Genealogical Gems

William Chester Ruth, son of  Samuel and Maria Louisa Pinn Ruth, invented several pieces of farm machinery. He was born 19 July 1882 in Ercildoun, Chester County, one of 12 children to Samuel and Maria Ruth.  Ruth  married Gertrude Miller on 6 June 1906. They moved to Gap, Lancaster County in 1917. He was, at that time, working for Midvale Steel in Coatesville. Six years later, Ruth opened Ruth's Ironworks Shop.  Ruth became a well-known and capable blacksmith to the farming families of Eastern Lancaster and Western Chester Counties. Among his patents were a machine feeder used between the thresher and straw baler, a cinder-spreading truck, self-raising elevator, and other machines.  Landis Valley Museum will remember Ruth on 6 June . The event is scheduled for 10 a.m.  at the  Landis Valley Christian Fellowship, next to the Landis Valley Museum. It will last until 2:30 p.m. After a light complimentary lunch, Dr. Leroy Hopkins wi...

John Still is my 3 rd great uncle and – like his grandmother Margaret Still – is a bit of a mystery. He was the first child of George David Still and Sarah Bing. He was born 3 October 1832 and died on 6 May 1910. He married Edith Jane Naylor in 1864. They had a daughter named Clara. I have traced him through the Census records, Civil War records and newspaper articles but still cannot confirm - without a doubt that is - if he is white or black or mixed! Allow me to back peddle a moment. Margaret Still, my 4th great grandmother and John's grandmother, fathered my George - yes John's father - out of wedlock. There are many speculations: a passing soldier, a patron at her father's tavern, a family member, a slave, etc. So, imagine my surprise when I found John's Death Certificate and it said "colored." Was he really colored? He died at the old Embreeville State Hospital. Did the informant not even look? Was he simply darker than one would e...

I stumbled upon Osborn Still while researching my Still line. He is one of two Stills listed on Find A Grave as being buried at the Romansville United Methodist Church Cemetery . The other still is the wife of my 4 th great grand uncle David Still. Her name is Agnes Armstrong Still. David is buried over at Hepzibah Baptist Cemetery . The entry for Osborn Still is brief. His birth and death dates are unknown. However there is an inscription on his stone. It reads, “ Co. C, 22 U.S.C.T.”   USCT stands for US Colored Troops and indicates he served the Union in the US Civil War. A search on the National Park Service did not show any results for an Osborn Still. I did however find several other Stills who served in the U.S.C.T.    Other Stills in the U.S.C.T. are: Thomas – 24 th Regiment Thomas – 5 th Regiment Moses – 88 th Regiment Josiah – 3 rd Regiment George W. – 26 th Regiment George – 25 th Regiment Clayton – 41 st Regiment Britton –...

  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.

February may be Black History Month but mark your calendars now for the African American History Conference on 5 April. The conference is a NEW outreach that the African American Historical Society of South Central Pennsylvania is launching to tell the stories of African American life and contributions.   Click HERE to read the full article as it appeared this morning on Examiner.com.

Sadsbury Township is one of the earliest municipalities in Lancaster County . It is the rural municipality my parents moved us to when I was seven. As early as 1744, another municipality – Bart Township – was formed from Sadsbury. The first industries included grist mills and iron forges. Later, many cottage industries popped up. The Quakers were among the first settlers. In 1724 Andrew Moore and Samuel Miller petitioned for the establishment of a meeting house. Approved, the Sadsbury Friends built a meeting house the next year and in 1737 the Sadsbury Monthly Meeting was formed. The Quakers were – and still are – a peaceful non-combative people, believing in equality and fairness. To this end, it is no surprise then that Sadsbury Township was a known stop on the Underground Railroad in the years before the Civil War. One such stop was the Coates House, located on the west side of Newport Avenue . The house dates back to the late 1700s. A simple farmhouse, it ...

Harris-Stowe State University is hosting the second annual conference themed “Genealogy from Cradle to Grave: Researching the African-American Family over the Generations,” in conjunction with the St. Louis African-American History and Genealogy Society. The conference will be held Saturday, February 19, 8 am - 4 pm at Harris-Stowe State University’s William L. Clay, Sr. Early Childhood Development/Parenting Education Center, 10 North Compton Avenue. The keynote speaker for the event is Deborah A. Abbott, Ph.D., a past-president of the African-American Genealogical Society in Cleveland, Ohio, and a retired professor of Counseling from Cuyahoga Community College. Dr. Abbott will address the crowd on “Leaving a Legacy: The Storytelling Imperative.” Workshop speakers include a number of renowned authorities on the topic including: Dr. Patricia Johnson, Dr. Diane Smoot, Dr. Robin Hanson, Dr. Shelia Johnson Smith, Susan Anderson, La Donna Garner, Janis Minor Forte, Michael Melendez, James...

Genealogy is the study of families or the history of a particular family. For blacks, it is often more difficult a search than for their white counterparts. Black researchers often need to research other families as well. From 1619-1869, often the only record of a black person's existence was the notes of his slave owner. How to Trace African-American Ancestry | eHow.com