It's just something you don't see everyday. Local newspapers printing up the tax returns for your neighbors. Just in case you've just broken out in a sweat, go on and wipe off your brow.
The Pittsburgh Post Gazette published the 1864 Tax Returns for several of its districts. While some of us may cry out in fear of the newspapers stance that the desire to review tax returns is universal in the neighborhood, we genealogy buffs jump in joy.
These 1864 returns are just another tool to use in our quest for documenting the location of our beloved ancestors, and, in some cases, documenting they were still alive.
So, go on and take a look. Who knows what you may discover. How much your family paid in taxes or how little their neighbors did.
These lists can be found on our Pittsburgh Old Newspaper Project: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~paallent/index.html
Ahh, genealogy. The tax man came and the newspaper let everyone know. Wonder if that would go over well today? Hmmmmmmmm......
©AS Eldredge 2013
Ahhh, genealogy. A glimpse of the past shows of what I am made.....
Showing posts with label allegheny. Show all posts
Showing posts with label allegheny. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Friday, March 22, 2013
Friend of Friends Friday: Pittsburgh Folks Just Keep Dying to Get In
The good people in the Allegheny County, PA, area keep dying and well, we keep finding them.
For over two years, our little band of volunteers has been digging in the old Pittsburgh area newspapers for death notices. The volunteers come and go, but there are usually at least five of us working at any given time.
Our last update brought us to over 88,000 death entries. We have over 3500 entries waiting in the hopper. I suspect these names will be available for family history buffs by Easter weekend.
Check us out. In addition to our death index, we have:
over 24,000 marriages
Divorce notices
WWI Military Personnel with over 73000 names
World War I articles
The record of Company E from the Civil War
House of Refuge information
Morganza information
Poor House Census 1850-1910
Poor House articles
1931 Fire of Little Sisters Poor House
1890 Veterans Schedule/Poor homes
Allegheny Co Home Census 1860-1940
There are also wonderful snippets of interest that will lead you to outside links with history information and resources from the area.
Whatcha waiting for? http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~paallent/
The index of names: http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/allegheny/death-index.htm
Ahhh, genealogy. Such generous, kind friends-- any day of the week, not just Friday!
©2013 AS Eldredge
For over two years, our little band of volunteers has been digging in the old Pittsburgh area newspapers for death notices. The volunteers come and go, but there are usually at least five of us working at any given time.
Our last update brought us to over 88,000 death entries. We have over 3500 entries waiting in the hopper. I suspect these names will be available for family history buffs by Easter weekend.
Check us out. In addition to our death index, we have:
over 24,000 marriages
Divorce notices
WWI Military Personnel with over 73000 names
World War I articles
The record of Company E from the Civil War
House of Refuge information
Morganza information
Poor House Census 1850-1910
Poor House articles
1931 Fire of Little Sisters Poor House
1890 Veterans Schedule/Poor homes
Allegheny Co Home Census 1860-1940
There are also wonderful snippets of interest that will lead you to outside links with history information and resources from the area.
Whatcha waiting for? http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~paallent/
The index of names: http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/allegheny/death-index.htm
Ahhh, genealogy. Such generous, kind friends-- any day of the week, not just Friday!
©2013 AS Eldredge
Monday, January 28, 2013
Madness Monday: Here a Marriage, There a Marriage
Looking for ancestors using the census can be frustrating. Then again, it can also be entertaining when the hunt is on.
I knew of the name George W CALDWELL, Jr, from the 1870 census detailing the family members of my 2g-grandpa, George W CALDWELL, Sr. Jr is found again in later census records. Only, the later entries can make my eyebrow rise. How so?
The 1900 census (which was taken June 2) shows Jr living with his dad in a boarding house in Pittsburgh. Of interest is the note Jr is divorced. I have yet to find a divorce record for Jr.
What has been uncovered is legal documentation which has made life entertaining as I try to decipher what was really going on in Jr's life. Let's look at the sequence of the documentation:
1- Dec 27, 1900
There is a marriage found in Mahoning Co, OH, for George W CALDWELL Jr and Emma BAKER. The groom's parents are the ones I expect to find. The bride's parents are James BAKER and Emma SAFFIEL.
2- 1904 Pension Papers for Daddy
George W CALDWELL, Sr, is living with Jr in Johnstown, Cambria, PA, when his pension file for the Civil War is updated. Listed in the pension file are the names of daddy's children, all as expected. The surprise is that all children are listed as married. So, was Jr married at this time? Added to this is the knowledge that one child appears to have died in a 1903 accident.
3- Mar 7, 1905
There is a marriage record found in Clinton Co, PA, for George W CALDWELL Jr and Jennie GILLESPIE. On the record is the notation that his first wife died in 1899. Hmmm, really?
The details from the 1910 to 1940 census records flow along with the earlier documented information. There is a son born abt 1908 who is named George G CALDWELL. I suspect the middle name would be GILLESPIE, although I find no definitive trace of the child after the 1910 census. Of course, I will now be interested to see how long it takes for other researchers of the family to incorporate this name without finding supporting evidence of their own.
Now, the head scratching begins as I wonder who the first wife was that died in 1899 and the final whereabouts of the wife from 1900 and the one from 1905. How maddening it all is!
Ahhh, genealogy. Two marriages are documented. The census would indicate a divorce before 1900. The son disappears. No graves found for any of the group yet. Will the real story please stand up?
©2013 AS Eldredge
I knew of the name George W CALDWELL, Jr, from the 1870 census detailing the family members of my 2g-grandpa, George W CALDWELL, Sr. Jr is found again in later census records. Only, the later entries can make my eyebrow rise. How so?
The 1900 census (which was taken June 2) shows Jr living with his dad in a boarding house in Pittsburgh. Of interest is the note Jr is divorced. I have yet to find a divorce record for Jr.
What has been uncovered is legal documentation which has made life entertaining as I try to decipher what was really going on in Jr's life. Let's look at the sequence of the documentation:
1- Dec 27, 1900
There is a marriage found in Mahoning Co, OH, for George W CALDWELL Jr and Emma BAKER. The groom's parents are the ones I expect to find. The bride's parents are James BAKER and Emma SAFFIEL.
2- 1904 Pension Papers for Daddy
George W CALDWELL, Sr, is living with Jr in Johnstown, Cambria, PA, when his pension file for the Civil War is updated. Listed in the pension file are the names of daddy's children, all as expected. The surprise is that all children are listed as married. So, was Jr married at this time? Added to this is the knowledge that one child appears to have died in a 1903 accident.
3- Mar 7, 1905
There is a marriage record found in Clinton Co, PA, for George W CALDWELL Jr and Jennie GILLESPIE. On the record is the notation that his first wife died in 1899. Hmmm, really?
The details from the 1910 to 1940 census records flow along with the earlier documented information. There is a son born abt 1908 who is named George G CALDWELL. I suspect the middle name would be GILLESPIE, although I find no definitive trace of the child after the 1910 census. Of course, I will now be interested to see how long it takes for other researchers of the family to incorporate this name without finding supporting evidence of their own.
Now, the head scratching begins as I wonder who the first wife was that died in 1899 and the final whereabouts of the wife from 1900 and the one from 1905. How maddening it all is!
Ahhh, genealogy. Two marriages are documented. The census would indicate a divorce before 1900. The son disappears. No graves found for any of the group yet. Will the real story please stand up?
©2013 AS Eldredge
Thursday, January 03, 2013
Thankful Thursday: Finding the Poor, Ill and Insane in Early Allegheny County
Finding documentation or information on some ancestors can be quite a task if the ancestor happened to have been admitted as an inmate to an early institution for the poor, ill, insane or neglected. The Commonwealth of PA does not readily allow for any information on the inmates to be released easily. For some researchers, this may be just the lead for which they are searching.
My genealogy buddy, Lynn B, and I have been fascinated by the early poor houses and institutions used in early Allegheny and Washington Counties, PA, after some recent comments on the Allegheny Co Rootsweb Mail List. So, we set out to find the census for these places which frequently changed names and locations over the years. Additionally, we are locating old newspaper articles and placing them online as well for researchers to peruse.
The tidbits I have gleaned from this research include identifying which institutions just changed names and which ones changed locations. Common to them all is the appalling circumstances these poor and ill of our past lived in. It can be heartbreaking to read the articles.
Comments from readers have included that Marshalsea, which was later renamed the Pittsburgh City Home Hospital at Mayview, was for the people from the city of Pittsburgh while Woodville was for the county poor and ill.
Other comments have included the correction of spelling of some names found in their census, while another researcher sent the death notice for one of their own who had spent time at an Allegheny Co. institution.
Woodville Hospital had alternate names as well in its history. Included are:
Allegheny County Almshouse
Allegheny Hospital for the Insane
Allegheny County Home for the Poor
Woodville State Hospital
The House of Refuge which was incorporated by the Commonwealth of PA in 1850 was originally in Pittsburgh. It moved to the new site in Washington Co, Morganza, in 1876. Whether your research takes you to the early House of Refuge or the later Morganza, it should be remembered this institution was for the confinement and reformation of delinquent youth.
As we find more articles, we are placing them online for other researchers. Another 20 articles were uploaded today, bringing our total to 53 for the Poor House and 33 for Morganza.
If interested in reading these articles or looking for your beloved, go to the Pittsburgh Old Newspaper Project.
Ahh, genealogy. We appreciate the comments and knowing others may find some tidbit to assist them in their quest for the family history.
©2013 AS Eldredge
My genealogy buddy, Lynn B, and I have been fascinated by the early poor houses and institutions used in early Allegheny and Washington Counties, PA, after some recent comments on the Allegheny Co Rootsweb Mail List. So, we set out to find the census for these places which frequently changed names and locations over the years. Additionally, we are locating old newspaper articles and placing them online as well for researchers to peruse.
The tidbits I have gleaned from this research include identifying which institutions just changed names and which ones changed locations. Common to them all is the appalling circumstances these poor and ill of our past lived in. It can be heartbreaking to read the articles.
Comments from readers have included that Marshalsea, which was later renamed the Pittsburgh City Home Hospital at Mayview, was for the people from the city of Pittsburgh while Woodville was for the county poor and ill.
Other comments have included the correction of spelling of some names found in their census, while another researcher sent the death notice for one of their own who had spent time at an Allegheny Co. institution.
Woodville Hospital had alternate names as well in its history. Included are:
Allegheny County Almshouse
Allegheny Hospital for the Insane
Allegheny County Home for the Poor
Woodville State Hospital
The House of Refuge which was incorporated by the Commonwealth of PA in 1850 was originally in Pittsburgh. It moved to the new site in Washington Co, Morganza, in 1876. Whether your research takes you to the early House of Refuge or the later Morganza, it should be remembered this institution was for the confinement and reformation of delinquent youth.
As we find more articles, we are placing them online for other researchers. Another 20 articles were uploaded today, bringing our total to 53 for the Poor House and 33 for Morganza.
If interested in reading these articles or looking for your beloved, go to the Pittsburgh Old Newspaper Project.
Ahh, genealogy. We appreciate the comments and knowing others may find some tidbit to assist them in their quest for the family history.
©2013 AS Eldredge
Wednesday, January 02, 2013
Wordless Wednesday: Freak Found in Pittsburgh
Thirty-three articles are now available on the Allegheny County Poor House. After reading these articles, you may discover more of an understanding of the sad plight of people who were abandoned, neglected, or poor in our nation's past. Some of the stories have a "ho hum" quality in their tale, but other stories have the ability to shock in today's world and values.
An example of a shocking story at Marshalsea from the June 28, 1904 Pittsburgh Press follows. I suspect many readers will be left speechless and heartbroken after reading the tale of the unknown male.
Found Freak In Empty Room
Long Haired Idiot Boy Abandoned by Showmen Who Meant to Exhibit Him
Will Go to Marshalsea
Abandoned by men who sought to profit by its mental and physical deformities a male freak, about 18 years, was discovered yesterday afternoon in the third floor of the rooming house at 545 Second avenue. About the time of the discovery was made by Mrs. Annie Dropple, the landlady, Superintendent of Police Wallace received an anonymous communication from the men who had left the freak, telling him where it could be found.
The case is the most heartless in the history of the local police department, and for a time the authorities were puzzled as to what steps to take. Finally it was decided to send the freak to Homeopathic hospital until this morning, when it will be taken to the city home at Marshalsea.
About 10 o'clock Sunday morning two well dressed men called at Mrs. Dropple's boarding house and asked if they might rent a room. She informed them that there was but one vacant room in the house and that it was furnished with only a bed and mattress.
"That's all right. We have traveled about 100 miles and are very tired. We are going to show at the Swissvale carnival next week," said one of the strangers as he passed upstairs. Two hours later the men left the house and Mrs. Dropple did not see them return. It was learned last night, however, that about midnight neighbors say a closed carriage drive to the door. Two men alighted and between the carried a long, closely wrapped bundle into the house, while the carriage drove rapidly away. This was the last seen of the strangers.
About 10 o'clock yesterday morning Mrs. Dropple went to the third floor front room which she had rented to the strangers. They were nowhere to be seen, but on the bed lay the form of a half animal, half man continually beating its head on the mattress. She fled in a fright and at once notified Patrolman McCready, who investigated and then notified the police.
Capt. Bartley went to the house in company with Superintendent of Detectives McQuaide and Detectives Kelly and Cole. The officers found the freak still beating its head against the bed. It was beyond all doubt the most pitiable specimen of a human being imaginable. It had the face and long hair of a woman, while the trunk of its body was distorted and splotched with patches of long wiry hair. Its limbs were about the thickness of a man's wrist and were bent and twisted. It was about 5 feet 6 inches in height and weighed about 100 pounds. On the bed beside its head was a piece of meat which had evidently been left for it by the men who abandoned it. At 10 o'clock last night it was removed to Homeopathic hospital.
The being was bereft of reason and could not talk. Judging by all indications, Superintendent McQuaide stated that the freak had evidently been exhibited throughout the country as a missing link of wild man, and this theory was confirmed upon returning to central police station where Superintendent Wallace had just received a mysterious letter which explained the matter. The letter read:
Chief of Police, Pittsburgh, sir, at 545 Second street you will find in the third floor front an unfortunate boy who is foolish and who is singularly marked and possesses peculiar characteristics. He is entirely harmless and helpless because he knows no more than an animal. I was here with him with the intention of putting him with a carnival, but they refused to do as they agreed. I have been compelled to abandon him to be put in a home by the proper authorities. He has no living father or mother, he has no friends. I have kept him until I broke and cannot do so longer,
The letter was unsigned and bore the postmark of the Pittsburgh postoffice. The police are making an effort to learn the identity of the men.
To read more of the articles, go to http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~paallent/index.html and click on the Poor House articles.
Ahh, genealogy. History. Sometimes, it just breaks my heart to read it.
©2013 AS Eldredge
An example of a shocking story at Marshalsea from the June 28, 1904 Pittsburgh Press follows. I suspect many readers will be left speechless and heartbroken after reading the tale of the unknown male.
Found Freak In Empty Room
Long Haired Idiot Boy Abandoned by Showmen Who Meant to Exhibit Him
Will Go to Marshalsea
Abandoned by men who sought to profit by its mental and physical deformities a male freak, about 18 years, was discovered yesterday afternoon in the third floor of the rooming house at 545 Second avenue. About the time of the discovery was made by Mrs. Annie Dropple, the landlady, Superintendent of Police Wallace received an anonymous communication from the men who had left the freak, telling him where it could be found.
The case is the most heartless in the history of the local police department, and for a time the authorities were puzzled as to what steps to take. Finally it was decided to send the freak to Homeopathic hospital until this morning, when it will be taken to the city home at Marshalsea.
About 10 o'clock Sunday morning two well dressed men called at Mrs. Dropple's boarding house and asked if they might rent a room. She informed them that there was but one vacant room in the house and that it was furnished with only a bed and mattress.
"That's all right. We have traveled about 100 miles and are very tired. We are going to show at the Swissvale carnival next week," said one of the strangers as he passed upstairs. Two hours later the men left the house and Mrs. Dropple did not see them return. It was learned last night, however, that about midnight neighbors say a closed carriage drive to the door. Two men alighted and between the carried a long, closely wrapped bundle into the house, while the carriage drove rapidly away. This was the last seen of the strangers.
About 10 o'clock yesterday morning Mrs. Dropple went to the third floor front room which she had rented to the strangers. They were nowhere to be seen, but on the bed lay the form of a half animal, half man continually beating its head on the mattress. She fled in a fright and at once notified Patrolman McCready, who investigated and then notified the police.
Capt. Bartley went to the house in company with Superintendent of Detectives McQuaide and Detectives Kelly and Cole. The officers found the freak still beating its head against the bed. It was beyond all doubt the most pitiable specimen of a human being imaginable. It had the face and long hair of a woman, while the trunk of its body was distorted and splotched with patches of long wiry hair. Its limbs were about the thickness of a man's wrist and were bent and twisted. It was about 5 feet 6 inches in height and weighed about 100 pounds. On the bed beside its head was a piece of meat which had evidently been left for it by the men who abandoned it. At 10 o'clock last night it was removed to Homeopathic hospital.
The being was bereft of reason and could not talk. Judging by all indications, Superintendent McQuaide stated that the freak had evidently been exhibited throughout the country as a missing link of wild man, and this theory was confirmed upon returning to central police station where Superintendent Wallace had just received a mysterious letter which explained the matter. The letter read:
Chief of Police, Pittsburgh, sir, at 545 Second street you will find in the third floor front an unfortunate boy who is foolish and who is singularly marked and possesses peculiar characteristics. He is entirely harmless and helpless because he knows no more than an animal. I was here with him with the intention of putting him with a carnival, but they refused to do as they agreed. I have been compelled to abandon him to be put in a home by the proper authorities. He has no living father or mother, he has no friends. I have kept him until I broke and cannot do so longer,
The letter was unsigned and bore the postmark of the Pittsburgh postoffice. The police are making an effort to learn the identity of the men.
To read more of the articles, go to http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~paallent/index.html and click on the Poor House articles.
Ahh, genealogy. History. Sometimes, it just breaks my heart to read it.
©2013 AS Eldredge
Friday, December 21, 2012
Friends of Friends Friday: Flocking to Feed the Poor in 1897 at Marshalsea in Pittsburgh
Reading old newspapers can be quite entertaining. Today, I ran across a great article from December 24, 1897. The article tells us of the spirit of giving to the poor in Pittsburgh.
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The Pittsburgh Press, Dec. 24, 1897, page 2
AT
MARSHALSEA
An Enjoyable Time that is Promised the Unfortunates.
The 710 inmates of the city farm at Marshalsea will not be forgotten by
Director George Booth and Supt. George Linderman. Everything will be done to give them a good time. Confined in the building are about 43
children. These little ones on
Christmas eve will hang up their stockings to see what Santa Claus will bring
them. The usual Christmas
exercises will be held at the home on Christmas eve and the several hundred
inmates with two or three hundred others will be ushered into the large chapel
in the evening.
An excellent program has been arranged for with Supt. Linderman as
director and Dr. Charles Owens as manager, Miss Agnes M. Wenzel will be pianist
of the occasion. The performance
will consist of vocal and instrumental music, with a few recitations. Following is the program: Anthem, "O, Little Town of Bethlehem:,
chorus: recitation, "Orthodox Team,: Miss Lillian Shade, vocal solo,
selected, Miss Louise Loomis; tableau, "Angels' Watch,: Misses Whan,
Phillips and Symers; vocal solo, "Queen of the Earth,: Alex. Chas. Owens,
M.D.; tableau, "Ten Virgins," Misses McNulty, Sowers, Whan,
McDermott, Flanagan, Campbell, Harvey, Trimble, Horner Phillips, vocal duet,
"Lover's Quarrel," Miss Emma Fox and Mr. Frank Bell; dialogue,
"Mr. and Mrs. Thompson," Misses Lillian and Florence Shade, duet,
violin and piano, selected, Howard Arbogast and Miss Wenzel; tableau,
"Peak Sisters," Misses Whan, Phillips, Sowers, Symers, Harvey,
Horner, McNulty, Flanagan, McDermott, Campbell, Trimble, Patterson and Mrs. S.
E. Shade; vocal solo, selected, Miss Louise Loomis; tableau, "A Young
Man's Dread," Miss Minnie Sowers, piano solo, selected, Miss Agnes M.
Wenzel, duet, "La Chatelain," Misses Lillian and Florence Shade;
Christmas carol, chorus.
A real Christmas dinner will be served to the inmates on Christmas
day. It will consist of 1,000
pounds or roast turkey with cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, celery and
pickles, bread, butter, tea, coffee, apples, oranges and candy. Of the 710 inmates of the home and
hospitals 380 are insane. These
will be entertained just as well as the more fortunate inmates during the
day. The insane inmates will not
be allowed to leave their wards, but they will receive their candy and presents
as well as their share of turkey.
The director said that the people living around Marshalsea enjoyed the
feast as well as the inmates. The
young women and men flock to the home of Christmas day and act as waiters.
Seven more articles on the Poor House from old Pittsburgh newspapers have been uploaded for your researching pleasure. Check it out.
Ahh, genealogy. Kind of gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling as we Americans continue to assist those in need. Merry Christmas.
Update: Marshalsea was built in 1893 in Southern Allegheny Co on the old George Neal Farm in/near S. Fayette Twp. It was renamed Pittsburgh City Home and Hospital at Mayview in 1916.
Update: Marshalsea was built in 1893 in Southern Allegheny Co on the old George Neal Farm in/near S. Fayette Twp. It was renamed Pittsburgh City Home and Hospital at Mayview in 1916.
©2012 AS Eldredge
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Wordless Wednesday: The Pauper's Secret
Secrets are a part of our lives. With our ancestors, some secrets certainly include what happened to them. If our searches of today are successful, evidence can sometimes be found to reveal some of those secrets.
Enjoy the newest addition to our Pittsburgh Past-- the Poor House Articles. Perhaps a clue to one of your beloved will leave you speechless.
Seven new articles have been uploaded to our Pittsburgh Past, One Page a a Time site. We have many more waiting in the wings.
Here is one excerpt from March 1, 1872-
.....The deaths were Hugh McHard, age 60; Mary Dougherty, 68, Cathering Mulholland, 75; Laura Beggs, 5 months; Rachel Johnson, 5 months; Charles Armstrong, 27; Phoebe Franks, 45; Conrad Miller, 40, The causes of death were: apoplexy, 1; old age, 1; whooping cough, 1; consumption, 2; pneumonia, 1; inflammation of the lungs, 1; asthma, 1.....
And another from May 8, 1882-
...Years ago Thomas Mulaney had a happy home, and managed to support his family in a comfortable way. Many pictures in memory of the domestic happiness of those days now cheer the old man in his declining years. Death finally broke up the family circle, taking his wife first and all but two of his children afterward. Then darker days came upon him. Losing his corporal vigor, and the increasing infirmities of old age settling down upon him, he was no longer able to work. One daughter and a son had drifted away to distant points, and he had no knowledge of their whereabouts. At last, when he was on the verge of starvation he was taken charge of by the authorities and sent to the Allegheny Home.
This was about three years since, and he was then about eighty years of age. About a year ago he learned in some manner that his son ....
Check it out. You'll love finding the secrets of the paupers.
Ahh, genealogy. The desire to uncover the past keeps on going even as I prepare my heart and home for the holidays.
©2012 AS Eldredge
Enjoy the newest addition to our Pittsburgh Past-- the Poor House Articles. Perhaps a clue to one of your beloved will leave you speechless.
Seven new articles have been uploaded to our Pittsburgh Past, One Page a a Time site. We have many more waiting in the wings.
Here is one excerpt from March 1, 1872-
.....The deaths were Hugh McHard, age 60; Mary Dougherty, 68, Cathering Mulholland, 75; Laura Beggs, 5 months; Rachel Johnson, 5 months; Charles Armstrong, 27; Phoebe Franks, 45; Conrad Miller, 40, The causes of death were: apoplexy, 1; old age, 1; whooping cough, 1; consumption, 2; pneumonia, 1; inflammation of the lungs, 1; asthma, 1.....
And another from May 8, 1882-
...Years ago Thomas Mulaney had a happy home, and managed to support his family in a comfortable way. Many pictures in memory of the domestic happiness of those days now cheer the old man in his declining years. Death finally broke up the family circle, taking his wife first and all but two of his children afterward. Then darker days came upon him. Losing his corporal vigor, and the increasing infirmities of old age settling down upon him, he was no longer able to work. One daughter and a son had drifted away to distant points, and he had no knowledge of their whereabouts. At last, when he was on the verge of starvation he was taken charge of by the authorities and sent to the Allegheny Home.
This was about three years since, and he was then about eighty years of age. About a year ago he learned in some manner that his son ....
Check it out. You'll love finding the secrets of the paupers.
Ahh, genealogy. The desire to uncover the past keeps on going even as I prepare my heart and home for the holidays.
©2012 AS Eldredge
Friday, December 14, 2012
Friends of Friends Friday- Allegheny Co, PA Poor House
While this census information is not from the stereotype definition of slave, it does reflect the poor, the insane, the sick, and workhouses from Allegheny County, PA.
Just today, we have updated our Pittsburgh Past, One Page at a Time to include the 1860-1940 census for Woodville Hospital. Alternate names used over the years also include:
Allegheny County Almshouse
Allegheny Hospital for the Insane
Allegheny County Home for the Poor
The location for this institution is noted as S. Fayette and Collier Twp in Allegheny Co, PA.
In looking at the names on the list, I wonder about the men, women and children. Times were tough and I suspect, there was not much hope to be found within the walls of the institution. As many of the names on the lists were paupers, there is not much to be found on their deaths or final resting spots. Rest gently and know you are not forgotten.
While looking at our Pittsburgh Past, be sure to check out Morganza, which was first incorporated by the commonwealth as the House of Refuge in 1850. One reader recently commented on the information we have posted on Morganza with the following words:
I don't recall seeing any other genealogy site with as many articles and documents about Morganza as the Pittsburgh Old Newspaper Project webpages, and I appreciate being able to get some sense of what life, as difficult as it was, was like there for my gg-uncle at that time. I am grateful for all of the hours of hard work everyone has put into the Pittsburgh Old Newspaper Project webpages and look forward to the next time new information has been posted. -MM
Ahh, genealogy. Small prayers go up from around the world today for those frightened, innocent youth in Connecticut and remind us that lost innocence of children due to tragedy remains a part of our society. Rest sweetly.
©2012 AS Eldredge
Just today, we have updated our Pittsburgh Past, One Page at a Time to include the 1860-1940 census for Woodville Hospital. Alternate names used over the years also include:
Allegheny County Almshouse
Allegheny Hospital for the Insane
Allegheny County Home for the Poor
The location for this institution is noted as S. Fayette and Collier Twp in Allegheny Co, PA.
In looking at the names on the list, I wonder about the men, women and children. Times were tough and I suspect, there was not much hope to be found within the walls of the institution. As many of the names on the lists were paupers, there is not much to be found on their deaths or final resting spots. Rest gently and know you are not forgotten.
While looking at our Pittsburgh Past, be sure to check out Morganza, which was first incorporated by the commonwealth as the House of Refuge in 1850. One reader recently commented on the information we have posted on Morganza with the following words:
I don't recall seeing any other genealogy site with as many articles and documents about Morganza as the Pittsburgh Old Newspaper Project webpages, and I appreciate being able to get some sense of what life, as difficult as it was, was like there for my gg-uncle at that time. I am grateful for all of the hours of hard work everyone has put into the Pittsburgh Old Newspaper Project webpages and look forward to the next time new information has been posted. -MM
Ahh, genealogy. Small prayers go up from around the world today for those frightened, innocent youth in Connecticut and remind us that lost innocence of children due to tragedy remains a part of our society. Rest sweetly.
©2012 AS Eldredge
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Tombstone Tuesday: A Grave Decision
Ever wondered where some of your beloved ancestors could be? Ever know someone was in a graveyard, but since they had no stone or it has weathered, you have no rock solid proof?
Just like all cities across the land, there are forgotten and destroyed cemeteries in Allegheny Co, PA. Take, for instance, the Allegheny City Home which was established in 1844. Its first site was in Shaler Twp. The home moved to O'Hara Twp in 1871 according to the Carnegie Library. The cemetery which was mainly used for the home was destroyed during the construction of Rte 28.
So, what's a family genealogy buff to do? One suggestion is to look at the census records for the poor house, workhouse and insane asylums of the area to see if any familiar names were there. There is always the chance the graves, which were most likely unmarked, no longer exist.
One of my genealogy buddies (or buddette?) was gracious enough to transcribe the names from the Allegheny Co Poor House and Workhouse censusus from 1850-1910. These names are now on our old Pittsburgh Newspaper Project and can easily be found.
Go here to see the list. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~paallent/index.html
Ahh, genealogy. While we can't always find absolute evidence for all of our blood, the past can be just a grave decision based on circumstantial evidence.
©2012 AS Eldredge
Just like all cities across the land, there are forgotten and destroyed cemeteries in Allegheny Co, PA. Take, for instance, the Allegheny City Home which was established in 1844. Its first site was in Shaler Twp. The home moved to O'Hara Twp in 1871 according to the Carnegie Library. The cemetery which was mainly used for the home was destroyed during the construction of Rte 28.
So, what's a family genealogy buff to do? One suggestion is to look at the census records for the poor house, workhouse and insane asylums of the area to see if any familiar names were there. There is always the chance the graves, which were most likely unmarked, no longer exist.
One of my genealogy buddies (or buddette?) was gracious enough to transcribe the names from the Allegheny Co Poor House and Workhouse censusus from 1850-1910. These names are now on our old Pittsburgh Newspaper Project and can easily be found.
Go here to see the list. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~paallent/index.html
Ahh, genealogy. While we can't always find absolute evidence for all of our blood, the past can be just a grave decision based on circumstantial evidence.
©2012 AS Eldredge
Sunday, August 05, 2012
Potter, You Say?
Stories about the olden times and the settling of America are fascinating. Ok, so maybe some of them are more fascinating than others, and some comments from the readers can catch my attention.
Recently, I wrote about little Isabella POTTER, the daughter of Henry POTTER. As written about in some early history books of the area, little Isabella was captured by the Indians at the tender age of 10 and lived "a life of drudgery" before she was released. As I researched the story sent to me by a cousin of mine who is directly descended from Isabella, I realized I had a double connection to little Isabella. Now, they are both by marriage, but can you imagine the stories told 'round the old fireplace at night? Can you imagine how Isabella and her clan most likely did not like or trust the Indians? Can you imagine what they felt when they were rescued?
Back to the moment at hand. Little Isabella grew up and married Robert BIGHAM. Among other children who I have not researched, they had a son, Robert, and a daughter, Jane. The son, Robert, was born in April 1805 in Moon Twp, Allegheny, PA and married Jane GLENN (1812-1889.) Jane is my 1C4R. In other words, she and share a grandpa-- Her paternal grandfather is my 4g grandpa, who is buried at the St Clair Cemetery in Mt Lebanon, Allegheny, PA.
Just to add fun in to how I relate the family, I also have a cousin, Rachel DICKSON (1820-1909) who married Robert POTTER (abt 1815-1887.) They are both buried in the Chartiers Cemetery, Allegheny Co, PA. Rachel's grandfather is the same man who is the grandfather of Jane who married Robert and my 4g grandpa. Robert POTTER is the son of Adam POTTER, who I suspect is the brother of Henry POTTER.
So, to the kind person who commented they were related to Henry POTTER and asked how I was related, I hope this answers your question. Now, how are you related? And what fun facts or stories can you add to the genealogy branches?
Read the original post here:
Sources:
Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and Present, J.H. Beers & Co., 1914, pg 412-413
Personal email from S. McFeatters 3/2012
Cushing, Thomas. History of Allegheny Co, Chicago: A Warner Company, 1889
Larimer, Rev Bob. A 200th Anniversary of Noblestown
Allegheny County Will Book 3
Probate Index, Holmes Co, OH
©AS Eldredge 2012
Recently, I wrote about little Isabella POTTER, the daughter of Henry POTTER. As written about in some early history books of the area, little Isabella was captured by the Indians at the tender age of 10 and lived "a life of drudgery" before she was released. As I researched the story sent to me by a cousin of mine who is directly descended from Isabella, I realized I had a double connection to little Isabella. Now, they are both by marriage, but can you imagine the stories told 'round the old fireplace at night? Can you imagine how Isabella and her clan most likely did not like or trust the Indians? Can you imagine what they felt when they were rescued?
Back to the moment at hand. Little Isabella grew up and married Robert BIGHAM. Among other children who I have not researched, they had a son, Robert, and a daughter, Jane. The son, Robert, was born in April 1805 in Moon Twp, Allegheny, PA and married Jane GLENN (1812-1889.) Jane is my 1C4R. In other words, she and share a grandpa-- Her paternal grandfather is my 4g grandpa, who is buried at the St Clair Cemetery in Mt Lebanon, Allegheny, PA.
Just to add fun in to how I relate the family, I also have a cousin, Rachel DICKSON (1820-1909) who married Robert POTTER (abt 1815-1887.) They are both buried in the Chartiers Cemetery, Allegheny Co, PA. Rachel's grandfather is the same man who is the grandfather of Jane who married Robert and my 4g grandpa. Robert POTTER is the son of Adam POTTER, who I suspect is the brother of Henry POTTER.
So, to the kind person who commented they were related to Henry POTTER and asked how I was related, I hope this answers your question. Now, how are you related? And what fun facts or stories can you add to the genealogy branches?
Read the original post here:
Sources:
Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and Present, J.H. Beers & Co., 1914, pg 412-413
Personal email from S. McFeatters 3/2012
Cushing, Thomas. History of Allegheny Co, Chicago: A Warner Company, 1889
Larimer, Rev Bob. A 200th Anniversary of Noblestown
Allegheny County Will Book 3
Probate Index, Holmes Co, OH
©AS Eldredge 2012
Friday, May 11, 2012
1849 Letter- Love is a Diamond in the Mud
Today seems like just the perfect day to sit and go through some of the thousands pieces of papers I have collected over the years while on the hunt for my past.
In my findings today, is a letter from July 1849 in which my 3g-uncle, the Rev. Robert W HENRY (1827-1869) writes to his first cousin, Margaret D FORSYTHE (1831-1919).
To set the scene, Robert is off studying to become a Presbyterian minister, and in his own words, "spent nearly all the day in digging out theology." This is how he explains his lack of writing to his loved ones. Robert tells us he has been preaching, or trying to preach, for almost every Sabbath. He tells us he is happy. His letter quickly turns to theology before he realizes it and changes the subject.
I find the third paragraph interesting---
...But, you will say, "I hate sermon letters" if I continue thus, and therefore, I forebear, I do not wish that my letters should be a bore in any particular. Well, Cos, how is Mr. Fletcher? Is he still paying such close attention to you? Has he still a claim upon your affections? And has he laid his heart and hand and fortune and all, an offering upon the altar of your will, and at the shrine of your beauty? Has he inquired of you?........ This love is a strange thing, it seems like the enchantment of the Sorcerer, or an influence of the evil spirit, it is always brooding over the hearts and frequently crosses the roses that are blooming there, to wither and die away, like the beauty of the setting sun, for its fruits are mostly disappointments and cares.....Loving is a dangerous thing. But it may not be so with you. I would not discourage you in the least. My own experience, in part, should not be taken as an infallible index in love.....I have looked for too much perfection where there could be no hope of finding it. For to look even for comparative perfection in a lady, would be to look for a diamond in the mud........
Wow. Sounds like Uncle got burned! I wonder by whom?
While I will never know the answer to that question, I do know he did find his perfect lady in the form of Mary Emma MATTHEWS, who he married in Allegheny Co, PA, in 1851. Their time together was cut short when he died in Alexandria, Egypt, while on a voyage to the Holy Lands. His lady died of a stroke while taking a bath and drowned in 1918. They had no children.
As for Margaret, it is safe to say that the Mr. FLETCHER mentioned did not inquire of her as she married Joseph RYBURN in 1858. They had four children and died in McLean Co, IL.
Ahh, genealogy. These glimpses in to the lives of our ancestors remind us that they, too, lived, laughed and loved. So much for just the name, rank, and serial number. I need them to "come alive."
©AS Eldredge 2012
In my findings today, is a letter from July 1849 in which my 3g-uncle, the Rev. Robert W HENRY (1827-1869) writes to his first cousin, Margaret D FORSYTHE (1831-1919).
To set the scene, Robert is off studying to become a Presbyterian minister, and in his own words, "spent nearly all the day in digging out theology." This is how he explains his lack of writing to his loved ones. Robert tells us he has been preaching, or trying to preach, for almost every Sabbath. He tells us he is happy. His letter quickly turns to theology before he realizes it and changes the subject.
I find the third paragraph interesting---
...But, you will say, "I hate sermon letters" if I continue thus, and therefore, I forebear, I do not wish that my letters should be a bore in any particular. Well, Cos, how is Mr. Fletcher? Is he still paying such close attention to you? Has he still a claim upon your affections? And has he laid his heart and hand and fortune and all, an offering upon the altar of your will, and at the shrine of your beauty? Has he inquired of you?........ This love is a strange thing, it seems like the enchantment of the Sorcerer, or an influence of the evil spirit, it is always brooding over the hearts and frequently crosses the roses that are blooming there, to wither and die away, like the beauty of the setting sun, for its fruits are mostly disappointments and cares.....Loving is a dangerous thing. But it may not be so with you. I would not discourage you in the least. My own experience, in part, should not be taken as an infallible index in love.....I have looked for too much perfection where there could be no hope of finding it. For to look even for comparative perfection in a lady, would be to look for a diamond in the mud........
Wow. Sounds like Uncle got burned! I wonder by whom?
While I will never know the answer to that question, I do know he did find his perfect lady in the form of Mary Emma MATTHEWS, who he married in Allegheny Co, PA, in 1851. Their time together was cut short when he died in Alexandria, Egypt, while on a voyage to the Holy Lands. His lady died of a stroke while taking a bath and drowned in 1918. They had no children.
As for Margaret, it is safe to say that the Mr. FLETCHER mentioned did not inquire of her as she married Joseph RYBURN in 1858. They had four children and died in McLean Co, IL.
Ahh, genealogy. These glimpses in to the lives of our ancestors remind us that they, too, lived, laughed and loved. So much for just the name, rank, and serial number. I need them to "come alive."
©AS Eldredge 2012
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Thankful Thursday: Remembering WW1 Thru the Eyes and Words of 1918 Warriors: Thanks Mrs. Schiller
Last May saw the beginning of uploading a series of old newspaper articles from the 1918-1919 time frame which were originally published in Pittsburgh by one of their cracker jack reporters who spent time in France with the troops. These articles were transcribed by my geni-buddy Lynn B.
Thought you'd enjoy seeing one of the articles as we get ready to honor the women in our lives. After reading this article, check out the other 50 or so we have found at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~paallent/
You're sure to be needing your hanky, or at the least, an American Flag to salute and a mama to hug!
Thought you'd enjoy seeing one of the articles as we get ready to honor the women in our lives. After reading this article, check out the other 50 or so we have found at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~paallent/
You're sure to be needing your hanky, or at the least, an American Flag to salute and a mama to hug!
THE GAZETTE TIMES
Jan. 19, 1919
Charles
J. Doyle
Special Correspondent of The
Gazette Times in France
NURSING
IN FRANCE MORE ATTRACTIVE THAN SOCIETY TO THIS PITTSBURGH WOMAN
Mrs.
William Bacon Schiller Works Every Day in Hospital – Many of Her Patients
Heroes of Old Eighteenth Who Fell in Terrific Combats.
Paris,
Jan. 17. – (Delayed) – Fifteen months of tireless work nursing American
doughboys finds one of Pittsburgh’s most prominent women, Mrs. William Bacon
Schiller, still smiling at her post in France. But her labors of mercy are almost finished now, and she is
planning to leave for home in a few weeks.
That was
and suffering bring out the finest qualities is strikingly shown in the case of
Mrs. Schiller. She is the wife of
the president of the National Tube Company, a subsidiary of the United States
Steel Corporation.
About 18
months ago Uncle Sam issued an urgent call for volunteer nurses. Among the patriotic women and girls who
heard and heeded that call was Mrs. Schiller. Although she always had been accustomed to every comfort
that ample means and an assured social position could give, this mother of
three fine boys volunteered and was accepted.
Mrs.
Schiller knew nothing about nursing when she placed herself at the disposal of
her country. In fact, she knew
practically nothing about hospital work.
But all this has been changed, and when I saw her today in her
strikingly becoming nurse’s garb, almost engulfed in bandages, dressings and
other surgical paraphernalia, it was quite evident that her capability had been
developed into splendid harmony with her devotion.
She was
busily engaged arranging medicines for the morning round of the hospital as I
entered and we had our talk while she worked. I tried to induce Mrs. Schiller to tell me some of her
remarkable experiences during her long term in France, but she evaded any
personal touches and insisted on dwelling exclusively on the great work done by
others.
Mrs.
Schiller, I learned, has been “on the job” for six days a week since she came
to France, sometimes seven, but she evidently feels fully repaid by the appreciation
shown by the gallant Yankees. She
spoke of having attended a number of Pittsburghers, mostly members of the
Eightieth Division. While she
avoids allusions to her own part of the work being done at the hospital, she is
ready enough to talk of “the boys.”
A visitor
to the hospital who sees Mrs. Schiller as she goes about her work, looking in
every way the typical Red Cross nurse, finds it hard to realize that she has a
son old enough to be in the service.
This is the case, however, Morgan Schiller being an ensign in the Naval
Aviation Corps. The mother had
hopes that her boy would be sent to France and they could enjoy a happy
reunion, but he was instead detailed to Seattle.
The
hospital where Mrs. Schiller has been giving her time and labor is one of the
finest operated by the American Red Cross in France. It is known as No. 1, and is located about three miles from
the center of Paris. It is an
imposing structure, designed to house a magnificent college, but had not been
completed when the war started, and the building was turned over to the Red
Cross.
While
walking along a corridor of the big building I noticed a ward furnished by the
Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company.
One of the many comfortable cots was donated by Mrs. Henry W. Oliver of
Pittsburgh, whose name appears on a neat plate above the bed. Lying on this cot was a smiling
doughboy, Private Harry Seymour, who told me he was a farmer from New York
state. He has been occupying this
cot since October 28. He received
a severe shell wound in the leg, but has so far recovered that he is able to
walk on crutches.
Although
the government changed the designation of the old Eighteenth Regiment, N.G.P.,
to the One Hundred and Eleventh Infantry, there is a sentiment and pride in the
old organization that leads to the use of the old name by the thousands of
Pittsburghers over there who have followed the career of the regiment during
the past year. The old Eighteenth
say great fighting at a number of critical points, and the importance of the
achievements of the Pittsburghers and the whole Twenty-Eighth Division is
partly indicated by the long list of heroes who gave their lives in France
under the Stars and Stripes and the flags of the Allies.
IN DESPERATE FIGHTS
Among the
good people of France, particularly the surviving defenders, the memory of the
Pittsburgh fighters will be forever recalled by the names of Chateau Thierry,
Fismes, St. Mihiel and the Argonne Forest, all desperate conflicts where the
sterling Keystone State guardsmen contended and fell in valorous exploits. At present the infantry and artillery
are divided by hundreds of miles.
The doughboys are, with the division headquarters, billeted near Toul,
200 miles east of Paris, while the artillery, which recently operated in the
Belgian sector, has been moved to the area between Paris and the seacoast.
About a
month ago the Twenty-eighth Division was ordered into Germany to form part of
the army of the occupation. One
regiment was already on its way to Luxemburg when the first orders were
countermanded and it was brought back.
Sergt.
Allen McCombs, 927 Beech avenue, North Side, Pittsburgh, an athletic youngster
who was a member of the old Eighteenth, is a fine specimen of the type of
soldiers that constituted the regiment.
Almost fully recovered from a machine gun wound in the leg, Sergt.
McCombs and I met in the beautiful Red Cross hospital where, he said, “a man
couldn’t be sick if he wanted to and didn’t want to leave when he got well.”
BROUGHT DOWN BY A BULLET
Sergt.
McCombs is a graduate of the Scottdale High School, where he played on the
football eleven. After leaving
school he took a position with the Pennsylvania Railroad and joined the
Eighteenth as soon as he was old enough.
He was leading a platoon of Company I in rushing a nest of machine guns
during the terrible fighting in the Argonne woods when he went down with a
bullet in his leg.
“But one
day’s treatment since I was struck is worth all the hardships we went through,”
said the sergeant, who has all sorts of vivid tales of the actions of his
division. When he recovered
sufficiently he was given clerical work in the hospital, where he seems to be a
prime favorite with patients and nurses.
In the parlance of the doughboys, the handsome soldier “has it pretty
soft.”
Private
John Danknichy, aged 21, a flaxen-haired Slavish boy of McKees Rocks and
Esplen, is another who is manfully upholding the traditions of the old
Eighteenth. He is recovering from
a severe machine gun wound in the thigh received near the Aisne River. It was an exceedingly ugly wound. When located by the stretcher bearers
it was found difficult to get him to a first-aid station, but because of the
seriousness of the case they started back through a heavy shell fire. For a time he lay between life and
death, but the wound is now healing and he is able to walk with a cane. John was an employee of the Pressed
Steel Car Company.
Ahh, genealogy. Here's to you, Mrs. Schiller, and all the other women who have served America and our veterans. I like to think you were there nursing my grandfather when he was wounded and gassed in France.
©2012 AS Eldredge
Enlighten My Soul with History
Historical facts should not be a burden to the memory, but an illumination to the soul. – Lord Acton(1834-1902)
History is fascinating, although most students in school don't quite agree with the sentiment. How much can we learn about the past, our past, by digging into old documents as our country was being formed?
A cousin of mine and I have been hard at work digging and digging to try and uncover the definitive proof of the family of our Margaret McMillen (1762-1849).
She was born in Washington Co, PA, and died in Lower St. Clair, Allegheny, PA. While there is no mention of her father's name, she did name a son Thomas McMillen, so we suspect that was most likely her father's name. We have located three Thomas McMillens in the neighborhood, so trying to pin it down has been a struggle. One is the brother of the good Rev. John McMillen, and one is an Irishman who came much later than the birth of our Margaret.
The other one is probably ours. My cousin has been busy at the courthouse in Pittsburgh looking up land deeds, wills, and just generally scouring the countryside for any more leads. Yep, JoAnn, you've done a superb job of looking into almost every dark crevice in Allegheny Co.
The one good lead we have is that Margaret's son, Thomas M HENRY, was named as an executor for his uncle Thomas McMillen, who lived in Robinson Twp. So we know where he lived along the Piney Branch of Peters Creek, and we know he died in 1831. Too bad, he didn't mention his sister in the will written in 1829. Those mentioned in the will are his wife Mary, Mathew McMillen, John McMillen, Wm McMillen, James McMillen, Samuel McMillen, Joseph McMillen, Ebenezer McMillen and Anne McMillen. According to the will, Ebenezer is not yet 21.
Also from the Union Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Robinson are:
McMILLEN John 79 1840
McMILLIN John 60 1853
McMILLIN John 84 1922
McMILLIN John Y. 3 1899
McMILLIN Joseph 45 1852
McMILLIN Margaret 79 1898
McMILLIN Margaret 59 1918
McMILLIN Mary78 1844
McMILLIN Samuel
McMILLIN Sarah 80 1926
McMILLIN Thomas 76 1831
Just last night, JoAnn sent a new lead from A List Of Persons Names Exonerated On The Frontiers of Washington County for Being Distressed By The Incursions of Depredations of the Indians. Of course, a Thomas McMILLEN in Robinson Twp is mentioned on this 1789 document. Reading the names on the list is almost like looking at my family tree. So many familiar names are there. What was interesting to note is these men on this list did not have to pay taxes due to the damages they sustained during Indian attacks. Can you imagine this happening today? Can you imagine how bad it had to have been?
This little tidbit sent me on a journey this morning to learn more about the Indian attacks suffered by these early settlers. What I found in Boyd Crumrine's History of Washington County, Pennsylvania with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men (Philadelphia: L. H. Leverts & Co., 1882) made my hair stand on end.
Not only were there many instances of Indians attacking settlers, there were instances of men from Virginia who tried to "draft" the Pennsylvania men in to their militia. Now, to be fair, that little southwestern part of Pennsylvania was fought over by both Pennsylvania and Virginia. I just didn't realize the extent of the literal fighting, burning and killing by other settlers that accompanied that fight. Not only did the families of southwestern PA have to suffer Indian raids, they also suffered from the men of Virginia.
I also was enlightened to learn how the settlers attacked the peace loving Indians just "cause they were there." Interesting reading if you like history.
Onward genealogy buffs to the next lead of enlightenment.
Ahh, genealogy. Just can't top Lord Acton's words- Historical facts should not be a burden to the memory, but an illumination to the soul.
©2012 AS Eldredge
History is fascinating, although most students in school don't quite agree with the sentiment. How much can we learn about the past, our past, by digging into old documents as our country was being formed?
A cousin of mine and I have been hard at work digging and digging to try and uncover the definitive proof of the family of our Margaret McMillen (1762-1849).
She was born in Washington Co, PA, and died in Lower St. Clair, Allegheny, PA. While there is no mention of her father's name, she did name a son Thomas McMillen, so we suspect that was most likely her father's name. We have located three Thomas McMillens in the neighborhood, so trying to pin it down has been a struggle. One is the brother of the good Rev. John McMillen, and one is an Irishman who came much later than the birth of our Margaret.
The other one is probably ours. My cousin has been busy at the courthouse in Pittsburgh looking up land deeds, wills, and just generally scouring the countryside for any more leads. Yep, JoAnn, you've done a superb job of looking into almost every dark crevice in Allegheny Co.
The one good lead we have is that Margaret's son, Thomas M HENRY, was named as an executor for his uncle Thomas McMillen, who lived in Robinson Twp. So we know where he lived along the Piney Branch of Peters Creek, and we know he died in 1831. Too bad, he didn't mention his sister in the will written in 1829. Those mentioned in the will are his wife Mary, Mathew McMillen, John McMillen, Wm McMillen, James McMillen, Samuel McMillen, Joseph McMillen, Ebenezer McMillen and Anne McMillen. According to the will, Ebenezer is not yet 21.
Also from the Union Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Robinson are:
McMILLEN John 79 1840
McMILLIN John 60 1853
McMILLIN John 84 1922
McMILLIN John Y. 3 1899
McMILLIN Joseph 45 1852
McMILLIN Margaret 79 1898
McMILLIN Margaret 59 1918
McMILLIN Mary78 1844
McMILLIN Samuel
McMILLIN Sarah 80 1926
McMILLIN Thomas 76 1831
Just last night, JoAnn sent a new lead from A List Of Persons Names Exonerated On The Frontiers of Washington County for Being Distressed By The Incursions of Depredations of the Indians. Of course, a Thomas McMILLEN in Robinson Twp is mentioned on this 1789 document. Reading the names on the list is almost like looking at my family tree. So many familiar names are there. What was interesting to note is these men on this list did not have to pay taxes due to the damages they sustained during Indian attacks. Can you imagine this happening today? Can you imagine how bad it had to have been?
This little tidbit sent me on a journey this morning to learn more about the Indian attacks suffered by these early settlers. What I found in Boyd Crumrine's History of Washington County, Pennsylvania with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men (Philadelphia: L. H. Leverts & Co., 1882) made my hair stand on end.
Not only were there many instances of Indians attacking settlers, there were instances of men from Virginia who tried to "draft" the Pennsylvania men in to their militia. Now, to be fair, that little southwestern part of Pennsylvania was fought over by both Pennsylvania and Virginia. I just didn't realize the extent of the literal fighting, burning and killing by other settlers that accompanied that fight. Not only did the families of southwestern PA have to suffer Indian raids, they also suffered from the men of Virginia.
I also was enlightened to learn how the settlers attacked the peace loving Indians just "cause they were there." Interesting reading if you like history.
Onward genealogy buffs to the next lead of enlightenment.
Ahh, genealogy. Just can't top Lord Acton's words- Historical facts should not be a burden to the memory, but an illumination to the soul.
©2012 AS Eldredge
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
Tombstone Tuesday: And They Fought and They Won "Over There"
Just a quick note for you World War I genealogy buffs who have roots in Western PA, with an emphasis on Allegheny County. Yes, the wonderful men of World War I are all gone now and we visit their tombstones. Perhaps, it's time to read more about what they experienced.
Six more World War I articles which were found in old Pittsburgh area newspapers and transcribed by my geni-friend Lynn have now been uploaded.
Relive the past in the 38 articles which provide a great look in to the 1918-1919 timeframe. Maybe your past will come alive. Maybe that special tombstone in your family will take on more meaning. I know mine did as I found my grandfather's name.
And just to keep you panting for more, there will be more articles uploaded in the next few days.
Check it out.
Ahh, genealogy. "Over there, over there." Yep, our doughboys went over there and didn't come back until it was over, over there. Kind of an American tradition, don't ya know.
©2012 AS Eldredge
Six more World War I articles which were found in old Pittsburgh area newspapers and transcribed by my geni-friend Lynn have now been uploaded.
Relive the past in the 38 articles which provide a great look in to the 1918-1919 timeframe. Maybe your past will come alive. Maybe that special tombstone in your family will take on more meaning. I know mine did as I found my grandfather's name.
And just to keep you panting for more, there will be more articles uploaded in the next few days.
Check it out.
Ahh, genealogy. "Over there, over there." Yep, our doughboys went over there and didn't come back until it was over, over there. Kind of an American tradition, don't ya know.
©2012 AS Eldredge
My Kin Signed the Declaration of Independence-- Nearly
This morning, another cemetery list from my dear old Allegheny County, PA, was uploaded to the net. So, forget everything and concentrate on any new directions that any finds will lead me.
The list of Melrose Cemetery in Bridgeville was a special treat as I did find several names and was able to fill in some blanks. Off I went on trying to document more fun facts.
I found something new. Real new. Ok, maybe it happened back in 1776, but it was new to me. I almost have kin who did sign the little ole document signed back in '76 which we all revere today.
Uhh?
Well, my uncle Thomas McMillan HENRY (1791-1873) married one Eliza CLARK (1799-1882). I've been trying to see if she ties into another CLARK line I have from the area, but so far, no evidence to be able to confirm or to deny.
Back to today. I ended up trying to find new leads as to the whereabouts of Uncle Thomas and his kin. I already had documented he sold the land he received from his father, John HENRY, in 1840. I guess that is when he and Eliza removed themselves to Pulaski Twp in Lawrence Co, PA. Lawrence county became their final home and they lived happily there until their deaths.
I also knew they had five children. So far, so dull.
Now to the fun stuff---
Their only daughter, Caroline Cornelia HENRY (1836-1922) married one Hugh McKEAN in 1859. Hugh is the son of John McKEAN and Mariah POMEROY.
Now to the confusion---
According to some family trees found on that favorite site of ours where we all go look, they are related to the Thomas McKEAN who signed the Declaration. Although, in looking at those trees, I can't figure out the connection, nor the documentation.
So, maybe it is, and maybe it isn't true. But it sure is fun to think about.
Ahhh, genealogy. Almost related to some other famous people. Almost, nearly.
©2012 AS Eldredge
The list of Melrose Cemetery in Bridgeville was a special treat as I did find several names and was able to fill in some blanks. Off I went on trying to document more fun facts.
I found something new. Real new. Ok, maybe it happened back in 1776, but it was new to me. I almost have kin who did sign the little ole document signed back in '76 which we all revere today.
Uhh?
Well, my uncle Thomas McMillan HENRY (1791-1873) married one Eliza CLARK (1799-1882). I've been trying to see if she ties into another CLARK line I have from the area, but so far, no evidence to be able to confirm or to deny.
Back to today. I ended up trying to find new leads as to the whereabouts of Uncle Thomas and his kin. I already had documented he sold the land he received from his father, John HENRY, in 1840. I guess that is when he and Eliza removed themselves to Pulaski Twp in Lawrence Co, PA. Lawrence county became their final home and they lived happily there until their deaths.
I also knew they had five children. So far, so dull.
Now to the fun stuff---
Their only daughter, Caroline Cornelia HENRY (1836-1922) married one Hugh McKEAN in 1859. Hugh is the son of John McKEAN and Mariah POMEROY.
Now to the confusion---
According to some family trees found on that favorite site of ours where we all go look, they are related to the Thomas McKEAN who signed the Declaration. Although, in looking at those trees, I can't figure out the connection, nor the documentation.
So, maybe it is, and maybe it isn't true. But it sure is fun to think about.
Ahhh, genealogy. Almost related to some other famous people. Almost, nearly.
©2012 AS Eldredge
Friday, March 16, 2012
One Little, Two Little, Three Little.......
Just this week, another snippet of genealogy history for my family has made its way to my inbox. Yes, another kidnapping has happened. Ok, so it happened in 1782. However, the tale easily brought thoughts of horror at the events that took place on the CLOCK farm outside of present day Pittsburgh.
History reveals to the readers of today the struggles of the Indians as the white settlers moved west. As the western part of Pennsylvania became open for settlement, many Scot-Irish, including those who share my blood, moved to the area. Times were tough for these settlers. They had to clear the land, and build crude cabins. They had to plant crops and wait for a harvest. They had to be on the lookout for trouble, which usually came in the form of Indian attacks. They had to survive.
Who can blame the Indians? Treaties with them were routinely broken by the government. Their world was rapidly changing as more and more settlers came to claim the land while Indians believed the land belonged to no one person.
The settlers had to watch daily for Indian attacks. Usually these attacks were confined to the warmer months when living off the land was easier. The Indians had been made promises by the British if they would assist them in the Revolution in fighting against the patriots who so wanted their freedom from the power across the pond. This alliance proved quite deadly for the early settlers. Now, the Indians could savagely attack and butcher said patriots without fear of retaliation from the British. Unfortunately, for the Indians, the retaliation from mad-as-a-hornet Scotsmen or Irishmen or Frenchmen whose families were slaughtered seemed much worse.
Here is a snapshot of the newest Indian kidnapping and slaughter to come to my attention, thanks to cousin Susan.
Henry POTTER's young 10 year old daughter, Isabella, had gone to visit neighbors as was oft the case of the times. Women and children had a habit of banding together when the men were off from their hastily constructed cabins. Some roving Indians heard the men felling some trees and quickly killed them. They then went to the cabin with the women and children around and either killed them or took them captive. The gory details of the attack has been preserved by historians and can be read in full.
What horrors did young Isabella see as she watched her friends' heads being dashed against rocks or trees or brutally slaughtered? What horrors did she and her mother endure as they were kidnapped by these Indians and held for 18 months? The history books say they lived a life of drudgery. No doubt that is putting it mildly.
A search party led by George VALLANDIGHAM followed the events of that tragic day. While this particular search had to end when the Indians crossed over the Ohio River, other treks led by George VALLANDIGHAM were successful.
Why the interest of this story to me? The names POTTER and VALLANDIGHAM are intertwined with my beloved genealogy.
I have a cousin, Rachel DICKSON b. 1820 who married a Robert POTTER b. abt 1815. The DICKSON family lived in the same little area as the Henry POTTER family and others who share my blood. I suspect that the young Isabella could have been a cousin of Robert.
Robert is listed as the son of Adam POTTER (1788-1870) whose name is mentioned on several public family trees on Ancestry.com. By the time of the 1850 census which lists the names of the house occupants, Robert is gone and living with his bride. The 1820 census for Adam does show one male below the age of 10, so it is conceivable that Robert is this child. More evidence to support Robert being the son of Adam is found in Cushing's book where it states that Adam POTTER with sons Robert and Adam are remembered as residents before 1820 in North Fayette.
Adam POTTER was an attorney in the area and his name is listed as an executor for the will of Henry POTTER. I will speculate they were brothers. After all, how many POTTER families living in the general area of Noblestown in the late 1700s thru the 1800s weren't related?
Just to make these snippet shots even more interesting in my research, Isabella later married Robert BIGHAM (1805-1893). Robert married Jane GLENN (1812-1889), a cousin of mine through her grandfather who we share.
On to the VALLANDIGHAM connection----
My grandpa fought in the Washington Co Militia under the command of George VALLANDIGHAM. This is documented through the PA Archives. Other stories have surfaced over the years where my grandpa was also part of the group of men that hunted Indians that raided the area and massacred the settlers. The VALLANDIGHAM family were friends of my family as Clement, son of George VALLANDIGHAM and Elizabeth NOBLE, and Rebecca LAIRD (Clement's wife) raised my cousin after the untimely death of Rebecca's sister.
Rebecca's sister, Eleanor LAIRD, died shortly after the birth of her only child, Margaret Eleanor Laird Vallandigham HENRY. Margaret was the daughter of Samuel Smith HENRY who later becomes an Ohio State Representative. An old letter details how Samuel would visit his child and provided for her and her future education. Ahh, but that is another story for another day.
Now you can understand why the story of Isabella's kidnapping caught my attention. Perhaps her story will give you pause to reflect on the blood shed in the making of our great country.
Ahh, genealogy. Life flows on and on through our blood of the past.
Sources:
Cushing, Thomas. History of Allegheny Co, Chicago: A Warner Company, 1889
Larimer, Rev Bob. A 200th Anniversary of Noblestown
Allegheny County Will Book 3
Probate Index, Holmes Co, OH
©2012 AS Eldredge
History reveals to the readers of today the struggles of the Indians as the white settlers moved west. As the western part of Pennsylvania became open for settlement, many Scot-Irish, including those who share my blood, moved to the area. Times were tough for these settlers. They had to clear the land, and build crude cabins. They had to plant crops and wait for a harvest. They had to be on the lookout for trouble, which usually came in the form of Indian attacks. They had to survive.
Who can blame the Indians? Treaties with them were routinely broken by the government. Their world was rapidly changing as more and more settlers came to claim the land while Indians believed the land belonged to no one person.
The settlers had to watch daily for Indian attacks. Usually these attacks were confined to the warmer months when living off the land was easier. The Indians had been made promises by the British if they would assist them in the Revolution in fighting against the patriots who so wanted their freedom from the power across the pond. This alliance proved quite deadly for the early settlers. Now, the Indians could savagely attack and butcher said patriots without fear of retaliation from the British. Unfortunately, for the Indians, the retaliation from mad-as-a-hornet Scotsmen or Irishmen or Frenchmen whose families were slaughtered seemed much worse.
Here is a snapshot of the newest Indian kidnapping and slaughter to come to my attention, thanks to cousin Susan.
Henry POTTER's young 10 year old daughter, Isabella, had gone to visit neighbors as was oft the case of the times. Women and children had a habit of banding together when the men were off from their hastily constructed cabins. Some roving Indians heard the men felling some trees and quickly killed them. They then went to the cabin with the women and children around and either killed them or took them captive. The gory details of the attack has been preserved by historians and can be read in full.
What horrors did young Isabella see as she watched her friends' heads being dashed against rocks or trees or brutally slaughtered? What horrors did she and her mother endure as they were kidnapped by these Indians and held for 18 months? The history books say they lived a life of drudgery. No doubt that is putting it mildly.
A search party led by George VALLANDIGHAM followed the events of that tragic day. While this particular search had to end when the Indians crossed over the Ohio River, other treks led by George VALLANDIGHAM were successful.
Why the interest of this story to me? The names POTTER and VALLANDIGHAM are intertwined with my beloved genealogy.
I have a cousin, Rachel DICKSON b. 1820 who married a Robert POTTER b. abt 1815. The DICKSON family lived in the same little area as the Henry POTTER family and others who share my blood. I suspect that the young Isabella could have been a cousin of Robert.
Robert is listed as the son of Adam POTTER (1788-1870) whose name is mentioned on several public family trees on Ancestry.com. By the time of the 1850 census which lists the names of the house occupants, Robert is gone and living with his bride. The 1820 census for Adam does show one male below the age of 10, so it is conceivable that Robert is this child. More evidence to support Robert being the son of Adam is found in Cushing's book where it states that Adam POTTER with sons Robert and Adam are remembered as residents before 1820 in North Fayette.
Adam POTTER was an attorney in the area and his name is listed as an executor for the will of Henry POTTER. I will speculate they were brothers. After all, how many POTTER families living in the general area of Noblestown in the late 1700s thru the 1800s weren't related?
Just to make these snippet shots even more interesting in my research, Isabella later married Robert BIGHAM (1805-1893). Robert married Jane GLENN (1812-1889), a cousin of mine through her grandfather who we share.
On to the VALLANDIGHAM connection----
My grandpa fought in the Washington Co Militia under the command of George VALLANDIGHAM. This is documented through the PA Archives. Other stories have surfaced over the years where my grandpa was also part of the group of men that hunted Indians that raided the area and massacred the settlers. The VALLANDIGHAM family were friends of my family as Clement, son of George VALLANDIGHAM and Elizabeth NOBLE, and Rebecca LAIRD (Clement's wife) raised my cousin after the untimely death of Rebecca's sister.
Rebecca's sister, Eleanor LAIRD, died shortly after the birth of her only child, Margaret Eleanor Laird Vallandigham HENRY. Margaret was the daughter of Samuel Smith HENRY who later becomes an Ohio State Representative. An old letter details how Samuel would visit his child and provided for her and her future education. Ahh, but that is another story for another day.
Now you can understand why the story of Isabella's kidnapping caught my attention. Perhaps her story will give you pause to reflect on the blood shed in the making of our great country.
Ahh, genealogy. Life flows on and on through our blood of the past.
Sources:
Cushing, Thomas. History of Allegheny Co, Chicago: A Warner Company, 1889
Larimer, Rev Bob. A 200th Anniversary of Noblestown
Allegheny County Will Book 3
Probate Index, Holmes Co, OH
©2012 AS Eldredge
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Wordless Wednesday: On Living and Dying in Old Pittsburgh Area
Two years and folks are still dying to get in the index!
My favorite brainchild genealogy project recently celebrated its 2nd anniversary as the volunteers from our Allegheny County Rootsweb mail list are still feverishly working to index the deaths, marriages and divorces from old Pittsburgh area newspapers. I've wondered just how many bottles of Visine we have purchased since then?
The wonderful volunteers deserve a huge pat on the back as over 85,000 death entries and over 24,000 marriages have been indexed and placed online for all to dig through.
During the last two years, our adventures have expanded to include a World War I military personnel index which has over 73,000 entries. Also added was a great 1893 article on the boys of Co. E from the "Recent Unpleasantness" that some of my readers might call the Civil War.
In addition, we've added a number of articles on World War I which provide an everyday look in to the lives of wartime Pittsburgh men and women as they served overseas during the 1918-1919 timeframe.
And just to really make you fall on your knees and pray for those children who were sent to the House of Refuge which later became Morganza, we've been searching for articles on the institution and for as many names as we can locate and placing it online. Some of the tales are just so heart wrenching.
Check out all we've done here: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~paallent/index.html
You can also find the indexes here: http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/allegheny/death-index.htm
Note while the date of last update reflected on the main index page is November 2011, the individual updates were last completed in mid February 2012.
Ahh, genealogy. What great volunteers there are to make old news "new" for us and to render genealogy buffs "wordless" in appreciation.
©2012 AS Eldredge
My favorite brainchild genealogy project recently celebrated its 2nd anniversary as the volunteers from our Allegheny County Rootsweb mail list are still feverishly working to index the deaths, marriages and divorces from old Pittsburgh area newspapers. I've wondered just how many bottles of Visine we have purchased since then?
The wonderful volunteers deserve a huge pat on the back as over 85,000 death entries and over 24,000 marriages have been indexed and placed online for all to dig through.
During the last two years, our adventures have expanded to include a World War I military personnel index which has over 73,000 entries. Also added was a great 1893 article on the boys of Co. E from the "Recent Unpleasantness" that some of my readers might call the Civil War.
In addition, we've added a number of articles on World War I which provide an everyday look in to the lives of wartime Pittsburgh men and women as they served overseas during the 1918-1919 timeframe.
And just to really make you fall on your knees and pray for those children who were sent to the House of Refuge which later became Morganza, we've been searching for articles on the institution and for as many names as we can locate and placing it online. Some of the tales are just so heart wrenching.
Check out all we've done here: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~paallent/index.html
You can also find the indexes here: http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/allegheny/death-index.htm
Note while the date of last update reflected on the main index page is November 2011, the individual updates were last completed in mid February 2012.
Ahh, genealogy. What great volunteers there are to make old news "new" for us and to render genealogy buffs "wordless" in appreciation.
©2012 AS Eldredge
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
How is There a Heckler in the Group?
Last spring, I finally found the death date and final resting spot of William Wiley HUNNEWELL, the brother of my 2g grandmother. With excitement growing by leaps and bounds, I asked a really cool friend of mine who lives in Pittsburgh to go and find the grave. My sweet tea buddy, JR, sent the picture to me, and now, I am left with more questions.
There's a HECKLER among us. What?
Let's jump back to what I do know through many slow hours of documentation, and with the assistance of another HUNNEWELL blood cousin of mine, Larry.
William Wiley HUNNEWELL was born Sept 19, 1848, in Pittsburgh. He was a son of Benjamin F HUNNEWELL (abt 1806-1849) and Sallie Ellen (Helen?) BYLES. Benjamin died when a cholera outbreak happened in the area, and the lovely widow was left to raise her seven children. We find her having farmed out the older children in the 1850 census, leaving just her and only two of the younger children with her. They were Mary Jane and William Wiley.
William joined the Union forces and served in the Co. E, 102nd PA Infantry. He was wounded in March 1865 when Lee attacked Fort Steadman.
After the war, he goes to Wisconsin for a bit. He marries Alice G in 1884 and has one son, William B HUNNEWELL. William B is living in Philadelphia in the 1920 census with a wife and two daughters.
As noted in a previous entry, William Wiley was a member of the GAR Post #3 in Pittsburgh. Read more about it here .
William Wiley marries Emma (1873-1931). He then dies in October 1931 and is buried at Homewood Cemetery in Allegheny Co.
From the Pitt Post Gazette Oct 5, 1931
HUNNEWELL- At West Penn Hospital, on Saturday, October 3, 1931, at 11 am, William W, husband of the late Emma Hunnewell of 301 York Way. He was a member of the Post No. 3 GAR. Remains at the home of the Ferguson Wood Co., Forbes St at McKee Place, Oakland. Services will be held on Tuesday, October 6, at 2:30 pm. Post No. 3, GAR and all other members of GAR and friends invited.
The obituary tells us that his wife, Emma, departed earlier, while the gravestone tells us the year. What is odd is the other name on the stone-- H H HECKLER. Who the heck is that?
My best guess is that Harry H HECKLER is the brother of Emma.
There was a Emma HECKLER born about 1872 that had a younger brother, Harry living in Skluylkill Co, PA in the 1880 census. However, there is still a Harry HECKLER living in Pottsville in the 1930 Federal Census with a wife, Cora MILLER, so that pretty much eliminates this line of thought.
What is odd about it is that the Harry H HECKLER found living in Allegheny Co, PA, in the 1910 Federal Census is married to a Laura M. So where is she?
I have yet to determine exactly who the H H HECKLER is on the tombstone. Obviously, it was important enough for the name to be on the stone. As there is no death date, I don't know if the body is there as well. I am curious as to who this HECKLER is among us.........
Ahhh, genealogy. Just thinking of the puzzles and the Hecklers makes me smile.
Sources:
1850 Federal Census, Pittsburgh 9th Ward, Allegheny, PA pg 549
1850 Mortality Index
http://cwdpa102ndregimentvolinf.com/histpa102ndneibaum1.htm
1920 Federal Census, Allegheny, PA
1880 Federal Census, Pottsville, Schuylkill, PA, pg 387
1910 Federal Census, Pittsburgh Ward 13, Allegheny, PA
Veterans Burial Card from Ancestry.com
Grave photo courtesy of JR Jamieson, May 2011
Update: I was asked if I had thought about the possibility of Mr Heckler being the first husband of Emma. The thought crossed my mind, but I think there would have been a death date on the stone if that was the case. I also had found evidence of Mr Heckler's wife being named Louise. Good idea, though. Keep 'em coming.
©2011 A S Eldredge
There's a HECKLER among us. What?
Let's jump back to what I do know through many slow hours of documentation, and with the assistance of another HUNNEWELL blood cousin of mine, Larry.
William Wiley HUNNEWELL was born Sept 19, 1848, in Pittsburgh. He was a son of Benjamin F HUNNEWELL (abt 1806-1849) and Sallie Ellen (Helen?) BYLES. Benjamin died when a cholera outbreak happened in the area, and the lovely widow was left to raise her seven children. We find her having farmed out the older children in the 1850 census, leaving just her and only two of the younger children with her. They were Mary Jane and William Wiley.
William joined the Union forces and served in the Co. E, 102nd PA Infantry. He was wounded in March 1865 when Lee attacked Fort Steadman.
After the war, he goes to Wisconsin for a bit. He marries Alice G in 1884 and has one son, William B HUNNEWELL. William B is living in Philadelphia in the 1920 census with a wife and two daughters.
As noted in a previous entry, William Wiley was a member of the GAR Post #3 in Pittsburgh. Read more about it here .
William Wiley marries Emma (1873-1931). He then dies in October 1931 and is buried at Homewood Cemetery in Allegheny Co.
HUNNEWELL- At West Penn Hospital, on Saturday, October 3, 1931, at 11 am, William W, husband of the late Emma Hunnewell of 301 York Way. He was a member of the Post No. 3 GAR. Remains at the home of the Ferguson Wood Co., Forbes St at McKee Place, Oakland. Services will be held on Tuesday, October 6, at 2:30 pm. Post No. 3, GAR and all other members of GAR and friends invited.
The obituary tells us that his wife, Emma, departed earlier, while the gravestone tells us the year. What is odd is the other name on the stone-- H H HECKLER. Who the heck is that?
My best guess is that Harry H HECKLER is the brother of Emma.
There was a Emma HECKLER born about 1872 that had a younger brother, Harry living in Skluylkill Co, PA in the 1880 census. However, there is still a Harry HECKLER living in Pottsville in the 1930 Federal Census with a wife, Cora MILLER, so that pretty much eliminates this line of thought.
What is odd about it is that the Harry H HECKLER found living in Allegheny Co, PA, in the 1910 Federal Census is married to a Laura M. So where is she?
I have yet to determine exactly who the H H HECKLER is on the tombstone. Obviously, it was important enough for the name to be on the stone. As there is no death date, I don't know if the body is there as well. I am curious as to who this HECKLER is among us.........
Ahhh, genealogy. Just thinking of the puzzles and the Hecklers makes me smile.
Sources:
1850 Federal Census, Pittsburgh 9th Ward, Allegheny, PA pg 549
1850 Mortality Index
http://cwdpa102ndregimentvolinf.com/histpa102ndneibaum1.htm
1920 Federal Census, Allegheny, PA
1880 Federal Census, Pottsville, Schuylkill, PA, pg 387
1910 Federal Census, Pittsburgh Ward 13, Allegheny, PA
Veterans Burial Card from Ancestry.com
Grave photo courtesy of JR Jamieson, May 2011
Update: I was asked if I had thought about the possibility of Mr Heckler being the first husband of Emma. The thought crossed my mind, but I think there would have been a death date on the stone if that was the case. I also had found evidence of Mr Heckler's wife being named Louise. Good idea, though. Keep 'em coming.
©2011 A S Eldredge
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Remembering WWI- Thru the Eyes and Words of 1918 Warriors - Part 2
What men of valor our grandpas were!
The following is the second in the installment of remembering World War I through the words of Charles J Doyle, Special Gazette Times Correspondent in France.
THE GAZETTE TIMES
Nov. 3, 1918
Charles J. Doyle
Special Correspondent of The Gazette Times in France
Pick and Shovel as Well as Bayonet and Gun Help Pennsylvania Boys Win
With the American Expeditionary Forces in France. Nov. 1 – The Western Pennsylvanians of the Twenty-eighth and Eightieth Divisions are winning renown over the entire Allied front by charging the Boche with pick and shovel as well as with bayonet and gun. Skirmish after skirmish and drive after drive they have won literally with these tools as well as with their weapons. The history of their two-fold prowess at Argonne (in the wood and in the four days’ fighting beyond) has already become a classic of the war. Since July they have gone forward 20 times, and the records show that each time they have achieved their own objective.
That is 100 per cent fighting efficiency.
It is the more remarkable because these men were thrust “green” into the very heart of the most violent fighting Yankee soldiers have done in this war.
I saw 500 fellows from Pittsburgh and Allegheny county make one of those famous self-supporting drives at (name deleted by censor) near the Meuse today.
Three hundred of them carried shovels strapped to their backs. The Boche met them with a murderous machine gun fire and then, as they dashed on in spite of it, he split his front, so that half his force ran to the right and half to the left as the Pennsylvanians approached. Straight on to the knoll where his machine guns had been ran the Americans, firing right and left; then as they reached it the riflemen formed a great square about the knoll, and while they poured a merciless hail of bullets and their own machine fire into the Huns at either side, the others unlimbered that battery of picks and shovels and in one-half hour’s time the entire American raiding force had dug itself into the newly won position and was waiting for orders for another forward drive.
A French colonel, standing beside us as we watched, said simply: “That is the way to win war, M’sieu. Valor, the gun and the shovel – the three together – they are invincible.”
Incidentally the military experts have by no means left the Pennsylvanians’ achievements out of their review of the work of the First American Army. Paraphrased that review says: “In a month’s activities the long Argonne siege developed the most violent fighting the Americans have yet seen in France. And in this great drive the Pennsylvania soldiers of the Twenty-eighth and Eightieth won particular renown for their valor and initiative.”
Again in the most recent smash, continues the review, the Eightieth Division machine gunners, composed largely of Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia soldiers, fought magnificently through the dense woods in spite of the most unusually effective Hun defense.
Col. B. M. Gordon, a former Mercer (Pa.) boy with the Three Hundred and Twentieth Regiment, told me that he did not believe it lay in any many to fight with more heroism, intelligence and determination than did the lads of Mercer and Allegheny counties. “They were marvelously effective, especially with the machine guns,” he said. “In the fights where they beat off the counter-attacks of the desperate Germans their work passed beyond all praise.”
The Eighteenth has been especially commended for taking dugouts that were said to be insuperable. Some of them had been held by the Huns four years when the Pennsylvanians routed them out.
CAPTURES AND FEEDS COUSIN
Private Ernest Roeck of St. Clair Borough, a member of the Three Hundred and Nineteenth Regiment, discovered his cousin, Karl Potrafke, among the prisoners captured at the end of the third day’s drive out of Argonne. Private Roeck, who had been one of the first over the top and who had made several prisoners on his own account, was detailed at the end of the day to search and take back to the rear some 50 Heinies who had surrendered. Going through the pockets of one of them he came upon some papers that referred to a town in Germany where he knew he had relatives. Questioning disclosed the cousin’s identity. He belonged to the Thirty-second German Division. His captor gave him the first square meal he said he had had in two months.
It may now be said that the Pennsylvanians in the Eightieth Division first went to the front near the famous Dead Man’s Hill.
Ahh, genealogy. Remembering our veterans is always in style- so take time to sit, reflect, and then pray for our brave warriors.
Special thanks to Lynn B for her gracious permission to have her transcriptions included here.
©2011 AS Eldredge
The following is the second in the installment of remembering World War I through the words of Charles J Doyle, Special Gazette Times Correspondent in France.
THE GAZETTE TIMES
Nov. 3, 1918
Charles J. Doyle
Special Correspondent of The Gazette Times in France
Pick and Shovel as Well as Bayonet and Gun Help Pennsylvania Boys Win
With the American Expeditionary Forces in France. Nov. 1 – The Western Pennsylvanians of the Twenty-eighth and Eightieth Divisions are winning renown over the entire Allied front by charging the Boche with pick and shovel as well as with bayonet and gun. Skirmish after skirmish and drive after drive they have won literally with these tools as well as with their weapons. The history of their two-fold prowess at Argonne (in the wood and in the four days’ fighting beyond) has already become a classic of the war. Since July they have gone forward 20 times, and the records show that each time they have achieved their own objective.
That is 100 per cent fighting efficiency.
It is the more remarkable because these men were thrust “green” into the very heart of the most violent fighting Yankee soldiers have done in this war.
I saw 500 fellows from Pittsburgh and Allegheny county make one of those famous self-supporting drives at (name deleted by censor) near the Meuse today.
Three hundred of them carried shovels strapped to their backs. The Boche met them with a murderous machine gun fire and then, as they dashed on in spite of it, he split his front, so that half his force ran to the right and half to the left as the Pennsylvanians approached. Straight on to the knoll where his machine guns had been ran the Americans, firing right and left; then as they reached it the riflemen formed a great square about the knoll, and while they poured a merciless hail of bullets and their own machine fire into the Huns at either side, the others unlimbered that battery of picks and shovels and in one-half hour’s time the entire American raiding force had dug itself into the newly won position and was waiting for orders for another forward drive.
A French colonel, standing beside us as we watched, said simply: “That is the way to win war, M’sieu. Valor, the gun and the shovel – the three together – they are invincible.”
Incidentally the military experts have by no means left the Pennsylvanians’ achievements out of their review of the work of the First American Army. Paraphrased that review says: “In a month’s activities the long Argonne siege developed the most violent fighting the Americans have yet seen in France. And in this great drive the Pennsylvania soldiers of the Twenty-eighth and Eightieth won particular renown for their valor and initiative.”
Again in the most recent smash, continues the review, the Eightieth Division machine gunners, composed largely of Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia soldiers, fought magnificently through the dense woods in spite of the most unusually effective Hun defense.
Col. B. M. Gordon, a former Mercer (Pa.) boy with the Three Hundred and Twentieth Regiment, told me that he did not believe it lay in any many to fight with more heroism, intelligence and determination than did the lads of Mercer and Allegheny counties. “They were marvelously effective, especially with the machine guns,” he said. “In the fights where they beat off the counter-attacks of the desperate Germans their work passed beyond all praise.”
The Eighteenth has been especially commended for taking dugouts that were said to be insuperable. Some of them had been held by the Huns four years when the Pennsylvanians routed them out.
CAPTURES AND FEEDS COUSIN
Private Ernest Roeck of St. Clair Borough, a member of the Three Hundred and Nineteenth Regiment, discovered his cousin, Karl Potrafke, among the prisoners captured at the end of the third day’s drive out of Argonne. Private Roeck, who had been one of the first over the top and who had made several prisoners on his own account, was detailed at the end of the day to search and take back to the rear some 50 Heinies who had surrendered. Going through the pockets of one of them he came upon some papers that referred to a town in Germany where he knew he had relatives. Questioning disclosed the cousin’s identity. He belonged to the Thirty-second German Division. His captor gave him the first square meal he said he had had in two months.
It may now be said that the Pennsylvanians in the Eightieth Division first went to the front near the famous Dead Man’s Hill.
Ahh, genealogy. Remembering our veterans is always in style- so take time to sit, reflect, and then pray for our brave warriors.
Special thanks to Lynn B for her gracious permission to have her transcriptions included here.
©2011 AS Eldredge
Monday, May 16, 2011
Honoring WWI Pittsburgh Area Veterans
For those of you who follow my genealogy antics, you know I have been the coordinator for a fabulous project in the Pittsburgh area. A super group of volunteers have banded together to search the old newspapers and pull out the death, marriage, divorce and photos found within. These entries have been put into indices which can be checked at no cost online.
Our last death index had over 73000 entries! This has been accomplished in about 15 months and still the labor of love of history keeps on ticking! We update the these lists on a regular basis, so there is always a reason to check the lists every month or so. You just never know when you will be jumping for joy!
On another note, last December, one of the volunteers, Lynn Beatty, approached me with the idea of pulling the World War I veterans names from the newspapers. My first thought was this would be so grand since so many of the World War I veterans information has been lost due to fire.
Since then, Lynn has singlehandedly indexed 85133 entries for the military index. My buddy, Ellis, graciously added the index to our Allegheny County Death Index page. Norm even set up a page for our beloved veterans which will take you to the link for the date the name was seen in the newspaper.
So grab a cup of joe and take some time looking at the stories, the happy reunions, the letters, and shed a tear for those who gave their lives for our wonderful country.
Military Service Index: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/%7Enjm1/11AC-WWI-Military-Service.html
Ahh, genealogy. Listen to your heartbeat when your beloved's name is found.
©2011 AS Eldredge
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