Genealogical Gems

  My great grandmother Bessie Matys Hruszczak holding me. 1969   Wordless Wednesday is a genealogical prompt of GeneaBloggers.   © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015

  Washington's Headquarters, Valley Forge       Wordless Wednesday is a genealogical prompt of GeneaBloggers.              © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015

  This vintage postcard features “A Southern Baptism.”   It depicts a woman being baptized in a river by her minister. The front of the card reads: “10552 A Southern Baptist.” Detroit Publishing Co made the card as part of its Black Americana line in the late 1800s/early 1900s. The card is postmarked 1918 from Wilmington , NC and is addressed to a Mrs. Alfred Capron, Copley in Ohio .   Wordless Wednesday is a genealogical prompt of GeneaBloggers.   © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015.

Certificate card No 61, Alexander voluntary firemen society, Riga . This membership card was issued 1923 to active members. The membership fee was 50 rubles.   Riga is the capital of Latvia and currently the largest city. It was founded in 1201. As like many European countries it has been affiliated with many governments over the years. In 1923, when this card was issued, Latvia enjoyed its own Republic of Latvia (1918 – 1940).      Notes: 1 st - A contact of Facebook (Slavs Group) helped translate this document which is written in old Latvian. 2 nd – I apologize for mixing up my days. The girls are on exam week so my schedule is off! Yesterday (Wednesday) I posted Those Places Thursday and so today I am posting this Wordless Wednesday post. I apologize for any confusion.       Wordless Wednesday is a genealogical prompt of GeneaBloggers. © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman

  Being Ukrainian Orthodox, we follow the Old Calendar and today is the Nativity of our Lord. Christ is Born! Glorify Him! The Star stands over the place of Jesus’ birth. It symbolizes the heavens and the Trinity. This is the Star which shone so brightly in the sky, brighter than any other, so bright that it led the Wise Men to the child King.   To the left of the Star are angles. These are the angels who proclaimed the Both of Christ to the shepherds. Continuing counter-clockwise, we see the Wise Men. These Wise Men listened to the angels and sought out the child Jesus. They brought Him gifts of frankincense, myhrr and gold.    Joseph was a widower and is seen in the Icon as an older man. He struggles, as many men would, about the Nature of his Betrothed’s child. He loves Mary but they have not yet had marital relations so he knows the child cannot biologically be his. His soul struggles and questions. Satan – disguised here as an old man – instigates ...

  Certificate of Citizenship for Panko Hruszczak my great grandfather   Wordless Wednesday is a genealogical prompt of GeneaBloggers.  

November is National Aviation Month so, as such when I stumbled upon this postcard from Lock Haven, I simply had to share it! The card reads: H.L. Tucker, in charge of first Aerial P.O., and Aviator Paul Peck, first aerial aviator ever sworn in to carry US mail, carried the first mail from Lexington, KY, to Winchester, KY, a distance of twenty miles , June 3d to June 8th, 1912. Peck was since killed in a national meet in Chicago Sept 11th, 1912. Souvenir card Lock Haven Aviation meet and races, October 10th, 11th, and 12th, 1912. Wordless Wednesday is a GeneaBloggers prompt which features a picture or image.

  The Pequea Baptist Church was built in 1844. It is located along Old Philadelphia Pike (Route 340) in Salisbury Township, Lancaster County. The Church was formed from the Hephzibah Baptist Church, located in East Fallowfield Township, Chester County.     Wordless Wednesday is a daily GeneaBloggers prompt which centers around a photo or image.   

I love this picture of my cousin Loretta. It was taken at a family reunion back in 1981 (we really need another one!). The child she is holding is her first grandchild, Nick. Wordless Wednesday is a daily genealogy prompt from GeneaBloggers that encourages a post with the main focus being a photograph or image.

I came across this photo as I am sorting through and organizing folders upon folders! From left to right, Aunt Margaret, my grandmother Mary, and Aunt Peg. Aunt Margaret was married to my grandmother's brother Raymond. Aunt Peg is my grandmother's first cousin. Her mother (also Margaret) and my great grandfather Martin Welsh were siblings.  The photo was taken at my grandmother's house in Kennett Square but I do not recall the occasion. Aunt Margaret and Uncle Reds (Raymond) were married in 1975 so obviously it was after that. I am not sure it was a special occasion.   Wordless Wednesday is a daily blogging prompt prompted by GeneaBloggers in which the main focus of the prompt is a photo. Information may also be included as to identification.

  Photos: Historic Preservation Trust  

  My Baba's parents: Frances Skrabalek & John Kurenda

I often seek out family names on eBay and a recent search brought me to this postcard. According to the listing , the house is the "stone house on Main Street, across from Ramsey High School." I saved the photo - including the seller's mark you can see across the card - to remind me to add this to my "to do" list. My husband's mother was a Deyoe. Her father was Morgan G Deyoe from New York. However, after his father passed, I did find one census with him, his mother, and two brothers I had not previously known about, living in Bergen County, NJ. Ramsey is in Bergen County so, as you can imagine, the coincidence is just too great for me not to follow up on it! Once I have more info on that possible connection, I will include the finds here!

  Many immigrants came over and worked hard labor in coal mines. These men entered the depth of the earth, deep away from any glimmer of sunlight, every day. Many of these men performed this work for years. On 5 June 1919, many of those men, who sought only for a better life for their Wilkes Barre area families, many did not return home that day. Ninety-two men were killed and many more injured that day in an explosion in the Baltimore tunnel of the Delaware and Hudson Coal Company. That incident has become known as the Baltimore Mine Tunnel Disaster. The men were riding a trip of mine cars down to the mine to begin work. The last car contained 12 kegs of blasting powder that they would need for their work. The cars were modern for that time and traveled on a trolley track of sorts. The trolley wire snapped and the sparks set off the kegs of blasting powder, according to a 12 June 1919 article in The Weekly Courier. Resources: "Baltimore Tunnel 2 Mine Disaste...

  Deyoe Bevier House I bought this (reprint) photograph a while back on eBay  

Helen Still & Alice Still

  SS Volturno this is the ship my great grandfather Panko Hruszczak came over on in 1911 at just 18 years of age, he arrived at Ellis Island on 20 April 1911 the port of deaprture was Rotterdam, Holland   The ship burned at sea just two and half years later.   Sources: http://fireontheocean.com/about-ss-volturno/ http://www.searlecanada.org/volturno/volturno28.html  

Uncle Paul, Uncle Nick & Gigi (Joseph) Hruszczak (Ruczhak)

  This photo was published in "Lukens Life" which was the employee newsletter for Lukens Steel Mill. My grandfather loved to play golf and was really quite good. He was on the Lukens golf team for years. In 1965 they were champions!   Pictured above: (standing) Paul Melnick, Fred Eddins, Eli Kish, Cyner Shaver; (kneeling) Albert Gonsorick, Joseph Ruczhak (my Gigi), and John Profeto.