Genealogy of the Woodcock Valley

The Riley family has been putting flags on seven of the Woodcock Valley cemeteries for many generations.  We finished putting flags on for Memorial Day 2013 this evening.  My husband and I usually do the flags, but we had to add some extra help this year since my husband broke his leg!  My father-in-law was glad to help; and I enjoyed his help, because it was like a walking history lesson.

I was contacted by Dale Norris this past year, who found another veteran in the Old Stone Church Cemetery that has never had a marker or flag to decorate his tombstone.  It turns out after some research that the Reverand Matthew G. Boyer was another Civil War representative from the Woodcock Valley.

Matthew G. Boyer was born March 10, 1839, a son of Henry Boyer and Susannah Brumbaugh (Garner) Boyer.  In 1863, Matthew G. Boyer was a student at Gettysburg College and Seminary.  In the midst of the Civil War, with troops approaching Gettysburg, Matthew G. Boyer, along with 56 of his classmates, joined Company A of the 26th Pennsylvania Emergency Militia Infantry.  The unit was organized at Harrisburg on June 22, 1863 for the protection of Pennsylvania against Lee's invasion, and was mustered out on July 31, 1863.  Mattew G. Boyer was a private.  More information about his regiment can be found by clicking on the link above.  You can also view his name on the Pennsylvania Monument at Gettysburg by clicking on the link.

Matthew G. Boyer was not a long-term veteran, but he helped to do his part at Gettysburg:

• 26th Pennsylvania Emergency Infantry organized at Harrisburg and volunteered for the emergency
• Mustered into United States service June 22, 1863
• Mustered out July 31, 1863
• Co. A recruited from Pennsylvania College and Gettysburg
• Total enrollment 743
• Captured and missing in Gettysburg campaign - 176 officers and men
• The First Union Regiment to engage the Confederates at Gettysburg and delaying their advance one day.

So, this Memorial Day, we are proud to place a flag and Civil War marker on the grave of Matthew G. Boyer.

Matthew G. Boyer earned his doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania.  He married Martha L. Stauffer.  They were the parents of at least three sons and one daughter.  Matthew G. Boyer died on September 20, 1927, and is buried in the Old Stone Church Cemetery in Penn Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.

There was one other stone I photographed this year too.  I've been putting a flag on the stone of Gerald I. Grubb since I started helping my future husband in 2002.  However, I had no personal connection to Gerald until this year.  Earlier in 2012, I did a blog post on Gerald Isaac Grubb after I was contacted by Nancy, who had found his World War II journal.  Gerald paid the ultimate sacrafice while serving his country in the Aleutian Island area.  

I was recently contacted by Gerald's niece, Karla, and his sister-in-law, Ruth.  They read my blog post and were eager to be in touch with Nancy.  It turns out that the family knew about Gerald's journal, but were unsure what had ever happened to it. Gerald's mother received his belongings when he was killed, but the journal contained privileged information and could not be returned until after the end of the war.  Unfortunately, it never made it's way back home to the family. Nancy found the journal in a Goodwill Store in Maryland.  Karla has been in contact with Nancy and is hopeful that she can someday add her Uncle Gerald's journal to his foot locker.

We remember all of the Woodcock Valley veteran's who defended our country this Memorial Day including Matthew G. Boyer and Gerald Isaac Grubb, as well as those who are still bravely defending our country!

And, I guess we are just going to have to say I am DNA cursed!!!

In the summer of 2012, I had my husband do the Family Finder DNA test through Family Tree DNA.  I had one purpose in mind...to once and for all solve the mystery of his James K. Isett (1813-1863)  family tree.  Well, he had 190 distant "cousin" matches, and a few closer matches, but all we did was prove he had no close matches to any other Isett names that have already been tested.  This more or less proves that he does not belong to any of the well established Isett lines through Frederick and Barbara Isett, the immigrants, and their two known sons Jacob Isett (b. abt. 1725 and died before 1790) and Frederick Isett (1730-1803).  However, interestingly, he did match a person who has ties to these Isett lines through marriage.  

In my heart, I still suspect my husband's ancestor was adopted, or was the product of a "non-paternal" event of some sort.  It will be interesting to see what happens as more people are eventually tested.  For anyone with an interest, my husband's kit number is 250393.  

In the spring of 2013, I tested my father's DNA using the Y-DNA 37 test in hopes of taking my Fisher line further back in time than my 3X great grandfather, Henry Fisher (abt. 1796 - 1876).  I started off believing he would test into a Berks County, PA line, but with further research and while waiting on the results, I suspected this would not be the case.  I did not disappoint myself...my dad did not match any other tested line!

At 12 markers, he matched 2,513 people.  Of those, 24 of his matches still bore the last name of Fisher or Fischer.  At 25 markers, he had 44 matches.  None of these matces still carry the last name of Fisher/Fischer.  Most of his matches at the 25 marker level bear the name Vance or Bowman.  At 37 markers, he had 0 matches!  

So, what does this mean?  Either no one else from his direct line has been tested yet, or else there was an adoption or another "non-paternal" event that took place back when.  If you would like to look at his results, he is kit number 281525.

In both cases with my husband and my dad, it is like James K. Isett and Henry Fisher were just dropped from the sky into the Woodcock Valley area of Huntingdon and Bedford Counties respectively.  No one in the world wants to seem to claim them other than me.  I think the DNA is trying to tell me just that...these are lost souls who were outcasts from whatever family they supposedly belonged to.  

My hope is that as DNA testing continues to evolve that more and more people will be tested and that perhaps some day there will be a match to my husband and my father.  

Please understand that even though I feel I am DNA cursed, I still support DNA testing.  I have one genealogy friend who has broken down many brick walls through DNA testing in her family research.  I believe DNA testing is a valuable genealogical tool.  At the same time, I do want to warn others to be ready for the unexpected and be prepared to accept it if it does happen.  It is what it is.  They are still your family members no matter what the past reveals.

Family Tree DNA has lowered the price of their entry level Y-DNA 12 kit to just $49.  The recommended minimum level of testing is Y-DNA 37, but you can start with the lower priced kit and upgrade at any time as your finances allow and as sales are posted.  The Family Finder test is also a wonderful way to go if you want to look at all of your maternal and paternal lines and find other cousins who are also researching their families.  Family Tree DNA just announced that they are going to offer sale prices more frequently as their lab gets caught up on processing results in order to encourage more testing and make the prices more affordable to genealogists.

There are other DNA testing companies and opportunities available too.  I have only used Family Tree DNA.  If you have already tested through another company or choose to use a different testing facility, you can share your results at ysearch, which allows a platform for everyone to post their results and compare them to others who have been tested through any company.  You can only post Y-DNA test results.  My dad is listed as user 65YXD.

DNA testing is a whole other aspect to genealogical research.  I may feel cursed at the moment, but I am still optimistic that answers will be revealed in time and with patience and continued research.

I was recently contacted by a Fisher cousin, Richard Fisher.  We began comparing notes on our Fisher lines and quickly came to the same conclusion:  We both have the same Fisher brick wall!  I spent large chunks of whole days pouring through information on the  Fisher family over my recent Easter vacation.  Unfortunately, I'm still as lost as ever.

John David Fisher [1821-1868]

My Fisher line (as well as Richard's) goes back to Henry Fisher, who married Christiana Dilling. The two are buried in St. Luke's Cemetery in Liberty Township, Bedford County, PA. They were the parents of at least ten known children. I descend through their second son, Casper Fisher (1824-1891) and Richard through their first son, John David Fisher [1821-1868].

The known children of Henry and Christiana (Dilling) Fisher include:

John David Fisher [1821-1868]

Casper Fisher (1824-1891)

William Fisher (1826-1903)

David Fisher [b. abt. 1828]

Sarah (1834-1896)

Isaac (b. abt. 1836)

Elizabeth (1836-1910)

Christiana (abt. 1839-1873)

Catharine (b. abt. 1842)

Mary Ann (b. abt. 1846)

Christiana was the daughter of Johann Casper Dilling and Christina Butterbaugh. Her tombstone indicates she died on November 30, 1877 at 77 years of age. This would place Christiana as being born about 1800. However, many researchers say she was born in 1803. I have never found a definitive research source that confirms her date of birth.

Henry Fisher's parents are unknown. His tombstone indicates he died February 3, 1876 at 84 years of age. This would have him being born about 1792. However, many researchers say he was born in 1786, and census reports indicate he was born about 1796.   Again, I can find no sources that support these dates of birth other than the databases of individual researchers and census reports.

It is very frustrating not to be able to prove the parents of Henry Fisher. It is strongly believed that he was the son of another Henry Fisher from the Heidelberg area of Berks County, PA...but which one? Henry was a very popular name in the Fisher family!  At this point, I am even questioning why I even think my Henry was the son of another Henry anymore; where did I come up with that idea in the first place???

There are potentially two (or more) Henry Fisher's that could be the father of my Henry Fisher, who married Christiana Dilling. They are:

1. Henry Fischer (1739-1822), who married Christina Durst. He was the son of Johann Wilhelm Fischer and Elizabeth Gertrude Hain. Henry and Christina were the parents of the following known children:

Peter (1761-1783)

Christina (b. 1763)

John (1765-1844)

Catharine (b. 1767)

Elizabeth (b. 1769)

Anna Maria (b. 1771)

Susanna (b. 1773)

Margaret (1775-1834)

Philip (1777-1816)

Catharine (1780-1849)

Frederick (1782-1836)

I know...you're probably saying to yourself, "But they didn't even have a child named Henry!" I know, but just wait; it gets more interesting!

2. Henry Fisher (1758-1823), who married Susanna Ruth. He was the son of Peter Fischer (brother of Henry #1 above) and Appolonia Heckert. Henry and Susanna were the parents of the following known children:

Mary "Polly" (1790-1830)

Samuel (1791-1824)

Sarah Ann (1793-1867)

Daniel (1795-1839)

John [1798-1828]

Henry (b. 1801)

The son Henry, b. 1801, supposedly left home and was never heard from again according to a published article from the Berks County Genealogical Society in their Journal of the Berks County Genealogical Society Volume 14, No. 4 dated Summer of 1994 entitled "Johan Wilhelm Fischer:  A Brief Overview of His Ancestors, Life, Death, and Descendants" by Kenneth L. Fisher.  Researchers later discovered that he had supposedly moved to Columbia County, PA.

Years ago, I was in touch with Fisher family descendants in Columbia County who confirmed there was a Henry of the right age in the area, but they claimed that he was born in Columbia County, and came from an established family in that area.  However, I recently found a published bio in the Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania:  Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families:  In Two Volumes published in 1915 that confirms the Henry born above in 1801 did indeed go to Columbia County from Berks County in 1821!

Henry Fisher, #2 above, who married Susanna Ruth, died while visiting in Huntingdon County. His daughter, Mary "Polly" was married to Henry Spang, who operated the furnace at Mt. Etna in neighboring Blair County, PA (which was still in Huntingdon County at the time of Henry's death in 1823).

I have often wondered if the birth year is wrong for the younger Henry (b. 1801) above, since he went missing and researchers only thought they had found him in Columbia County, PA. Was he actually my Henry who married Christiana Dilling? After all, wouldn't it make more sense that his father died here in Huntingdon County while visiting his daughter Mary AND his son Henry? However, I can't prove it; and, the birth date just seems to be too far off.  In addition, there is a published bio now from 1915 that ties Henry (b. 1801) living in Columbia County, PA back to his Berks County roots and gives the correct names of his ancestors.

One of the above Henry's also married Sarah Hunter.

Some on-line researchers claim Henry #1 was married to Christina Durst, Susanna Ruth, and Sarah Hunter! Good grief...that certainly confuses everything. They claim Henry married Christina in 1761, Susanna in 1781 and Sarah in 1791. If this is true, then son Frederick (of Henry #1 above) would not be a child of Christina Durst, but rather a child of Susanna Ruth. If my Henry were really born in 1786 as some researchers list, then he could potentially be a child of Susanna Ruth too. However, if his tombstone is correct and he was born about 1792, he could potentially belong to the 3rd wife, Sarah Hunter. Are you confused yet?????  I personally do not buy this scenario at all, but it is on the web.

How will this mess ever be straightened out?  The only possible answer I can come up with after pouring over every record known to exist was to do DNA testing on my father, and hope that he matches other Fisher family members who can confirm their lineage to sort out which line my Henry Fisher belongs to.  So, I splurged at income tax refund time and tested my almost 81 year old dad, who now officially thinks I'm crazy!  I sent his DNA cheek swabs off to Family Tree DNA, and am now anxiously waiting on the results!  

A number of Fisher names have already been tested, and I see one from the above lines in Berks County as well as one from the Columbia County line who have already posted their lineage.  If my dad matches one or both of them, it will answer a lot of questions.  However, I am fully prepared, as would be my luck, that he will not match any tested line.  If the latter scenario comes true, then my hope is that someone in the future will be tested who will match my dad.  In my mind, it was a critical investment to test my dad now rather than later.  He only has one living brother left to carry the surname Fisher and one living nephew.  I felt I had to test my dad now in hopes that his DNA will some day solve the Fisher Frustration mystery.

I would like to start this post by wishing everyone a very Happy New Year!!!!  I hope 2013 brings you health and happiness and wonderful genealogy finds!  

While I have not been a very active researcher the last several months, I always have my eyes open, and love to hear from others.  I am sometimes slow to respond, but I will always get back to other researchers in time.

Others on the site have been working hard and posting new information to the website.  Ron McCall has written two detailed family history reports on Joseph Norris and John B. Garner that can be viewed in the Family Histories area of the website.  

In the first report, Ron chronicals Joseph Norris, Sr. and his movements to Huntingdon County, his endeavors, and the movements of his children.  The report is entitled The First Norris Family in Huntingdon County.  Ron follows each of Joseph Sr.'s children, and even goes into detail on the wives of his oldest son, John D. Norris.

Ron's second report is on the family of John B. Garner and his first wife, Eleanor (Norris) Garner.  Most of John B. Garner's children moved westward, and the real reason was never known until Ron and his wife Dorothy interviewed some family members.  Ron explains the circumstances surrounding the John B. Garner family in his report entitled Why One Garner Family Moved Westward.  In the report, Ron explains the circumstances that separated the children from their father, and why many went west.  He follows each child, and included tombstone photos for many of the family members buried in Missouri, which can be viewed in the Garner Family photo album.  

Lonnie Smith, Jr. also contributed a large number of tombstone photos, obituaries, and photographs to the Schell Family photo album.  I merged the album he created with an album that I already had, and organized everything into family groups within the album.  Lonnie is a young genealogist, who recently completed a new website, Huntingdon County PA History and Heritage.  

I want to thank all of the site members for a wonderful 2012, and for all of your wonderful contributions to this site.  Please continue to visit, add your treasures, and post about your searches.

Happy New Year!

Gerald Isaac Grubb was a Woodcock Valley hero who paid the ultimate sacrifice during World War II.  

I was recently contacted by Nancy, who aquired Gerald Grubb's World War II service journal.  From entries she shared, Gerald was the radio operator on air flights during the war.

Gerlad Isaac Grubb was born October 8, 1921.  He was the son of J. Carl Grubb and Edythe Lillian Horton Grubb.  

J. Carl and Edythe were the parents of the following known children:  Loretta J., Gerald Isaac, Cloyd Philip, Willard L., and Kirby C. Grubb.  The father, J. Carl, was killed March 30, 1938 by a dynamite explosion.  Gerald writes of his father's death, his brother Cloyd's birthday, and the wish that Cloyd would not be drafted and "I don't want any of my brothers in this war.  I'll try to do enough for all of them."  

He was the grandson of Isaac Bowers (1866-1946) and Rachel Ann (Shultz) Grubb (1875-1964) and Philip A. (1863-1943) and Alberta Vance (Houck) Horton (1865-1939).

From his journal, it would also appear that Gerald had a sweetheart, Marie Hoover, who gave him the journal for his 21st birthday.  Gerald writes about Marie, and her birthday on August 9.  It seems as if she might have been turning 15 in 1942.  

Unfortunately, Gerald Isaac Grubb lost his life on March 30, 1943 in the Aleutian Island area.  The details of his death are not known.  His last journal entry appears below on March 29, 1943, the day before he died.

The body of Gerald Isaac Grubb was returned to the Woodcock Valley area of Huntingdon County, where he was buried in the Old Stone Church Cemetery in Penn Township.  A news article of Gerald Grubb's death states:

"S-SERGT. Gerald I. Grubb---Another young soldier from Huntingdon County has paid the supreme sacrifice, according to a telegram received today by the Huntingdon Chapter, American Red Cross.  The soldier who gave his life in defense of his country was Staff Sergeant Gerald I. Grubb, son of Mrs. Edythe L. Grubb of Aitch. He was killed in action in the North American area on March 30th. The young hero was 21 years old on October 8, 1942, and at that time he was on duty as first radio operator on a Consolidated bomber with the Air Corps in Alaska. Sergeant Grubb's father, J. Carl Grubb in deceased. Isaac G. Grubb, of R.D., Hesston, is his grandfather. A brother Cloyd Philip Grubb, was among the selectees who left Huntingdon on Thursday for the reception center at New Cumberland, to begin his army career. Sergeant Grubb is a graduate of Huntingdon High School, class of 1938. He enlisted in the Air Corps in March 1941. He received his training at Tampa, Fla,; Leavensworth, Kansas; Scott Field, Illinois, and March Field, Cal. The young aviator had several hundred hours in the air and had extensive experience in aerial combat. His squadron commander while he was still on duty in California, was Colonel Woods, who was commander of the late Capt. Colin P. Kelly. Many of Gerald's friends stationed in California at the time personally knew Captain Kelly."

Nancy is trying to locate Marie Hoover or a close family member with which to share the journal.  I wish I had a photo of Gerald Isaac Grubb to share, but I do not.  If you have one that I can share, please contact me.  You can view other pages from his journal in the Grubb Family photo album.  I also have a photo album for his grandparens, the Isaac and Rachel (Shultz) Grubb Collection, with some family photos.

If you know of a close family member, or have more information on Marie Hoover, please use the Contact Me button with more information.  I do know that his brother Cloyd had at least two daughters, but I know very little about Gerald Isaac Grubb's siblings, nieces, or nephews.

Every year before Memorial Day, my husband and I place a flag on the grave of Gerald I. Grubb.  I now have a new appreciation for his service to our country after reading his journal pages that Nancy so graciously shared.

The 53rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was formed very early during the Civil War.  Company C of the 53rd P. V. I. was formed from the Huntingdon and Blair County areas of central Pennsylvania.  Many of the men to enlist in September and October of 1861 were from the Woodcock Valley area of Huntingdon County.  Most were mustered in October 17, 1861.

I have created a new page dedicated to the men of Company C of the 53rd P. V. I.   The page includes a brief history, the battles the men engaged in, a list of every person known to serve with Company C, and some additional resources.  When possible, I included information and/or photos of each veteran.  However, I still need a lot more information!  If you have an ancestor who served with Co. C of the 53rd P. V. I,, please complete a Roll Call form and submit his information.  I will then respond to you via e-mail.  

The men of Co. C were at the Battle of Gettysburg, and their names are represented on the plaque for the 53rd at the Pennsylvania Memorial.

There were several injuries at Gettysburg received by the men of Co. C who fought in the Wheatfield area.  Matthew G. Isett was killed at Gettysburg.  You can read more about this battle in the letters of Anthony J. Beaver, which are contained in the Faces of the 53rd PVI photo album.  Anthony detailed Matthew Isett's death and the injuries received by the men of Company C.

The men of the 53rd continued fighting until the end of the war.  As the war went on, many men joined Co. C from Company K of the 145th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry in 1864 and 1865.  These men were originally recruited in Erie County, Pennsylvania.  

The men of Company C and of the 53rd Regiment reunited in Gettysburg on several occassions.  The photo below was taken on September 12, 1899.  They are pictured at the 53rd monument.

The photo below was also taken at Gettysburg, but the exact date is not known.  There are a number of veterans from Company C in the front row.  Those who have already been identified include Samuel Wilson Norris, Samuel Watson Gill, and John G. Garner.  

Finally, the men of Company C met and reunited locally as well.  The photo below was taken on June 8, 1898, in Grafton, now known as Hesston, in Huntingdon County, PA.  

Some of the local men from the Woodcock Valley area of Huntingdon County who served with Compan C have been identified above.  Samuel Wilson Norris is the first person on the left in the front row.  Samuel Watson Gill is the fourth person from the left in the front row (there is another man on the ground in front of him).  John G. Garner is the third man in the back row from the left.  Can you identify any other faces from the Woodcock Valley?

Please fill out a Roll Call form if you can submit additional information on any member of Company C of the 53rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry.  I would love to have biographical information on each man, photos, and/or letters written during the Civil War.  You can find the photos and letters I already have in the Faces of the 53rd PVI photo album.  Finally, be sure and check out the Company C, 53rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry page.  It includes a lot of information on our ancestors who left the Woodcock Valley to serve their country during the Civil War.

With progress comes change.  Change was necessary for the construction of Raystown Lake.  The ridges and valleys of the Woodcock Valley lost some historical treasures in the face of progress.  One of the local landmarks lost to visitors was the Norris Cemetery.  

The Norris Cemetery was located on property owned by Joseph Norris, Sr. (1729-1813).  Long time Norris researcher, Ron McCall, recently wrote the history of the Norris Cemetery, and included information on those who were buried in the Norris Cemetery.

One of the oldest burials with a marked tombstone was that of Joseph Norris.

This photo was taken by Ron McCall.  All of the known graves in the Norris Cemetery were relocated to the White Church Cemetery at Jacob's Church, where this photo was taken.  

There were at least 31 burials at the Norris Cemetery.  For the most part, the burials were members of the Norris family.  Ron McCall created a map of the cemetery based on one done by the US Army Corps of Engineers before the graves were relocated.

To see a list of all the known graves in the Norris Cemetery, please visit the Norris Cemetery page, where Ron McCall gave information on each person.  A great big thank you to Ron McCall for creating the Norris Cemetery page!

In total, the US Army Corps of Engineers relocated a total of 13 cemeteries.  The cemetery names and those whose graves were moved to a new cemetery can be found on the Burial Records page. 

Joseph M. Norris is a descendant of the John D. Norris family from Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.  

This bio of Joseph M. Norris is from the book, A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio: An Authentic Narrative of the Past, with Particular Attention to the Modern Era in the Commercial, Industrial, Civic and Social Development, Volume 2, which was written by Lyle S. Evans and published in 1917 by Lewis Publishing Company.  The book can be found on Google Books by clicking on the link above.

You can see some family photos from this line in the John D. Norris Family photo album.

but it used to be a home filled with love and memories and family.  But when those are gone, it's no longer a home, right?  It was a bittersweet day on July 21, when my dad and his siblings sold the family home at public auction.  It was the only Fisher home I ever knew, but it wasn't the first for them.

My dad was one of 13 children born to Philip Carl "Mike" Fisher and Cora Blanche (Norris) Fisher.  They started in a log house in the Upper Corner area of Penn Township.  My dad recalls that the house had only one big room upstairs that was divided by a curtain to make two bedrooms.  One side was for his parents and the other side for all the kids.

All of the children were born in the log cabin, and two of the children died there at a young age.  The house had belonged to Philip's parents, Jackson and Sarah Belle (Swope) Fisher.  Jackson died shortly after his youngest son married, and Sarah Belle continued to live with her son and new daughter-in-law.  Sarah Belle acted as midwife and delivered all of her grandchildren up until her death in 1937.

In May, 1945, a very large Fisher family had the opportunity to buy a farm with a larger brick farm house that gave everyone room to grow.  The house afforded enough room for a dining room table large enough for the whole family, and enough room for Grandma to bake bread, make pies, tend her garden, can and preserve the crops, and do all the things farm wives did back then.  However, this home was not to last either.  The US Army Corps of Engineers purchased the farm for the construction of Raystown Lake.  The farm itself would not be under water, but the house and outbuildings were torn down to create the Seven Points Recreation area.  The farm is right across the road from the Visitor's Center.

So, my widowed grandmother bought three acres in Penn Township between Hesston and Marklesburg and had a split-level home built between 1972 and 1973.  She made sure it had an open floor plan to accomodate her still growing family that was now being blessed with many grandchildren.  There was always room at the dining room table, and if there wasn't, a make shift table was extended into the living room.  There was always enough seating in the living room too.  I'll never know how we all fit in that house, but we most surely did.  It was always the central hub and gathering spot for any family function.

Eventually, Grandma died, and then my uncle who lived there died, until it was only my aunt left.  As everyone aged, so did the house and upkeep became more difficult for my aunt.   While it has been hard to say goodbye, it is just a house, but one with so many wonderful memories.  I had to take some final photos of the fuzzy wallpaper in the bathroom and the old wallpaper in the kitchen.  There are other aspects that will always be in my mind's eye, for which no photos are necessary.

We all gathered on a cold, drizzly morning to see the family treasures sold.  I was fortunate enough to buy my grandmother's china cupboard, a quilt made of feed-sacks that she sewed together, a set of her dishes, and some other special memories.

One of my most precious purchases was a box of old photos.  I saw the assistant pull the box out of another box and put it aside.  I watched as he looked through the box while other items were sold, and I could see the old photos.  I have no idea who was bidding against me, but those photos had to be mine regardless of the price.  I paid dearly for them, but I was thrilled with my box of more than 50 photo postcards.  

This brings me to the point of my rambling blog post...the photos in the box are largely unidentified.  The box was full of photo postcards and one tin type.  The box of photos obviously belonged to Sarah Belle (Swope) Fisher, because the few that are addressed are to her.  From what I can tell, the whole box appears to be her friends and relatives.  I need your help to identify these photos!

Here is an example of one of the photos.  I am very certain that Sarah Belle (Swope) Fisher is in the middle and that the younger man on the right is probably one of her sons, maybe Chester.  I suspect the man on the left is Orbison Clapper, and that the young girl is one of his daughters.  Orbison was Sarah Belle's nephew through marriage.  This man, who I suspect is Orbison, appears in a lot of the photos.  There definitely were photos of his children in the box.

All of the photos from the box that have not already been identified are included in the Unknowns Photo Album.  Please take a look at these photos and see if you find a familiar face.  If you do, please post a comment under that photo!!!

It was a bittersweet day to say good-bye to our family home, but it was a special day to be able to buy some of my fondest memories back from my grandmother's home, and to be able to share a box of special photos with others who are interested in the Fisher family and local history.

"By Gollies" is a frequent expression of Clair Grove, a family history researcher who enjoys genealogy every bit as much as I do!  There are a lot of genealogists in this world, but few who live it and breathe it, and Clair is one of those.

I had the pleasure of visiting Clair and his wife, Carol, on two separate days to scan SOME of his family photos.  I spent about two hours on the first day and spent eight hours on the second day.  They even so graciously fed me lunch.  I made approximately 800 scans (some photos took more than one scan), and still didn't see all of his photos!

Clair's parents were Flora Mae Snare (1890-1972) and James Harvey Grove (1890-1977).  He said his mother was the family historian who collected photos and information and sparked his own interest in genealogy and local history.  He remembers sitting at the dining room table with his mother during Word War II and going through all of these photos.  Almost every photo in his collection is labeled.  That is amazing!  Clair's memory for people and names is truely amazing as well.  If he doesn't have the answer, he has a book or family tree to look it up.

Clair was raised near Aitch.  His family lived on the farm originally owned by Samuel Kissinger.  The family lost their farm for the construction of Raystown Lake, but the farm was saved from complete destruction in order to become the first home of the Juniata College Field Station.  

Of the many photos I scanned, I have added approximately 275 new photos to the website.  Some of the names I added were:

• Grove
• Snare
• Kissinger
• Kensinger
• Beaver
• Shultz
• Rightnour
• Lynn
• Riley
• Isett
• McCall
• Cunningham
• Schell
• Fink
• Garner
• Fouse
• Summers
• Hetrick
• Hirst
• Liveringhouse
• Eisenhuth

And that is just a partial list of the names!  All of the photos are now in the Photos and Obits area of the website.  The easiest way to see the new photos is to click on the Recently Added button.  

In addition to sharing family photos, Clair also shared his collection of local landmarks and histories of the area.  He had many photos of Schell's Bridge, which was located near his home.

He also had photos of local landmarks like Fouse's Dairy, St. Mathew's Lutheran Church, Hesston Railroad Station, and many, many more.  I greatly enjoyed scanning his school photos that included the students and teachers.

I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Clair and Carol Grove for their kindness and generosity.  Their home is dedicated to history and genealogy, and it is a place I have always enjoyed visiting!  I can certainly lose myself and all track of time when I'm there.