MEMORIAL DAY

 

Robert Stephens is my husbands great grandfather.   He is buried in UNION DALE CEMETERY   PITTSBURGH PA

Robert was just found this year.   Chuck said that his dad always went and decorated the graves of “two Civil War soldiers” buried in Union Dale.    

I asked Chuck’s Aunt Edna and she told me that one of them was Robert and the other was Robert’s son James.    James did not fight in the Civil War.  

Robert was born in 1845 and emigrated with his parents Charles and Hannah c.1854.  There are two different arrival times I have found.

Robert married his wife Olive Bauser in 1891.   On the 1900 census he had listed that he was a widower.    I have been searching for Olive and Roberts marriage license and information on the first marriage but this remains elusive.

Olive was 25 years younger than Robert and my theory is that Olives parents did not approve of the marriage because of the age difference and they eloped.    I would love to find the records on their marriage.

MEMORIAL DAY

Picture of my mother Gerda Schridde Dowd and father Thomas Dowd. This was their wedding picture taken one week before he left for England in WW II.

Now if I had not know where this certificate was located and they had been married in Goldsboro NC, I would be going crazy looking for where they had gotten married.

The insignia is from the Army Air Corps, a precursor of the Air Force.

My dad’s job was to repair the airplanes that were on bombing missions over Europe. After being drafted everyone started out in the Infantry and had decided that he did not want to get shot.

While in England Dad went to the Library and studied Air Plane Mechanic books. Then my father took the test and qualified to be a mechanic. Dad said that he did this while most of his buddies went into to town and drank alcohol. Tom said that he could not afford to do that since he had a wife and mother to support at home.

The worst part of it was that he would never know who would return or be shot down. Once a crew did twenty five missions they were retired. I think most of them never saw ten missions. I have to read about the longevity of the bombing crews. I would venture a guess that it was not very long.

I have a whole collections of his WW II pictures, I should scan and post them.

B 17 Flying Fortress

VU POINT HAND HELD SCANNER

The hand held scanner came today and so far I am impressed with the quality of the scans

The top two scans were the copy of the Justice of the Peace Marriage License.

The second is the Marriage License and for the life of me I have no idea how I copied it mirror reverse.

The last is my grandmothers Baptismal Certificate and I sort of scrunched the paper. I think it works well and the quality of the scan is great. I also managed to scan the table.

I think the problem is just a learning curve. I need to get a white back ground and a piece of glass to hold the item stationary while I scan it.

The scanner copies about 8 x 11.5 and the top document was too large.

I like it, I just have to practice.

NEWLY FOUND DOCUMENTS

My sister called and told me that while she was cleaning she had found a few family documents.

Did I want them??   YES YES YES

They came from my fathers stash of things that were found when we were cleaning out the house.

First, and most impressive, is the marriage license of my grandmother, Anna Bartels Schridde Krah.   Anna and William did not have any children.

Anna and William Krah

 

She remarried almost one year after my grandfather, Willi Schridde, untimely death.   What is interesting, is the elaborate and colorful design.    They were married at a Justice of the Peace on August 10, 1937.

The second is a Baptismal Certificate dated March 31, 1940 from the HOMEVILLE CHRISTIAN CHURCH   She had been Baptized in 1900 in a Lutheran Church in Celle, Germany.    She had saved the original Baptismal Certificate, so why the second Baptism?

Third is the official document of the marriage.  This must have been a standard type given to the couples.

Where did they meet?  I seem to recall that William knew my grandfather Willi from work.   Did she get married because she had not yet become a citizen.  Was she unable to find work?   Did they truly love each other?  Their marriage lasted lasted thirty two years, until my grandmothers death from leukemia.

My mother, Gerda Schridde, was fifteen time at the time of the marriage.   My mother spoke kindly of him and took care of him after he became too ill to take care of himself.

His last few months he was in a Nursing Home because he required more care than my mother was able to give.

He is buried with my grandmother and her two husbands

I will give my new hand held scanner its maiden voyage on the new documents.  It should be arriving soon.

UPDATE ON DARIUS ANOTHONY

I found the Civil War file on Darius Anthony and sent it to my cousin Helen, who had given me the information on Darius Anthony, which I had posted a few days ago.

The information was that he had died in Camp Sumter GA. Helen said that last year she had gone to Danville Va and found that was were he had died in a battle there.

His wife Jemima Rhodes Anthony had received from soldiers who were with him was incorrect and that is where his wife was informed he had died. Now, where is Darius buried??? I will have to speak to Helen again and see if she had found his grave.

MY PRESENT

While we were out at dinner the other night Chuck said "I couldn't sleep last night so at 2 AM I was watching Home Shopping and bought you something."

Claudia, thinking, what could he have bought at 2 AM that could have been of interest to me. "It regularly cost about $150 but I paid $89." "What is it I asked?? Now I am intrigued. "It is about 15 inches long and 1 inch think, and you wave it over documents"

"YOU BOUGHT ME A HAND SCANNER???????"

"Yes, you know about them?" ""Yes" I said "Some one had posted on their blog that they got one and how much they liked it."

"It will be here in six days." Who would have thought that at 2 AM they would have been selling hand scanners on one of the shopping channels. It was so sweet of him, and he said I could use it one my field trips to copy documents. Now that he is retiring he can come with me. I really hope it works as good as they said in the advertisement.

I am now waiting like a kid at the mailbox.....

ALL THE TIME I THOUGHT…..

My great grandmother, Bridget Naughton, was from County Mayo.  

I did a search on the new LDS pilot search and I came up her listing as being from Killeroren, County Galway.  

Her date of birth and parents were correct, so I found out she was from Galway.   I had written to a man who has a major web site concerning the Naughton name.   He and I had corresponded before and he is extremely knowledgeable.

He did a little search for me and he found information that the Naughton and Ward families lived near each other in Killeroren. 

He  also found and sent me the number of the microfilm reel that the town was listed.   More info to send for and peruse.    He also told me that the LDS Church holds the most popular films or fiche at the Church.   I have to investigate.

Another tidbit I found this weekend is on Chuck’s side of the family.   His cousin had traced the Coleman side of his family (Chucks mother and his cousins father were sibs)

I was entering data and found his  great great grandfather, Darius Anthony, died 28 May 1864 at Camp Sumter GA.   

I knew I had heard of that place before and the time was during the Civil War.    So I Goggled the Camp and found it was the infamous Andersonville.

I told Chuck who appeared surprised and shocked to find his ancestor had died there.   I found the military file on Footnote and I need to pursue this man.

I have made quite a few discoveries this past week.    Each answer begets more questions.