Genealogical Gems

On this Memorial Day we remember those who served and died in that service to out great Nation. Today, as President Barak Obama and many before him announced in his Memorial Day Proclamation, “ we pay solemn tribute to those brave Americans who laid down their lives to defend our freedom. ” In our families – mine and my husband’s – we have many who have served. Between us, we cover all five branches too. Our son-in-law is currently serving. However today is Memorial Day. Today we honor those who made that ultimate sacrifice. Today I honor my great Uncle Paulie (Paul Kurenda) and my husband’s 6 th great uncle, Jacob Eckman. Paulie with my grandmother, Anna Paulie, as his sister (my grandmother) always called him, was the baby of the family. Born 16 July 1922, Paul grew up on a farm in Sadsburyville,   Chester   County . He was the youngest child of John Kurenda and Frances Skrabalak. Like many Coatesville area boys of that era, he went to work in the steel mill af...

DNA testing has become quite popular, especially through Ancestry.com. In this video, Ancestry's Brad Argent explains DNA Testing. (c) Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2016

Normally we (Ukrainian Orthodox) bless the graves of our departed on St Thomas Sunday, which is the Sunday after Pascha (Easter). This year St Thomas Sunday was 8 May, which was also Mother's Day. Between that and all the rain lately, my parish postponed the Blessing of the Graves until this coming Sunday. Our priest, along with several parishioners, will visit the individual graves of our departed family members. We pray at each one. We chant at each one. He blesses each one with holy water. Everyone gets his or her own personal blessing. It is a beautiful day. Look for my reflections on this moving service next week! Tombstone Tuesday is a genealogical prompt of GeneaBloggers. © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2016

On Friday, 20 May, a new addition to the family arrived! My cousin Tim delivered (well, ok his girlfriend actually delivered!) a beautiful 7 lb 9 oz baby boy! His name is Pierson James Still. He is named after Tim's (and my) grandfather (Lloyd Pierson Still) and our grandfather's brother (James Franklin Still). He was born on the 20th - the day our grandmother ( Mary Welsh Still ) passed away many years ago. © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2016

Today is one of "those days". It is my parent's anniversary. They were married in 1967. When I was in sixth grade, I made my Confirmation. I was Roman Catholic at the time. My sponsor was my Aunt Neva (my mom's sister-in-law). When I was in eight grade, my dog died. Troubles had been with the family longer than me. She was a great dog. It is also the day my maternal grandmother passed away today. I remember waking up that morning feeling a heaviness in my chest and feeling very sad. I managed to roll over and go back to sleep but then a few hours later, I heard the phone ring. Daddy came in my room (I was home from college) and asked if I was awake. I remember telling him Mums had passed and about what time she had passed. Mary Rose (Welsh) Still d. 20 May 1989 May Her Memory Be Eternal That day is a bit of a blur but some random things stand out. For instance, my grandparents had a party-line. In all the years they lived there, none of us could ever recall...

Celebrate the USO this Saturday, 21 May at the Lancaster Historical Society. Celebrate the USO at LHO  invites you to relive the magic of USO shows. Those often historic shows brought great entertainers like Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and the Andrews Sisters to our troops around the globe. A cash bar will be provided by Tellus 360. The bar opens at 7 p.m. and accepts cash only. You are also invited to come early and enjoy a picnic on the lawn before the show. Burgers, hot dogs, and ice cream vendors will be onsite. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person. Children 10 and under are free. Tickets are available on the Society’s website and will also be available at door for cash or credit. The Society is located at 230 North President Avenue , Lancaster . Parking is available on site. Today’s piece was taken from a press release from the Lancaster County Historical Society. © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2016

Take a moment, if you would, and look at the spare change in your pocket. I would venture to bet you probably have a nickel in among your coins. Did you know that the history of the nickel is linked with a little rural village in Bart Township , Lancaster County ? That hamlet is Nickel Mines! The hamlet gets its name from the area mines which are abundant for nickel. The idea of today’s five cent piece – the nickel – was suggested by Joseph Wharton who bought the mine back in 1862. Nickel Mines is just a stones throw away from where I grew up in Sadsbury Township and I never knew this fact until last Friday when I was doing some background info on my great aunt’s husband, Chester Wiker, Sr. for the Funeral Card Friday post. The year was 1862. The United States was being torn in two by the Civil War. Coins were then made of silver and gold so many people started holding on to their coins, not for monetary value but rather for the value of the silver and gold. Joseph Wha...

Last month I received an email from a potential Van Horn connection! Many of the names fit but the dates seem off a bit. It took a little searching but our two lines do connect. Hi Jeanne, I found your blog while on Amnesty.com and I’m wondering if you would have any information on my Grandmother’s mother.    Grandma was Margaret E. Van Horn/ Lilley(DOB 1897-1968). She married Roy E. Lilley. They had 4 girls and two boys. One of the girls, Laura Lilley/Kulp/Hilbish was my Mother. My question who was Margaret’s Mother .    She died while my Grandmother was very young and no one in the family knew who her Mother was or how she died.  I have George W. as her father (DOB 1867) and 1900 census shows George W. and Margaret E. living with Robert Newsom (DOB 1840 England-Immigration 1877-Married 1882 to Martha Van Horn/Newsom (Dob- June 23, 1845-June 6, 1915) but can’t figure out what the first husbands name was.(George W. ’s father)  George is list...

Isabella McGuigan Coursault died a newlywed. She married Bernard Coursault in Philadelphia in 1917. The specific date, I do not know yet. On 5 June 1917, Bernard Coursault complied with the World War I Draft registration. At the time he lived at 102 Martin Avenue in Bryn Manor and listed himself as being single. The form only asks if married or single. By the end of September that year, poor Isabella had died of tuberculoses. Her short obituary, which ran in The Evening Public Ledger , reads: COURSAULT – Sept. 22, ISABELLA F., wife of Bernard Coursault and daughter of Daniel and Ellen E. McGuigan, aged 23. Relatives and friends invited to funeral, Wed. 8:30 a.m., 343 Sheldon Lane , Ardmore , Pa. Solemn requiem mass at St. Colman’s Church 10 a.m. Int. St. Denis ’s Cemetery. Auto funeral. Her death certificate offers little additional information in regards to their short marriage. She was born 2 June 1894. Her father was Daniel McGuigan and her mother was Ellen ...

Chester Wiker, Sr. is my great aunt Katie’s (Katie Ruczhak Wiker) late husband. His funeral card was among my late cousin’s papers so I thought I would share it today. His funeral card is one of those that is folded like an actual card. The front is an image of Christ and simply says “In Memoriam.” The back identifies the funeral home, which in his case was the Robert A Harris Funeral Home, in Coatesville. The inside left is the Twenty-Third Psalm. On the right is his information: In Memory of Chester P. Wiker, Sr. Born March 28, 1917 Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania Passed Away October 13, 1994 Coatesville , Pennsylvania Final Resting Place Romansville United Methodist Cemetery Services from Olivet United Methodist Church 3 rd Ave. & Chestnut Street Coatesville , Pennsylvania Saturday, October 15, 1994 at 1 p.m. Officiating The Reverend J. George Mamourian Funeral conducted by The Robert A Harris Funeral Home Coates...

I have to admit I had little to no energy to write today and I was searching randomly through YouTube videos when I stumbled upon this one about spooky cemeteries in Cape Cod! While the narrator is a bit too theatrical in parts, one thing I did learn from the video was about smallpox. When Mary Lombard died of smallpox in 1859, she was not permitted to be buried in town. Because of the smallpox she had to be buried away from others! How many others are buried away from family and friends because of something similar?  Tombstone Tuesday is a genealogical prompt of GeneaBloggers.   © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2016

The War of 1812 is, in my opinion, an often overlooked war. Schools just kind of gloss over it. The Revolutionary War was the war for America ’s independence from England . The Civil War was the brother fought against brother, literally in some cases. But the War of 1812 … what was it even about? Philadelphia Gazette , 29 July 1812 Britain tried to enact trade restrictions on the United States . Britain also tried to limit our young nation’s expansion. On 18 June 1812, our Congress finally declared war against Britain . In August 1914, Britain captured and burned our Washington DC capital. New York , New Orleans and Baltimore were able to stand up to British forces. Our young nation once again found herself fighting for independence. The War of 1812 ended on 17 February 1815 with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent. Ancestry.com recently added a database titled, “Pennsylvania Volunteers in the War of 1812” My Still family was already well established in Chester Cou...

Judson Still lived a long life. He was a well known resident of the Danville area. Obituary of Judson Still His obituary, which ran in The Morning News , reads: A Judson Still, a widely known resident, died at his home, East Market Street , just before the dawn yesterday morning after a painful illness of three weeks. He was afflicted with cancer of the stomach, in addition to which on November 1 st he sustained a stroke of paralysis, which made it necessary for him to take his bed and which was probably the direct cause of death. Mr. Still belongs to an old Pennsylvania family of Swiss origin, the emigrant ancestor having come from Switzerland and settles in what was then the province of Pennsylvania . A Judson Still is one of numerous descendants, who for the most part reside in the southeastern part of the State. The Rev. Amos B Still, the father of the decedent, was a widely known divine of the Baptist church. By a coincidence his death occurred on Sunday...