Cora Mae Swank was my great grand aunt and a sister to my great-grandfather Charles Swank. She was the youngest of nine children born to Henry and Matilda Swisher Swank on April 20, 1874, in Davidson Township, Sullivan County, PA. She spent her entire life in the vicinity of North Mountain PA. Wanting to know more about my ancestor’s sister, I used census and other documents to glean information about her life. Continue reading
Swank
Census through the Years: Thomas Downing Swank
Thomas Downing Swank was the brother of my great grandfather, and thus one of my great uncles. He lived most of his life between the three counties of Lycoming, Sullivan and Columbia. Except for his obituary and a mention of when he was called to be a juror in 1910, he did not appear in any newspaper articles. To learn a little about his life, I looked at the census and other documents I could find. Continue reading
Census Through the Years: Jonas Swank
I never knew my great uncle Jonas Swank as he died before I was born. I was curious what I might be able to find out about him. I turned to the census and a few other documents to glean details about Jonas’ life. Continue reading
Census Through the Years: Mary Alice Reese
Mary Alice Reese, my 2nd great grand aunt, was born 143 years ago on June 30, 1878 in Lycoming County, PA to Josiah and Effie Reese; she was the tenth of their twelve children. Most of her life was spent in Lycoming and its surrounding counties. What I know of her comes from the information I gathered from the U.S. Census and other documents from 1880 through 1948 to help piece together a few details about her life. Continue reading
Census Through the Years: Peter M. Reese
The Reese family has been in Lycoming County and its bordering counties for over 200 years as evidenced by the U.S. census. My great grand uncle Peter Milton Reese, Milton as he was often called, was among this family’s descendants who lived his entire life in these counties. Except for information in a few vital records, most of what I know of my great grand uncle is from the U.S. census. Continue reading
Census Through the Years: George Clinton Swank
My great grand uncle George Clinton Swank is thought to have been born this month in 1854, although no definitive proof exists. Someone born before the 20th century might not have known his own birth date, let alone his age, which could be possible for George. When birth certificates do not exist for a time period being researched, the U.S. Census records can provide an estimate of when a person was born, but it is not a perfect source, as sometimes a person’s age varies drastically from one census to another. But for George, the census enumerations offer some clues as when he was possibly born. Continue reading
Census Through the Years: Mary Ann Swank
Mary Ann Swank, the oldest sister to my 2nd great grandfather Henry Swank, was born to Jonas and Sarah Swank about 1827, presumably in the Lycoming County area. The will of their mother Sarah was one source that supported Mary Ann and Henry were siblings. Sarah’s will also identified Mary Ann was married to Christian Swank who could possibly be a cousin. Few online documents for Christian and Mary Ann have been located. Several census enumerations helped create a rough framework for their lives and indicated Mary Ann and Christian resided entirely in Davidson Township, Sullivan County, PA. Continue reading
Census Through the Years: Henry Swank
Although the United States Census is a useful means to gather information about families, the recorded information could contain misspelled or inaccurate names, age differences—sometimes drastic—from one census to the next, misidentified gender or misattributed relationships between household members. This is one reason researchers do not take the census data as fact until other documents have been located to validate the enumerated information. Continue reading
Census Through the Years: Josiah Reese
The federal census was instituted by the U.S. constitution to count population to determine the number of representatives each state would receive. It is also a useful tool for the family researcher, even though the enumerated data can contain errors. The census has been conducted every ten years beginning in 1790, but some of the early enumerations for several states, like New Jersey, are no longer extant and much of the 1890 census was damaged in a fire. However, the census records that do survive can give insight into the lives of one’s ancestors. Continue reading
Cemetery Citings: Stone Heap
When I was in college—before my passion for genealogy developed—my walks to town took a shortcut through a cemetery. However, I ended up lingering to read the inscriptions on the stones, identifying who was related and imagining what these people’s lives might have been like. I remember a row of markers from the 1860s for one family: a father, a mother and several of their infant children who died within a few years of each other. I considered the sorrow this family felt and wondered whether illness or accident caused the children’s deaths. Continue reading
Relatively Speaking Blog 