Who do you think you are? Premier episode in America

Wow, double Wow, Triple Wow, Awesome and Un-Be-lievable. And thus, Sally Jessica Parker, star of HBO's "Sex in the City", gushes her way through a gauntlet of professional genealogist, historians, and even park rangers, as they thrust into her hands census reports, death certificates, arrest warrants for witchcraft, and other papers. I really like the way a park ranger and historian in California pulls out of his vest several photocopied papers indicating that one of Sally's maternal ancestors died during the 1849 gold rush. Yes, Wow!

It all seemed to start out with Sally's mother showing her some vintage photos of her grandmother and great grandmother. This is indeed a good start for any person interested in family history or genealogy. But sometimes, it takes months or years of digging through the attics of your relatives. And still, one may come up empty handed. Incidentally, I would have enjoyed spending a few more minutes with Sally's mother and having her relate some personal stories of her life or that of her relatives, or the stories of friends that might have known them. Remember, these are real people.

It seemed that Sally's mother was pretty excited about her daughter's discoveries about their family history. I think at the end of the program, Sally challenged her mother to write up the history. Excellent idea and good example. Of course, they can always see the TV recording.

But it was not like my experience. Years ago, I went home to Mom and started asking her about her past, what she liked about high school and so forth. I recall her response, "Oh Bobby, why do want to know that old stuff for anyway". Perhaps my approach was wrong. Maybe I should of brought along a camera crew.

I believe it is necessary, if at all possible, to go back to the homelands of your ancestors to do research, as Sally did, in going back to Cincinnati, the California gold fields, and the site of the Salem witch trials. It's not always possible, but it sure can round out the life of an ancestor.

I'm not naive, I do know that anything on commercial TV has to be pretty shallow. And in this premier episode, Sally Parker goes back about 400 years of no-brick-walls, family history in about 40 minutes of program time. That's about a decade a minute. Yes, Wow again.

Nevertheless, I will take the drawbacks of TV. I am looking forward to the next episode of this series. I hope they eventually have someone going back and researching Eastern Germany or Pomerania. Pomer-Who?!

NOTE: The premier episode of "Who Do You Think You Are?" appeared Friday, March 5, 2010, at 8 PM on NBC.

Russell Cave, Jackson Co, Alabama

If you had Russell ancestors and passed a place called Russell Cave, wouldn't you want to know what was inside the cave? I did. So, on my way to my brother-in-law's for Thanksgiving, I took a short side-trip off Interstate 24 between Chattanooga and Nashville, Tennessee, to travel just across the border into Alabama (Jackson County). It was early morning, sunny, and relatively warm for Fall. At the entrance to Russell Cave National Monument, I hauled out my tripod and took this picture. I was initially going to title this blog entry, "I feel a headache coming on". Actually, the spear which appears ready to pierce my scalp was an ancient improvement in the art of spear throwing. The Native American is using an "atlatl" to propel the spear with much more speed and accuracy than the old way of using solely arm power.

I took a short walk on a boardwalk behind the visitor center and arrived at the entrance to the cave. A good-sized creek ran right into and disappeared inside the cave. In the past, the creek would flood and eventually gouge out a larger cavity. The ceiling of the structure from time to time would split from the upper sandstone, causing a rockfall, which in turn created a raised floor in a large portion of the cave. Thus, Native Americans could live in the cave. It had natural air-conditioning and a ready water supply.

I noticed as I entered the cave that hundreds of large screws with plates had been driven into the ceiling to prevent any further rockfalls- or so the theory goes.

At the visiting center, I learned the unique feature of this cave is that various research groups had excavated artifacts which could demonstrate almost 10,000 years of habitation by Indians of several periods: Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippian.

Image (above): The boardwalk begins behind the visitor center and enters the cave.

In relatively modern times, the cave and surrounding land were first owned by Captain John Woods who received the land grant for his service in the Revolutionary War (RW). Woods was a Cherokee Indian which was the first time I heard Indians served in the RW. He also built a stone house on the land which is the oldest house still in use in Jackson County, Alabama. Evidence of Woods' residency in the area eventually faded. The land was then owned for a while by another RW veteran who in turn sold it to his brother-in-law, Colonel THOMAS RUSSELL whose descendants kept it in the family until 1928. The last private owner was Oscar Ridley who allowed excavation of the cave by local, amateur archaeologists. Recognizing the value of these discoveries, the Smithsonian Institute and National Geographic Societies (NGS) became heavily involved. The latter purchased the cave and presented it to the American People which was sealed by the creation of this National Monument by President Kennedy in 1961.

Browsing in the gift shop after my tour of the cave, I found a copy of a substantial genealogy of a Russell family by Walter A. Russell. The park ranger told me that Walter often gives genealogy seminars at the center. Search the title at Amazondotcom and you will find the first 5 pages of the book including the statement, "... first progenitor of this lineage was Matthew Russell who was Scotch-Irish ... born around 1735." You can also view the Index with 7 pages of Russell surnames. I doubt if Matthews family lived in the cave, and the same goes for my Russell family- who didn't arrive in America until 1881.

However, there are some connections to my "Life's Journey".

1. The Russell Cave visitor center was dedicated to former NGS chairman, Gilbert H. Grosvenor, whose former home was in my "home" town of Bethesda, MD.

2. Matthew Russell, the progenitor, once resided in Mechlenburg Co, NC, and York Co, SC, near Revolutionary War sites, Kings Mountain and Cowpens, all located near my current residence.

3. Another book available in the visitor center, was "Selu, Seeking the Corn-Mother's Wisdom" by former Tennessean poet laureate, Marilou Awiakta. She once inspired me to write about where I came from at an Appalachian Writer's workshop at Radford University. Search Amazon book store.

REFERENCES AND LINKS:

National Park Service web site for Russell cave: www.nps.gov/ruca

Five Days since my "Birthday" on FaceBook

I finally became socially "networkable" and joined Facebook.com on 26 Aug 2008, or thereabouts. On the very next day, just as I was getting comfortable with the site's interface, the powers that be changed the face of FB. I can click on the very top, right, of the site's front page and go "back to the old Facebook". But who wants to go backwards? So, I'll just have to get used to the updated, new look.

I chose Facebook rather than say, MySpace, because over 150 people who write genealogy blogs on the Internet have chosen this particular social network to group together for mutual learning and understanding and to chat as virtual friends. There is also much back-slapping. Indeed, the group calls itself "Genea-bloggers", or "GBers" for short. The group began recently during the first week of July, 2008, and has grown rapidly. One of the GBers, Terry Thornton, and some of his colleagues, have gathered and indexed the blogs of all the other Genea-bloggers and posted it here. I jumped on the list of course (at least I thought I did). And Terry has become one of my FB friends.

Incidentally, in the next few days after joining Facebook, I did a search for my relatively unique surnames of Gailliot, Austel, and Kramp, and lo and behold, came up with several matches. I invited them to become my virtual friends and be participants in my virtual family reunion. It's virtually unbelievable. Though most of these new-found cousins were young and savvy regarding the Internet, I do hope someday to be introduced to their parents and grandparents and discover new history to add to OUR family history and genealogy.

I am looking forward to seeing where the facebook web site takes me- after I learn how to use all of its features. It even has an add-on application called "We're Related". Oh no-o-o-o-o, not another Internet family tree application. Trees, trees, and more trees.

REFS: A bootcamp for genealogy bloggers who have joined Facebook.com. http://fbbootcamp.blogspot.com/

Genealogy featured on NBC's Today Show

I just finished watching NBC's Today Show episode of Meredeth Vieira's search for her roots on one of the islands of the Azores, Portugal. Meredeth traveled to the islands with one of her teen-aged sons and a nephew. She was very fortunate to find some of her Flemish and Portuguese ancestors and their descendants still living on the island. I was very touched when I saw Meredith meeting one of her aged female ancestors (I believe her name was Anna). I say "saw" because Anna was or had become speechless. I suspect she had become senile, unfortunately. What stories Anna could have told of the family's history.

At least Meredeth had a chance to see an old family photograph in which she was able to compare herself, as a young girl, with another girl who was once of the same age. That girl in the old family portrait was now the aged and silent Anna. The physical similarity was remarkable.

On the show, we were shown the old house behind the church in which Meredeth's grandfather was baptized. Also, we saw another family house in the port village, the door rusted and melded shut with age and a few old trunks rotting away inside. The episode was very emotional for me to watch- because I have experienced many of the same feelings that Meredeth felt as she toured her family's homelands and learned of some the colorful culture out of which she came. I believe she finally learned how to correctly pronouce her surname, Vieira; now, if she could just learn to trill her R's.

Bravo NBC's Today Show; I was greatly motivated to keep searching for my own roots and to preserve it for future generations. Someday, someone may appreciated it. Because like the old house in Merideth's video, the door to the past will eventually be stuck closed and then rot into dust. Some of it already has.

References and Links:
I could not immediately see Meredeth's genealogy episode on the Today Show's web site. Perhaps it will show up later. However, the episode appears to be part of a series beginning 25 Aug 2008. In the meantime we can keep looking for a reference at the Show's homepage:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/

Try the following link and click on the video, "Meredith Discovers her Roots":
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/26389261#26389261

What's in a Name? Your Name in History

Psssst, Hey you, Mr. Gullible: Wanna buy your name in history. Why spend a lifetime studying your genealogy when Ancestry.com can provide you with a book on your name in history for only $29.95.

The collage above shows four different book covers which describe the history of a few of the unique surnames in my pedigree. The books are available at Amazon.com. How unique are these particular surnames? Well, as a measure of uniqueness, I searched the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) at Rootsweb.com (which is partnered with Ancestry.com) and obtained the numbers of deceased person for each surname and added the numbers to the collage. Click on the image for a better view. For example, there are only 51 deceased persons in the huge SSDI database (currently 81.5 million names) with a surname of Hohnke. There were only 2 persons named Hohnka (ending with "a"), and both are members of my Family as described in the previous entry.

All 27 Gailliot persons in the SSDI are members of my collective Family. At the SSDI on Rootsweb.com, one can add a "postem" note which can include additional information for any individual in the database. Just think how informative this database would become if users would post a genealogical postem note for each one of their own family members.

An observation: About eight years ago, in the year 2000, there were 36 Hohnke individuals in the SSDI compared to 51 persons at present in this continuously updated and growing database.

Each book in the series entitled, [your name] in History, is published "On Demand" by Ancestry.com and is sold by Amazon.com where I obtained the images of these book covers. The artistic, almost antique-looking, covers show the surname superimposed on a genealogically-themed background of the Statue of Liberty, vintage maps, and immigrants arriving at Ellis Island.

The Product Description at Amazon stated:
"The [your name] in History is a customized book offering a unique blend of fascinating facts, statistics, and commentary ... compiled from hundreds of millions of records from the world's largest online resource ... You may discover the countries and ports they left behind, the ships they sailed and more ... and where they reside today ... check out our collection of nearly 300,000 family name books."

You can see the complete description for the Gailliot book here. Just for fun, in the "books" search bar at the top of the Amazon.com web site, type in "History" and your surname of interest. Sorry Kerbitz, you surname draws a blank.

The Description at Amazon does not claim that any of these books are a genuine GENEALOGY- which I suppose is good for those of us who spend hundreds of hours on genealogical research- ironically, often perusing the multiple databases at Ancestry.com. And I wouldn't mind having a book of my surname if the price drops to about a third of the current retail price. Perhaps a used copy will be become available at Amazon or eBay, but it is not likely since my name is not Smith.

Cachets and First Day Covers

My father was fond of saying, "Well, you learn something new everyday", and I would add that some days you meet people who do the most interesting things everyday. Today, I learned that the CACHET on a First Day of Issue Cover is the graphic that often graces the envelope which is affixed with a first day of issue stamp. I had a hobby of collecting stamps as a kid. And even today, I will tear off every commemorative stamp I receive on a piece of mail and throw into a box. One of these days I will put them in a stamp album. So, when the post office issued a First Day stamp honoring newspaper boys years ago- about 50 years ago actually- I just had to have it because I was in fact a newspaper boy. And as the cachet suggested I was "devoted to the task of preparing myself to be a useful, responsible citizen" - I guess by delivering newspapers ... responsibly. Ahhh, the good old days.

Incidentally, this First Day of Issue cover was mailed to me in Bethesda, MD by no less than the President of the Washington (now defunct) Evening Star- Mr. Samuel H. Kauffmann. Inside was a congratulatory/ inspirational message from the man himself. During the summer, I supplemented my teenage income as a responsible citizen and golf caddy at the Chevy Chase Country Club, of which Mr. Kauffman was a member. Never caddied for him though. Can I use "caddy" as a verb? (I just did).

Getting around to my story, I replied to a query on the message board of the Clearfield County (PA) Historical Society. After a few emails and figuring out our genealogical relationship, my correspondent, Grant, told me that his past time- besides genealogy- was being one of about 600 cachet makers in the country. He even sent me some images of his work. Here, let him speak for himself:

"On the first day the US Postal Service releases a new stamp, they often have a special first day ceremony. But regardless, they do offer a "FIRST DAY OF ISSUE" cancellation for the stamp being released. Cachetmakers- beginning about 1945 or so- began adding graphics or related artwork to an envelope on which they affixed the new stamp (s). This evolved to the point today where there are some very elaborate hand-painted cachets. There are probably about 600 or so active cachetmakers. I joined their ranks last year when a stamp called Polar Lights was issued on October 1, 2007. Actually two stamps to this issue- one Aurora Borealis and one Aurora Australis. I met Per-Andre Hoffmann over the Internet earlier in 2007. Per-Andre is a professional photographer whose photo was used to create the Aurora Australis stamp. I had become intrigued with First Day Covers during the past 2 years or so, and decided to take the plunge and try my hand at producing one. I thoroughly enjoyed this, and so I have continued."

Take the Genealogical Challenge

I have been fortunate enough to obtain facial images for 7 of my 8 great grandparents. Click to enlarge.

Recently I read the results of an interesting survey in Eastman's Online Genealogical Newsletter which was posted 24 Mar 2008. The findings of the survey showed that Americans lacked a knowledge of their family history and in particular their pedigree. The survey was sponsored by The Generations Network (parent company of Ancestry.com) and conducted by an independent source.

The survey discovered that:
*One-third of Americans cannot name any of their great-grandparents.

*Half of Americans know the name of only one or none of their great-grandparents.
*Six out of ten Americans do not know both of their grandmothers' maiden names. (probably even fewer would know the names of their four great grandmothers).

So I thought how I would respond to this survey. Everyone has eight biological great grandparents. For an extra measure, I also provided vital statistics including locations. I numbered my great grandparents according to the "Ahnentafel" system:

8. Karl or August Streich (or Strike), b. ? in Prussia (Posen?); d. 1885 in America.
9. Henrietta Hohnke, b. 1842 in Posen, Prussia; d. 1922 in West Houtzdale, PA.
10. Thomas W. Russell, b. 1847, Holytown, Lanarkshire, Scotland; d. 1928, Cambria Co, PA.
11. Eleanor (or Ellen) Hartley, b. abt 1845, Yorkshire or County Durham, ENG; d. abt 1892, Houtzdale, PA.
12. Henry Caspar Gailliot, b. 1862, Wesel, GER; d. 1926, Alexandria, VA.
13. Franceska (Francoise) Dumoulin, b. 1871, Roeschwoog, Alsace; d. 1941, Alexandria, VA.
14. Joseph Austel, b. 1850, Haindorf, Boehmen; d. 1924, Braddock, PA.
15. Maria Gutgsell, b. 1857, Wintzenheim, Alsace; d. 1895, Burglen, Switzerland.

I've been collecting these data for about 16 or more years, but I tried to recall the above without peeping into my computer's database. I also made these observations:

• All of my great grandparents were born in Europe.
• Three of my four grandparents were also born overseas.
• I can say that my heritage is 6/8 German (based on the German borders, 1871-1918), 1/8 Scottish, and 1/8 English.
• All of my great grandparents died before I was born in 1942. My children saw two of their great grands (Harry McNeeley and Lemma Drake on their Mother's branch).
• Grave sites or burial locations are known for six of my eight great grandparents; but only 4 tombstone inscriptions exist.
• I am not certain of my paternal great grandfather's first name, nor the "correct" spelling of his surname.
• I have facial images of 7 of my 8 great grandparents, almost all of which I discovered in the hands of my collateral family who graciously let me copy them.
• My father was fostered and then adopted by his father's sister, Martha, nee. Streich, who married Robert W. Kramp from Kries Stolp, Hinterpommern (Poland today). Thus, I have a more complex ancestral tree. Oh boy, another tree to climb!

The survey results continued:
*Twenty-two percent of Americans don't know what either of their grandfathers did for a living.

My Response: My paternal grandfather, Otto Strike, was a coal miner; then a machinist for American Car and Foundry Company in Detroit- they made most of the nation's street cars; then a maintenance man (ice plant operator) at Cresson Tuberculosis Sanitarium, PA. My maternal grandfather, Charles Gailliot, was a pattern maker for the Navy Yard in DC.

*Although America is known as a nation of immigrants, 27 percent don't know where their family lived before they came to America.

My Response: I did pretty good on this one. I have even visited the birth places of 3 of my great grandparents: Thomas W. Russell in Holytown, Lanarkshire, Scotland; Henry C. Gailliot, in Wesel, Germany; and Franceska Dumoulin, in Reoschwoog, Alsace. My goal of course would be to visit all birthplaces. You'll hear about it here.

*The study also found that in comparing regions, Southerners know the least about their roots. Only 38 percent know both of their grandmothers' maiden names, compared with 50 percent of Northeasterners.

No comment.

*Young Americans are looking to their roots- 83 percent of 18 to 34 year-olds are interested in learning their family history. Following closely are the 35 to 54 year-olds at 77 percent and Americans ages 55+ at 73 percent.

This surprised me as I thought older Americans would be most interested in knowing their ancestors- after all they will meet them sooner rather than later. And, it would be nice to be acquainted with their names and where they were from- just to make conversation.

References for survey: Dick Eastman's Newsletter, 24 Oct 2008, and The Generations Network

Berwind & White Coal mines in Houtzdale

Coal miners and nippers (boys) at the Eureka No. 5 coal mine in Houtzale, Clearfield Co., PA. Click picture to enlarge; then, click on your browser's back-arrow key to return here. Though some of my ancestors are probably present here, none have been identified. Pictures are from the Berwind Story, a Family History, published in 1993.

My Aunt, Mrs. Gladys Hilburt, born Gladys Russell, the daughter of Andrew Burt Russell and Margaret Walker, told me a story about one of the Russell siblings who immigrated to Houtzdale in the 1880s from the coal mining regions of County Durham, England. Gladys told me that David Russell was a secretary for the Berwind and White Coal Company and used to travel around Pennsylvania on a special train with the president of the Company. David once gave a glass an ink well to his nephew, Andrew Russell (Gladys' father). She said that David Russell never married.

I have a vintage, cabinet-card photograph of the Russell siblings taken probably in the early 1890s in Kruger's studio in Houtzdale which shows five brothers: Thomas W. Russell (my great grandfather), Robert and John Girabaldi Russell, James Fredrick Russell and a brother who has been identified as David. In addition, I have obtained 19th century census reports from the U.K. and baptism records for four of the Russell brothers but I could not find such information for a David Russell in the same family.

Also, inside a 19th century journal which was kept by my great grandfather, Thomas Russell, I found a letter, dated, 29 Dec 1911, which was mailed to Thomas by his younger brother, John G. Russell. The letter head was titled, "Century Club of Syracuse [New York]". The context of the letter indicates that John was sorry to hear that their brother had died and that he could not travel from his home in Syracuse to attend the funeral. However, John did not specifically name the brother nor did he mention where the brother's funeral was being held. John requested that his regards be passed to another brother, Robert, and also to the Dawson family. Through a process of elimination and considering the date of the letter, I speculate that the recently deceased brother was David Russell, and that he probably died in PA. John Russell, the author of the letter, died in 1914 of stomach cancer.

In the 1990's, I contacted the Berwind and White Company which then had offices in Philadelphia, PA. The Company had changed and diversified its business to focus on land holdings and other industries such as pharmaceuticals. They had little archived information on its early employees- they had no information, at least readily on hand, about a secretary named David Russell. On the other hand, Berwind and White company had recently published a family history and she sent me a copy of the book. The publication coincided with centennial celebration of the town of Windber, which is located on the border between the Pennsylvania counties of Cambria and Somerset. Windber is a transposition of the Berwind surname. There is also a Berwind, West Virginian named after the coal mines which were owned and operated by the B&W Company.

The once large coal company was founded by the sons of J__ Berwind who immigrated to America from Bavaria, Germany, in the 1840s. He settled in Philadelphia and opened a music shop in which he sold his handmade violins. Later, he became a very successful cabinet maker. His sons went to the best schools in Philadelphia and became employed in the coal industry. Eventually, they became owners of coal mines which opened in west central Pennsylvania. Their grade of coal was used in the making of steel and also for fuel for the many steam ships which were bringing thousands of immigrants to America at the end of the nineteenth century.

Our immigrant ancestors who arrived in Houtzdale, Clearfield County, in the 1880s were certainly affected by the operations of Berwind Family, and I hope that one day some information will surface regarding one of their employees named David Russell.

A Christmas greeting from the Berwind Family.
Source: The Berwind Story

George Washington H.S., Alexandria, VA: War Memorial

You don't see many of these monuments around modern-day High schools. Most of them are too new. However, here at George Washington High School on Mount Vernon Avenue in Alexandria, VA, is a monument to the fallen soldiers of WW II and former students of the school. It was erected by the graduating classes of 1943, 1944, 1945, and 1947. Names of the fallen are inscribed on another face of the monument.

My mother, Mary Margaret Gailliot, and her brother Charles graduated from the school in 1938. Their yearbooks are archived in the library in Old Town Alexandria.

I just uploaded about 87 images of my Mother's Ancestral Homelands in two albums (Germany, Alsace, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, and Alexandria Virginia) to my Internet photo album at Picasa. This is a reminder that most of my recent blogged photos and several photos from my genealogy and family history can always be found by scrolling down, looking to the right until you come to "See more photos and slide shows" and click on the link to my Google Picasa albums.

A neat feature of Google's partner, Picasa.com, is that photos can be located on a map so that one can follow the family's migrations around the world. Go to my Picasa album , click on "Mother's Ancestral Homelands" album, scroll down, looking to the left until you see the map, and then enlarge.

1910 Souvenir Card from Pleasant Hill Grammar School, Houtzdale, Clearfield Co, PA

(click image for larger view)

One of my genealogical buddies sent me this vintage souvenir booklet from his hometown's grammar school. The cardboard booklet was probably tied together in one corner with a ribbon. I have really enjoyed Ellwood's knowledge of the town where my father and many of his family and friends lived. I heard stories of my dad and his boyhood chums jumping on the cars of the "Pennsy", the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, as it slowly climbed the hill through Ramey, PA, and then traveled on to Houtzdale. As the train slowed down through the next town, the boys jumped off the train, cleared the surrounding fences and headed toward a cowboy movie at the Sherkel theater.

One time, as the kids jumped off the train, they heard a loud hiss and several of the railroad cars separated. They thought they had disconnected the cars by some mishap. As one of the riders told me many years later, "We not only cleared the fence, we didn't even seeee the fence".

Over the years, I've done quite a bit genealogical research regarding inhabitants of the town- going through local cemeteries, reading old parish records of the German Lutheran church, and searching censuses. I recognized some of the names on this souvenir card.

Julius Viebahn, one of the school officers, was a leader of the German community. His daughter, Elizabeth Viehbahn, was apparently a teacher at Pleasant Hill. While most of Julius' German associates were coal miners, I believe Julius was a very successful merchant. A few years ago, another researcher named Rick contacted me because he was trying to collect data on all the Viebahn families in America. I sent him a picture of "our" Julius' tombstone in Brisbin cemetery. I was disappointed he didn't acknowledge my donation. But he had posted on his web site an image of a beer stein imprinted with the name of Julius Viebahn which I now present and acknowledge below:

The mug was made in PA, so perhaps "our" Julius had them manufactured to promote his business in Houtzdale.

Sadly, one of Julius' young children died at 10 years of age. The Parish Record of the German Lutheran church recorded that "Emil Viebahn, son of Julius Viebahn and wife, Margarethe, was born in 1890, died 9 Nov 1900 and buried 11 Nov, in Brisbin Cemetery, PA. The funeral in church was overcrowded. - Pastor E.A. Born". That was the second son of Julius to die at a young age. Both sons are buried at the I.O.O.F. cemetery in Brisbin.

Some of the students listed in the souvenir booklet were actually related to the teacher's mother. Mrs. Margarethe Viehbahn, nee. Lewis, was the aunt of Mabel Samuels and her younger brother, Edward Samuels, through their grandfather, Owen Lewis. You will have to go to the genealogical chart of my Father's web site to follow that relationship. Point is: school discipline was probably a family affair.

There are two Barnes children listed as students. There were probably related to Mr Thomas Barnes who started up coal mining operations in a young town in Cambria County, PA, which they named Barnesboro in his honor. The honor did not last, because at the millenium in 2000, the towns' father's merged Barnesboro with the adjoining town of Spangler and created a "modern" entity which they called "Northern Cambria" which I think is forgettable (is it north or northern?). And darn, another piece of my heritage gone.

Incidentally, William Todhunter, President School Officer, was also an official of Barnesboro Coal Company.

Oh yes, Nellie Rhodes, another student, was the mother-in-law of Ellwood Zimmerman, who sent me the images of this booklet. Nellie Dainty's mother, Mary Ann, nee. Dainty, was linked to my Hartley Line through her sister's marriage (Emma Dainty married Thomas Hartley in 1892). Got all that?

Source of Souvenir Booklet: Ellwood Zimmerman

Gifts of Family History from Rudolf, in Wesel, Germany

On the wall of my office, I have a beautiful calendar showing views from the Lower Rhein Valley (Niederrhein in German). On the right bank of the Rhine River where the Lippe canal meets the river lies Wesel, Germany. It is the homeland (Heimat) of the Gailliot family. The calandar was sent to me on Christmas by my friend and fellow family historian, Rudolf Kerbitz. In addition, Rudolf sent me several other gems for our Family History, such as a tourist brochure of Wesel which included an historical "Stadtchronik Wesel" (chronical of Wesel City). The article contained vintage photos of the City before it was bombed during the last months of WW II. Over 90 percent of the City was destroyed. However, the city recovered and reconstructed many of the buildings and churches- including the Dom or Cathedral. One building project which has just begun is the restoration of the old Rathaus. A corner stone containing a time capsul was laid last October, 2007, during the celebration of Wesel's former membership in the ancient Hanseatic League. Wesel was a commercial partner along the trading route between Koln (Cologne) and Amsterdam. Today, Wesel has formed partnerships between Hagerstown, MD, and ironically, Durham, England, from where my father's maternal branch, the Russell family, emigrated.

Most important in my gift package were copies of several pages from a recently published transcript, "Das Kirchenbuch der Katholisch Kirchengemeinde St. Mariae Himmelfahrt Wesel, Heiraten 1835 bis 1849", compiled by Kurt Grüter. This publication contains Marriage entries between these dates at the Catholic church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Wesel. Fortunately, both the first and the second marriages of Anton Gailliot were documented:

Firstly, Anton Gailliot, born 16 May 1816, in Saarbrücken, son of Johann GAILLIOT and Elisabeth PIERRE; married on 2 May 1841, in Wesel, to Maria DISSEL, born 29 Jan 1814, in Wesel, daughter of Andreas Dissel and Maria HÜNING. Zeugen (witnesses) Heinrich Müller, Gertrude Dehörs.

Secondly, Anton Gailliot, witwer (widower) of Maria Dissert (sic), born 16 May 1815, in Saarbrucken, son of Johann Gailliot and Elisabeth PIERNE (sic); married on 22 Oct 1848, in Wesel, to Johann Helena Theodora SCHLEBUSCH, born 2 Sep 1819, in Rees [Germany], daughter of Johann Schlebusch and Johanna OFFENBERG; Zeugen (witnesses): Heinrich Dissel, Mechtildis Wagener.

You may have noticed the discrepancy for Anton Gailliot's birth year and the different maiden surnames for Anton's mother (Pierre and Pierne). Close match, but anything less wouldn't be a challenge, would it?

Thank you Rudolf, I'm extremely grateful.

For more views of Niederrhein, including a few of Wesel, go to Heinz' Picasa album at: http://picasaweb.google.com/heinzkarthaeuser/AmNiederrhein

Charles Gailliot was a full-blooded brother of Henry Gailliot rather than his half-brother

Tombstone for Charles Gailliot, 1847-1895, and his second wife, Mary [Jund], 1860-1933, at St. Mary's cemetery, Lawrenceville, PA. However, not all things written in stone are true- particularly in genealogical research.

Recently, I discovered a reference which will substantially change our Gailliot Genealogy. Previously, I thought that Charles (or Karl) Gailliot was a half-brother of my great grandfather, Henry Caspar Gailliot, based on the former's estimated birth year. See picture of the early Gailliot family in previous blog entry. I have five sources for Charles Gailliot's birth year of which three indicated he was born in 1847; and two sources, in 1849. The difference in the two dates is significant, because the FIRST WIFE of Anton Gailliot, the father of Charles and Henry, died on 2 August 1848. So if Charles was born a year before his mother died, he would be a half-brother of Henry who was born in 1862 of Anton and his second wife, Helen Schlebusch. The evidence:

1. Charles Gailliot's tombstone inscription indicates his birth year was 1847.
2. The cemetery records of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Pittsburgh states Charles was fatally injured after being run over by a train in Mar, 1895, when he was 48 years old (estimated born about 1847).
3. From Charles Gailliot's Civil Death Registration at Pittsburgh courthouse his estimated birth year from his age, 48 years, when he died in Mar 1895 is 1847 (1895-48=1847). Also, it states his MOTHER was "Marie" who died in Aug 1848, suggesting that Charles must have been born before 1848.
4. Charles' parish marriage record states he was 25 years old when he married Barbara Weitmuller on 21 May 1874; estimated born 1849 (1874-25=1849).
5. From Pittsburgh Marriages Registration: Charles was 33 years old when he married his second wife, Mary Jund, in 1882; estimated born 1849 (1882-33=1849).

The most compelling evidence for Charles' birth year until now was the third source listed above- his Civil Death Registration. HOWEVER, I just discovered a pair of 1891 passport applications (at Ancestry.com) for both Charles Gailliot and his younger brother, Henry, which states Charles was born specifically on 10 June 1849. In other words, both Charles and Henry Gailliot could only be the sons of Anton's SECOND wife, who was Helen Schlebusch. Thus, Charles and Henry were full-blooded brothers rather than half-brothers.
Indeed, the parish death entry for Anton's FIRST wife stated she was survived by only one son, Laurenz Gailliot. Subsequently, I found a later parish record that stated Laurenz Gailliot died at 16 years and 6 months, on 7 Feb 1862- only 2 days before Henry Gailliot was born, on Feb 9th. What a mixture of grief and joy those days must have been for the Gailliot family.

Further evidence has been discovered by Rudolf Kerbitz, my genealogy collaborator in Germany, in a recent publication, "Marriage Transcriptions of St. Maria Himmelfahrt in Wesel". Anton Gailliot married secondly to Helen Schlebush on 22 Oct 1848- only 3 months after his first wife, Marie Dissel, passed away. And then, along came the birth of Charles Gailliot just 8 months later. It all seems to fit- ever so tightly!

The place where I was born, Alexandria, VA

I was happy to participate for the first time in the Scottish Christmas Walk in Alexandria this year. Because, not far from the parade route is the Stoneleigh Apartments where my parents lived when I was born in the early 1940s. The address is 409 Cameron Street. I wonder if they will put up an historical marker here someday: "Born near here was Bob Kramp who wrote extensive genealogies of nearly all his Family Lines which nobody ever read (and an unread blog too)". Oh well.

However, on the south side of old town Alexandria, at St. Mary's Cemetery, oldest Catholic Cemetery in Virgina, are buried my great grandfather, Henry Caspar Gailliot, his wife, Franceska, nee. Dumoulin, and my grandparents, Charles Anthony Gailliot and Margaret, nee. Austel, and several other members of the Gailliot family. Incidentally, our first president, George Washington, donated funds for the cemetery in honor of one of his officers, Fitzgerald. See the historical marker.

Streich surnames on the Immigrant Wall of Honor, Ellis Island

Looks like I'm holding my finger in a dike to keep the island from being flooded. But no, I'm pointing to the Streich surnames on the Immigrant Wall of Honor on Ellis Island. When I visited the Wall in 1997, there were about 500,000 or about half a million former immigrants inscribed. I remember the number being about 10 times higher than the inscriptions on the Vietnam War Memorial Wall in Washington, DC. There were only 4 Streich surnames, but no Kramp, Gailliot, or Gutgsell surnames from my other family branches whose names are rather unique. Inside the restored immigrant processing station, there were computers on which you could look up your surnames of interest and also find the panel number on the Wall where you could find your name inscribed.

One could donate $100 to the Ellis Island Foundation to put a surname on the Wall, but at the time, I thought it would be a better use of my money to further research my genealogy. Birth certificates and other legal documents are not free for the asking. I'm still looking for that rich, new-found cousin to help financially with some of the research. However, genealogy is not everybody's cup of tea. Furthermore, we could use some of that money to inscribe our Gailliot surname on the corner stone of the townhall (Rathaus) in Wesel, Germany, which is currently being restored to its original splendor.

I obtained the donors and their addresses of some of the Streich surnames on the Wall. I then traced one of those persons to a Streich medical doctor someplace in Pennsylvania. I telephoned the individual's office; talked to the receptionist; and later dropped the side trail. That particular Streich individual was not immediately known to be a member of our family line.


Incidentally, when our Streich ancestors came to America in the early 1880s, they were processed at Castle Garden on the mainland of Manhatten, rather than Ellis Island- which wasn't opened until 1892.

A few days ago, a lady stumbled onto my web site, and being descended from a Streich family line, asked me if I had any connection to her family. The surname is rather unique and I have found a few nests of people bearing the Streich surname. I even started a separate database to keep up with these unrelated families. But in this case, there didn't SEEM to be a connection. Nevertheless, I promised her I would post here a photo of the Streich names which I found on the Immigrant Wall of Honor:

P.S. Thought I better write down the names of the immigrants so that search engines could find the text and hopefully a descendent might get in touch with me:

Kaspar Streich

Margaret Cewe Striech

Maria Isabel Pozo Streich

Reinhold Streich

Tombstone Remembrances

Bumper sticker on the car of a genealogist: "Warning: this car stops at all cemeteries.

Yes, genealogists believe that cemeteries can be pretty interesting. Because of maintenance efficiency, however, many cemeteries won't even allow fresh flowers to be placed on the grave (plastic is usually OK). Then again, some of the more remote cemeteries not only allow live plantings, but some, as in the example above, allow the display of trinkets which may represent the deceased. You can tell this deceased fellow loved his old truck and perhaps a favorite tractor. Didn't the Egyptian Royalty arrange to have many of their life's treasures buried with them- such as gold, jewelry, and maybe a wife or two?

I think, if I have a tombstone with an unlimited display area, I would place there: a pair of old hiking boots, my vintage Raleigh bicycle with its chrome handle bar brakes, my 1969 VW bus which I converted into a camper (a modified toy version might do), copies of several genealogy reports, maybe my old wedding ring from my ex, my wooden hiking stick I carved myself, a picture of the yurt I built, and a small wooden banjo that I also made. On the back of the banjo's resonator I carved a logo of the Appalachian Trail. I believe that about covers my dreams- those accomplished and those unfinished.

If I could ever get the poll feature working at his blog site, I would love to know what YOU would place on your grave stone. In the meantime, write it in the comments section. Sorry, only one or two items allowed. Your stone is smaller than mine.

Curators and Genealogists at E.O. Austin Historical Society, PA

Meet Denise and John who are curators and genealogists at the E.O. Austin Home and Historical Society on the town square in Austin, Potter Co., PA. They were very helpful and generous in providing information on the town where my Lininger and Lentz families resided since the late 1920s. Fortunately my families of interest were not living in Austin in 1911, when the Bayliss Papermill Dam broke and torrents of water inundated the town killing about 78 people. Denise has been researching and interviewing relatives and townspeople who knew of those who died in the tragedy. Behind the couple are bricks salvaged from the destroyed town. Inscribed on the bricks are those persons known to have died in the flood; but many more were probably never known or recovered. Note brick to left of Denise (click image to enlarge) which reads, "Zella Lockwood died of shock the following day [after the flood]. The disaster occurred at a time when many single, recent immigrants were in town working in the paper mills, and whose families and friends just stopped hearing from them.

For example, my grandfather's brother Julius Strike abandoned his wife and child in the early 1900s and was never heard from again. He never turned up in subsequent censuses or other documents. Did Julius also meet a similar fate as these Austin flood victims? What is known is that Julius' abandoned wife, the former Leah Lewis, re-married a Delbert Lininger and was living in Austin when she died in 1929. Leah and Delbert's daughter, Marcia Gretchen Lininger, grew up in the town and married Richard E. Lentz, Jr, in 1940. They are buried in Austin's Forest Hills Cemetery. A complete transcription of the cemetery is available at the Austin Historical Home.

By the way, as I entered town on this day, I read a sign which read, "Welcome to Austin, Judy Bolton Country". The curators told me that a town native, Rachel Beebe, wife of William Sutton, was the author of several, well-known children's mysteries. She wrote under the pen name of Margaret Sutton. The protagonist in Margaret's books was a girl named Judy Bolton and the setting of her books of course was a rural, mountainous town like Austin. The museum's collections carried several of Margaret Sutton's books. Margaret's husband, William, was an author himself and wrote the History of Potter County.

John Hartley Line, Philipsburg Cem, Centre Co, PA

There was surely a genealogist in the family when this tombstone was inscribed. Look, full dates and even a maiden surname: Ann WILSON. I've surmised for some time that John HARTLEY was related to my 2X great grandfather, William HARTLEY, who was buried at nearby Brisbin Cem, and who does NOT have a tombstone. So, as I started to follow the individuals back in time thru the British censuses (thanks to Ancestry.com), I discovered that William was born in 1823 in a small (~140 persons), rural village called Summerhouse, in Gainford Parish, County Durham, ENG. Then, in the 1841 and 1851 censuses, both William and John could be placed into the family of a William Hartley and Ann; indeed, VERY common names. But fortunately, Ann's mother, Elizabeth Langstaff, was also enumerated in the household. So, my pedigree jumped back another generation for the Hartley Line. Now, I can document that my 3X great grandparents were William Hartley, the Elder, and Ann LANGSTAFF. And of course, 2 of their 11 children were the confirmed brothers William and John Hartley, who immigrated to Houtzdale, Clearfield Co (William) or Philipsburg, Centre Co (John W.), PA. The challenge now is to learn the fate of the other nine children.

For a neat trip, go to Google Maps, satellite view, and zero in on England> County Durham in the north> and finally, Summerhouse. One can see the rural nature of the village, the old post office, and the old Methodist Chapel. See if this link will take you to Summerhouse hybid map at Google.

Or go to "Keys to the Past" which displays vintage and modern maps of Summerhouse, Gainford Parish, County Durham, England

The Freedom Writers

Image: Nineteenth century journal of my great grandfather, Thomas W. Russell

I like a book or movie which puts into words and pictures something that I have difficulty expressing myself. And that is why I really enjoyed the recent video, "The Freedom Writers". An idealistic, young teacher, who grew up in a gated communty, puts on her pearl necklace and begins her first day trying to teach an ethnically diverse class of students in Los Angeles. A black kid comes into the classroom dribbling a basketball and boisterously takes a seat. The troubles start from here and proceed to the students expressing their anger and disrespect for the white teacher who could not possibly relate to their life in the hood- particularly during the racial tensions which followed the beating of Rodney King. But the teacher, who is Erin Gruel in real life, pulls her energy and enthusiasm together to get the students to write out their anger and frustration in diaries. She purchases the blank notebooks out of her own pocket. Eventually, she takes on a second job to pay for field trips and noncurriculum books, like "The Diary of Anne Frank. The roudy students, who have intolerance problems of their own, had never heard of the Holocaust. The video also presents a second, ancillary story. The teacher strives and succeeds but she has little time and energy to give to her marriage. In a tearful confrontation with her husband, she says "I really liked the idea [of marriage]". The marriage fails. Which begs the question: Can one have both a busy, successful career and a good marriage. That would be a another story. Incidentally, I was married to a teacher and was also a teacher myself for a few years.

At the end of the movie the vastly changed and inspired students not only want to stay in school and graduate, but they publish their diaries as a class project- and the Freedom Writers Project begins and continues to this day.

However, this is the passage that really spoke to me: "[Our teacher] told us we had something to say to people. We weren't just kids in a class anymore. We were writers with our own voices, our own stories; and even if nobody else read it, the book would be something to leave behind us that says we were here. THIS is what happened. WE mattered even if was just to each other. And we won't forget."

Often, I feel very lonely and ineffective and just throwing words into the air when I write about our family history. Afterall, I am trying to interest somebody, anybody, my own family, in knowing a little about our family history. How we came to be here in America. The fact that I find our history interesting does not mean that others will. Genealogy, especially, is not everybody's bag, as I've been told in no uncertain terms- by my own relatives, distant though they were. But this is not just dates and names or who descended from who, it's about real lives of real people.

My great grandfather, Thomas W. Russell, born in the coal mining fields of Scotland, was so grateful that he could purchase a book of blank pages to write a few sentences sporadically over a 5 year period, but he brought the journal to America and kept it for another 40 years until his death. He wrote about the deaths of his two first-born daughers, probably of typhoid (meaning unsanitary living conditions):

"... we ware idel [out of work] 8 months and that was a sorryful year to me. We lost our daughter Jane Ann. Bliss hir. She was a fine daughter to us and loving one but we hope to met hir again, God bing willing."

He wrote about the News items of the day which interested him- collapse of the Tay bridge in Scotland; a suicide in the coal fields; Giant Trees in America:

"... The largest tree in the world there is at present on exhibition in New York a section of tree which has been brought form California. ..."

Did Thomas immigrate to America just so he could see such giant trees? I doubt if he saw them, but he did see similar wild forests when he first settled in Pennsylvania.

More on Thomas W. Russell's journal.

So, as the Freedom Writers finally realized, my great grandfather had something to say. I have something to say. You have something to say. And we will write it down because we are (were) here ... and this is how it happened.

Pssst, Wanna few good genealogy tips?

My friend, genealogist, and Monroe librarian. The Dickinson Room at our local library is filled with genealogy books, files and local history. Patricia keeps the room well-stocked with the latest journals on the subject and schedules interesting speakers and workshops. Not content to sit just sit at the desk, she also prowls the county looking for old, historical grave yards; transcribes inscriptions; and takes pictures of some of the more interesting tombstones. Check out her blog at: http://www.randomnotes-patriciacarol.blogspot.com/ Update: Pat's blog was removed. To see some of her tombstone pictures, go HERE.

Incidentally, our library allows patrons to access the national Proquest database of genealogical data at their home computers. All one has to do is obtain a library card, ask Patricia for a password, and then log onto the library's web page. Patrons can also access some of the major databases at Ancestry.com. But, you will have to visit the library and use their computers for that particular feature.

I found it!

I look at the marriage applications and returns at the Clearfield County Courthouse, Pennsylvania, on May 25, 2007. Marriage Records are archived back to 1885. In the 1990s, the records were indexed and put on computer. But, one must still go back to the original records to find the parents' names and who married the couple. Other information may include occupations and residences.

Today, I found several records such as (extracted):

Page 455; No. 6089:
Henry S. ZIMMERMAN, 34, coal miner, son of Soloman and Elizabeth, married on 1 Jan 1896, by E.A. Born, minister of the Gospel; to THERESA A. BERNDT, 20, daughter of William and Mary. Both bride and groom reside in Ramey.

And later the widowed Theresa, nee. Berndt, remarries:
Book 24; No. 18237:

Samuel Kuhn, 31, miner, of Ramey, PA, son of Daniel and Jennie; married in June 1912 by James W. Ruffner, Justice of the Peace, to THERESA ZIMMERMAN, 36, of Ramey, daughter of William and Mary. Death of Bride's former husband [Henry Zimmerman]: 28 Dec 1909.

Note: Theresa Berndt was the sister of Albert Berndt who married Maria Kramp, the older sister of my adopted grandfather, Robert "Pop" Kramp.

***

As I thumbed through the yellowed and tattered pages, I remarked to a fellow researcher in the room (the lady who took my picture) that these books would not last forever with this amount of wear and tear. Book spines are broken and some of the more greasy indexes have been laminated. She told me that nearby Blair County, PA, was indeed transferring original records to microfilm, and then, probably to compact disks. The county staff was in the process of throwing the old, original books into a dumpster, when an alert passerby, who just happened to belong to the Blair Co Historical Society, rescued the records and transferred them to the Society's archives in Hollidaysburg. Good Catch!