Thriller Thursday - Some People Just Can't Be Good, Part I

Helen Elizabeth Bronsavage nee Sabulash was my great uncle, Anthony Bronsavage's, wife.  Too bad she didn't act that way.  It got her in more than a little bit of trouble...

The Plain Speaker, 02MAY1949

"Man Found Shot To Death In Freeland:  Hold Witnesses

State and county police authorities were continuing their investigation today into the shotgun death of Louis Broton, 34, of Freeland, formerly of Harleigh, whose body was found early yesterday morning in the small two-room home at Freeland heights which he had rented only 14 hours before.

An official finding of homicide or suicide was still pending.  Dr. Lewis Reese, Luzerne county coroner, said yesterday at Freeland following the post mortem, "There is no decision yet as to whether this is a case of homicide or a suicide."

Two persons, a man and a woman, who are alleged to have been in the company of Broton Saturday evening, are being held as material witnesses by State Police.  Police withheld their names for the present.

State police said today that the ownership of the shotgun found at the scene has not been determined.  According to their investigation, Broton never owned a shotgun and how the weapon came to be there, has still not been determined.

The body was found in a small room, approximately 8 by 8 feet in size.  It was lying on a small mattress which was on the floor, police said.  The shotgun was also found on the floor, a short distance from the body.

Police said today that Broton rented the home Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock from the owner, George B. Hudock of 406 Washington street, Freeland.  He and the woman moved a few possessions into the place at about 4 o'clock.

The woman went into Freeland to buy some groceries, she told police and returned home at about 8 o'clock.  she said the man, the other person being held, who also lives in a small home nearby, were drinking beer.  When the men left later in the evening, Broton went into the small room to sleep.

The man's story agreed with the woman's details, except in the time element, police said.  The woman told police she went into the room later and found Broton trying to put two shells into the shotgun.  She took them from him and later turned them over to police.

She said when she went into the room a second time, she found him dead, and immediately ran for help.  She told police she did not hear the shot, although she claimed to be in the next room during that time.  Police were called at 4:40 a. m.

John E. Jurica, of Freeland, deputy coroner, examined the body and called Dr. Reese, the county coroner.

Dr. Jules Foldes, Hazleton State Hospital pathologist, performed the post mortem in the Jurica funeral home, and at its conclusion, Dr. Reese said that cause of death was due to a shotgun charge which had blown off the top of the head.  He added that the charge had traveled from the front to the rear of the skull.

According to reports, Broton was married but was separated from his wife and family, who are now said to be living in New Jersey.

County Detective Michael Cassic, of Hazleton, was in charge of the county investigation.  Cpl. Robert Musser and Pvt. Louis Shupnik, of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation at Wyoming Barracks, took pictures at the scene and also dusted the shotgun for fingerprints.

After the post mortem, Coroner Reese released the body to a brother, Anthony Broton."

The Plain Speaker, Monday afternoon edition, 02MAY1949

What isn't mentioned in this article is that she was married as well, and to my knowledge was not divorced from her husband.  I suppose they were estranged but as far as I know there was no divorce paperwork filed (note to self - verify, just for the sake of good drama shaking the family tree...).  Anthony and Helen had a young 7 year old daughter at home when this happened.  Apparently, momma preferred to not parent.  

So the story is entertaining.  I see holes that I can drive a semi through.  Apparently so did the police...

The Gettysburg Times, 17NOV1949

 "Defendant Weeps At Court Trial

Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Nov. 17 (AP) - The Commonwealth succeeded in (??) the records five statements allegedly made and signed voluntarily by Mrs Helen Bronsavage 38 concerning the slaying of Louis Broton

Mrs. Bronsavage, West Hazleton, broke into tears on Tuesday when a statement which police said she made was read into the records.

The statement quoted Mrs Bronsavage as saying she was glad she killed Broton because she was good to him and didn't deserve the treatment she received from him.

'He threatened me so long, I thought it was either my life or his,' the statement said 'We had quarreled many times and I had taken many beatings and abuses from him I'm glad I killed him because he'd have killed me I didn't deserve to be treated like that I tried to be good to him and was getting to be a nervous wreck' "

A bit different story some 6 months after Mr. Broton was killed and the story must have been getting some media attention since it was picked up by the AP!  There's more to this saga, but we'll take it in pieces.  Wait until next "Thriller Thursday" for another update on the trial and the verdict...

FOLLOW UP (01MAR2011) - Sadly the Luzerne County Coroner will not release information on their reports and there are no trial records for this time period, because I'm told they 1) just didn't keep stuff like that (mmm....K...), and 2) records prior to 1972 were lost in the flood caused by Hurricane Agnes.  Drat!

Wedding Wednesday - Romand Kuehl and Leona Boegel

Romand and Leona Kuehl nee Boegel

Romand Valentine Gustav Kuehl (love, love, LOVE that name!) and Leona Boegel were married on May 23, 1931 in Ashford Township, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. 

Romand was the son of John and Dorathea Kuehl nee Hermann and was born on April 7, 1909.  He died on August 16, 1999.

Leona was the daughter of John and Bertha Boegel nee Rosbeck and was born on April 30, 1903.  She died on May 19, 1984.

Romand and Leona had 4 beautiful daughters:  Lorraine, Alice, Helen, and Dolores

Both Romand and Leona were of German descent (although I'm still working on where in Germany).  He was Lutheran and she was Roman Catholic and their children were raised Catholic.  The surnames Kuehl and Boegel underwent the typical spelling changes and an "e" was added after the "u" in Kuhl and the "o" in Bogel replacing an umlaut.  The pronunciation of their names was so different than I imagined.  Kuehl is pronounced "keel" and Boegel is "beagle" (yes like my dog)!  A very important thing to know when searching for records that someone may have transcribed according to what they heard.

Romand and Leona are my husband's maternal grandparents and Dolores is my mother-in-law.  Our first-born son, Benjamin's, middle name is Romand for his great-grandpa.  When my husband and I went to the hospital for our son to be born we hadn't figured out what his name was going to be.  What we did know was that his middle name was going to be Romand and lucky for us before the paperwork was filled out we verified the spelling because we didn't know that there was a "d" on the end! That would have been a mess to correct!

Motivation Monday - Cherie's Got Her Groove Back

Last Monday I was facing one hell of a week.  There was so much non-genealogy nonsense in my life that I had no time for what really matters...my family and continuing down my professional path.  There was even PTA high-school-I'm-going-to-hold-my-breath-and-stomp-my-feet-until-you-do-what-I-want crap.  It was a stressful week, but just as when my children throw temper-tantrums they don't get what they want, well, this chickie didn't get her way either.

Was that why I got my motivation back? Nope.  It was due to a very good friend who sent me an email via Facebook with a genealogy related question.  She only met her biological father once, but wanted to look into her genealogy.  Not being close with him she didn't feel comfortable asking for his parents' names so she wanted to know how she could find out who they were.  A good (and necessary) starting point for research.  With the experience I have, I saw no really easy answer.  She could always try to contact the Vital Records Division in California and request an uncertified copy of her father's birth certificate, but getting one isn't always easy.  Getting a vital record when the person is still living is not easy even if that record is uncertified so since it was 10:00pm off to Ancestry.com I went.

     The information I knew:

     1) Her father's name

     2) Where her father was born (California)

     3) Where her father lives now (Washington state)

     4) Her grandmother's surname (Stanford...she did not know her first name)

     5) That her grandparents were not married and that they were deceased.

     6) That her father used the surname Angel for a time, but wasn't sure why

The surname of her father was unusual...Piplic.  My search turned up few results, but you really only need one if it's the right one!  I found her father's birth on Ancestry and the record essentially told me everything I already knew, but the second record I checked was very helpful.  The United States Obituary Collection turned up one result:

"Tony Piplic died Dec. 10, 2003, at age 88.  Mr. Piplic was born Dec 10, 1915, in Portland.  He was raised in Jewell and served in the Air Force.  He lived in Eureka Calif., and Tacoma before returning to Portland in 1963...Survivors include his son "living" (Piplic)..."

Well, now we had a name for the grandfather since his son's name was in the obituary.  I was able to find Antone in the 1920 census for Portland, Oregon.

Ancestry.com - 1920 US Federal Census, Portland, Multnomah, Oregon, Sheet 22A

In finding this I was able to further tell her that her great-grandparents' names were Lena and Mark and they were immigrants from Austria and that Antone had 2 sisters as of 1920, Anna and Frances.

I sent her information that I found in the WWII Army Enlistment Records showing that he served during the Second World War.  Something that I felt would be of special significance to my friend, since she too is a veteran. 

I finished my email letting her know that I had inquired about the possibility of obtaining an uncertified copy of the birth certificate and that I'd let her know what the state of California said when they got back to me (they still haven't).  Trying to search for "Stanford" and "California" does not provide the best results!  I was going to head to bed, but decided to try one more thing.

Since I had sent her a link to her grandfather's memorial on FindAGrave.com I attempted a search on their website for "Stanford" and "California".  There were 156 matches.  I began scanning through them and opening in a new tab any female with the Stanford surname that would have been likely to give birth in 1953.  There were a few, but it did narrow it down a bit!

I looked through each tab hoping for something that would jump out at me.  Something that would say "This is the one" but instead I was slowly closing each tab confirming a negative find.  FindAGrave is wonderful, but the bottom line is if someone didn't upload her grave, I wasn't going to find it.  As is typically the way with these things, I clicked on the very last tab I had open and saw this picture...

Evelyn Lois Stanford Piplic Cox Angell

I sat there looking at this beautiful woman (without looking at her information, believe it or not), and said, "Oh my goodness, this looks like my friend!" and then I looked at the write up that went along with her memorial:

"Daughter of Delbert & Anna Marie (Desler) Stanford...Twin sister of Everett & sister of Alvey Delbert...When she and her brother were born, they were so small that the family carried them around on pillows!...Mother of "Living" Piplic & "Living" Cox...She was raised in Milton-Freewater, OR...She was married to William Rall, Tony Piplic, Raymond Cox (div all) and in 16 April 1966 married Edwin Angell...She lived in Seattle for many years and returned to Milton-Freewater, after her mother's death...Evelyn was always thoughtful and cheery person. She loved to laugh and enjoyed her family, friends, flowers and gardening...written by her first cousin, Betty."

It was the right woman (and she had been married to Tony after all!).  I was so absolutely excited to be able to share this link with my friend.  It felt like I was giving a gift and just made me so incredibly happy!

Now, I did leave out the part about how I thought Evelyn looked like her.  Knowing that this family was essentially a family of strangers, I did not want to offend her.  The next morning I received a response from her saying that it was nice to be able to see some of her features in Evelyn because she hadn't seen many in her mother's side of the family.

A strange little twist...when I performed the search again on FindAGrave to see the number of hits I got, Evelyn didn't turn up this time.  Odd how that happens sometimes.  Maybe Evelyn wanted to be found...

I know that everything can't be researched on the internet, but I've got to tell you that being able to find both of my friend's grandparents with the information I had in less than an hour made me feel pretty darn good!  Having an unusual surname helped, and having a family member that posted so much information on FindAGrave was lucky, but those factors didn't change how I felt about it.  It was a triumph to know I could pull it off.  It put a smile on my face to know that I had helped a dear friend begin her genealogical journey and as she said it "feels like Christmas".

It all gave me the motivation to get back to where I belong.  This week I'm focusing that motivational energy and I'm getting my genealogical groove back!  No volunteer group is getting in my way!

Sunday's Obituary - Woman Found Dead in Tub

Hazleton Standard Speaker - 26FEB1962, pg18

"Woman, 42, Found Dead in Tub by Husband, Son

Mrs. Florence Tabor, 42, wife of Clarence Tabor, 230 East Broad street, West Hazleton, was found dead in the water-filled bathtub of the family's apartment at 4:45 p.m. yesterday.  About an hour earlier she had told members of the family she was going to take a bath.

Chief County Detective Charles Connelly last night said he is satisfied the death was either from natural causes or was accidental, unless the results of a post-mortem prove otherwise.

Dr. Julius Foldes, local pathologist, performed the post-mortem last night at Hazleton State General Hospital.

Tests today indicated she had fallen asleep and drowned, it was reported.  According to Dr. Foldes, her death was attributed to pulmonary edema.

Lieutenant Edward Waitkus of the West Hazleton police said members of the family told him a telephone call came fro Mrs. Tabor while she was in the bathroom and a son went to the bathroom door and called to his mother that she was wanted on the telephone.  When she did not come out of the bathroom in a few minutes, Waitkus was told, both the father and son went to the bathroom where they found her submerged in the water.  They carried her to a bedroom, began artificial respiration, and called Dr. George B. Dornblaser.  The West hazleton ambulance crew and the physician used a resuscitator on the victim for a half hour but their efforts to revive her were unsuccessful.

Deputy Coroner Louis C. Fierro, who was summoned to the home, notified District Attorney Stephen Teller and Dr. Herman L. Feissner, county coroner, who dispatched the county detective to this city.  Detective Connelly witnessed the post-mortem, and later interviewed members of the family.  Trooper Ralph Cameron, Bureau of Criminal Intelligence operator at the local state police barracks, was also called on the case.

Born in West Hazleton

Mrs. Tabor was born in West Hazleton, a daughter of Mrs. Ceclia (Kozlowski) and the late Anthony Bronsavage Sr.  She resided in this area all her life and was employed at Argo Sportswear.  She was a member of the Second Presbyterian Church.

A sister, Anna, prededed her in death.  Surviving are her husband, Clarence, two sons, Paul and Leonard, at home; and the following brothers and sisters:

Mrs. Vincent (Margaret) Wolchesky, Hazleton; Anthony Bronsavage, West Hazleton; Joseph Bronsavage, Hershey; Adele Bronsavage, Hazleton; Michael Bronsavage, Weatherly; Mrs. George (Martha) Zimmerman, Hazleton.

The funeral will be held Wednesday morning at 11 o'clock from the Bonin Funeral Home, Second street, entrance, with Rev. Dr. Frederick B. Crane, of the First Presbyterian Church, officiating.  Interment will be in Mountain View Cemetery.  Friends may call Tuesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 10 p.m."

This article most likely came from the Hazleton Standard Speaker.  I'll be looking for the article when I return home this summer so I can find out the publication information.  According to her death certificate, Florence died on February 25, 1962 so finding it shouldn't be difficult.

Florence was my paternal grandmother.  She died 10 years before I was born.  My father was the son that found her in the tub.  What the article does not reflect is that it was believed by my father that Florence intentionally took too many sleeping pills and then took a bath in order to kill herself.  I imagine it's a difficult subject for my father (I no longer communicate with him).  He had commented that she killed herself, and then other times he would merely state that she fell asleep in the tub and died.  I have little doubt that this event affected him enormously.

Paul, Florence (Bronsavage), and Leonard Tabor

I had previously asked my mother why she would have killed herself.  Her response was essentially that my grandfather was a miserable man (that's phrasing it politely).
Whether the death was accidental or intentional, it's sad that Florence died so young and before I could ever have a chance to meet her.

Something I noted from the above transcription that was a bit odd.  The body was found "yesterday" and already the coroner had finished his autopsy (complete with toxicology...really????) and the funeral was set.  Were things really taken care of THAT quickly back then?  I've seen few articles where the death and funeral are announced so quickly together!

I may have to see if I can lay my hands on the coroner's report.  Not to be morbid or anything, but between my father's need to change history every 5 minutes and my need to know the truth, I feel that I must locate as much information as possible on why Florence died much too soon.

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - And Her Name is "Marshmallow"

Week 7: Toys. What was your favorite childhood toy? Is it still being made in some form today?

I so easily could have posted this blog under "Treasure Chest Thursday" because this toy will always be a dear treasure to me!  My favorite toy was a doll that I called Marshmallow...Marshie for short.  I still have her (obviously).  She looks nothing like she did when I first got her.  My father told me that he got her for me because he saw her in a store and said that she looked just like me.  No giggling out there!  I was a baby at the time and my eyes were never made of felt! :)

Apparently, Marshie had some wisps of blond hair for bangs where the hoodie starts (my hair isn't blond, but it was when I was little...now it's safely dyed red).  I vaguely remember that her face was painted on pink/beige cloth and her body wasn't always made of terry-cloth.  What you see now is the beautiful handiwork of my mom.  That's no sarcasm.  It's pure love for her daughter and understanding her daughter's love for her dolly.


My mom had to give Marshie several face-lifts and tummy tucks.  It was either that or throw her out and that couldn't happen.  I couldn't sleep if I lost Marshie!  I remember one time she couldn't be found at bedtime and my parents tore the house apart until she was found!  So, as a result, mom would give her a complete make-over time and again so I could continue to love the stuffing out of her!

I don't know what type of doll she was.  I don't know what she was called or anything about her.  All I know is she was bought around 1972 and that she has wires in her arms and legs so you could pose her.  Nothing like posing a Barbie, but I thought it was neat.  I'd love to find a version of her in her original state, but I wouldn't know how to begin.  I'd never replace her.  Just want to know what the original was like.  Surprisingly there are no pictures of me holding my dolly when I was little.  I may have to look harder.  A sort of "Where's Waldo?" search through family photos!

There's no little girl to pass Marshie on to, but I'll be keeping her forever.  I wonder if my husband would think it odd if I cuddled her tonight?....

Wordless Wednesday - Hellooooooooooo Nurse!

OK..she's not a nurse, but what a looker!  My gorgeous maternal grandma, Mary Brown nee Quirk.  Hubba! Hubba!

Tombstone Tuesday - Where It All Started

This probably should have been one of my first "Tombstone Tuesday" posts.  Adam and Jadwiga Tabor are the ancestors that first got me into genealogy.  When I was using my trial membership on Ancestry.com 10+ years ago their names were the first I entered.  I figured with a name like Jadwiga it would be an easy find.  It was and I remember sitting there in our apartment in Honolulu staring at the computer screen and I couldn't believe I had actually found something.  I ran into the other room to rave about it to my husband and I...was...HOOKED!

Adam and Jadwiga Tabor with Clarence and Aldona Tabor

I've since realized that just because someone has a name that I think is unusual, like Jadwiga, doesn't mean it actually is unusual.  Genealogy is a constant learning curve, but I like that.  It keeps you on your toes.  You can learn so much just by going back to the same information and reviewing it days, weeks, months or years later.  A clear head and fresh set of eyes.

Anyway, Adam and Jadwiga are my paternal great-grandparents.  I never met them and really never heard much about them at all until I started researching.  They are buried in the Lithuanian National Cemetery in Chinchila, Pennsylvania.  It took me years to find the cemetery.  My father didn't know where they were buried and I couldn't find the cemetery when I searched.  I had information from their death certificates, but I couldn't seem to find it.  I was searching long distance so it was mainly through emails and internet searching that I finally came across the address for the cemetery.  It's on a winding back road and if you blink, you miss it.  It's a rather small cemetery.  I made sure to not the grid coordinates when I found it though!

A little memorial today to the two who started it all!  Rest in peace Adam and Jadwiga!