Once again the Christmas season is here. Lots of hustle and bustle abound as we prepare for the approaching holiday. In addition to sending cards, displaying decorations, buying and wrapping gifts, time is spent in the kitchen preparing holiday meals and making cookies and candies. Many people I know make the same holiday goodies year after year, some of which are long established traditions following family recipes that have been handed down over several generations. Continue reading
General
Anniversary of the Armistice
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. At that precise moment in 1918, the armistice to end the fighting of World War I went into effect, with the official peace treaty signed months later in Versailles. The war had raged in Europe for over 4 years, with most of the combat occurring in eastern France and western Russia. Regarded by many Americans as a European dispute, the United States maintained neutrality until the spring of 1917 when it entered the fray and declared war on Germany. Continue reading
The Spanish Flu of 1918
October 1918 was one of the scariest months for many Americans. That year the United States, and the world, suffered the deadliest influenza pandemic in history. One fifth of the world population is thought to have contracted the 1918 influenza virus, also referred to as the Spanish Flu. In the U.S., deaths from complications of the disease were estimated at between 500,000 and 675,000, with most occurring in October 1918. Fatalities worldwide have been placed at between 30 and 50 million. With the proportion of the population that was infected, it is likely every family knew someone who had the flu, or even succumbed to it. I found some cousins who had the Spanish Flu, but the closest family member known to be infected with it was my grandfather’s brother Ira Rugh Ludwick. Continue reading
Savoring Summer
With the bounty of summer comes the amazing tastes of fresh produce. Sweet juicy peaches that ooze down your chin. Corn on the cob dripping with butter. Ripe red tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, radishes, the list goes on. However, there are some summer flavors, like strawberries and grapes that seem to transport me back in time. Continue reading
Vital Records: Family Bibles
For a genealogist, family bibles can be a tremendous source of vital family information, although these details are not as easily accessible as civil or church records, which are generally available to the public at large. Family bibles, in addition to the Old and New Testaments, contain a center section to record family events, such as births, marriages and deaths. Since entries are handwritten, a family bible is a unique repository of family data. If a family had been religious in its entries, this book would hold a wealth of family history. The disadvantage, however, is that the audience is limited, since the book is kept by one family. Continue reading
Misc. Tax Rolls — Columbia County PA
As in I had done previously in 2016 and 2017, April’s post includes some extracts from early tax rolls, this time featuring Columbia County, PA. Since April 15th is the deadline to file tax forms for individual earned income, April is considered by many to be “Tax Month”. Besides earned income, citizens must also pay taxes to their county municipalities for real or personal property they own. The records below capture Real Estate (R), Personal (P), and Other (O) taxes for the listed individuals. Continue reading
Family Photos: Unnamed
Today snapping a photograph is as easy as using a cell phone to take a multitude of pictures that can be shared around the world in an instant. Quite a contrast to the first photograph in 1826 that took hours to be exposed and most likely had a limited audience. As photography evolved throughout the 19th century, more people sat to have their portraits taken by professional photographers, usually at a studio. Since this was not a frequent event—perhaps even a once in a lifetime occasion—duplicate prints were often made and distributed to family and friends. This is why some distant cousins have the identical portrait of their great-grandparents.
Vital Records: PA Register of Deaths
Prior to the formation of the PA Department of Health vital record keeping in the commonwealth was intermittent. In the early days of Pennsylvania there were no state rules to record life events such as deaths. A brief period in the 1850s required counties to record mortalities; compliance was low and after a few years the practice dissolved. Around the 1870s a few cities like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia initiated their own practice of tracking who died in their jurisdiction. By the end of the 19th century Pennsylvania again required counties to record deaths beginning in 1893. Each county developed its own method of gathering information that might vary slightly from one county to the next. Continue reading
World War One Selective Service
2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the United States entering the Great War, more commonly known as World War I, which impacted many of our ancestors. It began on June 28, 1914 when a Serbian nationalist assassinated Austrian Archduke Ferdinand; a month later Austria Hungary declared war on Serbia. A few weeks later this regional conflict had escalated into a full scale war as most European countries had entered the fray, with the larger powers of Germany, Britain and France bearing much of the burden and casualties. Over the next three years as the war raged on with no end in sight, the possibility loomed that America might be pulled into it. Continue reading
Misc. Tax Rolls — Westmoreland County PA
Personal income taxes are usually due on April 15th, although for 2017 the deadline was moved to April 18th. When the 15th falls on the weekend, the deadline is moved to Monday. However, Washington D.C., observes a work holiday for Emancipation Day on April 16, so when this falls on a Sunday, the observation is moved to Monday the 17th. This in turn bumps the tax deadline back one more day to April 18th giving citizens several more days to file—or in some cases procrastinate. Continue reading
Relatively Speaking Blog 