Chasing History

Week 9: The theme for Week 9 is “Family Secret.” Have you uncovered a family secret? This particular family secret isn't Earth shattering or scandalous.  There was always a family theory that my great-grandmother, Apollonia Napoleone, had a husband in Italy that died before she came to America and that her mother shipped her off to alone to America as a young widow. While the story wasn't entirely accurate, there was a thread of truth to it. Apollonia did indeed have a marriage before she met and married my great-grandfather, Giuseppe Casini. She had been married to Domenico Giusti in Italy. He came to America and she followed in September 1913. They both returned to Italy and unfortunately Domenico died during World War I, fighting in the Italian Alps against the Austro-Hungarian army. When Apollonia again arrived at Ellis Island on 15 June 1917, she appeared in the documents as a widow.  Domenico Giusti   February 27, 1888 June 21, 1916 Died: The Seven Municipalities Pl...

  Week 8: The theme for Week 8 is “Migration.” Almost everyone has ancestors who came from somewhere else. Who is someone in your family tree who moved away from where they were born? How did they get there? How far did they move? George David Meisenhelder 1712–1757 7th great-grandfather  George is my 7th great-grandfather and was originally from Germany. He was born in Gemmingen, Baden-Württemburg, Germany on October 30, 1712. George came to America in 1751. In historical documents he is referred to as " Georg David 'Minnonite Immigrant Settler of Mt. Joy Township Lancaster County' Meisenhalder/Meisenhelder". His fist wife, Barbara Bachman, died in 1744 after four years of marriage. In America he remarried, Maria Fischer, in 1792. Their son, Johann David Meisenhelder, is my Patriot for the Daughters of the American Revolution. George traveled 4,020 miles from Gemmingen to Mount Joy, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Source Information Ancestry.com. U.S. and Canada, Passenger...

  Week 7: The theme for Week 7 is “Letters & Diaries.” Not much beats finding a letter or diary written by an ancestor. Do you have any in your family? Who wrote them? If you don’t have any letters or diaries, which ancestor do you wish had left some? Rosella Jane Gross   Great-aunt Born: 30 Dec 1926 Newberry, York, Pennsylvania, USA Died:  July 1972 Camp Hill, Cumberland, Pennsylvania, USA I found some of my great aunt Rosella's letters from the 1940's. The letter on the white paper is from her friend Grace, who was writing to tell her about a recent x-ray and some teenage gossip.  Thomasville, Mar 28th, 1947 "I had to undress to my waist and he...took a picture of the top part of my chest like an x-ray. He is just a young doctor. He said 'ah! nearly as nice inside as out`. Hell I could of fell through the floor. He is fresh as Hell." Then they gossip about a guy named Harry. The letter ends with "Don't say anything to Harry. Please!"   The let...

An Enduring History Mystery  What we know- • Male, Civil War veteran  •Killed by train in Goldsboro around 1890, discovered laying beside the tracks •Tattoo on arm - Co. K N.Y.V •Newberry Township residents raised the funds to have him buried in Paddletown Cemetery •A police investigation that spanned multiple states didn't turn up any leads. No potential family members have ever come forward  What options are there for discovering who the Paddletown Unknown Civil War Soldier is? •Exhume the body and do genetic genealogy While expensive and not a 100% guarantee, it's the best bet for discovering his identity and returning him to his family.  Story covered by Fox43: https://youtu.be/rOHCtOnRYE8?si=YdR6BGSlAbclDYvC

  Week 6: The theme for Week 6 is “Surprise.” What ancestor dealt with a surprising thing in their life? Any stories of surprise birthday parties? How about the most surprising thing you’ve found or something in a surprising place? I am the creator of the Facebook group, Preserving the History of Newberrytown. My family has ties to Newberrytown dating back to the 1700s, which was way before it was even called Newberrytown. My grandparents knew everyone. My parents knew everyone. I grew up knowing everyone. The joke was always, "Be careful who you date because you might be related!". A few years ago I attended a presentation at the Red Land Community Library. Scott Mingus, renowned Civil War author, was giving a talk on murder mysteries, based on his book Marauders & Murderers: Civil War Mysteries of York County, Pa.  Scott started recounting the story of  Jeremiah Miley Spahr , a soldier from Company H of the 87th Pennsylvania who had walked back to his home following...