Perry County, PA
Someone had a wicked sense of humor back on Election Day in 1897. William McKinley comfortably won his bid for President in Perry County. The election also included voting for state and local offices. I was finally going through some news clippings I’d saved off some years ago and was having trouble finding my 2nd […]
The Day the Devil Got a Vote in Perry County Read More »
22 July 1926, Duncannon Record. Buck’s Valley William Billow of Herndon assisted his brother, Jacob Billow to harvest last week. Mrs. I.O. Deckard spent last week at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Billow. S.W. Billow and family, Jen Myers, George Myers, Lillie and Lennie Shaffer, Lester Hummel, Albert, Luther and Erma
This day in the Billow Family… 95 years ago Read More »
Born 28 October 1886 in Perry County. Died 1982 in Harrisburg. Daughter of Thomas Jefferson Free and Sarah Louisa Graham. Miriam is my 2nd great-grandaunt – sister to Anna Jennie Free, who married Harry Bair and had several children, including Nita Fern Bair, my great-grandmother.[1] Thus, Miriam was my great-grandmother Nita Fern Bair’s aunt and
The Life of… Miriam LaRue Free Grassman Read More »
Do you have an ancestor who fought in the Civil War? If you do, you’re surely aware that many applied for pensions – these can be a terrific source of genealogy information. And, if you really want to exploit the information, it’s best to delve in and transcribe the file. This greatly enhances your ability
Excerpt from Samuel Bair’s Civil War Pension File Read More »
This news item, from the 28 May 1921 Harrisburg Telegraph, includes one of my Civil War soldier ancestors, Silas W. Snyder, my third great-grandfather. Extensive Plans Are Made for Memorial Services Up-County. The Memorial sermon will be delivered in the United Brethren Church by the Rev. R.H. Arndt Sunday at 10.30 a.m. The members of
Memorial Day in Liverpool, PA, 100 Years Ago Read More »
I’m always reminded of my great-grandaunt, or “Auntie” as we all called her, when the iris start to bloom. Pauline Bessie Shuler Rapp (1903-1996) was renowned in town for her expansive iris beds. Almost her whole back yard was a garden, but her iris beds were a wonder in late spring. And she could tell
When the Iris Bloom… Read More »
How many of you have been told you have an “Indian princess” in your ancestry? Our family legend is that our earliest Billow ancestor in America was a Hessian mercenary soldier and he married a Cherokee Indian princess.[1] But is it true? Nah! Our earliest Billow ancestor is Peter Billow (d. 1819), my fifth great-grandfather,
The Cherokee Indian Princess and the Hessian Mercenary Read More »
As the National Cherry Blossom Festival[1] recently wrapped up, I recalled reading news items of our family members visiting Washington D.C. in the 1930s to view the cherry blossoms. For example, my grandmother Jane and grandfather Glenn visited shortly before they were married in spring 1937, while her sister Thelma was there with her beau:
Cherry Blossoms and Family History Read More »
This is a story I put together for my family back in 2013 after I discovered an article about an Albright that I thought just might be part of my family. Yep, he was! Samuel Albright (1856-1879) is my 1st cousin 4x removed – we share a 4th great-grandfather, Samuel Albright (1786-1866). The first part
Who’s in Sam’s Grave? Read More »
Oh, the places you will go, once you go down the rabbit hole[1] of trying to figure out old terms and phrases. This happened to me recently when I came across an article containing a reference to “tig ring” and “two-lip salve.” Well, the latter phrase wasn’t really too hard to figure out, but “tig
Oh, the places you will go… Read More »