Michael SHOWALTER

                   Moab is buried in Reiff's Mennonite Church graveyard.
Moab was a prominent farmer of the Hagerstown District. He was born in Rockingham Virginia. He had 10 siblings. He was educated in the common schools and brought up on the farm. He started working for himself at age 21 on the homestead on shares until in connection with his brother George, he purchased the same. Three years later he bought his brother's interest and continued to own the farm until 1893, when he sold it. This farm had been in the Showalter family for 6 generations. He and his wife had 9 children of their own. The Showalter family remained in Virginia until the Spring of 1888, when they came to Washington County, Md and spent 3 years near Smithburg, where they bought a small place. They then bought the farm on which they now reside; it contains about 110 acres, and is a part of the old Spriggs Farm. Here they erected one of the finest dwellings in the neighborhood, and other buildings, costing over $5000. They have since purchased a farm of 120 acres, known as the Dr. L.D. Herman farm, in the same district. The most of what Mr. and Mrs. Showalter possessed was the result of their own economy and hard labor. When the Paradise Mennonite church was built, a short distance from their home, Moab became one of the liberal contributors. He and his family were members of Miller's church in Leitersburg. Tobias and Catharine (Strite) Shank, the parents of Mrs. Moab H Showalter are mentioned in the history of the Shank family.