Tombstone Tuesday: Weimer Jonas Wetzel and Iona Mary Conrad

Posted on February 26, 2013 by findingmydead

PA_Stonington_NorthumberlandMemorialPark_WetzelWeimerJ_20120708_130344_resized

Christmas day was especially exciting in 1880 for the Wetzel household as presents were not the only addition in the house this day.  The Christmas birth of Weimer Jonas Wetzel was an exceptional present for Henry and Catherine (Kissinger) Wetzel and their four children.  Weimer was born in the family’s Trevorton, Pennsylvania home.

 

Not only was Weimer’s birthday easy to remember but so was his wedding anniversary.  On July 4, 1904 he married Iona Mary Conrad at Zion’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Trevorton.  Iona Mary was born in Trevorton on March October 12, 1881 to parents Frank and Harriet (Miller) Conrad.

 

Through his life, Weimer was employed by Philadelphia and Reading Coal & Iron Company as a carpenter in the local colliery.

 

Weimer passed away on the morning of February 28, 1933 at the couple’s Coal Street home in Trevorton after battling sarcoma of the abdomen wall for the previous six months.  The 80th anniversary of his death is in two days.  Iona passed away in Sunbury on Christmas Eve of 1952.  Weimer and Iona are buried together in Northumberland Memorial Park, Stonington.

Northumberland Memorial Park - View from Weimer and Iona's grave.

Northumberland Memorial Park – View from Weimer and Iona’s grave.

Filed under: Cemeteries, Northumberland County, Wetzel | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a comment »

Tombstone Tuesday: Claimed by Influenza Epidemic

Posted on February 19, 2013 by findingmydead

PA_Trevorton_GreenwodCemetery_StrausserWilbert_20120708_153228_resized

Wilbert L. Strausser was born on April 23, 1902 to George and Minnie (Derk) Strausser.  Almost nothing is known about Wilbert, including his place of birth which is likely Columbia or Northumberland County.  The facts that are known are that he and his family lived in Coal Township in 1910, he died from Influenza on 14 October 1918, and he was laid to rest in Trevorton’s Greenwood Cemetery on 16 October 1918.

 

Wilbert spent 10 days fighting this deadly virus that wreaked havoc on the area and would claim the lives of more than 600,000 of his fellow Americans during 1918-1919.

Filed under: Cemeteries, Northumberland County, Strausser | Tagged: , , , | Leave a comment »

Mystery Monday: Rudolph Nahodil’s family?

Posted on February 18, 2013 by findingmydead

Rudolph Nahodil arrived at Ellis Island aboard The Braunschweig on 12 April 1892; he was alone and destined for Pennsylvania.  Aside from Rudolph, his wife and their children, only four other people with the Nahodil surname are listed in the US Federal Census for the year 1900 as living in the United States.  The four are:

 

Name

Age

Location

Arrival

Notes
John Nahodil

66

 Nanticoke, PA

1891

 Widowed and living with his married daughter and her family.
John Nahodil

28

 Nanticoke, PA

1892

 Married to Kate below.
Kate Nahodil

20

 Nanticoke, PA Married to John above.
Frank Nahodil

25

 New York, NY

1900

 Arrive in the US 2 months prior to census.
Rudolph Nahodil

42

 Coal Twp., PA

1892

 Arrived alone.
Rosia Nahodil

38

 Coal Twp., PA

1892

 Married to Rudolph above. Arrived in Philadelphia with their children.

 

Rudolph and Rosamond Nahodil have been a mystery to many of us for generations.  Nobody in my family or other Nahodil relatives I have spoken with knew anything about Rudolph’s parents or his origins.  Most family stories about Rudolph and his wife are related more to her alleged royalty as a part of a well known Austrian family.  No story ever mentions additional Nahodil family arriving before, with or after Rudolph.

 

For many years, the first glimpse of Rudolph in records after his arrival to this country showed that he lived in Coal Township, PA with his family; this continues to be the primary residence of most of his descendants.  For the same amount of years, I have wondered why the passenger list for his wife and children shows that their destination was Duryea, PA.  Heck, where is Duryea?  Well, Duryea borders Wilkes Barre, as does Nanticoke.  Over the years, I have seen a few Nahodils in and around Duryea and believe they must be related to my Nahodil family.  I have searched and searched but couldn’t connect the two…until now!

 

While researching over the weekend I ran across a new document, the 1896 City Directory for Pittston , Pennsylvania…another border town of Wilkes Barre.  This directory listed John, John Jr., Louis, and Rudolph Nahodil.  This is the first document I have for Rudolph between his arrival in the US and the 1900 census; this tells me that my assumption that he went directly to Coal Township was wrong.  Finally, it is starting to come together.

 

I have started pulling death certificates from the Pennsylvania State Archives which show that Rudolph’s father was named John and his mother was Susannah.  I have also pulled the young John’s death certificate and found that his father was named John and his mother was not known.  I am still trying to track down the elder John’s death certificate as well as his daughters to see who are listed as her parents.  Could I have finally found more of my Nahodil ancestors?  Was the elder John that was living in Nanticoke in 1900 my 3x great grandfather?  Ah, the mystery begins to unravel.

Filed under: Nahodil, Northumberland County | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

Sentimental Sunday: George H. Strausser

Posted on February 10, 2013 by findingmydead

My great grandfather, George H. Strausser, passed away on this date eighty-six years ago at the age of thirty-eight.  Though he was able to witness the birth of his youngest child, my grandmother, he would not live to see her first birthday.  What happened after his death is another story, or few stories.  The only thing my grandmother knew about George was that he died in an unknown coal mine.  II asked about his death during my entire youth but the story never changed and no slips were made…so there went my theory of a deep dark scandalous story.

 

For many years the only evidence of his existence was the 1900, 1910 and 1920 US Federal Census.  The first breakthrough came a couple years ago with the discovery of the Coal Mining Accident Registers database made available by the Pennsylvania State Archives.  Page 29 told me what happened, where it happened, and that it was “unavoidable”.  Accident Cause or Remarks…”fall coal blocking timber gangway”.

 

2012 was the year of breakthroughs in my search for George.  Last February I made the trip to the PA State Archives in Harrisburg hoping to get a copy of George’s death certificate.  So now I knew that my great grandpa died from a fractured skull but more importantly the certificate told me where he was buried.

 

George H. Strausser22 Jan 1889 - 10 Feb 1927

George H. Strausser
22 Jan 1889 – 10 Feb 1927

Now you know this crazy obsessed genealogist wasn’t about to wait for warm spring weather to go track down his grave.  The next day I made the three hour trip to Odd Fellows Cemetery in Coal Township with no real plan but a willingness to search.  About an hour after arriving I was standing over his marker feeling like I had been there before.  Sure enough, I had found this grave back in 2007 amongst a large Strausser lot but wasn’t certain which of the half dozen or so George Straussers this was.

 

George H. Strausser (ca 1925)

George H. Strausser (ca 1925)

Among pictures that were passed on to me and some that were loaned to me for scanning were three pictures of George Strausser.

 

This year I met a cousin a few times removed (who is more than twice my age and was close to my great grandmother) that had been recording his family tree and stories about the people for many years and he just happened to have one story that involved George.  “George came home from work on a pay day.  Bid was supposed have taken his pay.  She wouldn’t give it to George.  George went to the outside toilet and Bid told him he must have lost his money in the toilet.  He got a flashlight and went looking for it in the toilet.  – By Royal”.  Bid was George’s wife Mae, whose real name was Ada Mae.  This is the only story I have about my great grandpop and I can’t help but find the irony and humor in that it involves another of my obsessions…outhouses.  I am hoping to share more about George in future posts.

Filed under: Cemeteries, Northumberland County, Strausser | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Wordless Wednesday: Horsing around

Posted on February 6, 2013 by findingmydead
Little Howard Wetzel (ca 1940). The Strawberry Mansion (Philadelphia) photographer often used ponies in photos of young children.

Little Howard Wetzel (ca 1940). The Strawberry Mansion (Philadelphia) photographer often used ponies in photos of young children.

Filed under: Philadelphia, Wetzel | Tagged: , , , | 4 Comments »

Tombstone Tuesday: Death befalls the Derrick children

Posted on February 5, 2013 by findingmydead
Four of the Derrick (Derk) children died within 10 days.

Four of the Derrick (Derk) children died within 10 days.

1888 was a sad year for Benjamin and Alice Derrick (Derk) as they buried all four of their children within ten days.  The couple’s fifth child was born right in the middle of this tragedy and it is a miracle she did not meet the same fate.

 

What killed these children?  Cholera, Typhoid, Scarlet Fever, or possibly Yellow Fever?  1888 saw an outbreak of Small Pox in Pennsylvania; was this the cause of so much loss?

 

Between 1881 and 1906, the Derrick family would have thirteen children born with seven surviving to adulthood.  The four children here are buried with their parents and a number of the siblings at the Lutheran Cemetery in Trevorton.

Filed under: Cemeteries, Derk, Northumberland County | Tagged: , , , | 2 Comments »

Tombstone Tuesday: Carrie Agnes Wetzel

Posted on January 29, 2013 by findingmydead
Carrie Agnes WetzelLutheran Cemetery; Trevorton, Pennsylvania

Carrie Agnes Wetzel
Lutheran Cemetery; Trevorton, Pennsylvania

 

The 1900 federal census told me that Carrie was still living at home with her parents, five of her siblings, and her niece (my great grandmother); it also told me that she was 25, single and did not have an occupation.  When I moved on to the 1910 census for the family unit, I was not surprised to see her absent; I just chalked it up to yet another female relative lost to marriage.  Oh, but wait…the 1910 census for a neighboring county lists a Carrie A Wetzel who is 35, single and without an occupation.  Could this be my ancestor…an inmate at the State Hospital for the Insane?  Whoa, what did I miss?

 

A federal census record for a woman with a similar name does not prove that she is one of mine so I had to just sit on this for a spell.  When Pennsylvania made death records for certain years available as public records at the beginning of 2012 the first this I did was to go through the death index year by year looking for any listing for a Carrie Wetzel.  There she was, or so I hoped, in that same neighboring county of Montour just six short years later.  The two and a half hour drive to the State Archives seemed to take forever…I just wanted to get there and see this death certificate (along with a few others).

 

Carrie A Wetzel…yeah, yeah, yeah…parents…Henry and Catherine Wetzel of Trevorton.  It was her!  Cause of death, phthisis pulmonalis; contributory cause, epilepsy…she was Epileptic.  But why was she in the State Hospital?  Examining the death certificate further for any additional clues, I saw that she resided at the institution for 12 yrs, 3 mos, 6 ds; this meant that she has been there since August 17, 1904.  Ah, now it is becoming clearer.  Her mother passed away in February of 1904.  Her mother must have been the caretaker and after her passing, the family may not have been able to provide adequate care.  I like to think that they made a go at it since Carrie remained at home for another six months.  I don’t know if a decline in her health or the fact that all of the adults in the house were working the mines which kept them out of the house for much of the day but it must have been a very difficult and painful decision for all.  Thankfully, Carrie’s death certificate also provided her place of burial, which was unknown to this point; now the family can visit this woman whose final years were so tragic.

 

Filed under: Cemeteries, Northumberland County, Wetzel | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Sunday’s Obituary: Minnie Etta (Derk) Strausser

Posted on January 27, 2013 by findingmydead

Obituary of Minnie (Derk) Strausser

My 2nd great grandmother, Minnie Etta (Derk) Strausser, passed away from heart disease.  Though her obituary lists her eight surviving children, what it doesn’t mention is that she also had seven children preceded her in death, all at a fairly young age.  One of those seven children was my great grandfather George H Strausser who passed away just nine months after his father; both died in the same mine.

Minnie Etta (Derk) StrausserPA_CoalTownship_OddFellowsCemetery_Strausser(Derk)Minnie_20120513_170159_resized

Filed under: Cemeteries, Derk, Northumberland County, Strausser | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Tombstone Tuesday: Shamokin tombstone displaced

Posted on January 22, 2013 by findingmydead
This is the marker of Mary and Alice Fourl.

This is the marker of Mary E. (03/20/1861 – 05/31/1885) and Alice Fourl (04/28/1883 – 02/12/1885).

This is the tombstone of Mary Fourl and daughter Alice.  Their marker is halfway down the eastern bank of the mountain which the cemetery is located atop.

I remember climbing this mountain at a point further south as a young child and seeing many tombstones strewn about.  This cemetery has been plagued with vandalism and neglect for decades.

My Nahodil family are buried in unmarked graves straight up from this point.  It bothers me to think that they once may have had markers that have since been destroyed or are buried by Mother Nature on that hillside.

Filed under: Cemeteries, Northumberland County | Tagged: , , , | Leave a comment »

Did they vote?

Posted on January 21, 2013 by findingmydead

As I stood amongst a few hundred thousand people this cold morning awaiting the start of the 57th Inaugural Ceremonies for President Barack Obama, I could not help but think about my ancestors.  Did my people vote?

 

Woman's Journal, Front Page, March 8, 1913Courtesy Library of Congress

Woman’s Journal, Front Page, March 8, 1913
Courtesy Library of Congress

100 years ago, Washington D.C. was preparing for the March 4, 1913 swearing in of Woodrow Wilson; did any of my ancestors make the trip from Pennsylvania to witness history?  Or did my they make the trip for the previous days Woman’s Suffrage Parade?  I would like to believe that those that came before me spoke up and fought for the equal rights of all men and women.

Were they Democrat, Republic or possibly Progressive?  Where did they go to vote?  Did they go to a local school or church like we do today…unlikely.  I imagine they would have had to go to Sunbury, which was the county seat, in order to place their vote.

 

Did any of them run for any of the various local positions in the community?  I have been told that Howard P. Wetzel was elected overseer of the poor for Zerbe Township but I do not know if this was an official position or exactly it entailed so I will continue searching.

 

I have tried looking for any type of record that would provide an answer to any of the questions but I have not had any luck.  In fact, I have not found anything to provide insight into the political activities of the 19th and early 20th century in Northumberland County.  Since I am not an expert or professional genealogist, I have great hope that I just haven’t looked in the right place yet and that one day I will find the records detailing my family’s political convictions.

Filed under: Daily Life, My Ancestors, Northumberland County | Tagged: , | Leave a comment »

« Previous Page — Next Page »

  • Join 22 other subscribers

  • Copyright

    © Lisa Haas and findingmydead.com, 2022. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of posts and/or original photography without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Lisa Haas and findingmydead.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

%d bloggers like this: