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Isaac Long Barn Remembered

Cousin Bill McCord ran across a photo that belonged to Great Grandma Effie Long Bell and passed it along to me. The back of the photo reads “Isaac Long Barn of Landisville (it is really in Landis Valley), Lancaster Co., Penna. From this farm David Long came to Pfoutz’s Valley in 1812. My earliest known ancestor, Effie Long Bell.”

It is a wonderful picture of the Isaac Long Barn that is famous because it was at this farm that the first American born denomination was organized in 1766 -The Church of United Brethren in Christ Church. The farm is six miles northeast of Lancaster city.

Much has been written about this farm. The blue State Historical markers placed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission dedicated the marker June 16, 1960. The text says”The United Brethren in Christ, and the Evangelical United Brethren Church trace their origin to the joint efforts of Rev. Philip W. Otterbein of the German Reformed Church and Martin Boehm, a Mennonite preacher, at a revival held here about 1767. The barn stands a mile and a half to the north off PA 272 (Oregon Pike) at Landis Valley Museum. ” (Ref. Beyer, George R., Guide to the State Historical Markers of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 1991)

Although Effie Long Bell may not have known ancestors before David Long/Lang, William Gabriel Long in his book History of the Long Family of Pennsylvania with the help of the Long Family Organization, was able to take the Long/Lang family back a few more generations. David was the son of Abraham Lang and Maria, born in 1743 Manheim Township, Lancaster County, married Catherine Hershey. Aha, I’m descended from the Hersheys as well as being married to one. Abraham Long fought in the revolutionary war as did Catherine’s father, Abraham. Both of these ancestors have been proven, by me, for Daughters of the American Revolution. Just let me know if you want to join the Daughters or Sons of the American Revolution. I have all the paper work.

Abraham Long’s father was John and mother, Anna Long. The Long/Langs had lived in Lancaster County, PA until David moved to Perry County, PA. John was the son of emigrant, Christian Lang, who was said to be from the Palatinate Germany. I have not gone back any further, but it is on my list of research.

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Martha B. White Passes at 90 years young

It is with sadness that I share that my Mom, Martha B. White passed away on Friday, September 11, 2020 at Masonic Village, Elizabethtown, PA. She moved to Elizabethtown 5 years ago, so I have had the privilege to share her last few years. She has been such a trooper, always ready for a shopping trip, a visit with cousins or just coming to my house for Sunday pizza and Americas Funniest Home Videos.

Her last major trip was to Hudson OH to celebrate nephew, Bill and Kathy McCord’s 50th anniversary. What a great time we had.

Mom was still very sharp to the end and always ready for a good argument about politics. She was a journaler and kept them for the majority of her life. I have them now and will enjoy reading them for years to come to see her view on current events and her trips.

We will miss her so much, but hope she is now at peace with Dad and Barb.

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George Eckert and Samuel Milliken/Milligan

On the hunt for more Revolutionary War ancestors after my visit to Yorktown, VA.  I have now submitted two more on the White side of the family.  They are George Eckert and Samuel Milliken/Milligan.  Now the wait is on for the year it will take before they are reviewed by NSDAR.  In the meantime,  I’m trying to find a woman in my ancestry that may have assisted in the Rev. War.  Always a feather in your cap if you have one of the ladies proven.

Yorktown is a wonderful place to visit.  They have an American Revolution of Yorktown Museum that is worth the trip.  They have an encampment that is very interesting.  This includes a kitchen, medical facility, supply hut and very knowledgeable staff.

Inside of the museum there are many artifacts and movies.  Both are helpful in following the war.  This is a State of Virginia museum.  Kudos to Virginia for such a wonderful asset.  The museum is designed with many areas that flow one into another and they seem to go on forever.  It is truly an amazing place to visit.

Yorktown Victory Monument

The battlefield at Yorktown is also very interesting.  Suggestion – don’t try to drive your motorhome around the battlefield.  We found a couple of areas we couldn’t access because of the bulk of this RV even though it is small by comparison to most.  We saw the redoubts taken by the Patriots, the digs that the soldiers did in the middle of the night to surprise the British, the National Cemetery,  the Yorktown Victory Monument, and lots of wildlife.

The Moore House is especially nice.  It is fully restored and historically is the home where the terms of agreement of surrender were worked out.  It is not the house where the British signed the agreement.  Still worth the visit if you like old homes.

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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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What do you do with your genealogy if nobody cares

I was talking with a friend recently, about what to do with family information such as bibles, ancestral charts, family histories, etc. if you don’t have children or family that cares about family history.  There are so many genealogical societies clammering for this kind of information about families in their area.  Don’t let all of your and previous generation’s hard work go to waste.  Look for a library, genealogical society, or archives that will accept your collections.  It is a matter of going on line to Google, or similar search engines and locating an appropriate repository.  Type in a county and add historical society.  You will be very surprised to see what pops up.  If all else fails, contact Historical Society of Pennsylvania, if your family is from this State, and work with them to get your collection.

Telling family is not enough.  Put it in your will.  While you are at it, you should also make a record of all your holdings and where they should go when you are gone.  If you take a walk around your home and look at those bowls from great grandma Grace that you definitely want to keep in the family, WRITE IT DOWN.

Carnaval glass bowl in dining room china closet was from great grandma Grace and is to go to Aunt Martha Jones when I die.  Add information about the value of the piece if it has been appraised.  Add some history about the item, if you know anything and put this all in a notebook with photos.  Grandfather clock in living room on desk.  The clock was a wedding present to grandpa and grandma Green in 1921, was given to son, Paul and wife in 1963 and was presented to daughter, Suzy Smith in 1985, at her wedding.

Too many times we have not planned for keeping heirlooms and genealogical information, so it gets thrown out or put up for sale, to be lost to that family forever.  Plan ahead, we all gotta go sometime.

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Getting Started With Generations Remembered Blog

I will try to give you some tips about Genealogy, family history, miscellaneous Lineage society information, and new books that I have found/purchased in my periodic blogs.
For the newest book on my shelf, I’m pretty excited about a Christmas gift from my nephew, Jeffrey. The Bradford County, PA Historical Society reprinted the Maps of Bradford County from 1858. It is very colorful, but you better have a magnifying glass handy. Many of my early families are listed, making this a little more interesting to me than someone who hasn’t a clue where Bradford County is located. They have an index that gives names, Township and page numbers, but from there you are on your own to locate them. You can order your copy of the book on their website: www.bradfordhistory.com.
While I’m talking about Bradford Co., PA, if you get up that way (Northern PA), be sure you visit their Research Library and Museum. It is located in the old County jail on Pine Street, Towanda, PA.