Genealogical Gems

My Aunt Helen used to write me long letters about various family stories and information. Sometimes the letters were nothing more than a specific line's names and vitals. Sometimes she would include little stories about her mother or family stories she had heard growing up. Sometimes it might be a newspaper clipping she thought I'd enjoy. No matter what she sent, even if it was simply a birthday car, she always found the most interesting stamps. Today, it is US Postage Stamp Day. T he United States issued its first postage stamp on July 1, 1847. They were not mandatory thou until 1855. Today, not only are they mandatory, but they cost an arm and a leg. To put this in perspective, Aunt Helen was actually my great grandfather's youngest sister. Born 24 August 1903, Helen Mae Still was the youngest of six children of Franklin & Sarah Jennie Van Horn Still. She was an incredible woman. She grew up on the family farm. All the Still girls were educated and Aunt Helen w...

Helen Still Webster is my 2x great aunt. Specifically she is the sister of my maternal grandfather’s father. Born 24 August 1903 in East Fallowfield Township , she is the youngest child of Franklin Still and Sarah Jennie VanHorn. She passed away 1 March 1995 at Pocopson. Her funeral service was held on Saturday, 4 March at Doe Run Presbyterian Church in East Fallowfield Township , Chester County . She is buried in the church’s cemetery across the street. The Reverend Dr. Sarah B Taylor officiated. The front of his card shows a cross with some purple flowers. The back shows the funeral home which facilitated her service and burial. It was the Robert A Harris Funeral Home in Coatesville. Inside the card, on the left side, is a poem by Tennyson, titled “Crossing the Bar.” The viewing was held at Harris Funeral Home, which is located in a beautiful old house on Lincoln Highway . The procession from the funeral home to the church could have taken a couple routes. The most...

Several people in my family were born in October. My cousin Janet Webster  Sammons will celebrate her 84 th birthday this year and God love her she is still going strong! Another cousin, Lorraine Welsh Webb, will celebrate her birthday too. There are many a few others but, in my humble and of course unbiased opinion, none that stand out as much as my babies!   My twins – Anna and Zorina – will be 17 on Wednesday, the 7 th .   They were a month early, which is not unusual for twins. They were born on a Wednesday.    That week I went into work – drove myself – for our advertising staff meeting. At the time I was selling ads and writing for the (now defunct) Ledger Newspapers in Quarryville. I announced I would be working from home thereafter and made arrangements with the one of the other salespersons (her name was Dee, a real sweetheart but for the life of me, I cannot recall her last name) for her to stop by and pick up my ad copy. Tuesday morning, ...

Gloria Elaine Webster was born on 22 March 1926 to Elwood J. and Helen Still Webster. The family lived in East Fallowfield. She passed away less than two months later, on 15 May 1926. She died, according to her death certificate, of Catarrh Pneumonia with Convulsions. Catarrh pneumonia is defined as an inflammation of the lung tissue with inflammation of the bronchial membranes. She is buried at Doe Run Presbyterian Cemetery in East Fallowfield. Wednesday's Child is a genealogical prompt of GeneaBloggers.

This funeral card was found in a pile of paperwork and mementos I got years ago from an auction at my Aunt Helen's (Helen Still Webster). It reads: In Memory of Lilley Blanche Jefferis Born January 14, 1881 Goosetown, PA Passed Away May 11, 1962 West Bradford Township Final Resting Place Romansville Friends Burial Grounds Services Conducted From S. Paul Roberts Funeral Home Coatesville, PA Tuesday, May 18, 1962 at 2 p.m. Officiating Dr. C, Hans Evans Rev. Richard L. Bunting Funeral Card Friday is a d aily blogging prompt prompted by GeneaBloggers in which the main focus of the prompt is a funeral card.

Amanuensis Monday is a blogging theme for GeneaBloggers which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. The letter transcribed here today is another letter from my Aunt - Helen Still Webster. This one she wrote me while I was at Lock Haven University. It is dated Wednesday, 11 January 1990. My dear Jeanne, I wish to thank you for the lovely xmas card. I know you had a wonderful holiday with all your loved ones. I had a nice holiday, too much to eat and too many gifts. I talk with Lloyd each day. When Mary was sick I used to call each day so I just continued to do that. He makes out very well. I am so happy you are the News Editor on the University Newspaper. Congratulations. Long ago I used to write a column each week for the Coatesville Record Mortonville News. I got paid 5 cents each inch and if I had 1 column from top to bottom I made $1. That was big money then. Congratulations. Keep up the ...

March is Women's History Month and as such GeneaBloggers' prompt today is: Newsmakers? Did you have a female ancestor who made the news? Why? Was she famous or notorious? Did she appear in the social column? My first thought is of my Aunt Helen! I speak of her often here. She was so helpful in my genealogical quests! That's her below here - isn't she beautiful? This was taken in 1990. A little background: Aunt Helen was born Helen Still on 24 August 1903 to Franklin and Sarah Jennie VanHorn in East Fallowfield, Chester County. She was the youngest of six children. On 30 December 1924 she married Elwood James Webster. They had two daughters: Gloria Elaine and Janet Leona. She attended West Chester State Normal School (now West Chester University) to teach in a rural school but she said she hated teaching so she ended up doing odd jobs. She finally got a job at Unionville High School where she remained for 13 years. Everyone loved her - everyone! One year the studen...