Genealogical Gems

Most of my ancestors were born, lived and died within a tight geographic circle. There were a few who moved away for work only to move back. Of course my immigrant picked up and moved across the pond! They seem to be the only daring ones though – except my uncle Benjamin VanHorn.   Benjamin was born in Pennsylvania , and lived in Chester County most of his formative years. He fought in the Civil War, on the Union Side. It goes without saying that he traveled during that time. A few years after the war, he married in Philadelphia and moved shortly thereafter to Virginia (where their eldest was born) before settling in California . Benjamin was born around 1843 to George VanHorn and Jane Dudbridge. The first census he is named therefore on is the 1850 US Census.     1850 US Census Benjamin was just seven in 1850. Listed as Franklin , I found him in the 1850 US Census living with his parents. He has three siblings at this time: Pierson (my 3x great g...

Dennis O’Flaherty is my 2 nd great grandfather. He was born about 1839 in Ireland and died in Phoenixville, Chester County before 1902. He married Martha Durkin in 1867 or before, and they had eight children.   That just summed up my knowledge of Dennis O’Flaherty. Today I am using the Census Records to pinpoint some more information about him.   1870 US Census Dennis, 31, works at a rolling mill in 1870. Hattie (Martha) keeps house. She is 30. At that time, they had two children: Mary, 2; and Hugh, 1. Living with them was 24 year old Ireland born laborer Patrick Hannegan. Dennis states he could not write. Martha could not read or write.   1880 US Census Dennis and Martha O’Flaherty are living on King (sp?) Street in Phoenixville, Chester County . The Census was taken on 7 June 1880. At that time, Dennis, 45, worked in the Iron Works. Martha was 41 and kept house. Both were born in Ireland . Their children are listed as Mary, 12; Hugh, 11; Mic...

J. Jones Still has shown up near – but never in – my Still family over the years. Yesterday he was mentioned in my On This Day post about a burglar/murderer who had broken into his Malvern home in 1881. That made me think about him again.   He appears in Willistown, Chester County , in the 1880 US Census. Malvern, at that time, would have been a village within Willistown Township . He was a 48 year old carpenter. His wife, Sarah, was 44. They had two daughters: 10 year old Bessie, and seven year old Bertha J. The ages on the census were scribbled over and hard to read so these may not be accurate. The street the family lived on is not mentioned but the census does show him living next to a Charles Still and his family.   Ten years prior, in the 1870 US Census, J. Jones (28) was a wheelwright. His wife Sarah was 34 and kept house. Their daughter Bertha is two months old. The Census was taken in July that year. They lived with a 60 year old Henry Still, a wheelwr...

Apolina Morrill is my husband’s great grandmother. I only recently discovered her maiden name. I found it on a death certificate of one of her other children. One of my goals this year then is to find and confirm her parents.   Apolina was the wife of Charles Coursault and they lived in Philadelphia . They had eight children, including hubby’s grandmother, Julia. I was not able to find Apolina’s maiden name thru Charles or Julia so I proceeded to check out Julia’s siblings. Julia (1885-1945) was the oldest. Her siblings were: Catherine (1886-1960), Leopold (b. 1890), Francis Prosper (1892-1946), Marie (b. 1894), Anna (b. 1899), and Helen (1901-1930). I have not found the eighth child yet. It was on Francis’ death certificate that I found it. The informant was a Mrs. Bonner and that would be his sister Catherine. Catherine would have been the oldest of the surviving siblings since Julia had passed the year prior.    1920 Census Apolina was living on Frankfo...

Louis Sharp is one of my husband’s mystery women. She has a shroud of mystery and rumor that surrounds her. Family stories about her enthrall many and yet … who is she? In searching for Louise, I thought I would combine Census Sunday today with a timeline for her. I find timelines are often very helpful. The 1850 Census She first shows up in the 1850 Census, at age 12. She and 32 year old Sarah Sharp live in the Western Half 15 th Ward of New York State.   No occupation is listed for Sarah. Both ladies list New York State as their birthplace. The 1850 Census does not reveal much more, except that a 40 year old Richard Goddard, a merchant, and presumably his four year old son Thomas Goddard reside with them. Marital status is not asked on this census so it is unclear is Sarah Sharp is married, widowed or a single unmarried mother. Relationships are also not identified on this census so again Louise is presumed to be Sarah’s daughter and the Goddards are presumed to be boar...

George Van Horn is my 4x great grandfather. He was born 3 January 1815 in Pennsylvania. He and his wife, Jane Dudbridge, had seven children. The children are: Chrispin Pierson (my 3x great grandfather), Asher (who lived only one year), Benjamin Franklin (a Civil War veteran), Martha Elizabeth, Joanna D., George W. (who lived only one year), and William G. The 1850 Census shows George and his wife Jane living in the 5th Ward of Kensington in the City of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. The Census was taken that year on 28 July. George lists his occupation as a lawyer and his age as 34. Jane is three years older, at 37. Their children are: Pierson, 10; Franklin, 7; Martha, 5; and Joanna, 2. Samuel Tyler, age 30, was also living with the family. He was a team driver. He was born in New Jersey. The Van Horns were all born in Pennsylvania. Ten years later, George has hung up his shingle as a lawyer in a major city and now shows up as a farmer in Valley Township, Chester County. His age...

Nora Kilpatrick Beattie is one of my great grandmother's (Mary Kilpatrick Still) sister. There were five sisters and two brothers who all came over, though not all at the same time. I have not yet been able to pinpoint and document their exact place of birth. Instead, I know only they were from Ireland and they were Protestant. They all settled originally in around the Philadelphia/Main Line area. Nora first shows up in America in the 1910 Census. She is listed, at that time, a servant to Harry and Alice Riley, a young couple with two children. Harry Riley is a poultry farmer and they live on Valley Road in Tredyffrin, Chester County. Nora's age is recorded as 29. She is listed as the family nurse. The Riley family employs two other servants - waitress Catherine Ayer and Nora Jane, a cook - also from Ireland and a gardener from Italy named Carlo Angelonia. The 1910 Census asks about immigration. Nora, according to the census, immigrated in 1902. Ten years later, Nora is...

The census records are great resources. Each census adds a little different information which can eventually compile a nice picture of someone. However, the census records do not always show the whole picture. Today, I would like to illustrate that point using my great grandfather, Panko Hruszczak, as an example. My grandfather, Joseph Ruczhak, had always told me he was the oldest son and the family always lived in Coatesville once his dad immigrated here from the Ukraine. Wow. Well, Panko is his father. Panko first shows up in the 1920 census . The enumerator recorded his name as Panka Hruegak. By 1920, he was married to Bessie and they had two sons: Joseph, age 2, and Theodore, four months. Both he and Bessie, ages 27 and 23 respectively, are still aliens. He immigrated in 1910, according to the census, while she arrived in 1913. They both state they were born in Austria and their native tongue is Austrian. Both can read and write. He was a machinist in a pipe mill. ...

Dennis O'Flaherty was born in Ireland around 1839. He immigrated to America however nothing is known of his parents or birthplace. Once here he settled in Phoenixville and, at some point before 1868, married Martha Durkin, said to be from County Mayo in Ireland. Tracing them through the Census Records offers a little insight into the family. Dennis and Martha had eight children. In March 1868 Martha gave birth to twins: James and Mary. A son Hugh was born in 1869. The 1870 Census The 1870 Census shows only Mary and Hugh with their parents. Hence, James passed before 16 July 1880 (the day the census was taken). Martha's name is listed as Hattie, which would simply be a nickname. Dennis worked in the Rolling Mill. A laborer named Patrick Hannigan lived with them as well. The census confirmed that both Dennis and Martha were born in Ireland. It also revealed that neither of them could write and that Martha could not read! The 1880 Census Dennis is working at the Iron W...

One way to track a person or family through their years is through the US Census records. In this particular example, Chrispin Pierson Van Horn will be tracked.    First begin with what you know. For example, Chrispin was born 21 September 1839 and passed on 09 February 1902. He is buried at the Old Doe Run Presbyterian Cemetery in East Fallowfield Township with his wife Maria Rice.   1850 (at right) Chrispin lived with his parents, George and Jane Van Horn, as well as his seven year old brother Franklin, five year old Martha E., and two year old Joanna. A 30 year old team driver named Samuel Tyler also lived with the family. They lived in Kensington in Philadelphia . George was a lawyer. The family was all born in Pennsylvania . 1860 George and Jane Van Horn, Chrispin and his two sisters and two brothers now show up in Valley Township , Chester County . He was 20 years old then. Chrispin, his 45 year old father and 17 year old brother Benjam...

Julia Coursault is my husband's maternal grandmother. She lived 1885 to 1945. Her parents were Charles and Apolina (several spellings found) Coursault. In 1900, the 14 year old Julia is shown living in Philadelphia on Green Street with her parents and six of her seven siblings. The Census reveals her birth as June 1885. She is the oldest of the children still at home. The others are: Kate, 12; Leon, 10; Prosper, 8; Marie, 5; and Anna, 1. Her father Charles, then 40, is a fruit huckster. His father was born in Pennsylvania and his mother was born in Ireland. Her mother immigrated in 1880 from England. Apolina, then age 37, also reports that all seven of her children are still living. The two have been married now 17 years. Julia was the only of the six children still at home to be working already and she worked as a packer at a bulk factory. I also tracked Julia on later census records. In 1910 she was still at home with her mom and siblings. Her father, Charles, was murdered...

The 1870 Census for Strasburg Township, Lancaster County, shows four Eckman families. The four family heads are: Daniel Eckman, Eliza Eckman, John Eckman and Benjamin Eckman.     Daniel, age 39, was a carpenter. He was married to 35 year old Mary. They had three children at home then: Letitia, Simon and Serenus R. (sp?).   Eliza, presumably widowed at 65, lived with a daughter Martha, 39. A farm hand by name of Daniel Cramer.   John Eckman, 39, is my husband's great great grandfather (John, Charles, John, Frank, my Glenn). He was a painter. With him lived his 29 year old wife Kate and their children: Clara, Charles H., Dora H. Stella, Martha, and John.   Benjamin, 55, and his wife Eliza, 40, are the fourth Eckman family on this particular page of the census. He was a farmer.

I recently came across the 1850 Census record for John and Sarah Deyo, of Middletown, Delaware County, New York. At that time, John was 57 and Sarah 54. This makes John's birth year 1793 and Sarah's 1796. In 1850, they had four children at home: Hannah (18), Polly (15), Daniel (12), and Christopher (10). John was a farmer. His real estate was valued at $3600 at that time. Everyone was born in New York State. Several of their neighbors were born in Ireland. Others were born in New York. Their neighbors included the Robison family, the McMullen family, the Craft family, the Raedmond family, the Sweet family, the Norton family, and the Murray family. According to the Middletown Historical Society, the town of Middletown is comprised of "eight villages and hamlets: Margaretville, Fleischmanns, Arkville, Dunraven, Halcottsville, Kelly Corners, New Kingston and Redkill/Bedell, as well as a community that is no more – Arena, lost more than half a century ago to the Pepac...

Census Sunday is a GeneaBloggers weekly prompt focusing on census records. I chose to focus on Anna Keating (my great great grandmother) since this is National Irish American History Month and the Keatings are from Ireland! The 1910 Census reveals that 56 year old Anna Welsh is living with 17 year old Michael Welsh on Lloyd Street in Shenandoah in Schuylkill County, PA. She is widowed at this time. The census reveals that she and her parents were born in Ireland. Anna had 11 children; six of them are living still in 1910. She is not employed. Michael is a laborer in the colliery industry. Colliery is the coal mine industry. I came across an Annie Walsh in the 1900 census (at right) in Shenandoah , Schuylkill County . She is listed as a widow and has four sons living at home. The information is close to my Anna but not exact and since Walsh was such a popular name, I will save it as a possible match. This Annie Walsh is 49, born in February 1851. My Anna was born in 1855. This Ann...