Genealogical Gems

Birthdays Happy birthday to Patricia Beattie, Lauren Morris, Alex Soanes, and Tim Peters! May God grant you all Many Years.    Patricia Beattie is my second cousin once removed. She is the granddaughter of Nora Kilpatrick, who was my great grandmother Mary Kilpatrick’s sister. I’ve never met Aunt Nora’s branch of the family but would love to get to know them.   Lauren Morris is also my second cousin once removed. Her great grandfather is my Uncle Reds (Raymond Welsh), who was my grandmother’s brother. Sadly, I have not met her yet either.   Alex Soanes – Alexander really – is my third cousin once removed. He used to be my neighbor! We used to live right down the street from him, his mom (Dawn Mullin) and his five siblings! Alex and his wife still live nearby and they have three children. Oh yeah, Alex’s third great grandparents are Dennis and Martha Durkin O’Flaherty. They are my second great grandparents.   I have not seen Tim Peters in years; s...

My family events this week: Birthdays Happy birthday this week to Samuel Buckley, Uncle John (John Ruczhak), Dawn Soanes and Robert Walkling! This week is also my Godmother’s daughter, Mary Roebke’s birthday! May God grant you all Many Years.    Memory Eternal Polly Deyoe died 154 years ago today (1 February). She is hubby’s 3 rd great aunt. She is the daughter of Jacobus “James” Deyoe and Annatje “Hannah” Walker.    John Bing passed 125 years ago Monday (that is, 2 February). John’s my distant cousin! According to FTM, he is my first cousin five times removed. He is the son of Joseph and Elizabeth Bing. He was born in 1818 in Chester County but at some point moved to Centre County . There he married Melissa Iddings, fathered a daughter Wilda and died on 2 February 1890.   Tuesday is the 16 th anniversary of Mabel Lawrence Geib passing and the 31 st anniversary of John Yuzwiak passing.  Mabel is the daughter of Walter Lawrence an...

Nora Kilpatrick Beattie is one of my great grandmother's (Mary Kilpatrick Still) sister. There were five sisters and two brothers who all came over, though not all at the same time. I have not yet been able to pinpoint and document their exact place of birth. Instead, I know only they were from Ireland and they were Protestant. They all settled originally in around the Philadelphia/Main Line area. Nora first shows up in America in the 1910 Census. She is listed, at that time, a servant to Harry and Alice Riley, a young couple with two children. Harry Riley is a poultry farmer and they live on Valley Road in Tredyffrin, Chester County. Nora's age is recorded as 29. She is listed as the family nurse. The Riley family employs two other servants - waitress Catherine Ayer and Nora Jane, a cook - also from Ireland and a gardener from Italy named Carlo Angelonia. The 1910 Census asks about immigration. Nora, according to the census, immigrated in 1902. Ten years later, Nora is...