Genealogical Gems

Poor Patrick Welsh. In 1918 Chester County was hit hard by pneumonia and influenza. Patrick's young family saw more death than any family should. He buried his wife and two young children. Poor little Catherine was the first to succumb. She was just seven months old. It appears she died at home (235 Hall Street). Her listed Cause of Death is whooping cough. She died 31 August 1918 and was buried two days later at St. Mary's in Phoenixville. St. Mary's of the Assumption is a Roman Catholic parish under the Philadelphia Archdiocese. Not all the dates match up quite right so I can only surmised that Patrick, who was the informant on all three certificates, was simply and understandably devastated. Catherine's certificate above shows her birthdate as 29 January 1918. That seems plausible ... except her brother William was supposedly born 17 June 1918. That's less than five months. Too long to be twins. Too close to be a second pregnancy. William J. Welsh die...

My great grandparents - Panko & Bessie Hruszczak - had a child in 1916 in Coatesville, Chester County, PA. The child died of pneumonia on 13 October 1918. I have been searching for proof of this child for years. My grandfather (born in January 1917) told me he had an older brother who had died before the next brother (with the same name) was born in 1919. Since he born and died between censuses, he was never listed on them. Both my great grandparents are buried at our church's cemetery (Holy Ghost Ukrainian Cemetery in Valley Township, Chester County, PA) so I tried there. The caretaker said there were no babies from back then. That was before our cemetery was formed he thought. I found my first written proof of the child finally thanks to the US military! Panko registered for the World War I Draft, like many men of age, in 1917. The form asks about family and he listed a wife and one child. This would have been months before my grandfather was born so I finally has proof ...