Old Swedes Church, erected in 1698-1699 is the nation's oldest church building still standing as originally built. The church is still used for regular church services to this day. The pulpit, made of black walnut, has a canopy, designed to project the speaker's voice, and support board. Joseph Harrison, a cabinetmaker from Philadelphia, carved the pulpit using wood given by members of the congregation.

 As early as 1638, the Swedes place a burial ground at the site of the still unbuilt church. There are no surviving records from them. Since the markers were field stones with carved initials or wooden crosses, there are very few left. The oldest readable stone in the graveyard is that of William Vandever who died in 1718 and of the fieldstone marked graves, two of the oldest are for Catharina and Britta Cock who died within a week of each other of typhoid fever in 1726.

In 1655, the Dutch took over the land and would not allow the Swedes to build their Lutheran Church. Finally in 1698, the Swedes got to build their church. They chose the area where the old burial ground was as the site. When they were digging the foundation, and would discover a burial, they would reshape the foundation so as not to disturb the grave. It was placed under the jurisdiction of the Protestant Episcopal Church in 1791.

 There was really no plot plan until 1857 when the land was measured and divided into square parcels and sold. I've been in that cemetery and find it hard to believe there are 15,000 people buried there. There are several Revolutionary War soldiers, a US Senator and other noted people from the area. There are also veterans from every war in which Americans fought, from the Revolutionary War to the Vietnam War buried in the graveyard.

 You can take a virtual tour of the church by going to http://www.oldswedes.org

Some MD Surnames folks are researching: 

AJWRJW: HARRIS, BENNINGTON - Baltimore Co & Harford Co. MD 1705 EARLE, BAYLISS - Calvert Co., MD 1667, WALTZ, MARTZ maybe in MD

Lynn4604: LINGNER, RAPPOLD, SMITH, BIEDENBACK, Baltimore City 1840's; HARRIS, CLENDANIEL DE to Queen Anne's Co., MD

Liloc13: REDING/REDDING, ZULAUF, in MD

FLT1469: BURKINS, HILDITCH

RAdams505: John DENNIS b. 1790-95 in MD county and parents unknown.

JSGracey: SHORES, MOORE, RATCLIFFE, POWDERS, WHITE, SOMERS - Easter Shore 1664-present; RANDAL, EVANS, NORMAN, CARR, CHEW, HOWARD, Anne Arundel Co, 1650-present

NelliRu28: HARRISON, Frederick and Washington Counties, MD; BRICE, BOONE, St. George's Parish and Perryman, MD

Bipsylou: PETTINGALL/PATTINGALL, GETZENDANNER, SANDS, Anne Arundel Co., MD

Jim2154: GEEDING/GEETING, Rosanna b. about 1783, Washington Co., MD

Samhou9038: BROCK, BUXTON, DICUS, MOCKBEE, TOMLINSON, MD

Some historic facts from the Marlboro Township Historic commission:

 During the Revolutionary War, Marlboro was the scene of many skirmishes between British troops and the Monmouth Militia since the British often foraged for food in the area around Pleasant Valley road. In fact, the Pleasant Valley area was called the "Hornet's Nest" because of the intensity of the Militia's attacks. With a commanding view of Raritan Bay, Beacon Hill (off present-day Beacon Hill Road) was one of three Monmouth County sites where beacons were placed to warn residents and the continental forces if the enemy approached the bay shoreline.

In June 1778, Marlboro became caught up in the Battle of Monmouth, one of the largest engagements of the war. Prior to the battle, it is believed soldiers camped on property located at the present intersection of Tennent and Union Hill Roads. While the battle was being fought between Monmouth courthouse in Freehold and Old Tennent Church in Tennent, the British baggage train fled through Marlboro along Dutch Lane. The main body of retreating British troops also passed through Marlboro on their way to ships at Sandy Hook. Legend has it that British General Henry Clinton stayed overnight in a 1750 home still standing on Reids Hill Road. Another home, a 1732 structure along Route 520, still has a tunnel leading from the house to nearby woods that is said have been used as an escape route by Monmouth Militia officers quartered in the house. One of the leading military officers of Monmouth County during the Revolutionary War, Col. Asher Holmes, lived for 30 years in a home along Pleasant Valley Road.

 "These four ancient congregations, the Quakers, the Episcopalians, the Presbyterians and the Dutch Reformed played key roles in the early settlement of this area by the Scotch, English and Dutch." Taken from the History of Marlboro Township by James S. Brown and published by The Battleground Historical Society.

This was given to us by NJMae and we thank her very much for all her hard work. Thank you Mae.

Here are some good web sites to check out.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~njessex/alpha/lookups.htm http://www.oprit.rug.nl/proobol/FA/gen_int_UK.htm http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~geishome/churches/churchindex.htm http://www.familysearch.org/Search/searchancestor_hints.asp#Top http://baconfamily.webjump.com

NelliRu28: DUNN VANMETER SEAMAN CLARK BROWN MORGAN MARTIN PATTERSON BUKEY GREATHOUSE ESTEP ESTES DRAKE DUNHAM BONHAM (most are collaterals of DUNN line)

Moweq: DRAKE DRAKE DRAKE

Debby6alex: GARRET VANPELT, WARREN

IrishInCal: OKANE SHANNON FITZPATRICK CONLEY SHANNON FINKEL SWAEN CITTA SWAEN

BZingone: CAREY FOX MERCER O'BRIEN

BJane: AYARS, BARRETT, BOWEN, BROOKS, CAMP, DICKINSON, FENWICK, GARRISON, GRINER, KING, LODER,

Samhou9038: Looking for info. on DENMAN and MITCHELL in Monmouth Co. NY early 1700

For more information go directly to the web page describing it:

http://www.italiangen.org/seminar4.stm

Below I am posting the agenda for the day's events. The price is extremely reasonable given the quality of the lectures and the speakers giving them:

IGG Members: $35.00

Non-members: $40.00

If you are in the NY Tri-State area you should really consider attending!

And now...the day's events...

Giulio Salemme has been doing genealogy his whole life having had the nucleus of his family history passed on to him from his grandfather and father. He is well known to many Americans because of the expert research he has done for them in Italy and through his travels all over the United States during the summer of 1999 renewing acquaintances and making new ones. Giulio's passion for delving into his family history led him to help many Italian Americans research their roots in Italy. He is well acquainted with diverse sources of information that most people don't use such as records of notaries, land records, foundling records, etc. Having delved into many obscure places Giulio has been able to find records that are often thought of as non-existent. Due to his persistence he meets with much success in his research. His fascinating stories of research in Italy are not to be missed.

John Celardo is the Assistant Director of the Northeast Region of the National Archives and is Senior Archivist. He began working for the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in 1970 after college and joined the staff of the regional archives as an archivist in 1990. He has spoken about the National Archives at many local and national conferences. Mr. Celardo is a member of the Archivists' Roundtable of Metropolitan New York, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference, as well as a member of the Italian Genealogical Group. Both sides of John's family came from Arzano, a small town north of Naples.

Don Eckerle got the genealogical "bug" about 15 years ago. Beginning with research on his own family and his grandparents in the New York area, then expanding to that of his daughter-in-law's. He has used the skills from his professional life as an AT&T Systems Analyst to great advantage in his genealogical pursuit. Researching the town of origin of his grandfather led him to begin using the World War I Draft Records and the treasure trove of information that they hold.

Sal Lagattutta has developed an intense interest in the story of the Trovatelli in Italy. There have been many orphans and abandoned children in Italy's long history. Born in Mezzojuso, Sicily, and growing up in the United States with many trips to his relatives in Sicily, has only whetted Sal's appetite for genealogy. He maintains a website on Mezzojuso and has worked his family's history back into the 1600's. Working as a hospital social worker in New York City, only added to his interest in the poor abandoned children of Italy.

Meldon J. Wolfgang III, the founder and owner of Jonathan Sheppard Books, is also a bookseller specializing in out-of-print local histories and genealogies. He has been involved in genealogical research for more than 30 years with a particular emphasis on 19th Century ethnic groups in urban areas. Mr. Wolfgang has been involved with many civic projects in his home town of Albany, New York including positions with the library system. He has been the featured speaker for many local and national genealogical and historical societies in the United States.

Regards,

Frank La Rosa -- flarosa@optonline.net

Webmaster: ITALIAN GENEALOGICAL GROUP Web Site
http://www.italiangen.org
Researching Names ==> LA ROSA, BARBAGALLO

Potter County was formed from Lycoming County in 1804.

Galeton's history dates to the early 1800s when John Ives, a New England revolutionary war soldier, settled near Pine Creek, just east of town.

By the time William McClure Gale moved from near Honesdale, Pa., in 1879, he was already a successful tanneryman. He saw the future in the hemlock forests surrounding Pike Mills (Galetons early name ). Thirty years later with the help of an industrious labor force, a tannery, sawmills and railroads, Galeton grew to nearly 5,000 and was the largest city in Potter County.

Thirty-five trains a day carried passengers and freight to all parts America. Wooden planks sidewalks had given way to stone. Dirt and bark roads were covered with brick. Water and sewers were being installed and stores office, hotels and dining places were competing for the limit spaces along Main Street.

In spring, hundreds of loggers, raftsmen and bark peelers would emerge from the mountains and creeks to be housed, clothed, fed and entertained. There were drunken brawls in the illegal "pig ear" pubs that were tucked in among the livery stables of Eggler's Alley. Everything was available to these rough, tough "woodhicks " who saw Galeton as theie personal recreation center.

During the winter of 1887, 30-million feet of logs were floated down pine creek above Galeton. The following winter the figure tripled. Two years later, most of the virgin timber had been cut.

Then early in the Twentieth century the boomtown days began to falter. Brown muddy water coursed down the bald mountains to Pine Creek. Spring floods became more treacherous, sweeping away outhouses and fences in the flats. Below town, the Goodyear log ponds were in imminent danger of losing their banks.

Between floods and fire, the need to evacuate was always present. In 1916 the great galenton fire took its toll.

The railroads began to feel competition. Mergers and closing followed. The buffalo and Susquehanna was cutting back from its heyday when fine linens and food were put aboard the luxurious Pullman cars at Galetion as they headed to Buffalo and the West.

By 1915 the lumber-dependent town began to reset its sights on smaller, more diverse industries to utilize its remaining labor force. A second and third generation of Galetonians recognized the beauty and serenity of their valley and commuting became a part of modern life.

Today, the picturesque village is fast becoming a tourist destination. In addition to its colorful history, Galeton offers some of Pennsylvania's best fishing, hunting, rafting and skiing as well as mountain biking, snowmobiling,hiking, and camping. Galenton is an outdoors paradise.

Now it welcomes you to take this self-guided tour and explore its rich heritage, enjoy its friendly people and dine in its restaurants. Never will that past return, but as a visitor to Galenton you will always be able to indulge in a part of it, in one of America's leading lumber towns.

Court House Recorder's Office has deeds, mortgages and misc. (includes wills) starting about 1804. Court House Prothonotary's office has marriages from 1885 to present and deaths and births from 1893 to 1905 (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Vital Statistics start at 1906 and are housed in New Castle, PA).

Hours: Open two days a week -- Monday 1 PM - 4 PM and Friday 1 PM - 4 PM. 

An active and friendly group. Membership cost $5 for the year which includes four page Quarterly Bulletin. Be sure to see their small historical collection.

Newsletter Gemini covers Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, Tompkins and Tioga counties, NY and Bradford, Tioga and Potter counties, PA.

 Covers genealogy in the five bordering counties of Cattaraugus Co., NY, Chautauqua Co., NY, Allegany Co., NY, McKean Co., PA, and Potter Co., PA.

Web page on McKean County by Connie S. Frederick. Many surnames of Potter County are included.

Hours: 9am - 8pm Monday through Thursday; 9am - 5pm Friday; 10am - 5pm Saturday 

Contains a good collection of historical and genealogical material for a small library. However, much more at Potter County Historical Society.

Hours: 1-5pm & 7-9pm Monday, Thursday and Friday; 1-5pm Saturday

Hours: 1 - 5 pm Monday; 1 - 8 pm Wednesday; 10 am - 3 pm Saturday

Hours: Monday 11 AM - 8 PM; Wednesday 11 AM - 8 PM; Friday 9 AM - 6 PM

 A tiny library but has good cemetery records of the area. Say hi to Librarian Bonnie Chappell, a relative of mine -- Dan.

Hours: 1 PM to 5 PM Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday; 9 AM to 1 PM Wednesday and Saturday

Say hi to Sheri Graves, the Librarian.

http://www.standard.net.au/~jwilliams/ships.htm http://istg.rootsweb.com/departures/england.html http://199.72.15.191/Sites/Gen/Chet2/scripts/ListShips.asp http://www.fortunecity.com/littleitaly/amalfi/13/ships.htm http://www.nara.gov/genealogy/immigration/newyork.html http://scroots.org/ships.html http://www.cimorelli.com/vbclient/shipmenu.htm http://www.distantcousin.com/Links/ships/ http://www.execpc.com/~trarbach/Patience/patience_home.html http://www.museumsnett.no/mka/ssa/ http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyrichmo/ashburton.html http://www.surnamesearch.com/page7.html http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Estates/3377/telegraph.html http://www.oakland.edu/boatnerd/swayze/shipwreck/

http://www.worldwide-top100.net/tops5/rankem.cgi?action=in&id=search

G100 Sites:

http://www.irigen.com/cgi-melvindesign/g100/topsites.cgi?ID=153

Dee's Top 100

http://www.floyd-pavey.com/cgi-bin/linkrank/rankem.cgi?action=in&id=gendet 

RECORD CLOSINGS????

 Please read data on the front page of IOWA Gen Web in regards to Iowa closing the records.

http://www.usgenweb.org/IA 

Also go to these sites in regards to:

OHIO Bill#519 Mother's Maiden Name

OGS Vol XXX1 NO.1 Jan 2000 

House Bill 519 Mother's Maiden Name - excerpts from article, go to

http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/ and in the current legislature box, click on HOUSE type in bill NO. 519 and click go.

A proposed bill to amend section 3101.05 and enact section 3101.051 of the Ohio Revised Code may then be printed out.

They want to remove Mothers maiden names from records. Dominantly against marriage data being given out. Today we can get parents names they want to change that on those records.

The change is to read:

EXCEPT THAT THE COURT SHALL DELETE OR OTHERWISE REMOVE ANY SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS AND THE MAIDEN NAMES OF THE MOTHERS OF THE PARTIES TO A MARRIAGE SO THAT THEY ARE NOT AVAILABLE TO THE PERSON REQUESTING THE RECORDS.

NOW,. THERE IS A FEDERAL LAW THAT COVERS SS ALREADY SO BILL NOT NEEDED.

AND FOR SECURITY PURPOSES, all we need to do is not use mothers maiden name on documents, banks, loans etc.

INSTEAD have the bank use a birth date, for security only you and they would know who it is. Ever try finding someone via a birthdate and no name, no place? LOL

Worse crooks will always try and find a way and we will suffer in our endeavor to do research. Whether it be for genealogy, medical reasons, etc.

NOW the article also states there is a site to voice your words at:

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD http://www.house.state.oh.us/voice/index.html

It also has a map site for learning who your representative is with biographies, addresses, phone no., etc.

The standard address: The Honorable_________, Ohio House of Representatives, 77 South High St., Columbus, OH 43266-0603.

Also HB 519 was awaiting being assigned to a committee at the time of writing.

Hopefully for more data you may find soon at:

http://www.ogs.org

or email ogs@ogs.org

 I got word today the IOWA bill has been changed. There is no reason why the genealogy societies with the NGS and others can not work with the law people of this state and resolve issue without removing vital information to help families locate next of kin, for any reason.

That is what the people in the state of IOWA did.. The Genealogy Society and other key agencies worked with them. Look at the IOWA gen web site. :)

http://www.usgenweb.org/IA

Thanks for listening and hoping all who have passed through OHIO and have kin in and from OHIO will help to defeat this measure that is truly not necessary.

SusiCP and OGS member

The 123rd Ohio General Assembly

All sites can be reached at Keyword: ROOTS then click on chat for Root Cellar or Golden Gates on AOL

  

Mid Atlantic Special Interest Groups

Tuesday 10pm -12 midnight Golden Gates

or

Tuesday 9am Root Cellar

 

The Mid-Atlantic SIG covers the areas of : New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Washington DC, West Virginia and Virginia.

 

Come join us...  

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