Sorting Saturday: More on the Kossuth Ferenc Society

My Farkas grandparents and their siblings were involved in the Kossuth Ferenc Literary, Sick & Benevolent Association--in fact, great-uncle Sandor (Alex) Farkas was among the founders in 1904.

Above, a photo of the officers as they appeared in 1930, during the 25th Anniversary year. According to the caption, my great-uncle is seated one in from the right. The entire 1930 Anniversary booklet is available by appointment at the YIVO Archives in New York City* so perhaps one day I will see this photo in person (and get a better copy of it). Grandpa Teddy Schwartz, married to Hermina Farkas, was an officer at one point and was honored for his activities by the Kossuth Society some time after the 25th Anniversary.

Sandor/Alex Farkas was the oldest of 11 siblings. After Alex came Hermina (Minnie), my grandma; Albert; Julius; Peter; Irene; Ella; Freda; Rose; Fred; and Regina. Julius and Peter were known in the family as the "bachelor brothers" or "the boys" even when they were at retirement age (and beyond).

* Also at YIVO: Some records from the Sons of Telsh benevolent society, the group to which some of my Mahler relatives belonged. Others belonged to the Independent Harlem True Brothers and therefore were buried in a different cemetery.

Note: The Farkas family also rented meeting rooms from the United Order of True Sisters in New York, a benevolent society started by German Jews that today is devoted to charitable activities related to cancer care.

Friday's Faces from the Past: Wood family of Ohio

Wood brothers: John Andrew, Edgar James, and Wallis Walter

James Edgar Wood

Today I'm highlighting hubby's family in the Buckeye State, starting with his dad, Edgar James Wood (1903-1986). The above photo shows Ed and, we think, his next-younger brothers. One brother is not in the photo: Theodore W. Wood.

Edgar Wood's father was James Edgar Wood (1871-1939), shown at right. He was a builder whose homes I've showcased in other blog posts, like the one here. 

James was one of 17 children of Thomas Haskell Wood (1809-1890) and Mary Amanda Demarest Wood (1831-1897). In order from oldest to youngest, they are: 

• Jane Ann Wood (1846-1936)
• Thomas Jefferson Isaiah Haskell Wood (1848-1861)
• John Marshall Taber Wood (1850-1859)
• Lucy Maria Kize Wood (1851-1870)
• William Henry White Wood (1853-1893)
• Alfred Olando Wood (1855-1895)
• Francis Ellery Wood (1857-1933)
• Joe Elemuel Wood (1859-1864)
• Lavatia Allen Wood (1859-1864)
• Charles Augustus Wood (1862-1895)
• Rachel Ellen "Nellie" Wood (1864-1954)
• George Howard Wood (1866-1866--d. in infancy)
• Marion Elton Wood (1867-1947)
• Mary Emma Wood (1869-?)
• James Edgar Wood (1871-1939)
• Robert Orrin Wood (1873-1933)
• Leander Elkanah Wood (1874-1874--d. in infancy)

We're still researching some of these Wood siblings. We know almost nothing of Mary Emma Wood after the 1870 Census...except that she married a man named W.R. Eagle. Need more on her, for sure. More info on the Wood landing page at top of this blog!

William Henry White Wood married Allise (Alice?) and had four children, according to 1880 Census: Hattie, Phillip, Cathie, and Thomas. And then??

What about Charles Augustus Wood, a carpenter who died of "la grippe" in 1895? 

By the way, Mary Amanda Demarest's parentage is a mystery. See the tabs at top of this blog for a special ancestor landing page devoted just to her.

Thank You, FGS--I'm a Winner!

#FGS2013

Will you be at the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference in Fort Wayne, Indiana this summer?

As one of the FGS Conference Ambassadors, my name was entered into a random drawing for a free conference registration--and I won! Thank you so much, FGS :)

If you haven't already registered, you have until July 1st to get the early-bird rate and save big. Registration details are here.

The program features a number of exciting tracks: African-American genealogy, British Isles genealogy, ethnic origins, European genealogy, genetics, German genealogy, and "how to and lessons learned." I'll be mixing and matching my sessions throughout the week. Hope to see you there!

Happy Father's Day to Harold Burk

Dad (Harold Burk (1909-1978), son of Isaac Burk and Henrietta Mahler) was so proud when his youngest daughter Harriet graduated high school (above, from her graduation). Neither Harold nor any of his siblings went to college, because they all had to leave school after about 7th or 8th grade to go to work. But all of their children went to college (and all got graduate degrees, as well). On Father's Day, I'm honoring Dad with this photo.

He would, I suspect, be a little surprised and very pleased to know that we're researching his parents' roots and trying to pinpoint the towns where they lived in Lithuania (Burk/Birk) and Latvia (Mahler).

Happy Father's Day!

2022 update: Burk was from Gargzdai, Mahler from Latvia.

Tuesday's Tip: The Ten-Minute Genealogist

I'm busy, you're busy, we're all busy. But we really can get things done bit by bit.

Here's what I learned I can accomplish in just 10 minutes:

• Write and post a message to a surname message board. Above, the message I posted on Friday about a long-standing brick wall ancestor named William Tyler Bentley, hubby's 3d great-grandpa. He almost certainly married Olive Morgan, but it would be nice to have documentation. Less than 24 hours later, a Bentley descendant contacted me! Now we're working together to trace this elusive guy's family. William Tyler Bentley was the father of Lucy E. Bentley, who married Brice S. Larimer. And thanks to the Elkhart County Genealogical Society, I now have much more info about the Larimers (plus a tantalizing lead on Mr. Bentley).
• Click to follow a hint or two on an Ancestry tree. There are still dozens of unexamined hints on the trees I've posted on Ancestry. When I have a spare minute, I log on and check a few out. Most I click to "ignore" but some are very promising. OK, it's easy to get carried away: Today I was checking the hints on the mother-in-law of the uncle of the wife of a cousin, once removed. Had to stop myself from clicking on those!
• Blog as cousin bait. I want to make it easy for cousins to find me. The more I blog, the higher the possibility that one of my posts will show up in a search done by someone who's related or knows about my family in some way. It works: One of my 2d cousins found me a few years ago via this blog (hi, Lois!) and another 2d cousin found me via my Ancestry tree just weeks ago (hi, Philly Cuz!).
• Google a particular ancestor. I'm always finding new things that weren't online or weren't digitized just a year or two ago. It really pays to go through my ancestor list one by one and check out the top "web" results, "image" results, and "news" results, not to mention Google Books and HeritageQuest. In 10 minutes, I can do a quick search on one ancestor. 
• Read other genealogy blogs. I follow about 60-odd geneablogs, and try to read at least a few every day. You all are having lots of genea-adventures and have taught me so many good tips about family history research! Thank you.

Planning for FGS 2013: Surname Networking Cards

Once hubby and I decided on a trip to the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference, we ordered business cards for surname networking. (We chose VistaPrint, which prints good-looking cards at a reasonable price.)

Here's what the back of the networking card looks like. The card stock is white and the lettering is black. I've put it against a yellow background so the card is more readable here:

Now, if we meet people interested in these surnames or researching these counties, we can hand them a card and stay in touch. Who knows, someone might know someone who knows someone . . .

Here's the front of the card, with one of our fave photos of the Steiner sisters of Upper Sandusky, Ohio, and of course our contact info (this blog's URL plus e-mail addresses and phone number, but no address).

The green tree clip art was part of the card design we chose, a perfect symbol to represent our efforts in climbing our family tree.

I was inspired to create the card by reading how other gen bloggers use cards for surname and family history networking--thanks, in particular, to Gena's Genealogy and Barbara Poole's Life from the Roots for good ideas. 

----
I'm an Ambassador for the FGS 2013 Conference...if you want to register as an ambassador, please check it out here.

Wordless Wednesday: Searching the NYPL Digital Gallery

Hotel McAlpin, where Mom & Dad were married.

Today I'm having fun searching through the New York Public Library's Digital Gallery in search of old photos of places where my relatives and ancestors stayed and played in New York City.

Here are a few blasts from the past from the Schwartz and Burk branches of my family tree.

Steel Pier at Atlantic City, where Mom & Dad honeymooned

Castle Garden, where many of my ancestors entered New York City

Ellis Island, where other ancestors entered New York City

Savoy Plaza Hotel (right), where Dad had his business

 

 

Family Friends Friday: Mary and Rose, Matchmakers

Family legend has it that my father, Harold Burk, was introduced to my mother, Daisy Schwartz, by two of their aunts.

I've known for some time that Mary Mahler Markell (Harold's aunt) was his side's match-making aunt. But who was the aunt on my mother's side?

Now I have the answer. In scanning hundreds (yes, hundreds) of minutes of meetings of the Farkas Family Tree, founded by my grandma Hermina Farkas Schwartz and her 10 siblings, I see that "Mr. & Mrs. Markell" and sometimes "Mr. & Mrs. Joe Markell" are frequent visitors--but only when the family gathers at the home of Rose Farkas Freedman and her husband George.

I looked up the addresses of the Markells and the Freedmans in the 1940 Census. This map shows the five-minute walk between the home of Joe & Mary and the home of George & Rose.

One of Rose's sons has confirmed that Mary was a close friend of Rose. I suspect that Mary and Rose cooked up a plan to introduce my father to my mother. Harold had just gotten out of the army and was an eligible bachelor. Daisy was dreaming of meeting the right man and settling down to have a family. The aunts got them together and in less than 3 months, Mom and Dad were engaged. Thanks to this family friendship, my future was assured!

Reading "Family Trees: A History of Genealogy in America"

Hubby surprised me with a gift of this new book, Francois Weil's Family Trees: A History of Genealogy in America.

Weil traces the evolution of genealogy in America through several stages. In the early days, colonists wanted to show off their status through kinship connections with nobility in the Old World and a sense of long-standing pedigree.

Another stage concerned the use of genealogical ties to prove ownership of land or inheritance (not unlike the tangled claims in Bleak House, for instance).

As the United States developed its own national identity, certain regions of the country sharpened their own sense of status through lineage. Pride in family history grew as ordinary people began to trace back to ancestors who had fought in the Revolution, for example, or landed at Plymouth Rock.

Chapter 6, "Everybody's search for roots," resonated most strongly with me because I, like many boomers, was moved to ask questions after viewing the Roots miniseries in 1977. For me, genealogy is a way to understand identity and heritage, learn what shaped my family's decisions and directions, and explain the stories and connections that bring the facts and dates to life.

I recommend this as a history book--a history of genealogy, not a "how to" or a "who's who." And if you like history, you'll like this book. 

Those Places Thursday: Genealogy-Friendly Crawford County, Ohio

Getting ready for the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference in August, I'm organizing my research so hubby and I can make the most of our time in Indiana and Ohio.

Two weeks ago, I wrote a snail-mail note to the Crawford County Probate Court, requesting death records for four ancestors on my "most wanted" list: Elizabeth Steiner (d. 6 November 1864), Jacob S. Steiner (d. between 1850 and 1860), Margaret (maiden name UNK) Rinehart (d. 11 June 1873) and William Steiner (d. 11 March 1899). All lived in Tod, Crawford County, or thereabouts.

Lisa at the court could only locate the record for William--but she kindly gave me the name/phone number of a local genealogical official and suggested I call to ask for ideas on tracking down the other records, which wouldn't be available at the county level because reporting didn't start until years later.

That call led me to the super-friendly folks at the Crawford County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society. Mary recognized the Steiner surname right away and she also has suggestions for identifying Margaret Rinehart's maiden name.

If you have any connections to Crawford County, OH (or wish that you did!), click through the above link to check out the many local genealogy resources and publications at their site. I can't wait to visit during the summertime.

Wordless Wedding Wednesday: What Are Mom and Dad Reading at Their Wedding?

Well, telegrams, of course! Any friend or relative who couldn't be there would spend a quarter or so to send a telegram congratulating the happy couple. And so after the noontime wedding ceremony, Mom (Daisy Schwartz) and Dad (Harold Burk) took a moment during the reception to read telegrams from loved ones around the country.

This is a Wordless Wednesday because none of those Wedding telegrams survived...

FGS Conference Quest: In Search of Steiners and Rineharts

This is my quest, to follow that star as far as Fort Wayne, Indiana and beyond!

Hubby's ancestors, the Steiner family and the Rinehart family, lived in Ohio and Indiana, so by attending the FGS Conference in Fort Wayne, Indiana, we're following that star into the 18th century. Our quest: To break down Steiner and Rinehart brick walls by determining where in the Old World they were originally from and locate their arrival time/place in the New World.

Our research plan includes:

• A visit to Crawford County, OH to locate birth/death/land/probate records for Elizabeth Steiner (maiden name UNK), who died in November, 1864; Jacob S. Steiner, who died before 1860 (he was in the 1850 Census); and Margaret Rinehart, who died in June, 1873. Maybe we'll get lucky and find parents' names? Fingers crossed...
• A visit to Wyandot County, OH to see the homes where the Steiner sisters (Etta, Minnie, Carrie, and Floyda) and their spouses lived and where hubby visited them during school vacations. Of course we'll look for land/probate records and pay our respects at Old Mission Cemetery in Upper Sandusky, where some Steiners are buried.
• A visit to Wabash, IN to do research into the McClure and Larimer families who were early settlers in this area. Cemetery visits are a must, in addition to hunting for vital records and newspaper reports.
• Attendance at FGS sessions that pertain to our quest, including "Beginning Swiss Research" (in case the Steiners or Rineharts are actually Swiss, as family legend suggests); "Buckeye Beginnings" (for those Crawford Cty folks); and "First Steps in Indiana Research" (to get a good overview of resources and repositories).
• Rooting around at the Allen County Public Library for family roots (still coming up with a plan for tackling this almost overwhelming place!). This is our first visit, but hopefully not our last.

And I'm looking forward to meeting genealogy folks from all over the country at the meeting. See you there!

2022 Update: The Genealogy Center at Allen County had a key book about the McClure family that enabled us to fill out the branches of that line (I bought a personal copy for reference). Also we received many newspaper clippings from the Wabash archivist. A special part of this trip was visiting the Old Mission Cemetery in Wyandot County, where we wandered among family headstones while photographing for Find a Grave and family trees. 

Genealogy by the States: The Hoosiers in Our Family Tree, Including a Man Named Train

This week's Genealogy by the States topic is Indiana, the Hoosier state (aka the Crossroads of America).

At the top of the list of Hoosiers in hubby's family tree: 2nd great-grandparents Benjamin McClure and his wife Sarah Deming (or Denning) McClure, an early settler in the Wabash county area.

Wabash had a number of McClure families, and of course Benjamin is NOT the most celebrated or documented, although he did pitch in to build the community in several ways. (The most famous McClure in Wabash is Samuel McClure, considered the first permanent white settler in the county.)

Benjamin and Sarah's first children were born in Ohio, where the couple was married; their children born in Indiana include:

• Martha Jane McClure, who married William Buck Cloud
• Train C. McClure, who married Gulia Swain (and, after Gulia's death, remarried to Rebecca E. Abbott) - Isn't "Train" an interesting first name? His occupation was "oil mill operator" according to the 1880 census. He served in the Civil War, too.
• Elizabeth D. McClure (who married John W. Austin)
• Addison D. McClure (who died of an accidental gunshot wound at age 18)
• William Madison McClure (hubby's great-grandpa, who married Margaret Jane Larimer)
• John N. McClure
• Amanda "Callie" Caroline McClure (I don't know much about her--yet)

Another of hubby's ancestors lived in Indiana: His uncle John Andrew Wood, who married Rita Goodin on April 7, 1951 in Crown Point, Indiana and was an area supervisor for du Pont in East Chicago, Indiana for many years. Although family legend has it that John was mostly estranged from his three brothers (Wally, Ed, and Ted Wood), I know from Ed's diary that John and his wife Rita were in touch with Ed from time to time and they even visited each other once in a great while. How the "estrangement" story got started, I don't know...

As usual, thanks to Jim Sanders for this week's genealogy blogging prompt.

A special thank you to Harold of Midwestern Microhistory blog, who just posted news of thousands more Indiana marriage records being available at Family Search (click here). If you're researching Indiana ancestors, check out Harold's blog.

Amanuensis Monday: "I am your Pop (Ma is included in this)"

In 1943, when my Uncle Fred enlisted in WWII, the entire family geared up for a lively stream of correspondence to keep him company wherever he was posted. (The same steady stream of correspondence flowed to Fred's sister Dorothy Schwartz the WAC, and to Fred and Dorothy's first cousins in the service.)

Here's the second page of a letter to Fred from his "Pop" (my grandpa), Theodore Schwartz, written on November 9, 1944. Grandpa learned English after arriving in New York from Hungary as a teenager, and his spelling/punctuation weren't always perfect. He and my grandma ran a busy grocery store, which in wartime had the added burden of having to collect and sort ration coupons for many foods.

Instead of ending his letter to Fred by signing off with "love" as so many parents do today, he says something much more old fashioned: "With best wishes to you, I am your Pop" and adds: "Ma is included in this."

This letter reads:

Dear Fred,

Your 3 letters in a row at hand and been glad to hear that you, at last got what you wanted and also received the klippings [sic] describing in detail the work. It must be interesting, at least from the beginning. You will only have day work and nobody to rush you. There is not much news here. We are all well--just got a letter from Bobby F___ he is on the other side [meaning he's fighting in Europe]. Received a few letters from Dorothy, she is well, of course she does not get any steaks for every dinner but she is getting ours.

We had a nice [family] meeting at Ella's [Fred's uncle] Sunday. [Uncle] Albert's father-in-law, if you can remember him, celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary. I am slated for the next presidency in the family tree.*

With best wishes to you, I am your Pop
   Ma is included in this.


*The Farkas Family Tree was created during the 1930s, with members being the descendants of Moritz Farkas and Lena Kunstler Farkas, along with their spouses and kids. Grandma Hermina Farkas Schwartz was the oldest daughter of Moritz and Lena, and Grandpa Theodore's marriage to her made him eligible to serve as president of the tree, as he boasts in the final sentence of his letter to Fred. One of the fun rituals at each tree meeting was singing a family song written by one of Fred's aunts. More on this tree in future posts!

Happy Mother's Day! Three Generations in the Bronx

My mother, Daisy Schwartz, grew up in the Bronx, taking trolley cars and subways to get wherever she had to go, because the family had no car. My sisters and I were brought up in the Bronx, also experts in getting around by subway because our parents had no car.

The next generation started their families in the northeast Bronx (one sister) and in Brooklyn (the other sister) before moving away. These days, we all drive but also use our subway savvy when we go back to New York City for a visit.

Sibling Saturday: Lola, Brice, Lucille, and Hugh Benjamin McClure

Lucille McClure De Velde, John De Velde, Margaret Larimer McClure

Margaret Jane Larimer (1859-1913) and William Madison McClure (1849-1887) had four children, two of whom were entrepreneurial types.

• Lola A. McClure (1877-1948), born in Elkhart, Indiana. She married Edward A. Lower and had three children (Margaret, Edward Sherman, and Ross).
• Brice Larimer McClure (1878-1970), born in Little Traverse, Michigan. He married Floyda Mabel Steiner and they had one daughter, Marian (hubby's Mom).
• Lucille Ethel McClure (1880-1926), also born in Elkhart, who married John E. De Velde (no children). The tintype above shows Lucy, John, and Lucy's mom Margaret McClure, sometime before 1913.
• Hugh Benjamin McClure (1882-1960), born in Wabash, Indiana. His first wife was Olivet Van Roe (and they had a daughter together, Georgianna). His second wife was Rebekah Venice Wilt and their children were: Margaret Susan, Jean A., Marietta, and Virginia Rebekah.

Brice McClure ran his own shade shop in Cleveland, to supplement his income during the Depression. He was a crackerjack machinist for various companies, striking out on his own between jobs because his specialty was in high demand. Brice was nicknamed "The Old Gentleman" by his daughter and son-in-law, who cared for him when he was older. He wasn't the first Brice in the family, by the way. That honor belongs to Brice Smith (1756-1828), Brice McClure's g-g-g-grandpa, who married Eleanor Kenny (1762-1841).

Hugh Benjamin McClure founded the H.B. McClure Manufacturing Co. in Peoria, Ill, which produced office equipment. Hubby's parents visited Peoria to see the family and tour the factory during the 1960s and they kept in touch for some time.

PS This is my 400th genealogy blog post! Woo-hoo!

PPS: 2022 update: I found Hugh in the 1950 US Census, still listed as the manager of an office supply factory (Peoria, IL, ED 109-106, sheet 10, lines 17-18).

Those Places Thursday: Sis Sees the Supremes at the Copacabana

J and Sis, recreating their memorable Prom Night

It was the Age of Aquarius. Sis was graduating from Christopher Columbus HS in the Bronx and going to the prom with future husband J. 

After the prom, some of her classmates cruised on the Circle Line boat around Manhattan, while others went to home parties. Not Sis and her friends. She booked a table at the Copacabana night club in New York City to see the Supremes!

This is a guest post by Sis about a very special place and time in her life.

For prom night, I saved up from my part-time jobs to buy a beautiful floor-length, sleeveless scoop-neck white lace sheath with matching coat. My outfit included pointy, white peau de soie high heels and a pearly purse just large enough for my house key, lipstick, eyelash glue, and a few dollar bills. J rented a white dinner jacket to match.

On the day of the prom, I had my hair done in a gorgeous, picture-perfect bouffant flip, sprayed stiff to stay put (as was the style back then). Then I put on my makeup: Cleopatra eyeliner, false eyelashes, blush, and pale icy pink lipstick. When J came to pick me up, he brought me a gardenia wrist corsage and I put a carnation in his lapel.

No one took a limo to the prom in those days. We double-dated with our friend Glenn, who borrowed his father's station wagon for the evening. At the prom, we danced the Swim, the Pony, the Twist, the Frug, the Mashed Potato, and everything else as a live band played every hit song we requested--Gloria, Mustang Sally, I Feel Good...of course, slipping in a slow dance like Sixteen Candles after every four or five songs.

When the prom was winding down, Glenn drove us downtown to the Copa (at 60th Street, just off Fifth Avenue) for the 11 pm show. There were six of us at a tiny bistro table in the second row from the stage, plus lots of other high school prom-goers packed in like sardines around the room. We didn't complain--we were there to see the world-famous Supremes.

I couldn't take my eyes off the Supremes, they were so incredibly glamorous as they sang You Can't Hurry Love and other hits during a one-hour set that included a costume change. (We didn't think to bring a camera; no one knew it was going to be historic!)

After one set and an expensive order of mediocre food from the overpriced menu, the Copa shuffled us out so they could get the next audience seated. A Copa napkin was my only souvenir. By 1 am, we were on our way back to the Bronx in Glenn's station wagon, watching the skyline glitter as he drove.

After graduation, Sis went on to Lehman College, where she and her friends started a new sorority--THE Sorority.

Tuesday's Tip: Discuss Conflicting Info with Relatives

Paula Schwartz

This photo sent shivers up my spine and I had to share why.

Five years ago, I found my maternal grandfather's sister Paula Schwartz listed in the Yad Vashem central database of Holocaust victims, names submitted by relatives or neighbors so that victims would be remembered.

The "testimony" page, below, shows that Paula was the daughter of Herman and Hana (Simonowitz) Schwartz. The person who submitted the testimony in 1996 is Viola Schwartz W____r--Paula's daughter. (See my Schwartz ancestor landing page for more info.)

My newfound cousin from Philly questioned me about Viola W___. Why? Because on cards and photos sent to my grandpa, Paula Schwartz's daughter is named Ibolyka, which is often translated as Violet. I thought we were looking for a survivor named Violet W___, even though the testimony is signed by Viola ___.

My Philly Cuz urged me to rethink the Violet/Viola discrepancy. I went back to the testimony page to see whether any more info had been added since I last looked in 2008. The answer is yes.

Now there's a photo uploaded next to the testimony--the photo I show in this post. You can compare with the two ladies in hats at the center top of my blog's masthead. It's undoubtedly OUR family's Paula Schwartz!

This photo wasn't available online in 2008. And not long afterward, we found this survivor. Sadly, she confirmed that many Schwartz ancestors who remained in Ungvar did not survive the Holocaust. 

Monday Memories of Little Sister

This week, my sister Harriet (named after my paternal grandmother, Henrietta Mahler), would have been 58 years old. We miss her!

She once framed dozens of old family photos to create a wall of "dead people" as a living reminder of our family history. Her favorite perfume was Elizabeth Arden's Blue Grass, because that had been our mother's signature fragrance. Rest in peace, little sis.

Genealogy by the States: McClures, Steiners, and Rineharts in the Buckeye State

Benjamin McClure (1812-1896)

Hubby has many ancestors in the Buckeye State of Ohio! I've been researching his 2d great-grandpa, Benjamin McClure (1812-1896), who is also the subject of my Facebook genealogy experiment. Benjamin was born in Adams County, Ohio, and although he later moved to Indiana, some of his descendants returned to Ohio for farming, carpentry, and other pursuits.

Other key ancestors in Ohio are the Steiners (Jacob S. Steiner, one of hubby's 2d great-granddads, was a long-time resident of Tod, Crawford county, Ohio) and the Rineharts (Joseph W. Rinehart was another of hubby's 2d great-grandpas, also a long-time resident of Tod). More about the Steiners and Rineharts can be found in the ancestor landing page on the tabs below my blog's title.

My next genealogical step on some of these ancestors is to check local courthouses for probate and deed records. This week I contacted the Wabash County Clerk's Office in Indiana to find out whether Benjamin McClure left a will. Guess what? There are 8 pages of estate info in the clerk's office! And for one buck a page, I can have photocopies sent by mail. By this time next week, I hope to know what Benji left and who his heirs were.

* Genealogy by the States is a weekly prompt started by Jim Sanders. Thanks, Jim!

Wisdom Wednesday: Listen to the "Backstory"

One of my favorite podcasts is a series called "Backstory with the American History Guys."

It stars three historians, each an expert on a particular century (18th, 19th, and 20th of course).

Every episode gives me some new insight into how things were in my ancestors' time. The topics range from women's rights and the history of taxation to immigration and concepts of time. The "guys" interview experts about how key cultural, political, technological, and social changes affected America and Americans, both new and old.

That's how I learned that my hubby's ancestors in Wabash no doubt were gathered around the courthouse on the day when its electric lights were first switched on, making the town the first in the nation (possibly the world) to take this step. And it all came about, according to the History Guys, because two fellas from the Wabash Plain Dealer thought this would put the town on the map. And so it has, as you can see from the official seal of Wabash.

I encourage you to check out Backstory's podcasts (on its site or on iTunes) and enjoy!

Genealogy by the States: Maggie Steiner Moves to Tennessee

This is Week 16 of the Genealogy by the States series started by Jim Sanders, and the topic is Tennessee. (Congrats to Jim for being named one of Family Tree's Top 40 blogs!)

The only family connection to Tennessee is through Margaret Mary Steiner (1861-1913), hubby's great-aunt. Born in Nevada, Ohio, to Edward George Steiner and Elizabeth Jane Rinehart, Maggie married Elroy Dayton Post (1858-1929) in September, 1883.

The couple moved several times for Elroy's work, with Union Pacific RR among other employers. Then they settled in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he worked as a sign painter. Maggie died in Knoxville in 1913 and was buried in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, where many in the Steiner family were buried.

Elroy remarried and his second wife, Merida, gave birth to their only child, Margaret, in 1918. Was this daughter named after Elroy's first wife, Maggie Steiner?

NOTE: If you're looking for Climbing My Family Tree by Jennifer--another of Family Tree's top 40 blogs--please click here. Congrats to Jen!

Workday Wednesday: The Family Pitches in for the War Effort

During 1943, my family was doing a lot to fight WWII. Not quite single-handedly, of course, but they were in the service AND in defense industries. For example, my Auntie Dorothy Schwartz, shown above, was a WAC and during 1943, her service training took her to Daytona Beach, FL, Ft. Oglethorpe, GA, Camp Polk, LA, and Ft. Devens, MA. She ended the year in Scotland.

Dorothy's first cousins were in the Army Air Corps, in the Army, and stationed around the country and around the world. Family members visited sons, daughters, and siblings whenever they could. The family regularly bought War Bonds (and those who had stores, including my grandparents Teddy Schwartz and Minnie Farkas, also sold War Bonds to customers). One of my great-aunts was also a "Rosie the Riveter," working at an aircraft factory during the war.

To lighten the mood, the family's newsletter of 1943 doings says that the military members of the family "still have time to gain one of these titles: Corporal Punishment, Major Calamity or General Nuisance."

In 1944, according to family tree newsletters, Sgt. Dorothy Schwartz was temporarily assigned to Oxford, England for a week's training at Oxford U. By 1945, Sgt. Schwartz was in Belgium and she wrote about celebrating V-E Day.

Meanwhile, my father Harold Burk (left) and his brother, Sidney Burk (the taller brother), were in Europe with the U.S. Army. Harold was with the Signal Corps, in a support role behind the lines in the European theater.

Harold and Sidney were in Europe on assignment when their father, Isaac Burk, died suddenly of a heart attack in 1943. They weren't able to return for the funeral, which must have made things even sadder for their mother, Henrietta Mahler Burk.

Timelines, Family Trees, and James & Mary's Wedding Day

My local genealogy club was lucky enough to recently host a talk by genealogy/history expert Laura Prescott. She spoke about "Timelines: Placing Your Heritage in Historical Perspective."

Among the many things I took away from that presentation was the idea of creating timelines to show my ancestors in the context of their family's events and local/national/international events. Laura mentioned free sites like xtimeline.com. (A wonderful find!)

She also mentioned that we have the ability to publish timelines, among other things, using Ancestry and the family tree data we've already posted. I'd never looked at that "Publish" button along the top row of the Ancestry home page. Pushing "publish" started me on the easy process of printing an 18 x 24 inch poster for my hubby's siblings, showing the four main families that correspond to each of their grandparents. (If you don't want to buy the tree poster, you can still print it free on your home printer--I did that too.)

Along the way, I enlisted hubby's help proofreading the family tree before we published the poster. He noticed I was missing an exact month and date for his grandpa's marriage.

In another browser window, I opened Family Search and quickly found an updated database of Ohio marriages. Info that wasn't indexed or digitized a year ago has been put online! (My lesson: Keep searching for those elusive ancestors or events--eventually new clues will present themselves.)

With just a couple of clicks, we now have the marriage document of James E. Wood of Toledo and his bride, Mary Slatter, who were married on 21 September 1898. All because we wanted to put together a family tree poster (see below).

The poster points up a glaring hole in the tree: We still don't know the parents of Mary Amanda Demarest. Cousin Larry has been on her trail for decades.

Holocaust Remembrance Day: The Schwartz Family of Ungvar

Sad to say, the Holocaust wiped out most of the family that my grandpa Teddy Schwartz left behind in Ungvar, Hungary (briefly part of Czechoslovakia, then Russia, and now Uzhorod, Ukraine). This post is in remembrance of my family and others who were Holocaust victims.


Teddy lost his mother, Hani Simonowitz Schwartz (at left) in the Holocaust (UPDATE: She died a few years earlier). His father, Herman Schwartz, had died many years earlier.

Also, two sisters, Paula and Etel Schwartz were killed in the Holocaust. At right, Paula and her daughter Violet (who survived and later submitted Paula's name to the list of Holocaust victims). Possibly some nieces or nephews also perished.


In 1977, my mother (Daisy Schwartz Burk) wrote down what she knew about her father Teddy's family, more than a decade after he had died. Here's what she wrote:

"He came from peasant people in Czechoslovakia and never spoke about his home life. He came here at 13*. He was always silent about who staked him and how he got here, except that steerage was the most common method; neither he nor Mom (Hermina Farkas Schwartz) ever elaborated on the ocean voyage but it must've been sufficiently unpleasant for them to never to have unlocked their lips over it.

"Anyway, he lived as a boarder with a Hungarian family on the Lower East Side [of New York City] as many others did, and worked as a runner for the steamship lines and then he tried to be an insurance salesman and finally started a small grocery business--the first couple failed.

"The letters from Europe [from Ungvar] I remember asked for money constantly.  They all thought we lived in the lap of luxury here; and he always sent money home. Just before WWII he stopped hearing and never head again; later he learned his family was wiped out. His brother and sister had come here also**, but the exact timing I don't know."

*Actually, Teddy was 14 (nearly 15) when he arrived on the S.S. Moltke from Hamburg on March 20, 1902. He was shown on the manifest as Tivador Schwartz from Ungvar, along with this note: "Passage paid for by father, 14 years old, student." Below, a photo of the S.S. Moltke showing steerage passengers readying for the landing in New York City.

**Mom didn't realize that Teddy had helped both his older brother Sam and his baby sister Mary come to New York. Nor did she remember that both had kids and grandkids--and those grandkids are my 2d cousins, who I've come to know thanks to genealogy research.

Wishful Wednesday: Meeting the Kossuth Ferenc Society

How I wish I could have seen my Farkas and Schwartz ancestors at a meeting of the Kossuth Ferenc Hungarian Literary Sick and Benevolent Society, founded in New York City in 1904. Above, a photo from the group's fifth anniversary jubilee. My great-uncle Sandor (Alex) Farkas (born in Berehovo, Hungary) was one of the founders, and great-uncle Bertalan (Albert) Farkas was a long-time leader! They are in the picture, along with other relatives (see below). This society reached its peak in 1924, when it had more than 600 members.

The Kossuth family (father Lajos and son Ferenc, for whom the society was named) were leaders of the Hungarian independence movement. According to a Fulbright scholar's research (this link leads to an explanatory pdf), the founders of the society asked permission to use his name (and apparently his likeness, shown above in a chair at the very center of the photo).

The society's goals were to establish a library and reading room; raise money for charitable purposes, especially to help new immigrants; and sponsor sports or other special events. The society also participated in March 15th celebrations every year, remembering the Hungarian Revolution of 1848.

Hermina Farkas, 1909

The photographer Gustav Beldegreen, who had a successful studio in New York City's Lower East Side, was obviously a big supporter of the society. He produced the big photo above, along with individual portraits of the members that are included as cameos.

At left, my future grandma Hermina Farkas as she appeared in 1909, in the big photo above. She was born in Berehovo, like her brother Sandor. Two years after this photo was taken, she married grandpa Theodore Schwartz (born in Ungvar, then part of Hungary and now known as Uzhorod, Ukraine).

Also here's a photo of the Kossuth statue that was erected in 1928 New York City (along Riverside Drive) to honor this leader of Hungarian independence.

From the Kossuth Ferenc Society booklet, spelled as in the original and in the order it appeared, I want to include the complete Tagok névsora (list of members): 

Altman, Sándor

Altman, Rosie

Altman, Bertha

Altman, Malvin

Aurbach, Emma

Ábraham, Isidor

Bleich, Ármin

Blau, Sámuel

Blau, Sámuelné

Berman, Dezsö

Burger, Jenö

Burger, Miksa

Burger, Géza

Burger, Lajos

Burger, Rosie

Burger, Harry

Braun, Ferencz 

Braunstein, Jenö

Böhm, Máli

Berkowitz, Márton

Berkowitz, Sadie

Beldegreen, Gusztáv (the photographer/printer)

Braun, Jakab

Brummel, Frida

Berger, Pepi

Berger, Isidor

Breuer, Márton

Cohn, Sarah

Davidowitz, Jenö

Deutsch, Dezsö

Deutsch, Samu

Deutsch, Ferencz

Diamand, Ignátz

Eichler, Hermina

Ehrenfeld, Bella

Farkas, Sándor  (my family!)

Farkas, Bertalan (my family!)

Farkas, Hermina (my family!) 
Friedman, Jenö

Friedman, Adolf

Friedman, Isidor

Friedman, Annie

Feldman, Herman

Fischer, Sarah

Fischer, Rosie I

Fischer, Rosie II

Fischer, Jenö

Fischer, Harry

Fischer, Julia

Funk, Deszö

Fried, Sámuel

Frank, Mihály

Fábián, Jenö

Fábián, Jenöné

Greenberger, Bertha

Greenberger, Max

Green, Malvin

Green, Cili

Green, Herman

Goldstein, Lina

Goldstein, Márton

Greenfeld, Irén

Greenfeld, Bertha

Greenfeld, Sámuel

Gross, Isidor

Gross, Etel

Gross, Ida

Gross, Jenö

Gross, Márton

Grossman, Jenö

Grossman, Etel

Grossman, Annie

Gerendási, Béla

Gerendási, Márton

Gottlieb, Julius

Grünwald, Albert

Goldstein, Giza

Greenstein, Vilmos

Gellért, Ármin

Gellért, Miksa

Gewirtz, Jenö

Greenbaum, Dávid

Gáspár, Anna

Grünwald, Selma

Hohenberg, Bérnat dr.

Hochheiser, Dóra

Hirschfeld, Jenö

Herskowitz, Máli

Hartman, Ármin

Horowitz, Fáni

Hartman, Wm. L. dr.

Jäger, Sadie

Jungreis, Antal

Klein, Jenö I

Klein, Jenö II

Klein, Jenö III

Klein, Jenöné

Klein, Szerén

Klein, Lajos

Klein, Isidor I

Klein, Isidor II

Klein, Máli

Klein, Bernath

Klein, Vilmos

Klein, Ida

Klein, Regina

Klein, Helen

Klein, Róza

Klein, Mór

Katz, Bertha

Kornfeld, Heinrich

Kraus, Hermina

Kraus, Bernath

Kallisch, Teréz

Kellner, Árpád

Katz, Ida

Kestenbaum, Jack

Klausner, Sam

Kraus, Matild

Lehner, Etel

Leffkowitz, Rosie I

Leffkowitz, Rosie II

Leffkowitz, Helén

Lessauer, Sam

Lebowitz, Max

Lax, Harrz

Leggmar, Sarah

Markowitz, Herman

Markowitz, Hermanné

Markowitz, Isidor

Mayer, Adolf

Miesels, Sam

Moor, Max dr.

Neuman, Vilmos

Oppman, Gizella

Rendler, Annie

Rosner, Dávid

Reschowsky, Lajos

Rosenfeld, Fülöp

Roth, Helén

Roth, Margit

Rosenzweig, Boriska

Radóczy, Irma

Rosner, Bertha

Singer, Szerén

Schwartz, Nathan

Schwartz, Nathanné

Schwartz, Isidor

Schwartz, Theodor (my family!)

Schwartz, Malvin

Schwartz, Alex

Saffran, Bertha

Schwartz, Szerén

Schwartz, Bernath I

Schwartz, Bernath II

Strauss, Eszti

Smidt, József

Schwartz, Eszti

Schönwald, Emma

Schönwald, Rosie

Schwartz, Sam (my family!)

Spitzer, Vilmos

Saffir, Rosie

Süsskind, Pinkusz

Spitz, Áron

Stark, Miksa

Schwartz, Marie (actually MARY, my family!)

Schreiber, J.H. dr.

Selymes, Ferencz

Schwartz, Sarah

Stark, Sándor

Salamon, Rosie

Schwartz, Bertha

Schwartz, Sadie

Schwartz, Hannah

Staub, Matild

Spiro, Annie

Steuer, Paulin

Steuer, Jolán

Tresenfeld, Rosie

Tresenfeld, Ármin

Wolf, Adolf

Weitzner, Janka

Weitzner, József

Wolitzer, Sándor

Weiss, Dávid

Weiss, Harry

Weiss, Sámuel dr.

Weiss, Max

Weiss, Helén

Weiss, Feri

Weiss, Bernath

Weiss, Piroska

Weiss, Sam

Weiss, Margit

Weiss, Ida

Williger, Helén

Weltman, Ernö

Wellner, Henry

Weinreb, Márton

Zimmerman, Harry