“This is Peggy Barbour Straughen and I am on my way back to Ohio from a family reunion and I thought I would report some of my childhood memories of my grandparents. As I am speaking of this, I am now 60 years old. Let’s see…" My grandmother grew up in south-central Pennsylvania, living for... Continue Reading →
Grandma’s Memories: Part X
“This is Peggy Barbour Straughen and I am on my way back to Ohio from a family reunion and I thought I would report some of my childhood memories of my grandparents. As I am speaking of this, I am now 60 years old. Let’s see…" My grandmother grew up in south-central Pennsylvania, living for... Continue Reading →
Grandma’s Memories: Part IX
“This is Peggy Barbour Straughen and I am on my way back to Ohio from a family reunion and I thought I would report some of my childhood memories of my grandparents. As I am speaking of this, I am now 60 years old. Let’s see…" My grandmother grew up in south-central Pennsylvania, living for... Continue Reading →
Grandma’s Memories: Part VIII
“This is Peggy Barbour Straughen and I am on my way back to Ohio from a family reunion and I thought I would report some of my childhood memories of my grandparents. As I am speaking of this, I am now 60 years old. Let’s see…” My grandmother grew up in south-central Pennsylvania, living for... Continue Reading →
Notes About the Ramby Family
This letter to my great-grandmother, Grace McKee (1887-1964), was tucked inside a notebook with several other letters. Although it is not dated, has no envelope, and is not signed with a full name, I believe it must be from her first cousin, Helen McKee (1890-1958). It could have been written in the 1940s or early... Continue Reading →
Halloween Memories
Dad: My dad doesn't remember a lot about Halloween as a child, but he remembers going to a corn field in the fall – this was when he lived in Franklin, so under 11 years old – getting some ears of dried corn and shucking the kernels off the cob. Then they would throw the kernels... Continue Reading →
Memorial to James Emlen (1792-1866)
This memorial to my 4th great-grandfather, James Emlen (1792-1866) was published in the minutes of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting in 1867. I have done my best to transcribe the text faithfully, including spelling errors. The long passages of religious musings from James' writings have been included in a separate post: Writings of James Emlen. Testimony... Continue Reading →
Walter Bell’s Second and Third Marriages
A few months ago I wrote about my great-grandfather's first marriage. When we last left Walter Bell, he had just eloped with Anna Hertel in January 1907. Walter and Anna divorced in January 1910 and she succumbed to tuberculosis in 1921. What did Walter do after the divorce? In 1910 Federal Census, taken in... Continue Reading →
How I Made an Ancestor Video
Although my attempts to begin writing about my ancestors have fallen flat in the last year or two, I have found a new method of sharing that I do enjoy: making videos! It all began last summer when I was taking an online local history course for my library science degree. I was tasked with... Continue Reading →
The Life of George Earley
Please enjoy this video about my 2nd great-grandfather, George Edgar Earley (1840-1931) from Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. https://youtu.be/NLBFaym7REY
Grandma’s Memories: Part IV
“This is Peggy Barbour Straughen and I am on my way back to Ohio from a family reunion and I thought I would report some of my childhood memories of my grandparents. As I am speaking of this, I am now 60 years old. Let’s see…" My grandmother grew up in south-central Pennsylvania, living for... Continue Reading →
Walter Bell’s First Marriage
There are two ancestors in my family tree that I continue to revisit whenever I'm up for a challenge. One of those is Walter H. Bell (1881-1934), my great-grandfather. Chipping away at Walter's past has been tricky but fascinating. He moved all over the country during his life. It seems he had three or four... Continue Reading →
Grandma’s Memories: Part III
“This is Peggy Barbour Straughen and I am on my way back to Ohio from a family reunion and I thought I would report some of my childhood memories of my grandparents. As I am speaking of this, I am now 60 years old. Let’s see…" My grandmother grew up in south-central Pennsylvania, living for... Continue Reading →
Grandma’s Memories: Part II
“This is Peggy Barbour Straughen and I am on my way back to Ohio from a family reunion and I thought I would report some of my childhood memories of my grandparents. As I am speaking of this, I am now 60 years old. Let’s see…" My grandmother grew up in south-central Pennsylvania, living for... Continue Reading →
Grandma’s Memories: Part I
“This is Peggy Barbour Straughen and I am on my way back to Ohio from a family reunion and I thought I would report some of my childhood memories of my grandparents. As I am speaking of this, I am now 60 years old. Let’s see…" My grandmother grew up in south-central Pennsylvania, living for... Continue Reading →