Rebecca was a daughter of Gilbert Romberger and Mary Sophia Kiehl/Keihl Romberger. She was christened February 15, 1874 at Union Salem Church, Berrysburg, Pennsylvania. On this same day, a number of her parents' children were baptized there; it is unknown to me if they were new members of the church, or if the family just got the kids "done".

In March of 2012, I obtained a rare copy of a 1916 booklet, "The History of Berrysburg Seminary" which confirmed that Rebecca was a student there - a testament to her parents' progressive natures in ensuring their daughters were well educated in a time that the education of females often was not considered essential.

Rebecca's death certificate names his as "W J Winters". Our Romberger Family Association historian named him as William J Winters, a painter who died a mere three years after their marriage. The couple had no children. Her burial location had been suspected, but not confirmed, as Maple Grove, but has since been confirmed by the Romberger family historian.

Rebecca bought a property on her own in Harrisburg in 1906 at 1629 Chestnut. (I did check thinking it might be in Elizabethville, but there, Chestnut street numbers do not run this high.) Maybe she bought it thinking she'd be closer to her sister Lillie, and brothers George and Daniel who were then living in Harrisburg, but so far as I can see, she never lived there; perhaps it was a rental income property for her. It was certainly beyond her needs, at 1700 square feet, with five bedrooms. In any case, she and her sister Clara were widowed, as Clara lost her husband in November of 1906.

(This was speculation not born out by later found facts. I leave it so I don't question myself again.) But perhaps she'd not been widowed. Perhaps she and her husband separated or he deserted her. There is a Pennsylvania death certificate for a William J Winters, a railroad employee, who died February 8, 1926 in Harrisburg. He's said to be married, but no spouse name is noted. The informant is a hospital employee. Reminding myself there could be other men of this name, I thought "I wonder if this fellow is close to Rebecca's age." Sure enough, he was born just the year before her, on June 5, 1860. But alas, it cannot be him. The writing on his death certificate is rough, and he was mis-indexed as "William J" when he is, in fact, "William T" as shown by the man buried, as the death certificate shows, in the Harrisburg Cemetery, and dying on the right day. There's a picture of his gravestone, and there's no mistaking the middle initial. Another like-named man died in 1934 in Dauphin County, but he had a spouse named Adrienne Kauffman. He could be our man but he was born 1868, not impossible, but less likely to be Rebecca's old husband. The right man may never be identified. The couple never appears on a census together, probably marrying and separating in the frustrating 20 year gap between the 1880 and 1900 census. I have not found any marriage data for them on the Mormon site, nor in the Ancestry 1885-1889 PA marriages. (End of speculation.) Whatever the case, Rebecca was living solo.

On her own, Rebecca, known as Beckie, spent much of her life in Williamstown and Elizabethville, living with her widowed sister Clara. She was also close with her sister in Williamstown, Annie Gertrude Romberger Whittle. Beckie worked as a housekeeper and was a forelady in a shirt factory. Like her sister Clara, she maintained an active social life after becoming a widow. Harrisburg newspapers mention her visiting and hosting both with and without Clara. It seems she was close with Naomi and Ruth Bottomley of Williamstown. She was known to travel to Harrisburg to visit her sister Lillie. She visited with her father's sister, her aunt Susan (nee Romberger) Bowman as well.

When her younger brother Ralph's child was to be baptized, Rebecca was the sponsor of Ralph's daughter, Rebecca Estella Romberger. The big event was November 28, 1910, halfway across the state in Norristown, but Aunt Beckie was there to lend her pledge and her name.

Rebecca's death certificate states that she died of cancer of the left breast. So far, she is the only one of her generation known to have had it, but there were at least 9 more people in ensuing generations that did get it, and for now, so far descendants of her brother George and her sister Mary. There are still many more folks to be checked, but a pattern is surely emerging.

Kind fellow contributor David Hause sent her obituary from the Elizabethville Echo from February 20, 1930:

Mrs. Rebecca K. Winters age 68 years 11 months and 7 days died at her home on Spruce Street at 7.30 o'clock Monday morning after having been in ill health for eight months with cancer. She was a member of Salem Lutheran Church, town. Mrs. Winters was a daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Romberger, born at Mahantongo, Pa., March 10 1861. She was married September 10 1883 to W. J. Winters, at Berrysburg, by the Rev. I. M. Gable. Her husband died a number of years ago. She had resided in Elizabethville more than fifteen years. Survivors are two brothers and three sisters: Daniel Romberger of Allentown; Ralph Romberger, Norristown, Pa., Mrs. Daniel Shade, Gratz, Mrs. Clara Harner, Elizabethville and Mrs. Lillie Romberger, Harrisburg. Funeral servics will be held from the residence at two o'clock this Thursday afternoon, with further services to be held in Salem Lutheran Church. The pastor, Rev. W. Z. Artz will officiate, and interment will be made in Maple Grove Cemetery.