Tombstone Tuesday: Orth Sisters

These two little girls in Allegheny Cemetery in the Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh were sisters.  Their parents were Martin & Kate Weaver Orth.  They were nieces of my great, great grandfather Andrew Orth.  The inscriptions read:

Eliza Sophia Orth

March 22, 1888 to March 13, 1892

Gone To A Better Land

Ida Torrens Orth

Aug 27, 1884 to March 5, 1892

Gone To Be An Angel

Since I cannot locate death records for them we can only guess they died of a contagious disease such as typhoid fever or diphtheria.  I cannot imagine the pain of losing two children within a week.  I surmise the impact of their deaths is shown by the fact they have rather large tombstones.  The Orth's in general were a working class poor family.  Even my Andrew Orth, who was a police lieutenant does not have a tombstone.  There are numerous other family members in this plot--none have a marker.  It is the only large marker in the whole Orth family.

When we visited the cemetery and found these graves, Eliza's marker had tipped over and fallen off the base.  My husband, bless his heart, lifted it back up into place.  He is still paying for that one with shoulder pain!  I think the sadness of the deaths of these two little girls motivated him.  Rest in Peace Angels.

Tombstone Tuesday: Tree Stump Tombstone for a Pioneer

 

This unusual tombstone is in the shape of a tree stump.  I came across it last weekend at a visit to Lebanon Church Cemetery in West Mifflin, PA.  This is a very old cemetery dating back to the late 1700's.  I remember seeing it from the back on another visit to this cemetery in the spring.  I didn't even realize it was a tombstone, thought is was odd there was a tree stump in the middle of the old graves---duh!

Here is a view from the side.  There is an axe on both sides.

The inscription reads:

Robert Brierley

A Pioneer of

Mifflin Township

1749 - 1837

Also His Wife

Elizabeth

At Rest

The Brierley family was one of the first families to settle in Mifflin Township in the late 1700's.  There is a major road in West Mifflin, Brierley Lane, named after them.  I do not believe this is Robert & Elizabeth's original stone, it is much too new.  Perhaps descendants or the Historical Group that works to preserve this cemetery erected it in recent years.  Still very unique and quite real looking especially from the back.

Why I Love Death Records

One of my favorite forms of genealogy records are Death Certificates.  They contain a wealth of genealogical information.  I have discovered so much from these records, not only major links such as maiden names and parent names, but also little subtle clues that lead to more information.  Death records are held by the state and each state has their own set of rules.  Some provide free access online, some (like PA) do not.  Most provide the same set of information but sometimes older records provide extra tidbits.  For example Michigan provides their early records free on line and includes the number of children born to the person if female and how many are still living.  Very valuable information since this is only provided on the 1900 and 1910 census.

When I began researching before the internet (showing my age I know!) death certificates were my major source of information.  Now with online records nothing makes me happier than to find a state that has free on line access to death records.  I will jump for joy when I find not only an index but a link to the actual scanned death record.  While cause of death does not really provide genealogy data (unless it is a genetic disease or long term illness that forced life changes in your ancestor) I love knowing why my ancestors died.  It somehow makes me feel more connected to them. But it can become quite expensive when you have to send for the certificate and I find myself having to pick carefully which ones I need the most.  I am one of few I'm sure who would hit the lottery and spend my cash on ordering death certificates!

To show how useful these records have been here are some of the things I have found through the death certificates of ancestors.  Of course it is important to keep in mind that the information is only as good as the person who was the informant.  Do not assume all information like parents' names and birth dates are 100% correct. Generally the older the person at death the more shaky the info might be.  Things like birth place and maiden names are more likely to be forgotten.

• The most useful information on most DC's is of course names of parents.  Many times the mother's maiden name is listed as Unknown.  But just a first name can be helpful in searching for a family in the census.
• For married females you can discover their maiden name through the father's name if listed plus maiden names of the deceased mother if listed. 
• Locations of birth and death of the deceased as well as birth location of parents.  Locations will tell you where to look to find census information.
• Place of burial.  Finding the cemetery can lead to discovering more ancestors in the same or even surrounding cemeteries.
• Look at the name of the informant.  This is usually (but not always) a close relative.  I have found unknown children and married names of daughters through the informant names.   I also actually found a living cousin of my grandmother who was listed as an informant.

So what if you find information you know is incorrect?  Make a note of it.  While it may just be plain and simple incorrect data, it may also be a clue.  That wrong name for mother may actually be the correct name of another relative (informant was confused).  I have seen incorrect parents names--listed to cover illegitimate births.  I have also found a maiden name of a deceased's mother (knew it was wrong) that turned out to be the maiden name of the deceased's grandmother.

Bottom Right-Katie Orth-14 months-Death Record

Thanks to a post at the Allegheny County forum on Ancestry.com I recently found Pittsburgh City Death Records 1870-1905 online from Family Search.  I have been a busy bee looking up ancestors!  This database has been a gold mine since searching for a name not only brings up that person's death record if there but also all records that name is listed on.  I (sadly) lost count of the number of children I have found of my ancestors.  Since they were born and died in between census years there are no other records of them.  I also solved a long standing mystery of two people buried with my great, great grandfather Andrew Orth.  I had no idea who they were and there were no markers on their graves.  I could find no records what so ever.  Turns out they were young children of Andrew's.  Now I feel like they are no longer forgotten.  You can search the records for the City of Pittsburgh here Pittsburgh City Death Records 1870-1905.

I have included links to numerous databases of free Death Records on line on my Links to Free Sites page.  If you know of others let me know and I will include them.  For the record Pennsylvania is TERRIBLE with death records.  This has been a thorn in my side for a long time.  I will talk more about this in an upcoming post but in the mean time you can visit this website People for Better PA Historical Record Access to learn how you can help change the laws in PA so death records are easily accessible to genealogists.

Tombstone Tuesday: Erny Family

I took this photo on a recent trip to St. Michael's Cemetery in the Mount Oliver section of Pittsburgh, PA.  I was there searching for my husband's Jageman ancestors.  Sadly my Jageman's do not have any markers.  But I think their plot is next to the rather large Erny plot.  Which makes sense because from the census I think the two families lived close to each other in the South Side and a Mary Erny married my Phillip Jageman.

This marker struck me because they died so long ago.  Michael in 1870 and Catherine in 1869.  Both were born in the late 1700's in France according to census records.   I do know my Jageman plot was purchased in 1865.  Wanted to remember and honor them on a Tombstone Tuesday and show they are not forgotten.

Part 3: Finding Ancestors & Secrets You Didn't Know Existed

This is Part 3 of my experiences finding ancestors and secrets when you did not know they even existed.  You can read the previous posts here Part 1 and Part 2.

As I mentioned in Part 2 my great grandfather Eugene Ellsworth Lammay has been my biggest brick wall and the catalyst in my genealogy research.  He had at least one and possibly two "other" families besides my grandmother's and disappeared around 1920, suspected of running off with another woman.  My plan of action was to find out as much as I could about his parents and siblings, with hopes of leading me to more information about him.  Starting with the 1910 census and working backward I found his parents (Joseph & Anna) and siblings in the census fairly easily all the back to 1870, living in Allegheny County, PA.  From death certificates I knew his mother's maiden name was McKim and that Eugene was born in Chester County, PA.  When I did not find the family in Allegheny Co. in 1860 I thought I was sure to find them easily in Chester Co. because I had the names of the 3 oldest children born prior to 1860. 

They were no where to be found.  Not in Chester or anywhere else for that matter.  I tried a zillion different spellings, omitted birth years in case they were wrong on the census, nothing.  Felt I had hit another brick wall.

So I periodically did these random searches, sometimes searching just first name and age in Chester Co.  Two families kept appearing in the results.  A Joseph Lammey married to a Mary Ann with 8 kids--none of whose names matched my Joseph.  Also a Myers Chalfant married to an Anna with kids Lewis, Clara, and Ida.  This Chalfant family nagged at me because the mother was Anna and the kids names matched the 3 oldest siblings of Eugene.  But I thought it was coincidence and ignored it.

Then I found two other pieces of information that finally made the light bulb go off in my head.  The first was finding the married name of my great grandmother's (Eugene's wife) sister Annie.  Her husband was Lewis Chalfant.  The second was an ancestory.com message board post about the Joseph Lammey married to Mary Ann.  Apparently this Joseph had served in the Civil War as mine had and was said to have abandoned his wife Mary Ann after the war and disappeared.  Very familiar story!

I researched Eugene's brother-in-law, Lewis Chalfant, further and found a death certificate.  There is was.  He was not only Eugene's brother-in-law but also his half brother.  Lewis parents' were Myers Chalfant and Anna McKim.  Further research showed Myers Chalfant was married to an Elizabeth Brown by 1870.

So between 1860 and 1870 somehow Joseph Lammay and Anna McKim hookup up, left their spouses and moved to Allegheny County.  They appeared to try to hide their past.  In the census records and in obituaries the 3 older children were always listed as Lammay's even though they used the last name of Chalfant.

Interestingly both of the "other" spouses met rather tragic ends.  Mary Ann Lammey was left to raise 8 children and was found dead at around age 70 in a pool of blood on her bedroom floor.  There was a coroner's inquest and it was determined she had a stroke causing her to fall and split her head.  Myers Chalfant became a well known farmer and businessman in Deleware Co. where he had moved with his new family.  He hung himself from the rafters in his barn at age 55.  The newspaper article on his death stated there was no known reason to his family for his actions.

The discovery of these secrets leaves me with a big question.  Who was the biological father of my Eugene?  He was born in Nov. 1861.  Eugene's bother Joseph Lammay Jr. was born in 1864 so I am assuming Joseph and Anna were together by that year but I don't really know what events transpired between 1860 and 1870.  Short of exhuming my ancestors for DNA I am not sure I will ever find out. 

Research Tips I Learned From This Experience

• Broad based searches can produce results, never know what may turn up.
• If the same results keep appearing in your searches check them out.  Do not assume things are a coincidence without more research.
• Always check out your ancestor's siblings.  If not for researching my great grandmother's sister I would not have made the Chalfant connection.

While finding these "deep, dark secrets" has made my research more interesting, I almost feel guilty sometimes digging up secrets that my ancestors believed they took with them to their graves.  I do not know if my grandmother knew her father's history.  She was very sensitive about his running off and always told me to "never tell anyone".  She remembered her Aunt Annie who was married to Lewis Chalfant.  But would always give me a stern "NO" when I asked if she remembered Aunt Annie's married name.  I suspect she did know but did not want to share the story.  It rattled me at first finding I may be a Chalfant because the Lammay name was so central to my genealogy.   But in reality I guess none of us really know if we are researching the "right" name.  Plus it gives me more interesting ancestors to investigate!

Free Travel & Immigration Records on Ancestry

Ancestry.com is offering their immigration and travel records for free starting today August 29 through September 5, 2011.  This is a great way to search for your ancestors who immigrated to the USA from other countries for free if you do not have an Ancestry.com subscription or only have a USA subscription.  You can access the databases here at Ancestry.com.  Happy Hunting!

Part 2: Finding Ancestors & Secrets You Didn't Know Existed

This is part 2 of my experiences finding ancestors and secrets when you did not know they even existed.  You can read my first story here Part 1.

First a little background.  My great grandfather Eugene Ellsworth Lammay has always been my biggest brick wall.  The mysteries that surrounded him are what got me into genealogy in the first place.  Grandma always said her father Eugene abandoned the family (11 children!).  He just disappeared and no one knew what became of him.  She said he worked in sales (appears he worked for the railroad from my research which could account for his traveling) constantly coming and going.  It was said he would hang around just long enough to get great grandmother pregnant then would be off again.

Not until my grandmother was 91 did she break down and tell us that the last time Eugene left he ran off with her mother's niece.  I do have some evidence this may be true so my suspicion has always been he ran off around 1920 with Emma Huber Schultz and had another family.  But to date I have no idea what became of him or Emma.

What I discovered was Eugene had a "third family" that I had never heard mentioned.  The unsettling part is he was involved with this other woman right from the beginning of his marriage to my great grandmother!  Here is how I found the two half siblings of my grandmother.

Lammay is not a common name which has been a great help in my research.  Because I am always searching for Eugene I routinely do searches on the Lammay last name.  Everyone in Allegheny County, PA with that name is connected.  During one of these searches a marriage record for Eva Lammay to a Ellsworth Ream came up.  No Eva or Ream surname in my Lammay family plus they were from Washington County--none of my Lammay's ever lived there.  Then in a broad census search a Stephen Lammay in Washington County appeared.  Again no Stephen's in the family.  It never occurred to me Eugene was their father because they were the same age as two of my grandmother's older siblings and I believed his cheating ways did not start until later in his life.  I thought maybe Eugene had a brother I didn't know about and put them on the back burner of my research.

When I decided to start investigating Stephen & Eva I started with published family trees.  Stephen and Eva were siblings.  Their mother was Sarah Ellen Lowery, again no recognition.  Sarah had numerous children all to her husband James Johns with the exception of Stephen & Eva whose last name was Lammay.  Oddly none of the trees had a father for these two.  Then I looked at the birthplace of Stephen & Eva and it was like getting hit in the head with a brick!  They were both born in Tarentum, PA.  That is where Eugene grew up, where he married my great grandmother and they lived until about 1900.

I feverishly began digging.  Found obits for both.  No mention of parents for Eva.  But there it was in Stephen's obit.  Mother Sarah Lowery Johns, Father Eugene Lammay.  I sent for Stephen's death certificate and there he was listed as father--Eugene Lammay!  Sarah had moved to Washington County when she married James Johns so that is why they grew up there.

From years of census research I know every Lammay in the Tarentum area.  There was only one Eugene Lammay.  I had found two half siblings of my grandmother's.  Stephen was born in May 1880.  Eugene married my great grandmother in 1880.  Because I don't have a marriage date I don't know if Stephen was born before or after they married.  I did find Stephen (a few months old) in the 1880 census.  Sarah was using Lowery, her maiden name so I assume she and Eugene never married.  She was living in Armstrong County with her sister and Stephen was listed as Lowery.  Eva was born in 1883.  Using birth dates and counting backwards I determined that Sarah became pregnant with Eva at about the time my great grandmother was 8 months pregnant with twins.

So---the big questions are did my grandmother know about her siblings Stephen & Eva?  Did my great grandmother know about Sarah?  Did Sarah know about my great grandmother?  I do not know.  None of my grandmother's sisters ever mentioned these people.  She had two sisters that were more willing to spill secrets and neither of them ever mentioned this at least that I know about.  How did Eugene keep this secret (if he tried) in Tarentum in the 1880's?  Tarentum was a small town.  He obviously continued to see Sarah since he had a second child with her.  I am also curious to know if Eugene was involved in Stephen & Eva's lives as they grew up.  They were raised using his last name and Eugene was mentioned in Stephen's obit.

I may never know the answers.  I have not been able to connect with any descendants of Stephen or Eva to see what family stories they were told.  So now I often wonder--are there more siblings out there I do not know about?

Research Tips I Learned From This Experience

• Broad based searches can produce results, never know what may turn up!
• Do not let the facts you "think" you know define your research.  Keep an open mind.
• Always check out your ancestor's siblings.  I may never have looked into Stephen & Eva if I was not trying to find a possible brother of Eugene.

Stayed turned for part three which is story about Eugene Lammay's parents.   I discovered the apple does not fall far from the tree plus I may not even be a "Lammay"!