John William Geiger, the only child of Ephriam and Mary (Dietle) Geiger, was born Nov. 16, 1889, and died Oct. 1, 1912 at the age of 22 years. He was born and raised at the Larimer Township, Somerset County PA farm where he died. He was a member of the White Oak Lutheran Church, having joined at the age of about 15 or 16. One of his obituaries said he was a "young man of fine spirit and great promise". Another said "His place was always occupied in the Sunday School, and in all the public services of the church." His funeral was attended by an unusually large group of mourners and "The church was crowded in every part..." One obituary remarked on the cause of death as follows:
The young man complained of a headache on Friday night a week ago. On the following Sunday the family physician was called who saw symptoms of typhoid fever."
Another obituary commented as follows:
"... the cause of death is somewhat hard to determine.
It may or may not have been due to an accident which happened to the young man on Thursday of Meyersdale's Old Home Week celebration.
On the Thursday mentioned, young Geiger was a passenger on the East-bound Western Maryland excursion train, and when the train was nearing Deal station it was running at a rate of speed that caused some of the passengers to think that no stop would be made there, and young Geiger jumped from the train while it was still in motion, falling as he struck the ground.
He complained of being badly wrenched after arising to his feet, and in a few days became quite (word missing).
F.E. Sass, of Pocahontas, and Dr. Rowe, of Meyersdale, both visited the patient the day he died, and while they thought he showed some symptoms of typhoid fever, his death taking place so soon thereafter, it is not unlikely that death was due to some internal injury caused by the accident in falling when alighting from the train."
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