Genealogical Gems

Mary Anna Kirchner was my husband’s great grandmother’s sister. She was born 29 June 1851 in Lancaster to John and Barbara Kuhn Kirchner. I chose her to write about for today’s Matrilineal Monday because it was today – 22 December – in 1913 when she passed away. I know so very little about Mary. Being a daughter of John and Barbara Kuhn Kirchner, I could easily assume she had been baptized at St. Joseph RC Church in Lancaster. The rest of the family was so this would make sense. She married Charles William Janson in 1886. I do not know how the two met or where they married.   He was a collector. The Janson Family shows up on both the 1900 and the 1910 Census as living in Baltimore , Maryland . They had 10 children: Cecilia, Rolendis, Henry, Margaret, Anna, Roman Philip, Jerome A., Gertrude C., Dorothy May, Charles M., and one who passed before 1900. The first five (Cecilia, Rolendis, Henry, Margaret, and Anna) were from Charles’ first marriage. She died on 22 Dec...

Rosa Kirchner is my husband's great grandmother (John, Frank, Glenn). She was the daughter of John (Johannes) Kirchner and Barbara Kuhn and was born 4 September 1859 in Lancaster, PA. She was the youngest of four known children. Her siblings are: Mary Anna (b 1851), Philip (b 1852), and John (b. 1857). I know little of her childhood. The family lived in the Cabbage Hill section of the City with many other German immigrants. The family was Roman Catholic and attended St. Joseph, which at the time was primarily made up of German families. On 24 August 1881 she married Charles Henry Eckman, the son of John Henry Eckman and Catherine Kezia Creswell. Their son John was my husband (Glenn)'s grandfather. Charles preceded her in death, passing in 1886. She married Peter Weber some time after. They had one son - Charles - who was born in October 1897. She passed sometime after 1924.

I am reading John Loose's The Heritage of Lancaster. The late Mr. Loose was well known in genealogical/local history circles.  Since I've traced the hubby's family back to the original permanent settlers in the County, I figured it would be a good read. Hence this entry (and probably next Thursday as well) will be more of a scattered note taking than an actual article. The County was formed on 10 May 1729. That makes us 284 years old. To put that in perspective, Pennsylvania itself was form on 5 May 1681. That means the Commonwealth was less than a half century old when Lancaster was carved out of Chester County. The Herr/Mylin/Kendig families have long been credited as being the County's first permanent settlers. They settled in the Lampeter and Willow Street area, where the Hans Herr House is now a registered historical landmark. Loose points out that two other families have recently tried to claim that as well however his mention of them is little more than a...

Charles Henry Eckman is my husband’s great grandfather. He and his wife Rosa Kirchner are my elusive couple. They lived in Lancaster City on Manor Street throughout their married life. They had five children together. One died a toddler. I have yet to find their burial information. However, I have found lots about his parents – John Henry and Catherine Kezia Cresswell Eckman. His parents lived across from the Zion Reformed Church in Providence Township in Southern Lancaster County. Counting Charles, they had 11 children.   John and Catherine are buried there with everyone except Charles. One other sister, Margaret Estella Eckman is buried in the same cemetery but with her husband, Lewis Eckman. The family was well know – still is – in the church and played a large active role in it. The church is now Zion UCC. The story goes that the family had a huge picnic one Sunday afternoon. Charles and Rosa came down from Lancaster with her parents – John Kirchner and Barbara K...