Genealogical Gems

A teen was sent to the House of Refuge On This Day in 1881. Samuel Herbert Wright, just 17, was sentenced to the House of Refuge at the request of his uncle James Wright!    Samuel has lived at the poor house for the last two years and is uncontrollable. The superintendent and other officers at the poor house simply can not control the teen. Samuel appeared before Judges Livingston and Patterson who ordered him to the House of Refuge.   Samuel formerly resided in Little Britain.    Source: Lancaster daily intelligencer. ( Lancaster , Pa. ), 18 April 1881. Chronicling America : Historic American Newspapers . Lib. of Congress.   On This Day is a prompt I started this month to further explore historical events.                  © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015

I am a little bit late on this but how could I miss this one! Seriously, did you notice my name: Ruczhak! It was Americanized when my grandfather went to school and the teacher couldn’t pronounce or spell it (could you just imagine the backlash if teachers actually did that now?). My grandfather was born Joseph Hruszczak and his father kept the spelling throughout his life here.   This week’s prompt for the 52 Ancestor Challenge is “How do you spell that?” Sure, there have been some interesting misspellings along the way. All in all though, my Hruszczak line has actually been one of my easier lines to trace (here in America ), unlike my Walsh line, to name just one of my more difficult lines.      52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is a weekly genealogical challenge issued by Amy Johnson Crow, of No Story Too Small .    © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015

The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. opened On This Day in 1880 in Lancaster . The shop features tea, coffee and sugar. It is located at 114 North Queen Street , formerly Joe Fritchey’s jewelry store. The tea company was established in 1809 in New York City .   Source: Lancaster daily intelligencer. ( Lancaster , Pa. ), 16 April 1880. Chronicling America : Historic American Newspapers . Lib. of Congress.     On This Day is a prompt I started this month to further explore historical events.                  © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015

John Henry Eckman (1848 – 1924) is buried at the Zion Reformed Cemetery in New Providence. He is buried with his wife Letitia (1854 – 1942) and their daughter Katharine (1884 – 1890).   John and Letitia had four children in all. Katharine was born in 1884. Elnora was born in 1886. Mabel was born in 1892. A fourth (name is still unconfirmed) child was born before 1900.   John was a land lord, according to the 1900 census. His death certificate listed his occupation as a farmer. John was the son of Jacob and Eliza Eckman.   Tombstone Tuesday is a genealogical prompt of GeneaBloggers.   © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015

Christ is risen from the dead, by death trampling down upon death, and to those in the tombs He has granted life. ... Christos Voskrese! Voistinu Voskrese!

Bells tolled across the nation yesterday in remembrance of the end of the Civil War. It was 150 years ago that Robert E Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S Grant, thus ending a four year battle which had set brother against brother. Blog posts worth reading: Find My Past did a nice write up recalling Lee’s surrender to Grant 150 years ago. The Civil War had been going on for four years at that time. Generation’s Gone By also focused on the end of the Civil War this week. She singled out a few soldiers and focused on them. A good read! Reflections From the Fence also focused on the Confederate Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse 150 years ago. Carol reflected on her 2x great grandfather Solomon B. Eley. The 52 Ancestors Challenge continues strong. The Week 14 Recap was for Favorite Photos. The Ancestry Insider is a great blog to bookmark for anyone into genealogy, but especially those of us who use Ancestry.com. Ofte...

Market stands were sold On This Day in 1880 by auctioneers Samuel Hess and Son. The prices ranged from $15 - $16 for stands inside Central Market and $5 - $16 for street stands.   Source: Lancaster daily intelligencer. ( Lancaster , Pa. ), 10 April 1880. Chronicling America : Historic American Newspapers . Lib. of Congress.     On This Day is a prompt I started this month to further explore historical events.                  © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015