Genealogical Gems

Fire claimed much of Coudersport, reported the Lancaster Daily Intelligencer On This Day in 1880. Coudersport is located well north of Lancaster, in Potter County . It is home to approximately 1500 people. On 18 May a fire destroyed much of the town.   The fire began in an oil warehouse in the rear of the Stebbins Bros. store. Several buildings were completely destroyed, including: the Coudersport Hotel, the post office, E. A. Reese’s store, the newspaper building, Z. J. Thompson’s wagon shop, all the blacksmith shops, the drug store, the pharmacy, and so many more.   The loss is estimated (at that time in 1880) at $200,000. Many of the homes and businesses destroyed were not heavily insured.    Source: Lancaster daily intelligencer. ( Lancaster , Pa. ), 19 May 1880. Chronicling America : Historic American Newspapers . Library of Congress.      On This Day is a prompt I started this month to further explore historical event...

My parents took us – my sister and I - on several vacations over the years. Some I really enjoyed and others were less exciting. All of them were great, in hindsight. I wish I would have been more appreciative at the time.    We went to Disney World, Bush Gardens , Colonial Williamsburg, Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard , and out West. We went to Yellowstone National Park , the Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak, the Corn Palace and the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo. We also spent many a summer at Daddy’s cabin in the Potter County .   When I think of family vacation time, I have to admit the cabin comes to mind first. I even chose Lock Haven State University because it was in the mountains relatively near Daddy’s cabin! (LHU is in neighboring Clinton County ).   Dad had a cabin with some guys he grew up with from Coatesville. The cabin was called Bear Cat Cabin. I have no idea why. The cabin was, in the truest sense of the phrase, a hunting cabin. ...