Mary Catherine “Kate" Webster was born in 1845 to John Webster of
Frederick County, Maryland, and Sarah Ann Beeler of Washington County. Sarah
(born 1825) was the daughter of David and Sarah Ann (Weast) Beeler.
Little has come to light about John Webster’s ancestry. Apparently he died
early in the marriage and Sarah married Leonard Emmert, a Washington County
widower, farmer and preacher. Together they had two children, Nancy and David.5
I did not know my great-grandmother, Kate Webster Rohrer, since she died
before I was born, nor do I remember anyone in the family talking about her. The
huge oil painting of her that hung in the living room of the Rohrer home was
somber and cold, making no happy impression on me. In later years I was touched
by a letter from my father in December 1918 when still in the Army in France in
which he asked about the health of “Grandma, dear old soul." He was alluding to
Nell's death, which had devastated Kate. Several months later, in February 1920,
weakened by a long siege of tuberculosis, Kate died. She was buried in
Keedysville's Fairview Cemetery.
9
5David Emmert (1854-1911) was an artist, educator, naturalist and humanitarian. See Lambert, Anne Catherine
Emmert, David Emmert, 1988, Earl C., Jr., The Versatile David Emmert, 1988.
Employees of Anchor Roller Mills, 6 S. George Street, Cumberland, Md; Lorenzo D. Rohrer,
founder and president. His son, William D. Rohrer is in front row at far left. Photo circa 1902.
