Genealogical Gems

  That's my Zorina all the way on the left. Her friend Ashley is on far right. taken at the Lititz Springs Invitational this morning!

I am reading John Loose's The Heritage of Lancaster. The late Mr. Loose was well known in genealogical/local history circles.  Since I've traced the hubby's family back to the original permanent settlers in the County, I figured it would be a good read. Hence this entry (and probably next Thursday as well) will be more of a scattered note taking than an actual article. The County was formed on 10 May 1729. That makes us 284 years old. To put that in perspective, Pennsylvania itself was form on 5 May 1681. That means the Commonwealth was less than a half century old when Lancaster was carved out of Chester County. The Herr/Mylin/Kendig families have long been credited as being the County's first permanent settlers. They settled in the Lampeter and Willow Street area, where the Hans Herr House is now a registered historical landmark. Loose points out that two other families have recently tried to claim that as well however his mention of them is little more than a

Koshowski Joseph 1892 - 1955 & Tillie 1897 - 1961 buried at Holy Ghost Ukrainian Cemetery Valley Township, Chester County, PA Joseph & Tillie Koshowski lived on Hope Avenue in Coatesville with their three sons: Michael (b. 1917), John (b. 1921) and Stephen (b. 1922). Joseph was born in Austria, according to the 1930 Census, and immigrated in 1909. By 1930 he was a naturalized citizen. He worked, like so many of our ancestors, at the steel mill. There he was a mill hand. Tillie was also born in Austria. She immigrated in 1913 and was still an alien in 1930. The 1940 Census shows both Joseph and Tillie having been born in Poland. Tillie had been unemployed in 1930 but in 1940 - by now the boys were older - she worked at a garment company.

  Victor Hugo Eckman fought in WWI.   He was born 1 September 1892 in Kansas City, MO to Victor (1860 - 1940) and Beda Nelson (1865 - 1956) Eckman. His parents immigrated from Sweden in 1877 and 1884 respectively. The family moved from Missouri to Salt Lake, Utah sometime between 1910 and 1910. Both parents were naturalized in 1892.   Victor married Marie Louise Dudley, who was five years his junior. Louise was born in California. Her father was born in Maine and her mother in Missouri. Victor and Louise married on 6 October 1917 in Jackson, Missouri.   Victor was a car salesman in 1920. Victor and Louise had one child - Jean Louise (1923 - 1925). He died 21 December 1923 in Logan, Utah. He was killed in a car accident.   Source: Ancestry.com. Missouri Marriage Records, 1805-2002 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007.   Find A Grave . Find A Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgibin/fg.cgi .   Utah State Archives and Reco

Cyrus James Eckman, Jr., 41, of Cherry Hill Rd. in Peach Bottom, died at the Hershey Medical Center on August 6th. Cyrus was born in Lancaster, the son of Cyrus James and Pamela Joyce Keeble Eckman, Sr. of Peach Bottom. He worked at Ferguson and Hassler Grocery Store in the bakery dept. Surviving besides his mother and father is a brother, John M. Wilhelm, Sr., husband of Jane, of Peach Bottom; and paternal grandmother, Ruth A. Eckman of Christiana. Cyrus was preceded in death by a brother, Barry A. Wilhelm, Sr.; and grandfather, Cyrus E. Eckman. Memorial Services will be on Monday, August 14th at 6:00, from Dewald Funeral and Cremation Services, 227 W. 4th St., Quarryville, PA. Interment will be private. Please omit flowers; contributions may be made to Hershey Medical Ctn., 500 University Dr., Hershey, PA 17033. Obituary was printed in Lancaster Newspapers on 8 August 2006

  Thomas VanHorn taken in Philadelphia

                               Husband Frank J. Euler, Jr.                   Wife Helen Z Euler                                                      3 Jan 1924 - 11 Dec 1995                       5 Jan 1924 - 5 March 1973 Frank & Helen Euler are buried at Holy Ghost Ukrainian Cemetery in Valley Township, Chester County, PA. Frank served in the US Navy during WWII. He enlisted 11 July 1941 and was released 20 December 1945. Frank was the son of Frank and Margaret Huskins Euler, who married 8 November 1923. Both Frank and Margaret was born in Pennsylvania. Both of Margaret's parents and Frank's father was born in Pennsylvania as well. In 1940 Frank and his father, now divorced, lived with his widowed grandmother (also named Margaret) who was from Northern Ireland. Sources: Ancestry.com. U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Chester County Online Indexes. http

Frank M. Eckman, 81, died at his Lancaster home on Thursday, 9 August 2012. Born in Strasburg, he was the son of the late Willis E. and Emma Martin Minney. Frank was the husband of Dolores A. Haefner Eckman for 61 years. A graduate of J.P. McCaskey High School, he served in the US Marines during the Korean War. Frank was a machinist for Armstrong Cork Company and then Kerr Glass for a total of 46 years. He was a member and ordained Deacon at St. Anne Catholic Church. A 4th Degree Knight he belonged to the Knights of Columbus Council 867. Frank loved to hunt and fish. Surviving in addition to his wife Dolores are 5 children, Celeste L. Eckman, Mount Joy, Joseph M., husband of Kimberly Eckman, Elizabethtown, Valerie A., wife of Kevin W. Carroll, Morgantown, Stephanie M., wife of Thomas W. Childs, Lancaster, and F. Martin Jr., husband of Kristyn R. Zaenglein Eckman, Lancaster; 6 grandchildren, Michael T. Wagner, Kentucky, Jessica L. and Christopher J. Wagner, Lititz, Rye

Alfred Rosenberg, one of the most notorious members of the Third Reich and of the Nazi Party during World War II, was privy to much of the planning for the Nazi racial state, mass murder of the Jewish people, planning and conduct of World War II and the occupation of Soviet territory. His diaries – known as “The Rosenberg Diary” could obviously provide historians a wealth of personal information about Rosenberg, Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich. Federal officials and representatives from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington have recovered this diary.   "This important record of the crimes of the Third Reich and the Holocaust is now preserved for all to see, study and learn from. The work of combating the international theft of cultural heritage is a key part of our work, and no matter how long these items may appear to be lost to history, that hard but important work will continue." said Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Director John Morton.  

Those Places Thursday is a GeneaBloggers prompt reminding us to write of various places that have special meaning to us or our families. With the deadly wildfires in the news today out in Colorado, my thoughts turned to my godmother and her family and one of our trips "Out West". My dad worked for Lukens Steel in Coatesville and they used to give long vacations. One year - when I was 13 (I remember because it was the summer going into high school and I was finally old enough to get a job) - he took several weeks off during the summer. We rented a RV (yes - think Robin Williams in RV) and off we went. One of the most memorable places was of course Yellowstone Park. The other was the Mesa Verde National Park. I remember thinking it was so cool that these people lived here so long ago and we could actually see how they lived. I also thought it was kind of creepy thinking that hundreds of years from now, someone may be going through my house and reflecting on my life! How

  Zadorozny   John b. 1 June 1888 d. 18 July 1927 Mary b. 6 Jan. 1889 d. 16 Aug. 1970 Sophie b. 19 Dec. 1915 d. 29 Aug. 1931   buried at Holy Ghost Ukrainian Cemetery Valley Twp., Chester County, PA 

Henry H. Eckman served the Union during the Civil War as a Private. He enlisted in Company A, Pennsylvania 122nd Infantry Regiment on 11 Aug 1862 and was mustered out on 15 May 1863. A Henry H Eckman also shows up as enlisting in Company I, Pennsylvania 21st Cavalry Regiment on 11 Feb 1864. He was promoted to Full Corporal on 11 Sep 1864 and mustered out on 08 Jul 1865 at Lynchburg, VA. Census records do show two different Henry H Eckmans. One was from Strasburg Township and the other from Providence Township, Lancaster County. Hence it is quite possible that this is two different Henrys. Sources: Historical Data Systems, comp.. American Civil War Soldiers [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999. Historical Data Systems, comp. U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009. National Park Service. U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA:

One organization trick I learned early on is that if I file it when I find/acquire it, then I stand a much better chance of it staying with the right family unit. I have my husband's ECKMAN line traced back to just before 1687 when Johannes Eckman was born in Germany. Since I trace not only the direct lineal line but also all the branches, you can imagine how many file folders I have used over the years! When I come across something that looks potentially keep-able but I just do not have time at the moment to deal with it, it then goes in the general surname folder. I have a folder for each and every direct lineal surname. Post it notes are my next best friend. If I do not write the thought when I have it, I may not get it back for months or even years. So today ... I am sifting through the Eckman folder. Most of the info in the folder is documentation that I just did not get put away yet. For example, I had some info on John Charles Eckman (hubby's grandfather) in there

Yesterday Genealogical Gems added a For Sale page. The page will feature various (i.e. random) items related to genealogy or local history. Current items include Hometowne Collectibles and The Cat's Meow items but Sorting Saturday has found many potential items! While items will be removed from the page once sold, I will still offer as much information as possible. For example, the photo at right here is the Hometowne Collectible from Grace Lutheran Church in Lancaster, PA. The back simply reads: Grace Lutheran Church, Lancaster, PA. North Queen & East James Streets. Established April 1874. 125th Anniversary. 1975 - 1999. One of these " Those Places Thursdays " I may feature the church and her history. Again items for sale will be random as I come across them. If you are looking for a specific item or information on a specific area, feel free to drop a comment here or email me privately and I will keep my eyes open for it!

Years ago I had written the Historical Society of Schuylkill County concerning local Roman Catholic churches that my ancestors might have attended. My Walsh/Welsh family had come from Ireland to the coal mines of Shenandoah. My Keating ancestors had come from Ireland to Ringtown. The Society was nice enough to include a list of Catholic churches in northern Schuylkill County and the year they were first organized. The list contains 45 parishes started between 1827 and 1909.   They are as follows: 1.             1827 – St. Patrick in Pottsville 2.             1833 – St. Jerome in Tamaqua 3.             1841 – St. John the Baptist in Pottsville 4.             1842 – St. Vincent de Paul in Minersville 5.             1846 – St. Bartholomew in Brokton 6.             1847 – St. Stephen in Port Carbon 7.             1851 – St. Ambrose in Schuylkill Haven 8.             1853 – St. Boniface in Saint Clair 9.             1853 – Immaculate Conception in

Helen Still & Alice Still

The Rt. Rev. Mitrate Hilary H. Wroblewsky, his wife Mary, his parents and her father are all buried here together in Holy Ghost Ukrainian Cemetery where he was pastor from 1932 to 1950. It was d uring Rev. Wroblewsky’s pastorate, on 28 October 1940, that the charter of the church was changed to read "Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Holy Ghost of Coatesville, PA". We had previously been a Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

Today being Military Monday, this post started as what I thought would be a story about an Eckman who had served in World War I. I first found Jacob Keen Eckman by his draft registration papers in 1942 and traced backwards since he was 63 then. I thought perhaps I would find in the first World War. Jacob however had his own story to tell and aside from registering in the drafts, no proof that he actually enlisted or was drafted exists. In April of 1942, I imagine Jacob read in the daily newspaper about the Allied air raid on harbor city Kupang Timor, about the Destroyer Roper sinking the German U-85 just off our east coast, and how operations had begun to destroy the Sobibor Concentration Camp. Like many other men in America, Jacob Keen Eckman registered in the draft for World War II. Jacob though was 63 at the time. The 1940 Census shows him and his wife Bertha living in Eden Township. Living with them was a 23 year old domestic named Evelyn Caldwell. She was living with them