Tuesday's Tip - Using Other Ancestry Trees

Heck or any other family tree you find on the internet. No this isn't a post saying that you should seek out and copy information into your tree that other people have. Even when you collaborate you need to verify research. After all you may find that something was wrong! I'm talking about using the information from family trees to break through a brick wall.

I only uploaded my tree to Ancestry.com a year ago, but I've been delighted since. Originally I had wanted to wait until it was "done" before uploading it, but are our trees ever really done? Nope. Anyway, hits came up as "hints" next to people that I thought I'd done exhaustive searches on Ancestry's site. Hits that I hadn't gotten before. I don't know why exactly it happens. I think it's just a quirk of the system that the results vary on the search engine (general search versus a specific record set on Ancestry), but it happens. That's a different post and I digress...

I've never been a big fan of using other people's trees. Sharing research I love, but I won't ever copy someone's information and put it in my tree. However, you'll get hints on Ancestry for other trees that share the same person...or Ancestry thinks it might be the same person. I don't speak for Ancestry, but I'm going to guess that they aren't asking you to just steal someone else's tree/research and make it your own. They want you to use it. How do you do that?

Doubtless there are several ways, but I'm going to share what recently happened with me when I was clicking on hints for my Brogan line. Elizabeth Brogan had a hint next to her. Just one and it was a family tree. Several family trees, actually. All I had on Elizabeth was that she was born in March 1888 in Pennsylvania and I had gotten that from a census record. I found nothing else on Elizabeth. I didn't know if she married, when she married, or if she died a spinster. After clicking on that hint though I now know.

Screenshot of Ancestry Family Tree hint

I don't know ShirleyLong90 who created the Coyle Family Tree Ver 2, but I'm going to be sending her an email. I've got Coyles in my family tree and we both have Elizabeth Brogan (and I'm sure many more people) in common. So what did I do with this information? I didn't just put it in my tree and assume it was right. I compared it with other trees that also popped up under the hint to see if more than one person had this information. Sure, that can just mean that other people copied it from another tree, but finding similarities can be significant. So I searched Newspapers.com* for Elizabeth McHugh's death in March of 1963. I found it easily.

The Hazleton Standard Speaker, 20MAR1963,
pg 20

After seeing the obituary I can now put in Elizabeth's marriage and death. Because it was in 1963 I also can search the Pennsylvania Death Certificates database and maybe even find her birth. It will certainly/hopefully confirm the rest of the information on here and it's always important to get as many different sources to confirm your findings! From this obituary I can even see when her husband passed, who her children are, and where she is buried. I've walked past so many McHughs in St. Gabe's and this summer I'll be looking for her and Patrick's stones because I now know they belong to me.

So a lot of this blog post is common sense. Many of you are probably sitting there having gotten to this point and are saying, "Duh! Where's the real news here, Cherie?" The thing of it is, if you're already doing this then you're ahead of the game. There are people out there though that scoff at the idea of looking at anyone else's tree. Sometimes it's because they consider it cheating. Sometimes it's just because they don't trust other trees. Guess what? Don't trust other trees. Don't trust other research completely ever until you verify it yourself. I don't trust anything even when collaborating unless I can make the connection as well. Maybe some would say that this holds my research back. Perhaps it does, but I've had incorrect information in my tree before and I'll work hard to make sure it doesn't happen again. Here you aren't simply trusting another tree. You're using it as a tool to test that connection and see if it is valid.

As for cheating, you're only cheating if you take someone else's work and put it in your tree without conducting your own independent research. And that's not cheating it's stealing. It's plagiarizing. Don't do it!

Now I'm off to contact the creator of that tree and say hello.

*It's probably about time that I made this statement because I've talked about Newspapers.com and Ancestry.com multiple times throughout my blog's history...I am in no way associated or a paid representative or promoter of Newspapers.com or Ancestry.com. I just really love the results I get with them. Although with how often I crow about their sites maybe I should get paid ;)

Amanuensis Monday - Working on my Brown Ancestors

The Plain Speaker,
21MAY1937, pg18

After a recent breakthrough in my Barrett line I decided to work on my Brown line. They are connected. Mary Barrett married Thomas Brown Sr. in 1901 and they had 6 children: Marian Veronica, Thomas Joseph Jr, Edward John Sr, Walter, Alice, and Hubert.

One of the reasons I'm working on my Brown line is that, well, it needs work, but also because my cousin, Nancy O'Donoghue, once told me that we were related to coach Hubie Brown. I've looked at articles on Hubie Brown and I have no doubt that she was right, but I need to start collecting the proof as to where he belongs. As I was doing that I came across more article on Rev. John A. Brown who I blogged about previously.**

So what does the priest, John Brown, have to do with Hubie Brown? John was Hubie's uncle and my first cousin twice removed. I also realized that while I had posted on Reverend Brown before I never updated my family tree. So continuing on with this post is making me rectify that situation.

"Rev. John A. Brown

Tomorrow morning at St. Peter's Cathedral in Scranton, John A. Brown, of Hazleton, will be ordained to the holy priesthood with an impressive service in which a large number of monsignor and clergymen will participate. Rev. Brown is a son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Charles Brown of this city, and is a nephew of Patrick Brown, of West Hazleton and Thomas and Neil Brown of this city, and comes from one of the oldest Hazleton families.

After graduating from St. Gabriel's high school. Mr. Brown entered St. Mary's College in Maryland and later followed his theological studies at St. Charles' College, Columbus, Ohio, and completed his preparation at Mt. St. Mary's College in Emmittsburg, Maryland.

After tomorrow's ordination, Father Brown will come here to celebrate his first mass at St. Gabriel's church on Sunday morning, May 23 at 10:30 and among the officers of the high mass will be his first cousin, Rev.. Father Charles A. McElwee, of Scranton, also a former Hazleton resident."

The Thomas mentioned in this article is my great grandfather, a child of Neil and Nancy Brown nee McCoy. John's father, Charles Sr., is my 2nd great uncle.

The Standard Speaker
21JUL1969, pg22

"Msgr. John A. Brown, a former city resident, who was elevated to his present position in the Roman Catholic Church on July 9 by Pope Paul VI during ceremonies conducted by the Bishop of Raleigh, N.C., is the brother of Mrs. Gertrude McLaughlin, of Alexandria, Va., who attended the ceremony; Mrs. Helen Cassidy and Mrs. Esther Cassidy, both of Elizabeth, N.J.; Leo Brown, of Cumberland, Md., and Charles Brown, of Elizabeth, N.J.

Msgr. Brown also has two sisters living locally, Mrs. Genevive (sic) Hooper, 585 Arthur St., and Mrs. Lawrence Gallagher, of Harwood. He is a son of the late Charles and Anna (LeGrande) Brown.

Msgr. Brown is pastor of St. Eugene's R.C. Church, Asheville, N.C. and Chaplain to the Catholic Daughters of Asheville."

This second article helps me fill in some of the details of my Brown ancestors even more than the first. My great grandfather isn't mentioned in it. This was because Thomas Sr died in 1955, but the article doesn't mention his other aunts and uncles so even if Thomas had still been alive he most likely wouldn't have been mentioned. Since John never married, being a priest and all, the sisters listed are easy to place in my tree. I placed husbands with the sisters mentioned in the article except for Mrs. Lawrence Gallagher. John had six sisters in my family tree and only five are mentioned here. The wife of Lawrence Gallagher would be either Ann (born 1900) or Mariam (born abt 1912).

A quick look in the Pennsylvania Death Certificates online shows me that Ann Brown died on February 19th 1919. She never married so unless there's another sister hiding out there, Mariann is Mrs. Lawrence Gallagher. I did find it a bit odd the she is listed by her husband's given name and not her own. Her other sisters are noted by their own given names. Could Mariam's husband be the only one still living? Possible, but not the subject of this post.

It's wonderful that the post lists all of those localities because apparently the children of Charles and Anna Brown nee LeGrande escaped Hazleton, Pennsylvania. Knowing where they might be can help me find other information. So now that I've entered all of those tidbits into my tree I can rummage around looking for marriage dates, obituaries, children, etc.

How does it pertain to Hubie? Well, Hubie was born in Hazleton, Pennsylvania and moved when he was about three years old...to Elizabeth, New Jersey. Oh...and his father's name was Charles. Yes. These two clippings are a great start to working on my Brown side and seeing where Hubie will fit in.

** Tombstone Tuesday - Who Is Rt. Rev. John Brown
** Sunday's Obituary - A Genealogical Angel Sent This to Me

Sunday's Obituary - Nellie Dever nee Riley

The Plain Speaker, 22AUG1903, pg 1

Remember when I posted about my mysterious Lees in Pittsburgh? I knew they were related, but I hadn't been able to figure out how they were related. Well, I still don't know, but now I have another mystery. This time in my Barrett line.

Patrick Barrett is as far back as I can go in my Barrett line. Sort of. Patrick died in 1908 and his death certificate listed his parents, but there's no guarantee that it's right. Perhaps knowing that his parents are listed as Edward Barrett and Mary Merrick (a name I've never heard in regards to my family tree...ever) may help me with this new mystery in the future. Who knows?

I know the Barrett in this clipping is my Patrick Barrett. The 1900 census shows my Patrick and his wife, Bridget, living in their home on East Diamond Avenue. I have three Mulhearns in my family tree, and one of them is a John, but I don't have much information on him. Perhaps this obituary that I found on Newspapers.com will be able to shed some light on that.

"Death of Former Cranberry Lady.

Mrs. John Dever, of Avoca, a niece of Patrick Barrett, of East Diamond Avenue, and Mrs. John Mulhearn, of South Pine street, died last night. Mrs. Dever was formerly Miss Nellie Riley, of Cranberry. The funeral will take place at Avoca on Monday morning."

After finding this link I jumped back on to Newspapers.com to try to find other articles about this mysterious woman from the Hazleton and Wilkes-Barre papers. I found some that may or may not be right, but then I discovered another on my Nellie and it shed a little light on how she died and where she's buried, but nothing on how she connects with my family.

The Wilkes-Barre Record, 25AUG1903, pg 12

"Avoca.

Mrs. John Devers died on Saturday morning at the home of her mother on Spring street. Deceased was well known and highly respected by all who knew her. Her husband, mother, two brothers, one sister and four children survive, the youngest being 3 days old. The funeral will occur this morning with a requiem mass at St. Mary's Church; interment in St. Mary's Cemetery."

So the surname has an "s" in this article. Nothing to get all worked up about. So I went on FindAGrave to see if I could find St. Mary's Cemetery and discovered there was one in Avoca. I also discovered that there was a memorial for Nellie also showing her maiden name as Reilly (Riley). It has her birth as being in Hazleton in December 1864 and it has her linked to a memorial for her husband passing on March 3, 1906. How sad! Those kids were so young! Under her bio was a transcription of the clipping from the Wilkes-Barre Record and a statement by the author saying that she was the daughter of Charles and Margaret Barrett Reilly.

The Wilkes-Barre Record, 27AUG1903, pg 12

"Avoca.

The funeral of Mrs. John Devers, whose death occurred on Friday morning under very sad circumstances, took place on Monday morning from her late home on Spring street. The remains encased in a handsome casket, were viewed by a great many sorrowing friends. A requiem mass was celebrated in St. Mary's Church by Rev. J. Lynch. The pall bearers were John Flannely, John Sheridan, James Walsh, John Gallagher, James Lavin, Edward Dunleavy."

All of this is very exciting, but it isn't proof. It is information that could possibly lead me to sources that will help me confirm or refute the information. I can also contact the FindAGrave contributor that posted the information and we can hopefully collaborate to figure this all out. I have no siblings for Patrick Barrett. Just the possibility of Edward Barrett and Mary Merrick being his parents. Now I have a potential sister in Margaret and possibilities of finding others, one of which may lead me to their parents!

Wednesday's Child - Ann Brown

Ann Brown is buried with her grandparents in St. Gabriel's Cemetery, Hazleton, PA

My mother, aunt, and uncle knew that they had a sibling named Ann who died in 1950 and was buried with their grandparents, Edward and Alice Quirk nee Blanchfield. Still seeing the details in a death certificate can also make you realize just how lucky the mother was to have survived the birth. A premature breech delivery isn't optimal even today and Mary's mother died shortly after childbirth so I'm sure that was a concern. In fact my mother tells me this Mary (her mother) was obsessively worried about childbirth. When my mother had her first child they deliberately didn't let her mom know she was in labor so she didn't freak out.

You can see that Ann was not stillborn. She was born on November 20th, 1950 and lived for 2-1/2 hours. It had to have been heart-breaking. How could it not be?

Ann Brown, child of Edward and Mary Brown nee Quirk

I can't make out all the details in the cause of death, but I'm curious. If anyone else can make it out or even has an idea, please comment below. This is all I can make out and some may very well be wrong:

"Premature (8 mos) breech - (unknown) - spontaneous pressure on chord - utra uterine (unknown) to (unknown) resperatory (sic) movements no bronchial obstruction"

Ann Brown - Cause of death

It's always heart-breaking when a little life is cut short. I take today to remember my Aunt Ann. She will never be forgotten by our family.

Medical Monday - Annie Bronsevitch

I suppose this post could have gone under a Wednesday's Child post, but as I've been reviewing death certificates I have posts I want to write that involve more than just children. Since many people care about the medical aspect in genealogy (is there insanity in my family? Alzheimer's? Breast cancer? Any cancer?) I decided to start a "Medical Monday" series. I'm not a medical professional, but most genealogists aren't. There is a lot of great information that can be found online when you can actually make out what the cause of death is. Often times it's illegible and the terms are dated or confusing. Doing a little research may answer some of these questions.

I was going through the Pennsylvania Death Records online (you've probably noticed a trend in many of my posts by now) and I was looking for records for my Bronsavage/Bronsevitch line. It was more painful than I expected. With a surname search for "Bronsavage" I got hits for my grandmother, Florence, my great uncle's wife, Helen, and my 1st cousin once removed, Nancy May, who died when she was about five. There was one other hit for someone I had never heard of...Julia Dagis...her mother was also Julia and her maiden name was Bronsavage. Could be a relative, but I have no connection yet. What I was looking for was my great grandparents, Anthony and Cecelia Bronsevitch (I should probably mention that Bronsavage is a variant), but didn't find them. Boy is that another post because sometimes these unusual names don't produce the easiest results.

Birth information

Anyway, I changed my search parameters, did some tweaking here and there with what information I included and what I omitted and I came across the record for an Annie Bronsevitch.

When I looked at the certificate I saw that she was definitely a Bronsevitch/Bronsavage of mine. Of course as far as I know almost any from Hazleton/West Hazleton should belong to me. Seeing her parents (my great grandparents) confirmed it. She was the daughter of Anthony and Cecelia Bronsevitch nee Kozlowski and she lived to be 7 months old.

Seeing stuff like this always makes me sad. To experience the loss of a child is not something any parent should have to experience, but we all know it happens and it is heart-breaking. My mind immediately turned to why she died.

Cause of death

When my mother and I saw the cause of death as "auto-infection or (self poisoning)" we were confused. Did the baby get into something that she shouldn't have? No doubt baby-proofing homes wasn't at the standard of today. Sometimes I'm amazed we all survived our childhoods. As I sometimes do I fixated on the "auto-infection" and stopped reading. I need to retrain my brain to quit doing this. Still, when I researched auto-infection I was rewarded with some good information:


"Autoinfection:
-An infection by disease organisms already present in the body but developing in a different body part.
-A reinfection by microbes or parasitic organisms."

That made me feel better than the child having ingested poison. As is par for the course it was then that I continued analyzing the rest of the diagnosis and saw the mention of cholera. Even though I had a definition of auto-infection that seemed satisfactory I adjusted my search and focused on cholera infantum:

"Cholera infantum
A nonspecific term meaning either:
-Summer complaint - An obsolete term for severe, prostrating gastroenteritis in infants occurring in hot weather and caused by unknown pathogens, possibly Shigella and Salmonells spp; or
-Infantile gastroenteritis."

That ties in well with the contributory causes of "Season, climate, food." I suppose this wasn't completely unheard of in the early 20th century and it's certainly something we take for granted today although it is still cause for concern in countries where sanitation is primitive.

So with this post and what was initially a surprising cause of death I remember Annie. She is buried in Ss. Peter and Paul's Lithuanian Catholic Cemetery in Hazleton, Pennsylvania along with her mother, father, and a brother.

Thriller Thursday - Granny was a Bootlegger

Giovanna "Jennie" Trunzo nee Ferraro

Prohibition in the United States. It was called "The Noble Experiment" and many prohibitionists believed that banning the manufacture, purchase, and sale of alcohol would lower crime rates and boost the economy, but they found the opposite to be true. Gangsters profited greatly from the manufacture and sale of illegal alcohol. People suffered and died from drinking unsafe and unregulated liquor/spirits. Unemployment spiked as businesses that sold or manufactured alcohol closed. Is it any wonder why granny would bootleg liquor for some cash when it was so profitable for others? Of course granny was more likely than not to be the one to get busted for it. The big guys knew what they were doing.

My mom told me that some of her great-aunts bootlegged during Prohibition, but isn't that a typical family history story? Everyone had a bootlegger in the family. Not much by way of proof generally turns up though. That doesn't mean they weren't bootlegging it just means that we haven't proven it. I'm sure there were plenty of people that were ignoring that particular amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In the case of my step-dad's grandmother though we have proof.

The Indiana Gazette, 10JUN1930, pg 14

"The case of Jennie Trunzo, of Beyer, charged with selling and possessing intoxicating liquor was before the court when court adjourned at 5:45 o'clock and testimony was still being heard when court convened at 9:00 o'clock this morning."

Now I perused a page on Prohibition via History.com and learned a few things I didn't know. I didn't know that this movement had been underway for a very long time. There were states that had prohibition laws in place well before the 18th amendment passed and after the 21st amendment repealed the 18th there were some states that held on to their prohibition laws until the 1960s! I also didn't realize that the law didn't actually ban the consumption of alcohol. That was technically still legal. You just couldn't purchase, sell, or manufacture it.

The first article on granny Jennie (Giovanna Trunzo nee Ferraro) talks of her being in court for her prohibition violation. The second article gave me a chuckle at how light her punishment was. It almost wasn't worth the court's time...

The Indiana Progress, 09JUN1930, pg 1

"Jennie Trunzo, violation of the liquor laws - sentence suspended on payment of the costs."

Granny didn't get much punishment for her crime. The dates are correct on them both. Note that they are from different publications but the one that shows her punishment was printed a day prior to the newspaper that reported on her merely being in court. I guess it took the Gazette a bit to get that small story together.

Did everyone get off so easily? The other crimes listed on that page of the Progress showed assaults, destruction of property, and another liquor law violation. Jennie got off easily...no jail time. The others got time in the county jail ranging from 60 days to 6 months (three months for the other liquor violation). Why the difference in sentencing? Was it simply because she was a woman? Were there no facilities in the county jail for a woman? Did they take pity on her because her husband was no longer in America and she was taking care of her family alone? All of their children were grown, but I know that my step-dad would be living with her before the end of that decade. Whatever the reason what these liquor laws did was turn people that would have normally been law-abiding citizens into criminals.

Leader-Times, Kittanning, PA
09OCT1964, pg 17

What was the result on Granny Jennie's reputation? I doubt she was looked on as much of a hardened, dangerous criminal. She was buried on church grounds in St. Bernard's Cemetery and had more than one priest assisting in her burial mass. Not exactly a hushed up ceremony either. Good for granny though. She did what she had to do. I've posted her obituary previously, but I thought I'd share her funeral notice and FindAGrave memorial along with her court appearances.

"TRUNZO - Solemn requiem high mass for Mrs. Jennie Trunzo, Sagamore, who died Wednesday (Oct. 7, 1964) in Armstrong County Memorial Hospital will be intoned at 10 a.m. Monday by the rev. Carl P. Milano in Sacred Heart RC Church, Saxonburg. He will be assisted by the Rev. John Kavanaugh and the Rev. Nicholas Mitolo. Burial will follow in St. Bernard Cemetery, Indiana.* Friends are being received from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. at the Bowser Funeral home, Plumville."

*Indiana referring to Indiana town/city in Indiana county in Pennsylvania...not Indiana.

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"

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.

Tombstone Tuesday - Maurice Leib Blum

Civilian tombstone - Beth Israel Cemetery

I've been sharing about Maurice Blum recently.  As I try to discover more about the lady I grew up calling "Nana" I need to find out more about the people in her life and Maurice was her husband.  Maurice was born on April 10, 1895 in Warsaw, Poland.  He came to America around 1911.  Married Hazel Hill in the early 1940s and died on May 20, 1971 in Hazleton, Pennsylvania.  As you can read from my recent posts, Maurice did an awful lot in his life.  He really impresses the heck out of me and I wish I had known him.

Maurice was a veteran of World War I so he has a military stone with his regular tombstone.  I love that.  It not only lets you know someone was a vet, but tells you a little about their service.  Particularly good since getting military records can be a pain in the butt...especially since so many have been destroyed.  At least you might be able to find out more about the person's unit if you can't get their file.  This information can also help you get the right file if your veteran has a fairly common name.

Maurice's Military Marker

"Maurice L Blum
Pennsylvania
PVT Co C 30 Infantry
World War I
April 10, 1895    May 20, 1971"

I haven't had much luck finding information on this unit...for WWII, sure...not so much for WWI, but it'll be something that I check out for sure.  I'm a veteran and as silly as it sounds, I don't know the best places to look for this information.

Where do you look for unit histories?

Random Acts Of Genealogical Kindness - Charles Pavlina

Easton Express, 15APR1964, pg 38

Because we all have collateral information surrounding those obituaries and news articles we copy for our records.  Let's share them and hope that they benefit someone researching their genealogy.

“Charles Pavlina

Charles Pavlina, 82, of 51 Green Row, Oxford, died unexpectedly yesterday at his home.

Mr. Pavlina was a miner for 37 years.  He was employed at the Alan Wood Steel Co. in Oxford before he retired.

He was a native of Austria-Hungary.  His wife, Julia, died 21 years ago.  He was a member of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, Oxford, and the Pennsylvania Slovak Catholic Union, Wilkes-Barre.

Survivors include a son, John, Oxford; three daughters, Mrs. Mary Petersack and Mrs. Julia May, both of Oxford, and Mrs. Sophia Jurinko, Phillipsburg; a sister in Austria, 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

The funeral will be held at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at the DeVoe Funeral Home, Washington, followed by a Requiem High Mass at 9:15 a.m. in St. Rose Church”

The Social Security Death Index has Charles being born on February 3, 1882 (remember this is not proof of birth!).  The SSDI and the obit apparently have the name wrong, or a variant, because Charles and his family can be found in the 1930 census under the name Pavolina...and his and Julia's tombstone on FindAGrave is Pavolina as well!

Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness - Horatio Harris

Because we all have collateral information surrounding those obituaries and news articles we copy for our records.  Let's share them and hope that they benefit someone researching their genealogy.

"Horatio Harris

Horatio P. Harris, 92, of 309 Sussex St., Shimer Manor, Pohatcong Township, died last night in Easton Hospital where he was admitted Saturday. Before that he was a guest at the Northampton Convalescent Home since March 16.

Mr. Harris was a drill press operator at Ingersoll-Rand, Phillipsburg, for 28 years, retiring in 1954.

His wife, the former Mabel Tomey, died in 1968.

Born in New York City, on Jan. 17, 1884, he was a son of the late Charles R. and Emma Redfern Harris.  He lived in Shimer Manor 44 years.

He was a member of Old Greenwich Presbyterian Church, a former trustee and elder of the church, and taught its Adult Bible Class for a number of years.

Surviving is a daughter, Miss Elsie L. Harris, with whom he resided.  Two sons, Charles and Franklyn, died before him.

The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Greenwich Presbyterian Church.  Interment will be in the Greenwich Presbyterian Cemetery.  Arrangements were made by the Rupell Funeral Home, Phillipsburg."

These are the sorts of articles I love to share.  So much great genealogical information.  A well-written obituary and well worth having for anyone searching for Mr. Harris!

Random Acts Of Genealogical Kindness - Nell G. Waltman

Easton Express, 07SEP1959, pg 16

Because we all have collateral information surrounding those obituaries and news articles we copy for our records.  Let's share them and hope that they benefit someone researching their genealogy.

"Mrs. Raymond I. Walman

Mrs. Nell G. Waltman, widow of Raymond I. Waltman, of 1635 Briggs St., Harrisburg, formerly of Easton, died early today in Harrisburg General Hospital.

Mrs. Waltman was a daughter of the late John and Aurora Clark.  She was a native of Easton.

She was a member of Grace Methodist Church, Harrisburg.

Surviving are a son, Everett, Paxtang, Harrisburg; a sister, Mrs. Sallie Kiefer, San Fernando Valley, Calif.; and three grandchildren.

The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Shillinger Funeral Home, Easton."

Random Acts Of Genealogical Kindness - Paul A. Warren

Easton Express, 07SEP1959, pg 16

Because we all have collateral information surrounding those obituaries and news articles we copy for our records.  Let's share them and hope that they benefit someone researching their genealogy.

"Paul A. Warren

Paul A. Warren, 60, of 102 S. Lehigh Ave., West Catasauqua, died Saturday at his home after an illness of more than eight months.  He was the husband of Roxie Nonnemaker Warren.

Mr. Warren had been employed in the Bethlehem engine terminal of the Central Railroad of New Jersey for the last 31 years.

Among his survivors is a sister, Mrs. Ruth Rising, Portland.

Funeral services will be at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Oliver S. Burkholder and Son Funeral Home, Catasauqua."

Sunday's Obituary - Lillian Blanchfield

Easton Express, 04MAY1976

"Lillian Blanchfield

Miss Lillian L. Blanchfield, 85, of 65 Glen Ave, Phillipsburg, died yesterday in Oxford.

Born in Beaver Meadows, Pa., she was a daughter of the late Martin and Anna Boyle Blanchfield.

She was a member of Sts. Philip and James Catholic Church.

Survivors include nieces and nephews.

The funeral will be held at 9:15 a.m. Wednesday at the Finegan Funeral Home, Phillipsburg, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in St.s Philip and James Church.  Interment will be in the parish cemetery."

Lillian was my great grand aunt.  I don't know much about her except that she was talked of fondly by my mom.  Rest in peace, Aunt Lillian.

Sunday's Obituary - Anna Blanchfield nee Boyle

Easton Express, Friday, 15JAN1926, pg 8

Continuing on this week with all those Blanchfield obituaries that I've been hanging on to for years without posting.

Anna Blanchfield nee Boyle was the daughter of Manus Maurice Boyle and Alice Monaghan.  A coal miner, Manus left his pregnant wife and daughter, (Bridget) Mary, and went to Australia to mine for gold.  He died in the shipwreck of the Royal Charter on his return voyage on October 26, 1859.  He never got to hold his daughter, Anna (my 2nd great grandmother) who was born 2 months after his departure.

“Mrs. Martin Blanchfield

Mrs. Anna Blanchfield, wife of Martin Blanchfield, died at 9 o’clock last evening at her home, 34 Heckman street, Phillipsburg, from paralysis, with which she was stricken two weeks ago.  During the eight years that Mrs. Blanchfield made her home in this town, coming here from Hazleton, Pa., she made many friends.

Besides her husband the deceased is survived by the following children:  Mrs. Robert Flynn, Misses Anna, Josephine, Lillian and William and Joseph Blanchfield.  A sister, Mrs. Mary Fay, of Hazleton, also survives her.  She was a faithful member of Sts. Philip and James’ Catholic church and the Rosary Society.”

A shame that her two daughters that predeceased her were not mentioned.  Mrs. Abraham (Mary) Turnbach and my great grandmother, Mrs. Edward (Alice) Quirk.  It reminds us that just because we come across an obituary doesn’t mean that the information in it is complete (or in many cases correct).  A shame when researchers get a piece of information like this and stop.

Tombstone Tuesday - Walter Bagovich

I don't post very often on my step father's side of the family so I thought I'd share the photo of his grandfather's tombstone.

Walter (Wladas) Bagovich was born in 1883 in Lithuania (we don't know where yet) and died in 1940. He is buried in St. Bernard's Cemetery in Indiana County, Pennsylvania.  Walter married Elizabeth (still working on her maiden name) around 1912.  They had four known children: Andrew, Mary, Frances, and Nellie.

I'm still researching his death date and once found, I will be requesting a death certificate!

Funeral Card Friday - A Mysterious Card

I visited my sister in Iowa last weekend and had a great time.  Before I left she passed on to me 4 Funeral/Memorial Cards that were in a Bible that had been given to her. Two were for my 2nd great aunts, Catherine and Mary Quirk; one was a memorial card for President Kennedy (different than the one I'd previously posted); and then there was a card for Joseph J. Skernolis.

I have no ideas who this young man was.  It's not a name I recognize from my family tree and as the card was from 1963 and my family still (to the best of my knowledge and research to date) hadn't begun marrying outside their Irish ethnicity yet, I doubt he is in my family tree.  He was 19 when he died, but that's all I know.  Was he a student they knew?  A friend of the family's?  More likely than not he fits into one of those 2 categories.

I can't find anything online about him (just on Find A Grave) and since I'm now farther away from Pennsylvania than I have been in awhile, there is no visit home in my immediate future.  There are some things that I could do from a distance to find him, but since I've narrowed it down to him not being a member of the family I don't think I'll be wasting resources looking.  I'll wait until next summer and if I get back home, I'll pull his obituary and visit his grave.  Perhaps I'll get lucky and come across someone that knew young Joseph before then and will be able to fill in the blanks and let me know his story.

UPDATE:  Amazing how that happens isn't it?  I Google-searched Joseph last night before posting this and Find A Grave was the only thing that popped up.  After posting, I decided to Google again and a post on an Ancestry message board came up (didn't come up when I searched Ancestry...hmmmm).  Joseph was not a member of my family's church, but the information posted on his death (not a full obituary) said that he was a pianist.  I wonder if my grandmother Mary Quirk may have known him.  She was a music teacher.  Come to think of it, my mother may have known him.  He was around her age.

The Unknown Collection - The Final Class Photo

At least it's the final class photo in my collection.  Who knows what may be uncovered years from now. Again, I know little except that it's from my Quirk family of the Hazleton, PA area.  Again, I don't recognize anyone in the photo, but I maintain that keeping a class photo has some significance.  Sure you keep portraits of friends and family, but you don't usually keep random class photos of some friend's kid or even another relative.  I think it was someone from the immediate family, but who?

I'm rotten at dating photos too, so if anyone has any ideas about around when it looks like it was taken, I'd love the input!

Tombstone Tuesday - Serendipity in a Cemetery

Mountain View Cemetery, West Hazleton, PA

I was preparing to post on the 1930 census with another census form, but weeding, mulching and trying to avoid being eaten by fire ants occupied the majority of my day so the census form wasn't completed. At least it's almost done so it should go up next week.  The trials and tribulations of trying to get a home in order to be put on the market!

I like sharing tombstone photos on my blog, as well as on other sites like FindAGrave.com because I know how important they can be in research, so it was only natural for me to do a Tombstone Tuesday post, but on who?

In the end I decided to do one on someone that wasn't even a member of my family.  Her name was Jane Rich, but she was known to my mom, aunt and uncle, as "Aunt Jane".  At some point, Jane began living with my great aunt Marian Brown so "Aunt Jane" she became and she outlived my great aunt Marian by about 13 years.

I didn't even know where "Aunt Jane" was buried when my mom and I went cemetery hopping this summer.  I had grabbed some flowers from the local Lowe's to put by the tombstones and we were off to Mountain View Cemetery in West Hazleton, PA to place flowers by my grandparents, Clarence and Florence Tabor nee Bronsavage's, grave.  The conversation in the car was about Aunt Marian and "Aunt Jane".  I was seeking clarification on who exactly Jane Rich was and as my mom was talking about her we looked to the right of the road and saw a tall family marker with "Rich" on it.  We stopped the car and got out and wouldn't you know we were standing there looking at Jane's gravesite.  I, naturally, had to take a picture or her stone (as well as the stones nearby).

I don't know much about "Aunt Jane" but a quick search tells me that she was the daughter to J. William and Edith Rich nee Morris.  She was the oldest of three known children of William and Edith, a younger brother named Harry (who was in the 1920 census, but missing from the 1930 census and may have died) and a sister, Harriett who would have been born a year or two after Harry was born. Her tombstone tells me that she was born in 1908 and died in 1965.

Other information that I discovered (and I will have to verify this when I get back home in reach of additional resources and records) is that Jane most likely studied at Pennsylvania State University and majored in Home Economics.  She was a member of the Chi Omega sorority (both details I discovered in Penn State's 1930 yearbook "La Vie") 

We think that after Aunt Marian died that "Aunt Jane"  ended up with most if not all of Aunt Marian's belongings.  Oh how we'd love to have some of those photos that are most likely never to be found!  One in particular was of Aunt Marian in a beautiful dress leaning against a piano.  It would be a happy day in my family if we ever found that photo!  Here's hoping that someday we'll be able to track down that photo!