Major Blue And Spanish West Florida
During the War of 1812, Andrew Jackson virtually ended the Creek War with his decisive defeat of the Creek Indians at the Battle of...
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An Exploration of my Family's Genealogy, Ancestors and Their Journey Through History
Chasing Family Ghosts
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- Oct 16
- 5 min
From Patriot to Whiskey Rebel
Barnabas Blue was likely born about 1757 in New Castle County, Delaware and became an early settler in Berkley County, Virginia (now...
- Oct 2
- 3 min
The Mennonite Educator
Christopher Dock was born about 1698. He immigrated to the United States by 1714, becoming a teacher at Skippack in Philadelphia County...
- Sep 25
- 2 min
The Schraugers
Andreas Karl (Andrew Carl) Schrauger was born about 1656. His last name has also been spelled as Schrager and Schraeger in various...
- Aug 14
- 4 min
The Mennonites
Now to tell a little more background information about the Mennonites in my family tree. The name is derived from the founder of the...
- Aug 7
- 6 min
The Zieglers
Michael Ziegler, born probably about 1680 in Germany, came to America with his brother Melchior before 1717, as in that year he was...
- Jul 31
- 2 min
More On The Moyers - 5x Great Grandparents
The next step back in my Moyer line was to identify my 5x great grandparents. So, who were Abraham's parents? So, as I began that...
- Jul 24
- 4 min
Powwowing and the Pennsylvania Germans
Here is a story about something that my Pennsylvania German ancestors may have used or even practiced at some point. Powwow, also called...
- Jul 17
- 3 min
The Moyers Updated - Location, Location, Location
Since my initial post about my Moyer line (click here), more information has been discovered. Sometimes what has been passed down or...
- Jul 10
- 4 min
The Gentle Giant
John Sherman "Jack" Fasig was born on 18 March 1894 in Lancaster County, PA where his father, John Sr. had a tobacco farm. He moved with...
- Jun 26
- 3 min
The Family Gunsmiths
The "Kentucky Long Rifle" was originally known as the "Pennsylvania Long Rifle." Daniel Boone, a native Pennsylvanian born in Berks...
- Jun 12
- 5 min
A Curious Letter, Part Four: Facts v. Legend
Without a doubt, the story was extremely moving. However, as with any legend, it is somewhat difficult to get at the real facts of this...
- May 8
- 4 min
A Curious Letter, Part Three
Click here for Part 2 Nearly ten years passed as Magdalena and Christian rebuilt their burned house and continued farming the land. ...
- Apr 30
- 4 min
A Curious Letter, Part Two
After I came across that letter, I did more digging and found an earlier reference to it with more (and different) information. (For...
- Apr 24
- 2 min
A Curious Letter, Part One
In the mid-1750's a Frederick Schoener wrote to his brother-in-law, George Hartman of Reutlingen, Germany: "Dear brother-in-law. This is...
- Apr 17
- 5 min
The Great Flood of 1892
A Night of Terror and Destruction At about 9:45 in the evening on Friday, 17 June 1892, just after many had retired to their beds and...
- Apr 3
- 4 min
The Witch and William Penn
The cows were acting funny. That is how the only official witch trial in Pennsylvania history began. Eight years before the infamous...
- Mar 27
- 4 min
The True Story of the "Pennsylvania Dutch", Part 2: The Language
(For Part 1, click here) During the Middle Ages, there was no German country, language, or national identity. Germans were politically...
- Mar 19
- 4 min
The True Story of the "Pennsylvania Dutch", Part 1: The People
When the vast majority of people hear the term "Pennsylvania Dutch", they typically conjure images of Amish persons riding in horse-drawn...
- Mar 13
- 3 min
Shaner, Pennsylvania
About 26 miles southeast of Pittsburgh is the town of Shaner. Pennsylvania's Westmoreland County was formed by an Act of Assembly,...
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