Alexander Campbell Hutchinson was born 24 April 1858 in Oakland Township, Pennsylvania to Ann Marie Jamison and William T Hutchison. “Cam” was the middle child of nine and and as a small boy they lived next door to his grandparents, two aunts and uncles, and nine cousins. I imagine many large family gatherings during his […]
Two things I can tell you about my ancestors: there are a lot of Margarets and a lot of accidental deaths. Harman Alexander Updegraff was born 28 August 1821* in Somerset County, Pennsylvania to Harmon Updegraff and Rachel Howard. He was a farmer in his early years and later became a conductor of a freight […]
I was named after my Grandma Kate, born Katherine Irene Murphy. She passed away before I was born, but I’ve always felt a special connection with her. Grandma Kate was named after her aunt, Katherine Murphy-Arnaut, who died unexpectedly at 29 years old. I was pretty excited to find that Katherine Murphy-Arnaut’s grandmother was also named Catherine! (spelled with […]
Margaret H. Davis was born 19 January 1861 in Johnstown,1 Pennsylvania to David H Davis and Catherine Annie Harris, both immigrants from Wales. She was the 5th child of 13 born to David and Catherine. Margaret Davis married Henry Herman Updegraff in 1881. Her siblings considered her “marrying well.” The young couple moved to New […]
I had seen a photo of “Uncle Harry,” as my mom identified him, but she didn’t know exactly who he was. His name was Harry Murphy and he appeared in a couple photos with other Murphy family members. I actually assumed that he was a neighbor that shared the same last name. While visiting family […]
On 23 July 1948, Roscoe Campbell Hutchinson was electrocuted while on the job at the National Tube company. He was 51 years old, leaving a wife, four children, two brothers, two sisters, and his mother Loretta Hutchinson. A week after Roscoe’s unexpected death, Loretta Hutchinson stepped around a large commercial grass mower and was hit […]
If only all obituaries were this informative! Here we have the complete birth date, location, marriage date, wife’s full name, immigration year, children’s names and locations, and memberships. Finding out the specific area of origin from “across the pond” can be pretty difficult to come by. Cardiganshire, as listed in the obituary, is one of […]
I believe this is the oldest obituary I have of a direct ancestor, Walter Harris, my 4th great grandfather. Walter was born 1769 in Wales. He came to America at the age of 85 with his wife, Sarah, and settled in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He died 10 years later in 1864. His obituary is particularly interesting: […]
Obituaries are fantastic sources of information. Dates and names are great, but hints at what kind of people your ancestors were are priceless. I love searching through old newspapers, especially the society section and obituaries. Usually the articles are short and give a couple little clues, but this particular obituary of my 3rd Great-Grandmother Catherine […]
Katie's Grove 