Susan Catherine Linebaugh

By Mary Graybill

Originally published on The Leaf on the Tree

A Woman of Two Lives

Some women live quiet lives—one place, one role, one identity.

But every now and then, you find someone whose story stretches across eras heartbreaks, and triumphs

Susan Catherine Linebaugh was one of those women.

Roots in Frederick County

Susan was born on December 13, 1840, in the gentle hills of Frederick County, Maryland. Her parents, Benjamin Linebaugh and Mary “Polly” Grossnickle, raised her in a close-knit German Brethren community—faithful, hardworking, and deeply connected to the land.

She grew up surrounded by the rhythms of farm life in Middletown and Jackson District, where family and church shaped every season.

Young Love and Sudden Loss

Just shy of her 21st birthday, Susan married John Marker on December 12, 1861 at the Evangelical Reformed Church in Frederick.  The Civil War was already underway and life was anything but certain.

·   Their first daughter, Mary Catherine, arrived in April 1862.

·   A second, Laura Anna was born in September 1864.

But by then, Susan was a widow.

John died in December 1863, just two years into their marriage. The cause is unknown but war-time illness and hardship were common.  He was buried at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Cemetery in Myersville, leaving Susan with one child in her arms and another on the way.

She was only 23 years old.

The Second Chapter

The years after John’s death are quiet in the records, but Susan endured. She raised her daughters, likely leaning on her Grossnickle and Linebaugh kin, and the comforting teachings of the Church of the Brethren—community, peace, and service.

Around 1874, she married Josiah Kline, a Civil War veteran and farmer from Frederick County. Together, they built a life in Wolfsville, Maryland, surrounded by apple orchards and mountain views.

They raised seven more children, bringing Susan’s total to nine.

A Life Well Lived

Josiah passed away in 1902, but Susan lived another 26 years, passing peacefully on April 19, 1928, at the age of 87.  She’s buried beside Josiah at Grossnickle Church of the Brethren Cemetery in Ellerton, Maryland—a place that still whispers her name.

 From Her Roots, We Grow

Susan lived through:

·       War and widowhood

·       Remarriage and motherhood

·       The births of nine children

·       The deaths of many loved ones

·       A country transforming from horse-drawn wagons to automobile, from Civil War to World War

But more than anything, she built a family.  

A legacy.

Her descendants became farmers, ministers, mothers, and memory-keepers. Her  story in one of resilience, love, and quiet strength. It’s the kind of story that reminds us why we trace our roots—not just to know where we come from, but to feel connected to those who came before.

Let’s Keep the Story Going

Do you have a strong woman in your family tree whose story deserves to be told? Drop a comment or send me a note—I’d love to hear about her.  After all, every leaf on the tree has a story. And together, they make a forest