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 […]
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 […]
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: […]
Katie's Grove 