Genealogical Gems

Are you looking for a specific military record for your ancestor? Maybe you are just searching for ancestors in a specific war, such as the Revolutionary War. Have you checked out the Card Catalog on Ancestry.com yet? I went to the Card Catalog, selected Military and then typed in VanHorn for the surname, realizing that Van Horn may or may not show up in this search so I may well have to do it again using that spelling. Ancestry.com, by default, shows the results by “record.” To simplify things, I selected the results be shown by “category.”   Over 29,000 records There are 29,642 entries for VanHorn included in the Military category.    By setting the results to categories versus records, I can focus on ones that have a better chance of including MY VanHorns. To my knowledge my early (i.e. pre-Civil War) VanHorns resided in Pennsylvania and maybe New Jersey . Hence, I can skip over the four VanHorn results in the “Alabama Civil War Muster Rolls, 1861-1865.” T...

Rarely do I pull my On This Day features from the legal/classified section of the paper, but today is an exception. On This Day in 1881, the Lancaster Daily Intelligencer printed a “Supplement to an Ordinance” which established a Board of Health and Regulations. It also noted the requirements to register all births and marriages and now deaths as well! The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania had passed an act titled “An Act Relating to Registration of Births and Marriages by Boards of Health wherever established by law in the cities of this Commonwealth.”   The ordinance mandated that when anyone died in the City, the physician or coroner must make a “faithful return” which should include the name, age, sex, color, nationality, date of death and the cause of death.   Source Lancaster Daily Intelligencer. ( Lancaster , PA ), 9 November 1881. Chronicling America : Historic American Newspapers . Library of Congress.      ...

Margaret Keating was one of the oldest members of St. Joseph ’s Catholic Church when she passed away in 1912. Although I do not know if she is one of “my” Keatings, I found her obituary interesting.    Her obituary reads: Mrs. Margaret Keating, 78 years old, died in her home in Oil City , Pa. She was born and married in Clare County, Ireland. She lived in Oil City 35 years. Her husband, Edmond Keating, was burned fatally in the fire and flood that swept Oil City June 5, 1892. She was one of the oldest members of St. Joseph ’s Catholic Church of Oil City.   Sources: Pittsburg Daily Record. ( Pittsburg , PA ), 6 Spetember 1912. Chronicling America : Historic American Newspapers . Lib. of Congress.   Sunday’s Obituary is a genealogical prompt of GeneaBloggers.   © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015

H. Potter left his wife and eloped with a young girl, reported the Lancaster Daily Intelligencer On This Day in 1881. Horatio Potter came to Bethlehem –giving his name as Gleason - with a young girl of approximately 16 years of age who he claimed was his wife. The two came from Scranton and were returned there on Saturday, 5 November by Deputy Sheriff Bortree.    The girl is the daughter of a deceased soldier named Schwartz. Potter left a wife and child in Scranton .   Source Lancaster Daily Intelligencer. ( Lancaster , PA ), 8 November 1881. Chronicling America : Historic American Newspapers . Library of Congress.      On This Day is a prompt to further explore historical events.            © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015

Congress chose Richard Bache to succeed Benjamin Franklin as postmaster general On This Day in 1776. Bache was Franklin’s son-in-law. He held the position of Postmaster General from 7 November 1776 until 28 January 1782, when he was succeeded by Ebenezer Hazard.   Bache, an Englishman by birth, had immigrated to New York in 1760. He came to Philadelphia a few years later, where he married Franklin ’s daughter Sarah. He died at the age of 105 on 17 April 1811 in Bucks County , PA.   Source Post office stays in the Franklin family. 7 November 1776. History.com.   Photo: Wikipedia      On This Day is a prompt to further explore historical events.                  © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015

A contract to erect a bridge across the Beaver Creek at Refton was finally awarded On This Day in 1882. The bridge had been out for about four months and people have been driving through the creek. At night this would be a dangerous trip. The contract was awarded to B. F. Herr and S. M. Miller. While Herr and Miller were not the lowest bidders, they did agree to keep the bridge maintained for five years. Refton is located in Southern Lancaster County.   Source Lancaster Daily Intelligencer. ( Lancaster , PA ), 6 November 1882. Chronicling America : Historic American Newspapers . Library of Congress.    On This Day is a prompt to further explore historical events.                  © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015

Margaret Dempsey, a New York centenarian, was found dead in her hut On This Day in 1880. Dempsey was found in her hut by a hunting party. The hut is located in the mountains near Ellenville , Ulster County, NY.    Her story is indeed a sad one. As a girl, she ran away from home to marry Mr. Dempsey, who soon after deserted her. She is believed to have died, at the age of 111, from hunger.   Source Lancaster Daily Intelligencer. ( Lancaster , PA ), 5 November 1880. Chronicling America : Historic American Newspapers . Library of Congress.    On This Day is a prompt to further explore historical events.                  © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015