brown, was a Squire and founder of the Brown Funeral Home. He and his three sons worked at that and were also cabinet makers.
In 1914 Samuel went to China as a missionary and teacher. He was involved in the pastoral activities of the mission and was founder and principal of the Albright Preparatory School for boys, which he named for his alma mater. Samuel earned a Master's degree at Nanking University where he learned the Chinese language.
In 1917, after she had finished school, Rachel sailed across the Pacific to join Samuel. They were married in Shanghai by a Baptist minister, far from home and family. Rachel had taken her wedding gown with her and Samuel wore a Prince Albert long tailed coat. Their wedding trip was a boat ride down the Yangtze River to the mission at Changsha.
Rachel helped at the school by teaching Western music to the boys. She had to take a lot of time to train the servants they were required to have. To do this she, too, had to learn Chinese. Rachel never cared for Chinese food, so she tried to teach the cook how to prepare some American dishes.
Their first son, William Joseph Short, was born in China May 25, 1918.
On February 26, 1920 the second son, Robert Brown Short was born.
After Samuel had been in China for seven years he was due for a furlough, so the family returned to the United States and stayed at Rachel's Academia home. They had intended to return to China, but Samuel's health had deteriorated. After he recovered he held several different positions in the Harrisburg area.
Their first daughter, Catherine Jane Short, was born June 30, 1923 in Oberlin, Pennsylvania.
The two youngest daughters, Mable Claire Short, and Carol May Short, were both born in the Harrisburg house. Mable arrived December 31, 1925, and May made her appearance May 26, 1927.
In 1934 Samuel and Rachel brought the family back to their roots in Juniata County when they moved to Port Royal and Samuel assumed the position as Superintendent of the Juniata County Schools. He would serve in this position for the next sixteen years, from 1934 to 1950.
Upon their return to Juniata County their first home was the large brick house on the northeast corner of Third and Market Street in Port Royal. This house would eventually became the location of Cricket Shellenberger's barber shop.
The next residence of the family was up Market Street at the northwest corner of the intersection with Sixth Street. This house would later serve as the photo studio of Paul Smith and still later as a beauty shop for Georgia Hower Hutchings.
The family's final Port Royal residence was on Tuscarora Street (Fiddler's Green) at the southeast corner of the intersection with Fourth Street.
Samuel McClellan Short died February 3, 1969.
Rachel Elizabeth Brown Short passed away January 1, 1974.
