Genealogical Gems

The Chester County Historical Society recently sent out an email asking for help to save  Passmore Williamson's Prison Visitors' Book . The request states that over 500 people visited Williamson when he was in prison. So, who was Williamson and why is he so important? Passmore Williamson was an abolitionist. He spent 100 days in the Moyamensing Prison, having been committed on 27 July 1855. His crime was that he refused to cooperate in recovering Jane Johnson, a slave, and her two sons, Daniel and Isaiah. Slave owner John H. Wheeler brought Johnson and her sons with him while he traveled from North Carolina to New York then onto Nicaragua. He stopped in Philadelphia, presumably to visit his in-laws. While there, Johnson connected with some free blacks who got word to the Anti-Slavery Society on 18 July 1855. At that time, any enslaved person - such as Johnson - who was brought into the state was considered free under Pennsylvania law, if he or she so ...

We all feel the need to freshen up once in awhile. We get our hair done up or our nails done. The Chester County Historical Society is no different! In January 2015 the Society's library will be temporarily closed for a face lift. They are calling it the "January Big Dig". During January, the backlog of valuable library materials requiring the cataloging, rehousing, and processing of material, will be addressed.  The Library will be closed naturally during that month. Each year, the Society receives over 4,000 research requests. The museum and gift shop will remain open. During January, the CCHS will offer FREE regular museum admission. The temporary exhibitions will be unavailable. The '60s! Winds of Change , will open on 26 February 2015.   CCHS is located at 225 North High Street, West Chester.

The 32nd Annual Chester County Antiques Show begins today! The Show is a benefit for the Chester County Historical Society. The theme this year  is "Recreation, Hobbies, and Leisurely Pursuits." It will be held at the Phelps School in Malvern. Chairpersons are Jo Ann and John Carey, and Ida and Tom McIntyre. Antique dealers will include: A Bird in Hand Antiques Aileen Minor Antiques Bill Shaeffer Antiques Britannia House Antiques David Pownall Willis Diana H. Bittel Antiques Dixon-Hall Fine Art Dover House Antiques Emele's Antiques Eve Stone Antiques, Ltd. Gallery 51 Greg K. Kramer & Co. Hanes & Ruskin Antiques Heller-Washam Antiques Hilary & Paulette Nolan H.L. Chalfant American Fine Art and Antiques Holly Peters Oriental Rugs James Gallagher James M. Kilvington, Inc. Johanna Antiques Joseph J. Lodge Kelly Kinzle Antiques James M. Labaugh Antiques Malcolm Magruder ...

Relive the Civil War a the Chester County Historical Society (CCHS). Professor Joseph Ryan of Villanova University and Professor Robert Kodosky, PhD of West Chester University will deliver  talks on battlefield medicine. The free session, titled "From the Civil War to the Vietnam War: Two Centuries of Battlefield Medicine" will be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, 12 September. Professor Ryan's talk will focus on Civil War medicine while Professor Kodosky will focus on the Vietnam War. On Saturday, 21 September the CCHS will hold a symposium titled, " The Echoes of the Civil War ." The program will begin at 8:30 a.m. and last through the morning. Topics will include media at that time and today, human bondage, Southern politics and Frederick Douglas' recruiting of black soldiers. After lunch, attendees will have their choice of walking the Civil War sites of West Chester or a tour of "On the Edge of Battle: Chester County and the Civil War....

The Chester County Historical Society (CCHS) will be closed 26 - 31 August. Currently on exhibit: On the Edge of Battle: Chester County and the Civil War Exhibition The exhibit closes 28 September. Dewitt Clinton Lewis entered the conflict as first lieutenant, Company E, 9th Pennsylvania Infantry. This was only a three month enlistment, so after mustering out in July 1861, he rejoined the effort in October as captain of Company F, 97th Pennsylvania Infantry. In addition to many other assignments in the southeast, his regiment served at the Battle of Green Plains, during which Lewis was injured ...want to  learn more about Dewitt Clinton Lewis? Come experience On the Edge of Battle: Chester County and the Civil War .       Coming up: 15 August - Chester County Town & Village Walk An inside glimpse of the Lukens National Historic District. The story of American steel parallels the growth of the Lukens National Historic Distric...

When searching for your family, search for the church history as well. Not all churches made the paper often but from time to time, the local newspapers carried information about a church that included family information! I attend the Holy Ghost Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Coatesville, PA. Daddy went here until he and mom married and he converted to Catholicism shortly after I was born. His parents were baptized here and married here and were buried here. Their parents all went here as well. My great grandfather's (Panko Hruszczak) uncle and aunt (Onifer & Rose Pomanko) attended here before that. However, we did not all attend the Holy Ghost Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Over the years, the church itself has changed. Newspaper accounts from the Daily Local, the now defunct Coatesville Record and Village News all shed light to the parish's history over the years. The Chester County Historical Society keeps clippings of all the churches, surnames, and various other infor...

Antiques 101: Ten Things Everyone Should Know About Antiques is part of the "History on Tap" program being offered by the Chester County Historical Society , West Chester, PA.  The program is free to the public. H. L. "Skip" Chalfant will discuss the 10 things everyone should know about real antiques in today's virtual world.  Chalfant has been at the forefront of American decorative arts collecting and dealing for 40 years, and his business H.L. Chalfant American Fine Art and Antiques was 2011 Best of Main Line Winner for Early American Antiques. This brief 30 minute program begins at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, 26 March, and will be followed by discussion, Q & A, and good conversation. This program will be held in the upstairs bar at Doc Magrogan's Oyster House, where space is limited to 50 on a first-come, first-served basis. There will be refreshments and food available for purchase. History On Tap brings history to you in the casual atmosph...

The Chester County Historial Society (CCHS) will be presenting " The Struggle For Freedom, Documented" on Tuesday, 19 June at Barnaby's in West Chester. According to CCHS:  Laurie Rofini, Director of Chester County Archives and Records Services and CCHS staff member, and Rob Lukens, Ph.D., CCHS President, will offer an exploration of two Chester County stories - the 1852 Pennsylvania Woman's Rights Convention and the 1821 murder trials of John Reed, a former slave. Using rare archival documents as a guide, Rofini and Lukens uncover stories that center on the core principle of freedom in American history. This brief 25-30 minute presentation will be followed by discussion, Q & A, and good conversation. And of course, there will be lots of great beer and good food. History on Tap brings history to you in the casual atmosphere of your favorite local bar or restaurant. The program is free for the community to enjoy!

Today's Motivational Monday is a cleaning out of sorts. It is filled with random tips and tidbits. Feel free to add your own tips and tidbits in the "Comments" below the article. Great resource for fellow Poles is the PGSA - the Polish Genealogical Society of America. Membership is open to anyone doing research within the borders of the old Commonwealth of Poland. Eastman's Online Genealogical Helper did an article  on indentifying an unknown Civil War soldier. That reminded me that I need to get back working on my Van Horn line. My third great grandfather had a brother BENJAMIN VAN HORN who served the UNION in the CIVIL WAR. I know very little of his service however and would love to delve into that are more. I received this picture above from a family member descended directly from Benjamin. The plaque shows he was a Prisoner of War.   Social Security Numbers. We all have one - or at least we should! The Ancestry Insider wrote " Social S...

The Chester County Historical Society has a row of file cabinets just for news clippings. The files are organized by subject (Still, C. -- for example) alphabetically and many contain copy of newspapers no longer in existence. Often valuable finds are discovered here. Sometimes mistakes are too. I discovered one of those mistakes on Wednesday. An article dated 29 December 1900 from the Local is titled "An Old Copy Book." It reads: Catharine Shimer, of Birchrunville, Chester County, has an old German copy book which belonged to her grandmother. It is well preserved and bears the date of 1795. It contains this memorandum: // Catharine Sheldrake, daughter of David and Mary Ann (Laubaugh) Sheldrake, born July 21, 1784, married 10th December 1800 to Charles Still, who was born September 6th, 1779, son of Charles and Margaret (Rhoads) Still. Charles Still, Jr., served his country during the Revolutionary War, the son Charles being born while he was in service. David and Mary...