Genealogical Gems

The first section of the Gutenberg Bible was published today in 1452. That got me thinking of this most unusual family record I have from an old family bible. The Longanecker Family listed their births with some information that I have never seen elsewhere. Elizabeth Longanecker, as is seen above, was born  on 11 March 1826 "in the sign of the orphan(?) between the hours of 1 and 2 o'clock in the morning." What on earth is the sign of the orphan? At first I thought it had to do with the zodiac. If it does though, it is not the traditional zodiac. For example, Susannah Longanecker was born 15 November 1828 "in the sign of the fish". The sign of the fish in the traditional zodiac however I would think it would be Pisces, which is late February/early March. By traditional zodiac dates, Susannah would be right on the cusp of a Libra or a Scorpio, with the 15th being the last day of the Libra. Elizabeth however would be a Pisces - the fish! Another entry sh...

Sharon Lee Eckman Seibold, 62, of Ephrata, died unexpectedly of natural causes at her home on Tuesday, April 5, 2011. Born in Federalsburg, Maryland she was the daughter of George Stidham of Newark, Delaware, and the late Dorothy Speorl Stidham. Sharon retired as a nursing assistant at Lancashire Hall, Lancaster; she also worked in private duty nursing in the Lancaster area. She was the owner and operator of Recon 1 and Family Recon auto detailing companies in Manheim and Ephrata areas with her former husband the late Charles D. "Chuck" Eckman Sr. who died in June 2002. Sharon is survived by her loving husband Alfred A. "Al" Seibold and they observed their sixth wedding anniversary in September of 2010. She was of the Christian faith. Her interests included: hunting, motorcycle riding, flower gardening, and caring for and loving animals of all kinds. Sharon will be lovingly missed by four daughters: Dawn D. Carter of Newark, DE, Holly Lee Layton of Fr...

  Son Paul L Labiak 1917-1943   buried at Holy Ghost Ukrainian Cemetery Valley Township, Chester County, PA     Paul served in World War II so I was able to find a little more information on him than I have been able to on some of the other Labiaks buried here. Paul was born 27 February 1917 and died at the age of only 26 on 5 May 1943.    He served January 1938 until his death on 5 May 1943, according to his Pennsylvania Burial Card.     The 1940 Census shows him living on base at Dumfries, Prince William, Virginia. He was a Private in the US Marines Corps then.   The 1930 Census (which spells the last name as LABAK) shows that he is the son of Alek and Dorothy Labiak. He is one of seven children. The others are: James (20), George (16), Peter (15), Helen (11), Mike (9) and Nellie (7). Ages given are those at the time of the 1930 Census. Paul was 13 then. His parents were both born in Ukraine. A...

Edgar M. Eckman, 88, of 95 E. Main Street, Leola, died Friday, December 3, 2010, at Lancaster Regional Medical Center. Born in Christiana, he was the son of the late Galen and Atilla Eckman. He was the husband of the late Mildred Graham Eckman who died in 2007. He was the owner of the former E.M. Eckman Co., Leola. His company supplied fuel oil and furnace repair. He was a member of the Slumbering Groundhog Lodge and the Fraternal Order of Police. He is survived by daughters, Dolores A. wife of Charles T. Gibson of Mount Joy, Patsy E. wife of Charles G. Luik of Lancaster; five grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and a sister Mildred Neff of Columbia. He was preceded in death by a granddaughter, Vicky Caldwell, a great-grandson Erif Luik and eleven brothers and sisters. The services will be private and held at the convenience of the family. NOTE: The obit was published in the Lancaster Newspapers.

  Son James Labiak 1910 - 1957   buried at Holy Ghost Ukrainian Cemetery Valley Township, Chester County, PA Tombstone Tuesday is a daily blogging prompt prompted by GeneaBloggers in which an image of a gravestone is featured. It may also include a brief description of the image or the ancestor.

Chester M. Eckman, 90, of Coatesville died Monday, October 18, 2010 at his home. Born in Coatesville, he was the son of the late Phares B. and Mary Higley Eckman and the husband of Patricia Woodson Eckman of Coatesville with whom he shared 33 years of marriage, and the husband of the late Jane A. Cockerill Eckman who died in 1974. Chester was a 75-year member of Olivet United Methodist Church, Coatesville where he was a member of the altar guild, a trustee, and a church school teacher. He retired from Lukens Steel in 1982 after over 35 years of service as a crane operator and a foreman in the crane office. After his retirement, he served 11 years as the tipstaff in the court of Judge William Mann. Chester was a 50-year member of the Brandywine-Goddard Masonic Lodge No. 383 Coatesville, a life member of the Washington Hose Co., Scout Master for Troop 38 at Olivet United Methodist Church, and a member of the Order of the Arrow. He served in the US Navy Sea Bee...

Today I learned a new word: Magyar! I was researching my cousin's SOKSO line and came across the "native tounge" of Magyar. Hungarians, also known as Magyars (Hungarian: magyar), are a nation and ethnic group who speak Hungarian and are primarily associated with Hungary. My grandmother's sister was Mary Frances Kurenda. She married Andrew Sokso. Today I connected with one of my Sokso cousins. Andrew's parents were George and Mary Sokso, according to census records. Andrew was one of eight (8) children!   George and Mary immigrated in either 1902 (as per the 1920 census) or 1903 (as per the 1930 census). The later census showed their birthplace as being Austria and they both spoke Hungarian. Ten years earlier though, in 1920, the census reveals them as have been born in Hungary and their native tounge is Magyar.