Amanuensis Monday - Patrons of the Church

When you walk through the front doors of Saint Gabriel's Roman Catholic Church (now Holy Annunciation Parish) in Hazleton, Pennsylvania there is a small lobby before entering the main portion of the church itself.  On either side of the doors to the entry to the main area hang these beautiful brass, engraved placards.

It was incredibly difficult to get decent pictures of them because with the lights on or off the glare from the outside sun was ever present.  Not having anything with me to block out the sun, I did the best I could.  These are the names of the people and families that donated to Saint Gabriel's in 1931 (the placard to the left).

"This plaque is erected in memory of Rt. Rev. Monsignor J.S. Fagan and in honor of the following donors

Main Altar, Mrs. Sarah McHugh, deceased
Altar Railing, St. Gabriel's School Children
Blessed Mother's Altar and Statue, Catholic Women's Club
Saint Joseph's Altar, Mrs. R.E. Walsh
Pulpit, Mrs. J.H. Garrahan
Priedieux and Vestment Press, Mrs. C. Gallagher, N.Y.
Statue of Saint Joseph, Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Ryan
Statue and Pedestal of Little Flower, Mr. and Mrs. Jos. Coll
Baptismal Font, Dr. John J. Corrigan
Sanctuary Chairs and Stools, John J. Gough
Statue of Scared Heart, Dr. James A. Corrigan
Candlesticks for Funerals, John J. Boyle
Sanctuary Lamp, May Boyle
Chimes, Thomas Bonner Family
Holy Water Font, Mrs. John Kennedy
Holy Water Font, Miss Theresa Kennedy
Holy Water Font, Joseph O'Donnell
Paintings, Nativity and Annunciation, Mrs. John J. Kelly
Painting, Crucifixion, Miss Theresa Kennedy
Gold Crosses on Steeple, Miss Jane Gorman

Front Windows
Rose Window, Mrs. M.A. Gallagher
Lower Windows, Timothy McCarthy, deceased

Large Windows
Rt. Rev. Monsignor J.S. Fagan
Rev. P.J. Brennan
Peter B. Sheridan
P.J. Smith
Frank McHugh
Mr. and Mrs. Hugh L. Campbell
In Memory of Mrs. Ellen Gorman
Gaughan Family
Mrs. Mary Boney
Dennis O'Donnell
D.T. Gallagher Family
Patrick McKenna Family

Lower and Small Windows
John Collins
Mrs. Elizabeth Brehm
In Memory of James A. Gorman
John Burns
Mrs. Eliza Clabby
Mr. Leonard
Rev. William Slattery
Luke McGraw
Rev. D.A. Boyle
Charles Cannon

Stations of the Cross
In Memory of Mr. D.T. Gallagher
Mary Reilly
Mary Brady
Regina Burns
Frank Gallagher
Mrs. Patrick O'Donnell
In Memory of Mrs. D.T. Gallagher
Margaret and Mary Ryan
Mary McKelvey
Hugh Scott Family
Thomas Ryan
Mrs. Thomas Dunleavy
Mrs. Kate Doud
Margaret Long

Accessories of the Main Altar
Candlesticks, Council of Catholic Women
Chalice, Miss Jane Gordan
Ciborium, In Memory of Mr. and Mrs. D.T. Gallagher
Crucifix, Annie and Patrick Breslin
Candlesticks, B.T. Boyle
Paschal Candle, Mrs. Thomas Martin
Altar Cards, P.F. Herron
Candlesticks, Mrs. P. Cullinan
Vases, Rev. J.W. Gilpatrick
Vases, Rev. James A. Walsh
Vases, Rev. John E. Walsh
Altar Linens, Theresa Kennedy
Altar Linens, Mrs. John McBride, Sr.
Missal Stand, John McBride, Jr.
Vases, Mr. and Mrs. M. Flynn
Altar Cards, John and Joseph McGee
Gold Lace, Mrs. Edward McGee
Mass Book, Mrs. James Conahan
Cruets, Mr. and Mrs. Louis Crossin

Accessories for Side Altars
Candlesticks, Agnes Byrne
Candlesticks, Margaret Byrne
Candlesticks, Mary Dugan
Candlesticks, Mrs. Bridget Hayes
Candlesticks, Mrs. M.A. Ryan
Vases, Mrs. James Fox
Vases, Mrs. Philip Reilly
Gold Lace, Mrs. Francis English
Gold Lace. Mrs. Dennis Brogan

Rugs for Sanctuary, Altar and Rosary Society
Lace, Albs, Mrs. Margaret Burke
Censer, Mrs. C.J. McGee
Holy Water Font, Mrs. Joseph Campbell
Sacristy Cabinet, Mary Gallagher
Crucifix, Daniel Gallagher
Extinguishers, Altar and Rosary Society
Altar Bread Box, Mr. Reed
Ablution Cup, Miss B. McKiernan
Cabinet, Table and Baskets, Altar and Rosary Society

Communion Plates, Mrs. J.B. Garrahan and Mrs. Andrew Kennedy

1931"

Sunday's Obituary - Edward Lee

Image has been adjusted to remove yellowing

"Edward Lee Passes Away.

Rope Breaks, Car Comes Down - St. Patrick's Day Parade.

(Handwritten - Jan. 19 - 1904)

Edward Lee, aged 81 years, one of the oldest and best known citizens on this side, died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. William Quirk, at Jeanesville last night about 7 o'clock.  The deceased was in perfect health up to Monday.  He partook of his Monday dinner as usual, but shortly after while lying on a couch he was stricken suddenly ill with what looked like paralysis and he was unable to utter a word from the time he was taken ill until he died.  Mr.  Lee was born in county Cabin (sic), Ireland, and emigrated to America about fifty-seven years ago.  He resided in New York and Nesquehoning previous to locating in Jeanesville.  His wife preceded him in death about sixteen years ago.  He was a man who was well liked by every person.  He was very active notwithstanding his advanced age and was a great lover of base ball.  During all of last season he witnessed every game that was played at Park View and was first among the spectators on the ground.  He was a great favorite of the children and often he could be seen with a crowd of little ones about him as they listened to the tales he used to relate.  He enjoyed a large circle of friends and all will be sorry to hear of his death.  He is survived by one daughter, Mrs. William Quirk, with whom he resided for the past number of years."

For those of you that have done Irish genealogy research or are familiar with Ireland, you'll know that there is no County Cabin, but County Cavan.  In Irish Cavan is spelled Cabhán.  You don't really hear the "b" in the pronunciation, but perhaps there was some miscommunication when relaying the information for the obit.  Edward, given the time of his birth in Ireland, would have most likely known Irish.  Spelling wasn't necessarily as important as it became over time and who knows how well Edward was educated.  I could hypothesize for hours, but the bottom line is they got that bit wrong in the obit.  I have no proof that Edward was from County Cavan, but this does give me a starting point when trying to continue his line.

The obituary also gives me an approximation for when he came to America, although still trying to find an immigrant by the name of Edward Lee is no small task.  Knowing that he lived in New York and Nesquehoning before Jeanesville will help as well.  A bit disappointing that no mention of his parents were made or any other brothers and sisters in America or Ireland.  Disappointing, but not surprising.  Almost as equally disappointing is that his grandchildren were not mentioned in his obituary.  They were adults and many were living together.  I blogged about the individual children of William and Mary Quirk nee Lee here.

Image has been adjusted to remove yellowing

This clipping was regarding Edward's burial in Saint Gabriel's cemetery.  It was in a scrapbook (see note below) and was obviously torn.  Not too surprising since it was clipped in 1904.    Not much information here except where he was buried and a bit about the funeral.  Still, it would be nice to have an untorn copy.  Sadly, the local newspapers from this period are gone.  At least in microfilm.  The local library has an enormous gap...which covers almost 2 decades of family members that I really want to know more about.  Next step is to contact the local newspaper and see if they have copies.  Sadly the local paper was bought out a few years ago by a larger non-local company.  Hopefully, they will be as helpful as they had in previous years. Fingers crossed there.

Edward Lee.  One of the first people that I learned about when starting out on my genealogy research over a decade ago, and I never posted his obit.  Shame, shame on me, but better late than never.  Rest in peace to my 3rd great grandpa.

NOTE:  Attached to the inside cover of an old family photo album that was passed on to me were newspaper clippings.  None of the clippings had the name of the paper that they were taken from, but it's safe to say that they most likely came from the local Hazleton area papers (The Standard Sentinel, The Plain Speaker, or the Standard-Speaker).

Follow Friday - Renewal Gone Bad Ruined Jewels of Hazleton's Past

Hazleton was the city I grew up in.  It's far from a city in its prime and many would consider it a city in decay.  A friend of mine, Charles McElwee, wrote a brilliant piece that appeared both in the local newspaper (The Standard Speaker) as well as on the The Greater Hazleton Historical Society and Museum's website.

I like to refer to Charles as my cousin, but we actually aren't.  We share a common relative, but aren't related. Still he's a wonderful person and, as you can get a glimpse of in this article, a very talented man.  It's a brilliant look back into Hazleton's past and where it's future could lie.  Please head on over a check out his piece called "Renewal Gone Bad Ruined Jewels of Hazleton's Past."

You don't need to have family in the Hazleton area to really find interest in this article.  Charles addresses what happened in many cities on the decline...urban renewal.  Urban renewal wasn't confined to northeastern Pennsylvania.  It happened in so many cities and some of what was done I was completely ignorant of (and shocked by).

Charles specifically references the Duplan Silk Mill and how it came to be in Hazleton.  I had ancestors that worked at Duplan so the piece had special meaning to me because it filled in a bit of family history.

Always a fountain of information, Charles McElwee has once again educated me in local history. Seriously...why did I learn none of this in school!?!?

Head on over.  You will not be disappointed!

Tombstone Tuesday - Nancy Finally Got Her Tombstone

Michael and Nancy O'Donoghue nee Brown - St Gabriel's Cemetery, Hazleton, PA

I've blogged about my cousin, Nancy O'Donoghue nee Brown, before.  She was one of those dear cousins you meet online when researching your genealogy.  You correspond, compare notes, and help each other as best as you can.  We even met once.  I still remember it fondly.

Shortly before I started blogging (almost 3 years ago now) Nancy died.  She was killed by her husband and we were all shocked beyond belief.  This doesn't happen to people you know.  It's something you read about in other people's families.  Her husband, Michael, was apparently seriously ill.  He died almost exactly a year after Nancy and before his trial could begin.

This is one of those pieces of family history that I would love to know what happened...why it happened, but I would never seek to ask anyone in Nancy and Michael's family just to confirm or alter my own theories.  Their children and grandchildren have got to be completely devastated and heart-broken.  I'm sure they would prefer to remember Michael and Nancy with fond, loving memories.  I'm sure they do.  They deserve to.

I was upset when I visited Nancy's gravesite nearly a year after she passed and discovered that there was only a marker from the funeral home.  No tombstone.  I had spoken with the caretaker at Saint Gabriel's Cemetery in Hazleton, PA and he had told me that many people stopped by to visit Nancy and asked the same question.

I didn't make it home in 2012 so perhaps the tombstone was there then.  I can only guess that perhaps the family knew in 2011 that Michael's end was near and they held off on placing the stone until after his passing.  Either way I'm just glad it's there.

Rest in peace, Nancy and Michael.

Military Monday - Remembering a Female WWI Veteran

I saw this obituary as I was looking through microfilm.  Upon glancing at it I decided to print off a copy because it was for a World War I veteran and that veteran was 95 years old.  I didn't really read the obituary...until last night.  That's when I noticed that this WWI veteran was a woman!

Standard Speaker, 22SEP1986, pg2

"Mrs. William C. Beltz
World War I veteran

Mrs. Elsie L. Beltz, RN, age 95, formerly of Freeland, who resided the past six years with her niece, Mrs. Ruth (Boyle) Priestley of Grand Blanc, Mich., died early Sunday morning at the McLaren Hospital, Flint, Mich.

Born in Quakake, she was the daughter of the late Peter J. and Mary (Eveland) Shoemaker.

She was a resident of Freeland for 85 years before moving to Michigan.

She graduated from the Pottsville Hospital Training School of Nursing, in 1914, and prior to her retirement, she was employed by the Hazleton State General Hospital.

She was an Army veteran of World War I, and served with the Army Nurse Corp.

She was a member of St. Luke's Evangelical Church, Freeland; the Hazleton Chapter Order of the Eastern Star, the American Legion Post No. 473, Freeland, and the Lady Jeremiah Rebekah Lodge No. 93.

Preceding her in death was her husband, William C. Beltz, who died in 1965.

Surviving are three step sons, William, John and Wilbur Beltz, and a number of nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday at 10 a.m. from the Cotterall Funeral Home, Freeland, with the Rev. Richard H. Summy, officiating.  Interment will be in the Odd Fellows Cemetery, Tamaqua.

Relatives and friends will be received by the family on Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m.

Memorial donations to St. Luke's Evangelical Church, Freeland, will be appreciated."

Elsie was born on June 21, 1891.  She enlisted in the military on January 16, 1918 and was discharged on November 5, 1919.  She passed away on September 21, 1986 (US Department of Veteran Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010). Elsie didn't marry until she was about 35 years old and guessing from this obituary she and William had no biological children together.

Women served during WWI, especially in the Army Nurse Corp.  The influenza pandemic that hit during the time created a desperate need for nurses everywhere, and many were funneled into the military.  It's good to see this veteran remembered.  Thank you for your service, Elsie.

Sunday's Obituary - An Obituary That Broke My Heart

My sisters and me with "Nana" (I'm the ham-bone on the right).  We loved her hugs.

I was excited to get home to Pennsylvania and dive into the local newspapers so I could find the obituary for Hazel Blum nee Hill...the next door neighbor we called "Nana".  I wanted more details on her life.  I knew some basics about who she was, but hoped for more in her obituary.  I was to be greatly disappointed.

Hazleton Standard Speaker 01AUG1996, pg2

"Hazel Blum

Hazel Hill Blum, 97, of Hazleton, the oldest member of Trinity Lutheran Church, died Tuesday at Hazleton General Hospital.

Born March 17, 1899, she was the daughter of the late Conrad and Olive Aubrey Hill, and was a life-long resident of Hazleton.

Preceding her in death were her husband, Dr. Maurice L.; brother, Harry; and a sister, Rebecca Hill Kramer.

Surviving are two nieces and a nephew.

Funeral arrangements will be announced."

I know I shouldn't have been disappointed with this obituary.  There is some good stuff in there (believe it or not).  It gives me the name of the church she belonged to (which I did not know).  With this I can help rectify something that was missing from this obituary...where she's buried.  I saw that statement "Funeral arrangements will be announced" and with two kids getting bored in a library I only searched through the rest of the roll of microfilm in hopes of finding her burial announcement, but there was nothing.  A call to Trinity Lutheran will hopefully tell me where "nana" is buried.  I have a feeling it's Vine Street Cemetery in Hazleton, Pennsylvania.  Why?  Proximity.  It's the closest cemetery to the church. That's not conclusive, but it's a start.  Perhaps the church will be able to help me out more.

My parents always would talk about how old "nana" was.  I frankly thought that it was a bit of an exaggeration.  Little did I know that "nana" was already 73 years old when I was born!  The obituary (while not a primary source) helps to confirm how old she really was.  There's a little part of the Irish in me that giggles knowing "nana" was born on Saint Patrick's Day.  Warm and fuzzy feelings (nothing truly of genealogical significance there...just smiles).

Knowing that "nana's" parents were Conrad and Olive Hill was no surprise.  I was able to find this information out in the US Federal Censuses.  Hill may indeed be a very common last name, but I had one bit of information going for me..."nana" was my neighbor and I knew that the house she lived in with her husband, Maurice, was the house she grew up in.  Finding her in the census records while knowing that tid-bit was easy.  What I didn't know was her mom's maiden name.  The way the obituary was written we can tell it's Aubrey.  I'll be able to do some research there.  Why?  She's not my family. I just want to know more about hers.  It's not something that I can really explain.  Perhaps other genealogists can empathize with me here...perhaps I'm just a bit kooky.

Michele, "Nana" and me (I know I'm cute)

I knew the names of her brother and sister because they were in the census records too.  Now I'll be able to look for Rebecca in later census records under her married name. Perhaps I'll be able to find out the names of both Harry and Rebecca's Hill descendants.

So there is information gleaned out of a rather brief obituary, so why am I so sad?  I loved "nana".  Still do and always will, but I have the memories of a child of her and we know that children don't always remember the most significant bits of information, nor do they ask the questions we as adults want to know.  My "nana" died when I was a trainee in the Army.  I didn't know until over a year later that she was gone.  My father never told me.  I just felt hollow.  I was now an adult and would never be able to hug that tiny little lady again.  I'm 5'5"...or at least I was before the Army shrank about 3/4-inch from me over 10 years.  "Nana" was maybe 5'0" tall.  There wasn't a time I saw nana outside or visited with her that I did not hug her.  She never had children and rarely had family visit her.  Who is there to remember her?  This obituary doesn't encourage me.

I hope that I will find the burial information for her in the newspaper next year.  I hope it was put in there. I hope that she was memorialized properly.  "Nana" lived to be 97 years old, but did she out-live everyone that truly knew her?  Does anyone have fond memories of "nana" apart from my sisters and I?  I hope so.  I hope this post lets them find me so that we can always remember one of the most loving people I have ever met...Hazel Blum nee Hill.

Funeral Card Friday - Adelbert W. Boegel

I was looking through funeral cards while waiting for a friend to arrive to brain-storm events for our Cub Scout Wolf Den and came across this card for Adelbert W. Boegel.  What struck me about this card and why I decided to share it today was because it had a piece of information on it that I rarely see on funeral cards.  It actually had which plot Adelbert was buried in!

"In Loving Memory Of

Adelbert W. Boegel

Born To Life

March 22, 1911

Born To Eternal Life

May 27, 1986

Services Sat. May 31, 1986

St. Boniface Church

Goldendale

Interment Holy Cross Cemetery

Blk. 18 Sec. 3 Lot 325 No. East

THE LORD'S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; they will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen."

According to the family tree my mother-in-law gave me, Adelbert was the son of Raymond Boegel and Catherine Schrauth and the grandson of William Boegel Sr and Katherine Melzer.

With just a quick search the family tree that was given to me can be verified through US Census records that show Adelbert with his parents, Raymond and Catherine, at the right age and in the right location.  I'm still working on verifying all the information in the handwritten tree they gave me, but for now I have no reason to believe that they would be wrong.

As to the burial information I did some checking online and St. Boniface Church is on Glendale Road in Washington County, Wisconsin, but their cemetery isn't Holy Cross.  It would appear that Holy Cross Cemetery is in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.  I began thinking that maybe the cemetery name had changed, but 1986 wasn't that long ago.  Then I had another thought...you know...the obvious kind...maybe he really was buried in a different cemetery.  So I checked directions on Google Maps and found that the church and this cemetery are only about 15 minutes apart.  Very feasible although I still don't know why he wouldn't be buried in the church cemetery unless Holy Cross was where the rest of his family was buried.

The fun of genealogy...there's always something else to look into!