Relatively Speaking Blog

Summer is a great time to take a break and vacation, even if it is for a quick weekend getaway to relax or visit family. Today, many people share pictures and posts of their travels on Facebook. But in the first half of the 20th century and before, the newspaper was the social media of the time informing readers of the adventures of their neighbors. Whether it was spending a week, a few days or just an evening enjoying dinner or celebrating an occasion, one might find a small blurb in a local newspaper recounting the event.

Over the past few years, I have spotted numerous examples of my relatives’ adventures. I used to give little attention to these accounts, until I realized the significant of these blurbs, especially for a relative I knew little about. Now I take the time to glean any new details I can from these brief yet informative reports for relatives I am researching.

Even the most modest mention can offer some insight. For instance, while looking for Ellery Swank, his name was mentioned in a March 1914 edition of the Williamsport newspaper under news of the Hughesville area: “Mrs. Barney Star, of Sonestown, is the guest of her daughter, Mrs. Ellery Swank.” Later in December of that year another listing reported, “Mr. and Mrs. Ellery Swank spent Sunday with Mr. and Mrs. Barney Starr, of Sonestown.” Several facts can be gleaned and put into a timeline to determine if this was the same Ellery in my tree.

Most obvious is when and where these two parties lived. In 1914 the Swanks lived in Hughesville and the Starrs lived about 15 miles away in Sonestown. This informs me of other documents to search, such as tax lists or city directories, to find additional information on these two families. Although this falls in the middle of two census enumerations, it gives a likely location to search for these families in 1910 and 1920. Also if creating a timeline, we know that the Swanks were married sometime in 1914 or before. Ellery’s wife’s maiden name possibly was Starr and if this is family living nearby, the marriage probably took place in Lycoming County.

Reviewing the information I had on Ellery Swank, I had listed his wife as Celia Magargel. A note suggested her father’s surname might have been Starr, and mother’s maiden name Magargel. Although the newspaper lists Barney Starr, other research confirmed that Celia’s father was Charles, so Barney probably was a nickname. Had I no information on Ellery, this small item would be a starting point, but for me it substantiated some minimal facts I had for this couple.

Looking at another example, in October of 1948 in Decatur IL, two newspapers ran the same story with the headline, “Robert Rugh Here For Short Visit.” This mentioned that Robert was on a business trip from Clarion PA, and stopped to visit his mother, Mrs. W.E. Rugh. This short article also mentioned his sister Virginia, and reported that she was teaching physical education at Colorado State Teachers College in Greeley CO. In reviewing Robert Rugh in my database, I found that he was the son of Walter and Jennie Rugh who lived in Decatur. I was intrigued that it also gave an update about his sister.

Like the Swanks above, sometimes the same individuals were mentioned at different events in the same paper or were found visiting the same people but at different times, thus appearing in multiple editions. In the Williamsport Sun-Gazette, the news for Muncy on July 13, 1911 reported that “Mrs. Parvin Swisher and granddaughter, Miss Harriet Swisher, have returned to their home at Milton, after a two weeks’ visit with Mrs. Edward Spring on R.D. No. 6.” Two years later a similar report read, “Miss Harriet Swisher has returned to Milton, after a visit with her aunt, Mrs. Edward Spring, of R.D. No. 1.”

Since both Spring and Swisher are names in my family tree, I searched for them in my database. Edward Spring is in my tree as a first cousin four times removed, and his wife, Elizabeth, coincidentally, was a Swisher. Three generations are mentioned in these blurbs, and since Mrs. Spring, or Elizabeth, was Harriet’s aunt, it is likely that she was also the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Parvin Swisher. Parvin is not in my database, so I do not know how he fits into my Swisher line. These two items will help to begin the search. Knowing that Parvin lived in Milton PA, I can search for other documents in that area to see how Parvin and his granddaughter Harriet might be related to my Swisher ancestors.

Sometimes these mentions can provide an indication of a relationship between two people as I experienced with some Ludwick relatives. For some time I had been trying to identify all the children of my 3rd great grandparents, Abraham and Mary. They lived in Westmoreland and Allegheny Counties where they grew up and started their family. In the mid-1830s they resided in Jefferson County for over 20 years before returning to Allegheny County. In the 1830 and 1840 census, there were several tick marks for children that I had not been able to identify. For all my searching, I found nothing that named these three mystery children.

As I researched Abraham, I noticed a George Ludwick who lived in the vicinity of Abraham in Jefferson County. Shortly after the Ludwicks moved back to Allegheny County, this George Ludwick relocated nearby in Westmoreland County. As I gathered more information, I suspected that George was one of these unidentified children. However, with all the information I found on George, I had never been able to find any concrete proof of a relationship to Abraham and Mary.

A known son of Abraham and Mary, Conrad Ludwick, had moved to Kansas by the 1880s. Years later as I was combing the newspapers in their area of Kansas for obituaries and other items of note, I found various mentions of people visiting Conrad, usually his children. But then I came across one notice that stuck out, which read, “Mrs. Doughtery and Mrs. Kramer, sister and niece of Mr. C. Ludwick, are here from the east and visiting with himself and family.” A similar one a few weeks after this one listed the niece as Mrs. Kamerer.

I knew Conrad’s sister, Mrs. Doughtery was Anna Maria, but who was his niece, Mrs. Kamerer/Kramer? Kamerer was a familiar name, but when I reviewed the children of Conrad’s siblings, none had married a Kamerer or Kramer. Then I looked at the children of the mystery George Ludwick and I found he had a daughter Adaline, who had married Samuel Kamerer. For all my research, this small mention has been the only link I have garnered over the years between George and the other Ludwicks. As I look for more definitive proof, this blurb makes me feel confident that George is indeed one of the three mystery children of Abraham and Mary.

When going through the papers, often one can find a few mentions about visits a relative received or took, like those mentioned above. Many newspapers from the past have been microfilmed and can be found in libraries in the area they covered. With digitization, newspapers from the first part of the 20th century continue to be made available online, with the ability to search for names and articles more quickly. When you encounter one of these blurbs, examine it for all the clues available to determine the time and place someone lived, the relationships between people mentioned, and the purpose of the visit. You might be surprised at the wealth of information these brief mentions might hold.