Sympathy Saturday for the Challenger and My Heart

Today.  Remember how sunny it was 28 January 1986?  Remember the excitement of the upcoming Challenger flight to carry just an ordinary teacher (wait--  are teachers ordinary?) in to the wonder of space?  Remember sitting and watching the liftoff?  Remember the horror of the explosion just 74 seconds later?

I remember it well.  For, you see, I was sitting with my dad and his oncologist in a hospital room watching the event.  For, you see, the news regarding the return of my father's cancer was not good.  For, you see, the oncologist sat on the bed as the shuttle exploded and tears ran down his face.  For, you see, it was one of the best buddies of the oncologist on that flight.

We cried.  All of America cried. And then my family cried more.  This story I will tell my children about today in much more detail will break my heart once more.  For the loss of the Challenger and the soon loss of my dad still has its effect on the space program and my family.

Ahh, genealogy.  Just hearing of a past event that our nation witnessed with such loss of life and hope also brings tears to my eyes as I remember my own gentle giant of a hero.  Rest gently.

©2017  AS Eldredge

Abolition Whig? Politics in the Family Tree

Looking through old brown envelopes with xerox pages of really old journals has caught me by storm today.  I pulled out an envelope with the journal of Harvey N REED that a kind cousin sent to me years ago--  like maybe 12 or so?

Cousin Harvey kept this journal from about 1895 to 1898 while he was living at the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in Ohio.  He was from the Pittsburgh area and most certainly a cousin of mine by marriage, if not by blood.

In this awesome journal of old are his musings, his thoughts, and most importantly, memories of his family members.  Also found in this journal are many mentions of his family that are also my blood kin.  What a treat to just sit and read again!

What caught my eye today are the descriptions he provided of many of the family.  Many entries have their approximate height, weight, hair and eye color, complexion,  dates of birth, death, how long they were ill, occupation, religious beliefs and their political leanings.

How many times does one find a mention of an Abolition Whig?  So what was that?  From my reading, the Whig party was started around 1834 as an opposition to Andrew Jackson.  I found it amusing to learn the Whig party won the popular vote in the mid 1800s in presidential elections, while the Democrat VAN BUREN won the electoral majority.  Sounds like a page out of our recent election--  just change the party, and well, you know......

It appears the family was rather equally divided between the political parties of the times they lived.  Robert appears to have been the only Abolition Whig.

In the journal is also a mention of a marriage that took place in November 1840.  What I found of interest is the added note that the marriage took place on the day W H HARRISON was elected.  HARRISON is remembered for his two hour inaugural address in cold, damp weather.  He caught a cold, and then developed pneumonia and passed away on month later.

Ahh, genealogy. Let me sit and count my family members who have been in office--  from City Council, Mayor, Senator, to, oh yes, a President.

©2017  AS Eldredge

Sources:
http://www.history.com/topics/whig-party
http://millercenter.org/president/biography/harrison-death-of-the-president

Treasure Chest Thursday: Living in a 1913 Wedding

Oh, the horror of it all!  My hard drive crashed and I was devastated.  Over 20 years of genealogy finds were there.  Why, I couldn't think!  What to do?

Joyfully, I had a great backup and was able to recover all the information after the hard drive was replaced.  To thank the wonderful sibling who volunteered to help me during this crisis, I am now going back and looking through the many, many boxes of papers I have gathered over the years.  What this long term exercise is doing is forcing me to reevaluate what I think I know as I look at papers not seen in probably 10 years or so.

In addition to all my boxes of paper I am going through and trying to scan in, I am finding some really cool treasures.  Take, for instance, the wedding book of my spouse's grandparents.  They were married in August 1913.  Opening the pages of the book this morning revealed many exciting treasures for me.  The announcement, the newspaper write-ups, the guests, the gifts, the honeymoon details, and the death of the groom.  While the newspapers don't contain the name of the newspaper or the date, I can use the information I know to locate them.

Aug 27, 1913 Wedding of Hazel and Ralph

These fragile and yellowed pieces of paper link me to the joy of the young couple that have been gone now for 40 years or more.  I never knew them, but I get a sense of them through stories and pictures.  Perhaps, I should take a closer look around my house to see if any of the gifts survived and made their way here?

Ahh genealogy, cherish the beloved hands that took the time to document the times of their lives.  For today, their treasure chest of happiness provides inspiration for me to continue looking in the past to find the future.

©2017  AS Eldredge

Wordless Wednesday: Frank's Civil War Diary

I've been writing off and on about cousin Frank C DORRINGTON from Allegheny Co, PA.  His picture taken in Washington, DC, just before his regiment moved out after protecting our Nation's Capital during a time of great strife, inspired a mini-series of blogs.  Check out the You, 149th PA Bucktail You tidbits posted previously on Frank and his messmates.  They eventually made their way as they served the Union to a small town in PA called Gettysburg.

Today, I was looking around and found mention of his Civil War Diary.  His diary!  Now comes the hard part.

It was donated to Penn State in 1968 by an Ernest FREY of Pittsburgh.  Hmmm, who is he and why did he have the diary?

As far as I know, old Frank had only the three daughters born after the Civil War and all who died before 1907.  I have also found grandchildren.  But so far, no connection to FREY.  The Ernest FREY I have located did reside close by, but I see no connection yet.  Hmmm, what is that connection?

FREY was an attorney.  Hmmm, what is that connection to the diary?  Looking at his immediate family offers no clues.

I contacted the Penn State Library to see if I could access the diary from far away.  Suffice it to say, no.

I won't give up.  I will find a way to access that diary.  Who knows what tidbits of information I can glean from it?

Ahh, genealogy.  With a rebel yell, I cry more, more, more.  Even if I am wordless on this diary.  It's calling to me and I must answer.

Read more of cousin Frank and his friends:

Part 1 of the series:  Frank?  Is That You?  You 149th Bucktail You
Part 2 of the series:  Ustick?  Is That You?  You, PA 149th You
Part 3 of the series:  Dave? Is That You? You, PA 149th You
Part 4 of the series:   Boy? Is That You? You, 149th PA Bucktail You

Sources:
https://journals.psu.edu/wph/article/viewFile/2979/2810

©2017 ASEldredge

Gumbert School for Delinquent Girls

I just added some transcriptions from newspapers ranging from 1925-1961 on the Gumbert School for Delinquent Girls to my wonderful Pittsburgh Old Newspaper Project.  This site is only possible through the many hours of volunteer work contributed so we genealogy buffs can learn more about out past and our beloved little steel city, Pittsburgh in Allegheny Co, PA.

Reading the articles can be quite entertaining.  Funny how I never considered a girls' school dedicated to the purpose of housing females inmates fresh from juvenile court to be "living a luxurious life" as one of the articles reports.

Enjoy.

Ahh, genealogy.   Another side trip in to past with the written word.  How interesting the last article in 1961 asks "Is rehabilitation worth the cost?"

A special thanks to Lynne B for all her hard work!

©2017 ASEldredge