Amanuesis Monday - Affidavit from Amos Conner

Amanuesis Monday is a daily blogging prompt from geneabloggers.com which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Amanuensis Monday is a popular ongoing series created by John Newmark at Transylvania Dutch.

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General Affidavit 
State of Pennsylvania
County of Allegheny
In the matter of claim for Orig. ? of Chas. Schwank #694362
Personally came before me Clerk of Court in and for aforesaid County and State, Amos Conner of McKeesport Allegheny County Pennsylvania.
a person of lawful age, who, being duly sworn, declare in relation to the aforesaid case as follows:

Mr lemon sir is appears that you and the government wishes to know a bout mr swenks condishion. i will tell you what i know – i have noing him for sixteen years. We are brotherinlaws By maring sisters in the first place he is a badley used up man with rheumatism he has been botherd with rheumatism ever since i know him in his back he hesent been able to do a hard days work for sixteen years  that is as far back as i know if he dos work hard or run or lift he is of [?] for days with the panes in his back the first hard work i ever new him to do was last winter and he had to give up his job on acount of his back  he wood set up for nights and bath and saltes then he wood go to [?] this wood releave him for a time but that\ cant cure him  he is that bad be times that he cant tie his own shoes and when down he has hard work rising to a strate position  it wood be imposibel for me to give date or year for he has been that way every year and the older he gets the wors he is  i have lived too hundreds from him and have worked with him and for him  he dos contract work i am working for mr swenk now and that gives me all the better chance to no his case thorley with out eney dout.

Further declare that i havnt no interest in said case, and am not concerned for its protection.
                                                                                          [Amos Conner]

Sworn and subscribed 17 September 1889.
                                                                                          [DK. McGunnegle]
                                                                                          [Clerk of Courts]

This affidavit is from the pension file of my second great-grandfather, Charles G. Schwenk. I have been re-reading and analyzing the records of this 85+ page packet and have gleaned an amazing amount of information about Charles ... his service in the Civil War, injuries and life after the war, his wife (and marriage) and their children.

This affidavit was submitted a few months after Charles' initial filing for an invalid pension. Amos Conner was married to Jane "Jennie" Burd, sister of Charles' wife Marian Burd. This particular affidavit gave a clear picture of how much the rheumatism had affected Charles' life, and his difficulty performing even simple tasks such as tying his shoes.

I will post more of my finds from Charles' pension records ... records that tell about the life of Charles Schwenk, as well as the new information that I found in the packet.

___________________________________________________________________________ 

SOURCE:

Affidavit of Amos Conner; Charles G. Schwenk (Pvt. Co. A and 1^st Sgt. Co. C, 82^nd Pennsylvania Inf., Civil War) Civil War pension file, no. 694362, certificate no. 454879; Case Files of Approved Pension Applications ...,1861-1934; Civil War and Later Pension Files; Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Friday Funny - Burd Marries Buzzard

This one was too funny to pass up. My BURD ancestors are often recorded as BIRD in many records, so when I stumbled upon a record for a BURD who married a BUZZARD I had to chuckle!

Mary E. Burd married S.E. Buzzard in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania in 1892. Mary is my first cousin 3 times removed that I found when searching Pennsylvania marriage records for collateral Burd ancestors. Happy Friday!

___________________________________________________________________________ 

SOURCE:

"Pennsylvania County Marriages, 1885-1950," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 5 February 2015), S.E. Buzzard and Mary E. Burd, 7 January 1892.

Madness Monday - "Drank Deadly Poison"

This is another photocopied clipping that I found in my father's family files. Like many of the items in this folder, there is no mention of the source, date, or who has the original clipping. This is the second suicide that I have found in researching my father's family (you can read about the other suicide here).

I believe that this article is about my second great grand uncle Robert Burd, the oldest son of Alex Burd and Main Bingham. Robert Burd was born around 1848 in Edinburgh, Scotland and was living in Harrison Township in 1880 with his wife Nancy and their children. By 1900, Nancy was widowed and still living in Harrison Township. The article states that Robert  was 50 years old, so this would have been around 1898 or 1899.

I located a probate record for my ancestor Robert Burd, who died on 5 June 1899 in Harrison Township. He died intestate and the Allegheny County Proceedings Index lists a "Record of Death" in the RD Docket, which is not available online with the other probate records on FamilySearch. Another item for my "to-research" list for me next trip to Allegheny County!

___________________________________________________________________________ 

SOURCE:

"Pennsylvania Probate Records, 1683-1994," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 9 February 2015); Allegheny County Estate Index 1788-1971, Surname B, First Name K-Z, entry for Robert Burd, 5 June 1899.

Wedding Wednesday - Mary Ann Burd and Charles Schwenk

A few days ago was the wedding anniversary of my second great-grandparents, Charles Schwenk and Marian "Mary Ann" Burd. They were married on 12 January 1871 in Pittsburgh, PA.[1] I had found and posted a copy of their marriage certificate a while ago ...

While it's so wonderful to find documents about our ancestors, there is so much more that  I want to know about them besides the details (or lack there of) in each document. I would love to know more about my family and am admittedly jealous of those who have diaries, letters and old photos that really paint the pictures of their ancestors' lives!

Finding this photocopy in my father's files was wonderful, and I was happy to have this to confirm the date of their marriage. But I don't have any pictures of Charles and Mary Ann, or diaries or letters, but what if I could know a little more about the wedding ...

In the many, many incredible documents in Charles' Pension File that I ordered from NARA, there is an affidavit that Mary Ann submitted for her Widow's Pension. The affidavit was from Isaac and Martha Mason and dated 3 March 1899.[2]

That the soldier Charles G. Schwenk and Mary A Schwenk now a Widow were married on January the 12" 1871 at Pittsburgh Pa. That said Mary A Schwenk was living with them at Saltsburg Pa at the time of her marriage to the soldier Charles G. Schwenk.
That after the return of the couple from Pittsburgh were the marriage took place, they had the wedding supper at their (Deponents House) and that they the Deponents participated at the wedding festivities held in honor of the said marriage.
That the said Mary A. Schwenk lived with them (Deponents) for about 2 years before her marriage to the soldier and know that she was not married prior to the marriage to the soldier above named.
That they know the facts testified to in this affidavit of their own Personal knowledge, having had an intimate aquaintence with Mary A Schwenk before and after her marriage to the soldier.
That their Post Office address is Creighton in the County of Allegheny State of Pennsylvania.

Wow! So now I know a little more about Charles and Mary Ann's wedding. They had the wedding "supper" at the home of Isaac and Martha Mason in Saltsburg. In the 1870 census, just the year before the wedding, Mary Ann is living with the Masons as a domestic servant in North Versailles.[3] Charles is also living in North Versailles in 1870 and was enumerated on the same day and only a few pages apart in the census book.[4]

There is another interesting item in this affidavit that needs further research. One of the Witnesses to this affidavit was Margaret Orris, who was Mary Ann's sister. When Margaret Orris died, her obituary listed eight children including Mrs. Harry Mason.[5] Next up is to see if there are any connections between the Burd/Orris families and the Mason family. Maybe that's how Mary Ann found work, or how Margaret's daughter met her husband?

In the meantime, I'm happy to know a little more about the wedding of my great-grandparents and how they celebrated this important event!

___________________________________________________________________________ 

SOURCES:

[1] Marriage Certificate, Charles Schwenk-Mary Ann Burd, 12 January 1871; photocopy privately held [name and address for private use,] ca. 1975. 

[2] Affidavit of Isaac and Martha Mason, 3 March 1899, Mary Ann Schwenk, widow's pension application no. 586124, certificate no. 475533, service of Charles G. Schwenk (1st Sgt., Co. C, 82nd reg., Pennsylvania Infantry, Civil War); Case Files of Approved Pension Applications ..., 1861-1934; Civil War and Later Pension Files, Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

[3] 1870 U.S. census, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, North Versailles, population schedule, McKeesport Post Office, p. 20 (penned), dwelling 137, family 137, Isaac Mason; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 13 January 2014) citing National Archives publication M5393_1294; Family History Library Film 552793.

[4] 1870 U.S. census, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, North Versailles, population schedule, McKeesport Post Office, p. 23 (penned), dwelling 156, family 156, John Rogers; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 13 January 2014) citing National Archives publication M5393_1294; Family History Library Film 552793.

[5] "Former Creighton Woman Summoned by Death," The Valley Daily News (Tarentum, PA), 17 February 1922; photocopy, Community Library of Allegheny, copied by library staff, 12 October 2012.

Sunday's Obituary - Mary Swank

This article was on the front page of The Monessen Daily Independent on September 20, 1927.[1]  Mary Swank was my second great grandmother and had died three days earlier while visiting her daughter in Cape May, NJ. She was born Marian Burd, but also went by "Mary" and "Mary Ann". She married Charles Schwenk in 1871 and they had four children before he died in 1893. The surname Schwenk evolved over time to Schwank and finally to Swank. Mary has been a difficult person to research at times due to the variations of both her first and last names! As of now, I still cannot find a death record for her in either New Jersey or Pennsylvania.

Mary was visiting her daughter Margaret Speedy, who was living in Cape May at the time. Margaret's husband, William Arthur Speedy, had died at sea just over a year earlier (you can read about him here). I can't imagine how difficult it was for Margaret to be alone after losing both her husband and her mother in Cape May, while the rest of her family was in Pittsburgh and Monessen. Margaret eventually moved back to Monessen and lived with her sister Maine Cubbage and her family.

___________________________________________________________________________ 

SOURCE:

[1] "Mother Dead," The Monessen Daily Independent (Monessen, PA), 20 September 1927, p. 1, col. 1; digital images Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 20 August 2013).  

 

Motivation Monday - Summer is Over!

So it's been a while since I posted anything! I always have good intentions during the summer, but my genealogy research and blog tend to get pushed aside in favor of summer fun. And what fun a summer it was - a family reunion (the last one was 38 years ago!), some time away with my darling hubby, and lots of trips and activities while the boys were on summer vacation. We had a lot of fun with friends and family, and the slower pace was wonderful. Especially since my older son is starting high school today ... I'm not sure how much we are going to see him over the next few years.

Even with all of the fun, I did manage to spend a little bit of time on my research this summer:

Over Memorial Day weekend, we enjoyed a family trip to Pittsburgh and were able to make a couple of cemetery visits. I introduced my sons to their 3rd great grandfather, Charles G. Schwenk, who was a Civil War Veteran.

In June, I made my fist trip to a local Family History Center and searched microfilm for the marriage record of my 3rd great grandparents. I have already ordered more microfilm and can't wait for my next visit. [1]

In July I was back in Pittsburgh for the awesome Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh. This is a picture of the beautiful prayer garden on the La Roche College campus. You can read about this amazing week here.

In August, I did research on some collateral lines and learned about great grand uncle who was active in the Socialist Party in Montana! [2]

So now that the kids are back in school, I am motivated to get started again. What will I be working on? A goal from my GRIP experience are to get my citations up-to-date, and I'd also like to get working on my application to the First Families of Western Pennsylvania. I am also thinking it is time for the NGS Home Study Course. I learned so much at GRIP, that I would like to continue taking classes and this seems like the best fit for where I am right now. Have any of you completed (or are in the process of) the NGS Home Study Course?

Summer is over and it's time to get back to work!
____________________________________________________________________________

SOURCES:

[1] St. Cuthbert's Parish (Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland), Scotland Marriages 1561-1910, Alexander Burd and Main Bingham (1846), FHL microfilm 1066766, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. 

[2] The Montana News (Lewistown, MT), 22 October 1908, p. 4, col. 2; digital images, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress (http://www.chroniclingamerica.loc.gov : accessed 8 September 2013).   

Tombstone Tuesday - Lessons Learned from a Cemetery Visit

I was in Pittsburgh over Memorial Day weekend with my family and we decided to make a few cemetery visits. My oldest son had been on "cemetery hunts" with me before, but my husband and younger son were on their very first trip. We took a ride out to Prospect Cemetery in Brackenridge, PA to look for a few collateral family members from my Burd line that I had found on Find A Grave.

We found the first two headstones fairly easily, but were having trouble finding the last couple of names. I guess I should also mention that even though it was the end of May, it was about 50 degrees, overcast and windy, and we had not packed for lengthy time outside (oops!). My sons and I ran back up to the entrance and found a map of the cemetery and confirmed that we were searching in the correct section. We went back, but could still not find anything.

My oldest son (and budding genealogist) suggested that we go back to Find A Grave (thanks to smart phones!!) and search for the name of a neighboring stone that should be in the same section to make sure we have the right area ... or that maybe there was a typo on the website. We confirmed a few names around where we should be, and still nothing. We took another step, and finally found two tiny stones in the grass -- we could only see first names!! I wish I had taken a few more "before" pictures because the story continues!

Find A Grave lists a Margaret, Helen and "Annie?" Burd as being in this section. Well, we had found two of the three, so we were happy. I snapped the above picture and then started clearing out the grass along the edges to get a better picture. My younger son noticed some letters above Helen's name, so we kept pulling away the grass. Guess what we found?? The two stones were actually one broken stone (or two pieced together) with all three names on it!

When we found the two little stones, all we could see were the whiter areas on the picture above - just the names and dates. We also found that the middle name is not "Annie", but "R. J. Jr." I believe that these are the children of Robert J. Burd and Minnie Roenick, so that is my next project.

So what did we learn on our cemetery visit?? Besides bringing lists of names, double checking online data, finding cemetery maps, and dressing warmly??  We learned that we should bring a small shovel and some gloves ... you may need to dig out a stone or two along the way!

Alexander Burd's Obituary

Alexander Burd died on this date, February 21st, in 1925 in Natrona, PA. Alexander was my great-great grand uncle and the father of William Harrison Burd, who I wrote about a few days ago.


Alexander "Alex" Burd was born in Canada, but spent most of his life in Natrona, which is part of Harrison Township, PA. His wife, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Ryan died sometime before 1900 and his son William lived with Maine Swank Cubbage (William's cousin) for most of his life. After his wife's death, Alex spent most of his life working as a laborer in the chemical works or salt manufacturing plants.

Alex's obituary lists his son, William, of Monessen, and two daughters. I believe that the daughters are a misprint. Mrs. Amos Conners is his sister, Jane "Jennie" Burd and Marion Swank is his sister Marian Burd. He is buried in Mt. Airy Cemetery, which is in Natrona Heights, PA.

William Harrison Burd

William Harrison Burd died on this date, February 18th, in 1942 in Monessen, PA and he was my 1st cousin 3 times removed. So why is he here on my blog? William Burd was the key that helped me find some big leads in my Burd family tree!

William Burd, or "Bill Burd" as my grandfather referred to him, lived with my great-grandparents (Maine Swank and Charles Cubbage). Bill was born on January 29, 1894 in Natrona, PA. In the 1900 census he is living with his Aunt Marian "Mary" Burd Swank, who is widowed, along with his cousins Maine and Charles Swank, and is listed as "adopted son". By 1910, Bill is living with Maine Swank, who is now married to Charles Cubbage, and their children. Bill lived with Charles and Maine Cubbage until they died in 1938 and 1939, and continued living in their home with their children afterwards. Charles and Maine had 8 children, and Bill was about 10 years older than their oldest son, Lester. Over the years, he was listed on various censuses as cousin, roomer and boarder.


This photocopy of Bill's school record, along with the photo above, was found with Cubbage memorabilia (I don't know who had the original). Bill never married and spent most of his life with the Cubbage family in Swissvale and then Monessen. He lived with them when they lost two children (Leah in 1920 and George in 1921). In Maine's letter to her sister, she mentions how upset Bill was about George's death ... he was a part of the Cubbage family. Bill was living in the Cubbage home on Reed Avenue with Marian & Marge Cubbage and Margaret Swank Speedy (Maine sister) when he died.


Bill's obituary lists the Cubbage family as his own, with no mention of his birth parents or other Burds. Bill worked for many years as a foreman at the Blast Furnace at Pittsburgh Steel.


Bill Burd is buried at Braddock (Russell) Cemetery, in the same plot as Charles & Maine Cubbage, as well as George and Leah ... his adopted family. Right next to their plots is the headstone of William Arthur Speedy, the husband of Margaret Swank Speedy (Bill's cousin).

So how did he help me find the Burds? For starters, "Burd" is often listed as "Bird" or "Byrd" and I was having problems determining which was from our family line. At first, I only knew that Bill lived with the Cubbages and that he shared a room with my grandfather, but didn't know the exact relation t the family. I sent away for his death record, and found the names of his parents, Alexander Burd and Elizabeth "Lizzie" Ryan. I was then able to tie Alexander's parents to his sister Marian "Mary" Burd (my great-great grandmother).

Alexander Burd died in 1925 in Natrona and "Lizzie" died before 1900 (Alexander is listed as a widow in that census). I do not know yet what happened to "Lizzie"or why Bill did not live with them. I wonder if Alexander wasn't able to take care of Bill when his wife died? I will be sure to share that when I figure it out, along with more about the Burd family line.

Wedding Wednesday - Marriage Certificates

So in this wonderful file of genealogy goodies that I got from my father last week, there are photo copies of two marriage certificates. The first one is for the marriage of Charles Swank and Marian Burd, my great-great grandparents. They are listed as Charles Schwenk and Mary Ann Burd. There is no county or location specified, but is probably Allegheny County and I will check with the Orphan's Court records.



The other certificate is for the marriage of William Arthur Speedy and Margaret Swank, who is my great grand aunt and the daughter of Charles and Marian Swank whose record is above. They are listed as William A. Speedy and Maggie A. Schwenk. It was filed in the Orphan's Court in Allegheny County and lists their marriage in Braddock.



It is interesting that both father and daughter are recorded as "Schwenk", but most other records after this time are as "Swank". I will need to do more searching for Schwenk in the Pittsburgh area to see if I can find any connections.

Wednesday's Child - George Cubbage

Another blogging prompt used by genealogy bloggers is "Wednesday's Child" to post photos of gravestones of children. While sad, it can ensure they are remembered, and it can give life to the stories of these children (if they are known). Today's post is about George Cubbage.



George Cubbage was my grandfather's brother and the youngest of the eight children born to Charles and Maine (Swank) Cubbage. George was born in 1919 in Monessen, PA and died on December 25, 1921 at home in Monessen after having diphtheria and pneumonia. George's older sister, Leah Cubbage, had died just a year earlier in 1920. Next week I will post the heart-wrenching letter from his mother Maine to her sister about George's illness and death. George is buried in Braddock Cemetery in North Braddock, PA. It was also known as Old Braddock Cemetery and Russell Cemetery. He is buried alongside of his parents Charles and Maine, his sister Leah, his uncle William Arthur Speedy, and his first cousin once removed William H. Burd.

Wednesday's Child - Leah Cubbage

Another blogging prompt used by genealogy bloggers is "Wednesday's Child" to post photos of gravestones of children. While sad, it can ensure they are remembered, and it can give life to the stories of these children (if they are known). My first Wednesday's child is Leah Cubbage. Leah was my grandfather's older sister. She was the third child of Charles and Maine (Swank) Cubbage. Leah was born in 1906 in Swissvale, PA and died in 1920 in Monessen, PA. I don't have (yet) Leah's birth or death dates or cause of death. Family stories passed down are that she fell on the ice and hit her head and that her appendix ruptured. She was survived by her parents and seven siblings between ages 1 and 16. Leah is buried in Braddock Cemetery in North Braddock, PA. It was also known as Old Braddock Cemetery and Russell Cemetery. She is buried alongside of her parents Charles and Maine, her brother George, her uncle William Arthur Speedy, and her first cousin once removed William H. Burd.