Virginia Benner's grandmother was Sara Lewis, who married Matthias Benner. George Ford's grandfather was George Lewis, brother of Sara. Therefore, Virginia and George were 2nd cousins. Virginia's father, Henry, was born in Philadelphia, and he and his wife, Anna, lived in that city until they moved to Washington, DC, between 1846 and 1850. George's parents, Robert and Ann, always lived in Philadelphia. With their parents living in different cities, how George and Virginia met is unclear.
After their marriage, George and Virginia lived in various homes in Philadelphia: 247 Juniper Street, 1812 N. 21st Street, 1608 Mount Vernon, 1918 Mount Vernon, 158 N. 20th, and 1347 Brown Street.
After Virginia's death, the Washington (DC) Evening Star noted that she "was at one time prominent in musical circles." The Rev. Bernard Dornhege, rector of St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church in Philadelphia, wrote to her on one occasion asking her to "give us your valuable assistance in the choir on the great occasion of the Solemn Requiem for our Holy Father for which you have rendered on a previous occasion so admirably." (The letter is undated, but Rev. Dornhege was the rector of St. Elizabeth's from 1872 until his death in 1911.) An 1879 newspaper article undoubtedly refers to Virginia when it mentions "Mrs. George Ford" as a contralto in the church choir during a mass celebrated at the Church of the Holy Family (Catholic), again in Philadelphia.
Virginia, who predeceased her husband, is buried in the Benner lot in Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C. (The cemetery office confirmed that this location is unmarked.) George and three of their children are buried in Westminster Cemetery, Bala-Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.
After their marriage, George and Virginia lived in various homes in Philadelphia: 247 Juniper Street, 1812 N. 21st Street, 1608 Mount Vernon, 1918 Mount Vernon, 158 N. 20th, and 1347 Brown Street.
After Virginia's death, the Washington (DC) Evening Star noted that she "was at one time prominent in musical circles." The Rev. Bernard Dornhege, rector of St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church in Philadelphia, wrote to her on one occasion asking her to "give us your valuable assistance in the choir on the great occasion of the Solemn Requiem for our Holy Father for which you have rendered on a previous occasion so admirably." (The letter is undated, but Rev. Dornhege was the rector of St. Elizabeth's from 1872 until his death in 1911.) An 1879 newspaper article undoubtedly refers to Virginia when it mentions "Mrs. George Ford" as a contralto in the church choir during a mass celebrated at the Church of the Holy Family (Catholic), again in Philadelphia.
Virginia, who predeceased her husband, is buried in the Benner lot in Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C. (The cemetery office confirmed that this location is unmarked.) George and three of their children are buried in Westminster Cemetery, Bala-Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.
Virginia Benner's grandmother was Sara Lewis, who married Matthias Benner. George Ford's grandfather was George Lewis, brother of Sara. Therefore, Virginia and George were 2nd cousins. Virginia's father, Henry, was born in Philadelphia, and he and his wife, Anna, lived in that city until they moved to Washington, DC, between 1846 and 1850. George's parents, Robert and Ann, always lived in Philadelphia. With their parents living in different cities, how George and Virginia met is unclear.
After their marriage, George and Virginia lived in various homes in Philadelphia: 247 Juniper Street, 1812 N. 21st Street, 1608 Mount Vernon, 1918 Mount Vernon, 158 N. 20th, and 1347 Brown Street.
After Virginia's death, the Washington (DC) Evening Star noted that she "was at one time prominent in musical circles." The Rev. Bernard Dornhege, rector of St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church in Philadelphia, wrote to her on one occasion asking her to "give us your valuable assistance in the choir on the great occasion of the Solemn Requiem for our Holy Father for which you have rendered on a previous occasion so admirably." (The letter is undated, but Rev. Dornhege was the rector of St. Elizabeth's from 1872 until his death in 1911.) An 1879 newspaper article undoubtedly refers to Virginia when it mentions "Mrs. George Ford" as a contralto in the church choir during a mass celebrated at the Church of the Holy Family (Catholic), again in Philadelphia.
Virginia, who predeceased her husband, is buried in the Benner lot in Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C. (The cemetery office confirmed that this location is unmarked.) George and three of their children are buried in Westminster Cemetery, Bala-Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.
After their marriage, George and Virginia lived in various homes in Philadelphia: 247 Juniper Street, 1812 N. 21st Street, 1608 Mount Vernon, 1918 Mount Vernon, 158 N. 20th, and 1347 Brown Street.
After Virginia's death, the Washington (DC) Evening Star noted that she "was at one time prominent in musical circles." The Rev. Bernard Dornhege, rector of St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church in Philadelphia, wrote to her on one occasion asking her to "give us your valuable assistance in the choir on the great occasion of the Solemn Requiem for our Holy Father for which you have rendered on a previous occasion so admirably." (The letter is undated, but Rev. Dornhege was the rector of St. Elizabeth's from 1872 until his death in 1911.) An 1879 newspaper article undoubtedly refers to Virginia when it mentions "Mrs. George Ford" as a contralto in the church choir during a mass celebrated at the Church of the Holy Family (Catholic), again in Philadelphia.
Virginia, who predeceased her husband, is buried in the Benner lot in Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C. (The cemetery office confirmed that this location is unmarked.) George and three of their children are buried in Westminster Cemetery, Bala-Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.
Gravesite Details
AGE: 59 - COD: Uramia - BIRTHPLACE: PA
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