Genealogical Gems

Frances Skrabalek Kurenda is my great grandmother. She was born in Poland on 25 December 1892, immigrated to the United States, married, outlived her husband and one son, remarried and lived until 30 May 1962. During the course of her 70 years, this strong Polish woman most likely danced The Cake Walk as a young girl. During her life, the Brits launched the first sub; the Trans Siberian Railroad expanded into Port Arthur; the Russo-Japanese War claimed many lives as Port Arthur fell to the Japanese and Russia saw a general strike; and Rasputin wormed his way into Czar Nicholas II's court. She was one of the nealry 10.5 million immigrants from southern and eastern Europe during 1905 to 1914. Once here, she would have no doubt read of World War I in the papers recognizing I'm sure many affected towns and villages. She settled into life in Berks County, Pennsylvania where she married John KURENDA in 1908. At some point after their marriage, the couple moved to Coatesville in ...

My brother-in-law, William LeMon, passed away Saturday morning (14 July 2012) loosing his long battle with cancer. Cancer was only one of his many battles this man faced throughout his life. If there was ever a person who epitomized the US Marine Corps - it was Bill. Bill joined the Marines in 1964. He served three tours in Vietnam. Yes, I said three. That is the extinct of what most of the family - sadly, including my girls - know of his service. Bill - like most true Marines I am sure - was not one to brag of his accomplishments. Rarely did he relish us with stories - unless prompted or in "the" mood. So, many family and friends have no clue how much of his life this man - and his comrades - gave in service to the US and to each of us. His Marine career began in 1964 at Parris Island in South Carolina. Pvt. LeMon continued his training at the Advanced Infantry Training at Camp Geiger in North Carolina. The following year he was promoted to PFC and served as a Driver ...

The National Genealogical Society recently announced it has formed a partnership with Fold3, a military history website. NGS and Fold3 are announcing this partnership in celebration of the 4 th of July this week. Fold3 features over 94 million historical records from US institutions including the National Archives. Military records, naturalization records, and city directories are just a few of the different collections found on Fold3. Joining Fold3 and locating an ancestor’s military or naturalization record is a fitting way to honor their legacy this 4 th of July. NGS has worked with Fold3 to give its society membership an extremely attractive member benefit. Fold3 is offering NGS members its lowest price when they purchase a Fold3 Annual Membership of $39.95, which is a 50% savings off the regular price. In additional to the NGS member savings, Fold3 will donate 30% of the sale back to NGS to further its educational work. To take advantage of this m...

Happy Father's Day, Daddy! My dad is Joseph P. Ruczhak Jr. He was born and raised in Coatesville, worked in the Mill (Lukens Steel mill that is) like every male graduating then. He put in 40+ years at the mill. The only time away from the mill was when he served our country in Vietnam. He was drafted and served his time, eluding Death on more than one occassion. His dad - my Gigi - was Joseph Ruczhak. Born in 1918, my Gigi worked various jobs, even ran his own steak shop a while, before he too worked at the mill. He loved to play golf and in fact was on Luken's golf team (see photo on the right). He was very active in the parish - Holy Ghost Ukrainian Orthodox Church and today is buried in our cemetery alongside my Baba - Anna Kurenda Ruczhak. Gigi's father was Panko Hruszczak (1893-1968). He came over from "the Old Country" to find work assumably. He was born in Prusy, Sambor, Galicia. He met my great grandmother - Bessie Matyz - here and they were married...

I am one of those people who actually enjoy visiting cemeteries. I like doing tombstone rubbings and hunting down that elusive ancestor. With the virtual advancements of recent years, research has become easier but not always as exciting. Today I had an exciting moment! I found my husband's great great grandfather's first marriage information. Leopold Cousault married Mary Canon on 3 July 1832 at Trinity Episcopal Church in Southwark, Philadelphia(1). The church was located below 3rd Street at Catherine Street. The church no longer exists sadly, according to Edwin Rivera's article on the church. The  Episcopal Diocese closed because of declining membership in 1908, according to Rivera. Eventually the building deteriorated and the City of Philadelphia finally condemened the property in 1914. The property is now known as the Friends of Mario Lanza Park. The graves were removed to the Mount Moriah Cemetery , which also has closed. The cemetery was incorporated in 18...

The Chester County Historial Society (CCHS) will be presenting " The Struggle For Freedom, Documented" on Tuesday, 19 June at Barnaby's in West Chester. According to CCHS:  Laurie Rofini, Director of Chester County Archives and Records Services and CCHS staff member, and Rob Lukens, Ph.D., CCHS President, will offer an exploration of two Chester County stories - the 1852 Pennsylvania Woman's Rights Convention and the 1821 murder trials of John Reed, a former slave. Using rare archival documents as a guide, Rofini and Lukens uncover stories that center on the core principle of freedom in American history. This brief 25-30 minute presentation will be followed by discussion, Q & A, and good conversation. And of course, there will be lots of great beer and good food. History on Tap brings history to you in the casual atmosphere of your favorite local bar or restaurant. The program is free for the community to enjoy!