Genealogical Gems

Birthdays Happy birthday, Karen Swier Hornak. May God grant you all Many Years. Memory Eternal Today is the 16 th anniversary of the passing of Charles D. Eckman. Charles is the son of Darius and Ella Doner Eckman. He was the husband of Mattie Leanore Kittinger. He was a watchmaker at the Hamilton Watch Company in Lancaster .   Monday will be 93 years since George David Still, my 3x great grandfather, passed. George! What can I say about George that I have not already said dozens of times! His mother, Margaret Still, had him out of wedlock in 1808 and I am still tracing his father. George apprenticed as a tailor but took to farming instead. In 1830 he married Sarah Bing and they had six children. He died of dropsy and heart disease. George is buried at the Olde Doe Run Cemetery in East Fallowfield Township , Chester County .   Agnes Armstrong Still passed away 155 years ago on Tuesday, the 24 th .   She was the George’s sister-in-law! She married...

War, by its very nature, concedes losses and casualties. World War II was certainly no different in that regard. In June 1946 the US War Department issued a report honoring the injured and deceased soldiers. The casualties were itemized as such: KIA - Killed In Action DOW - Died Of Wounds DOI - Died Of Injuries DNB - Died Non-Battle FOD - Finding Of Death M - Missing The report breaks the figures down by county. Chester County, for example, had 187 KIA, 26 DOW, 1 DOI, 75 DNB, 23 FOD, and 2 M for a total of 314. My uncle - Paulie they called him - was among those included in the report. Paul Kurenda was Baba's brother. His death is listed as DNB - died of non battle wounds. My grandfather told me once that Uncle Paulie got gangrene over in Europe and the Army sent him back to the States to Valley Forge so he could be near his family. Unfortunately the family had not been notified quickly enough and he passed shortly before they got there. His death certificate sh...

Mary Elder Armstrong DeFazio of Kennett Square Mary Elder Armstrong DeFazio, 91, of Kennett Square, died Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012, at the Franciscan Care Center in Hockessin, Del. She was the wife of the late Anthony J. DeFazio Sr. who died in 1987 and with whom she shared 47 years of marriage. Born in West Point, Miss., she was the daughter of the late Elder B. and the late Eva Mae (Bridges) Murff Armstrong. She was an active member of St. Patrick's Parish and the NSDAR. Survivors include three sons, James Michael (Patricia Ann) of Kennett Square, Ralph Edward (Nancy) of Bear, Del. and Anthony Joseph Jr. (Cecilia) of Kennett Square; two daughters, Gloria Anne Hamilton of Colorado Springs, Colo. and Teresa Marie Hawkins (Eric) of West Chester; seven grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, one great-grandson and one step great-grandson. You are invited to visit with Mary's family from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 3rd, and 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 4th at the Kuzo & Grieco ...