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James Doty Book At the Printers

I didn’t make the Christmas deadline I had set for myself, but did make it to the printers December 28th. The book will be available through my website in the new year. With the index of more than 3000 names, the book will be at least 120 pages, in hardback, with a few pictures. I’m so excited that it is finally done, but I know there was so much more to add. I think I’ll continue to collect obituaries, death certificates, grave photos, and family histories to add to a supplement of this book. So if you have any Shoemaker, Packard, Duart, Brown, More, Morse, etc., information please consider sharing that with me.

The Harrisburg Chapter, NSDAR book “Revolutionary War Patriots’ Historic Houses of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania” has been a hit. I continue to collect patriot homes throughout Pennsylvania for a possible follow-up book. The Historic Preservation Committee of Harrisburg has at least 60-80 more homes that could make up a second book. The research that is necessary for such a book will slow down our next publication date, but standby for more.

I have been invited to a number of local NSDAR chapters and historical societies to talk about the Revolutionary War homes in PA and always get a lead on yet another home. It amazes me that so many of these homes remain and occupied. By bringing these homes to public attention, it is our intent to keep them for many generations to come, to enjoy.

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James Doty Letter To Arthur Shoemaker

I’m coming down the home stretch on publishing the letter that James K. Doty wrote to his cousin Arthur (Clell) Shoemaker in 1965. I have been working on documenting this letter for at least 4 years. I’m still looking for an obituary on James K. Doty, who died in 1981, in California. Once I find that, I’ll be able to index the whole book and get it published.

The letter started as a 20 page, handwritten letter. It is now about 100 pages with all the documentation and the index. I’m still working towards a Christmas publication date.

This will be a nice addition to the book that we just published in September on the “Revolutionary War Patriot Homes of Dauphin County, PA”. It has been a good seller and is just wonderful for anyone who has ancestors in Dauphin Co.

I’ll never be a James Patterson, publishing 10 books a year, but I’m hoping this will at least be a worthwhile effort to document some of our family.

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Another Ancestor in the Revolutionary War

I have finally proven my ancestor, Susannah Shafer Shoemaker Ayres, to be the daughter of Adam Shafer and Elizabeth Swartout/Swartwood of Luzerne County, PA. This was a hard one. I first found her listed on an application for NSDAR, as one of the children of Adam and Elizabeth. I could prove all the other children, but could never find a record to connect my Susannah to any parents. I began to think maybe I was trying to prove a negative – these weren’t really her parents. I checked for records in many of the counties of Pennsylvania, between New Jersey, where Adam was born to Franklin County where he was living at one point.

“Never give up” is now my motto. I had sent an email many years ago to a person on the internet, inquiring if she had any information about my ancestor. Just about when my 2 years was running out on the DAR application, this wonderful person wrote back that she had transcribed some letters that might be helpful. The letters were written by Adam Shafer’s grandson and included connecting information about “Aunt Susannah”, he had attended the Shoemaker reunions, he knew his grandfather, viola, connection.

Folks, this is what it is all about. Share those family stories, letters, bible inscriptions. Put it out there so we can get connected. I now have another line of my family documented for the ages. We need to make these connections so our children and their children will know from where they are descended.

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Hershey’s Gather in Paradise

Sunday was another Hershey Reunion and was held at Paradise Park in Paradise, PA. Every one of Frank and Lydia (Buckwalter) Hershey’s children, who had children (Esther, Torrey, Ruth, Frank, Elmer, Ada Mae, Ephraim, Vera), had representation. Lots of grand and great-grandchildren were there to meet their cousins and have fun. Granddaughters Linda Lee Hershey, Lisa Wilson, and Laura Denlinger, led the smaller ones with peanut scrambles and other games. Many of the kids brought their bicycles and enjoyed riding around the park.

The adults caught up on new additions to their families, shared stories of their parents and reacquainted themselves with cousins they hadn’t seen in a long time. Raymond Denlinger retold some stories of his aunts and uncles that he remembers hearing and others chimed in with some of their own.

We meet every year on the last Sunday of August. I’ve been attending for 28 years and I’m only an in-law, so you can imagine how many years this has been going on. We still enjoy the time together. Aunt Arlene Hershey (wife of Ephraim) is the only one left of her generation, but don’t think for a minute that bothers her. This lady is an inspiration to everyone. She still maintains a Bed and Breakfast in New Oxford, PA, and does it all by herself. She doesn’t stay at home when there is no one to take her, she goes by herself and enjoys every minute.

We have found another Hershey along the way, who is a descendant of Tobias K. Hershey and Mae Hertzler. She is related in two ways to this group of Hershey’s. Tobias’ sister Hettie married Ira J. Barge, whose son is Melvin K. Barge. Melvin married Ada Mae Hershey. So our new-found cousin, Julie Hershey is related to the Hershey’s and Barge’s who are directly related to Frank B. Hershey, patriarch of this family reunion. The common ancestor is Jacob and Anna (Newcomer) Hershey (Gen 3/4 in the Henry Hershey 1929 book) whose sons are John and Joseph. John Hershey, Julie’s ancestor as well as my mother-in-law, Edna Phenneger Hershey and Joseph who is the ancestor for Frank Hershey’s family. Are we having fun yet? Maybe just buy the book – “Hershey Family History” by Henry Hershey, 1929. You can find it at the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society on Rt. 30 in Lancaster, PA. I did an index for the book, that can be purchased on this website.

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Challenging DAR Applications

I’ve been working on a couple of challenging NSDAR applications this month and have found how many times people on the internet perpetuate incorrect data. One thing that the NSDAR genealogy course teaches is that if they were born in KY, then their parents had to be in KY at some point, preferrably when their child was born. If you don’t find them there, then you probably have the wrong person. Also, being born in PA and you find a person with that name on the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum commission’s list of soldiers in Pennsylvania, that this is your ancestor. You need to keep looking, READING, and do the math. If you have a picture of a tombstone from Findagrave and the date of death on the stone says 1833, then he couldn’t possibly be writing letters in 1883. This isn’t rocket science folks, just simple math– 1883 comes after 1833.

NSDAR will tease all of this out of the documents you provide. As an applicant, you can do this too, you just need to reason it out as to time and place. If you put down a date or place, do you have a document to prove it? I liken it to being an agent on NCIS or CSI. You don’t have the blood and guts, but need the reasoning power.

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Genealogy Has Lost a Treasure

I was sorry to receive a notice that a premier Pennsylvania German researcher has passed away. John T. Humphrey, author, researcher and friend died in Washington DC on August 12, 2012. I have no further details yet, but am really feeling the loss of this wonderful man. John was a prolific writer. Anyone who has researched in Pennsylvania has used his birth records books or his Pennsylvania Research: County and Township Records book. The most recent program where I heard John speak was at the National Genealogy Society meeting in Cincinnati in May. He was so knowledgeable about German research and a terrific speaker.

While talking with a friend from the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, she made the comment, “if you think of Pennsylvania German research, John was who you pictured”. I agree. He will be greatly missed.

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John Wesley Duart Article

Just an update on my progress with the article on Gr. Gr. Grandfather, John Wesley – I’m still hoping to hear from the Duart relatives with anything they might have on John Wesley. I’ve located a couple of books on his 7th Cavalry to give some background and continue to do research on their participation in the battles around Shelbyville,TN.

I’m also looking into adding a DNA study to my Duart One-Name-Study. Only through DNA can we probably make the connection to the MacLean’s of Duart and Duart Castle on the Isle of Mull, Scotland.

I’m continuing to gather Duart information, but am finding it difficult to add the information to my DUART ONS website. If anyone has a suggestion, I’m open to anything. It appears that the Guild websites are not conducive to data sets, but you need to link it somewhere else. I’ll continue to log all the information I receive and will work out a way for others to look at it.

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Frank and Lydia (Buckwalter) Hershey Reunion 2012

Frank and Lydia (Buckwalter) Hershey Reunion

          August 26, 2012  1:00 pm

Paradise Community Park

          Londonvale Road off Rt. 30 in Paradise, PA

Pavilion #2

Bring a large dish to pass, table service, lawn chairs and drink.  Share family pictures and information.  Please share this reunion information with your immediate family
Playground, athletic fields available

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Smart Talk on WITF Public Radio 89.3

I had a new experience in May, I was a guest along with PA State Archivist, Aaron McWilliams, on WITF Smart Talk.  We talked about the 1940 Census release as well as the release of the 1906 PA birth records and 1096-1961 PA death records.  Listeners were able to call or email their questions for us to answer.  We got a lot of good questions about a variety of topics.

I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who listen to Smart Talk.  Even after the show was over people continued to email questions that Aaron and I could answer.

I had just receive an issue of the National Genealogical Society’s journal (Vol. 38 No. 2, April-June, 2012)that has a wonderful article on the 1940 census.  If you want to know what is included and the significance of the questions asked on the census, it is a great issue to look for at your local library.

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Private Joseph S. Shoemaker, Civil War

I joined the Daughters of the Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865, this year, under Great, Great Grandfather John Wesley Duart.  I didn’t know too much about him or his regiment, so I’ve endeavored to write an article about him.  It also spurred me on to look for other ancestors who fought in the Civil War and I found Great, Great Grandfather, Joseph S. Shoemaker.

I started by requesting Joseph’s pension file from NARA, I already had John Wesley’s.  Well, 200 pages later I have finally waded through his file.  Most of it was repeated applications for an  increase in his pension,  however it was interesting reading.  Private Shoemaker was in Company C, 7th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry.  He enlisted May 9, 1863 and was discharged August, 23, 1865 in Harrisburg, PA.  He was in the battle at Shelbyville, Tennessee (later listed as Alabama) where he was thrown from his horse in a cavalry charge.  His horse fell on him, injuring his right arm.  He also contracted “malarial poisoning”, both which plagued him the remainder of his life.

Many of my other relatives wrote affidavits testifying that Joseph was totally disabled.  This included:  John Wesley Duart, Winfield Packard, S.B. Morse and second wife of Joseph, Sarah Shoemaker.

I’ll keep you posted on my research into this company and the battle at Shelbyville.