Category: Fun stuff

Best of 2013

Now that 2013 is almost over, it’s time to look back and reflect on the year past. Here’s a list of the top 10 most viewed posts for this year.

  1. 5,000 Acres—Where Did It All Go? with 165 views (#7 in 2012)
  2. Pennsylvania Township Warrantee Maps with 177 views (#4 in 2012)
  3. Andreas Huber (1723—1784) with 180 views
  4. Huber Immigrants with 198 views (#5 in 2012)
  5. Jacob Hoover (ca 1746—1800) with 212 views
  6. Andreas Huber Origins: Trippstadt, Ellerstadt, or Ittlingen? with 241 views (#8 in 2012)
  7. Friday Finds: Trinity Lutheran Birth and Baptismal Records Online with 250 views
  8. How to Use the Online Land Records at the PA State Archives with 396 views (#3 in 2012)
  9. Pennsylvania Genealogical County Map with 1,919 views (#1 in 2012)
  10. Home page / Archives with 3,964 views (#2 in 2012)

Apparently, I was not particularly helpful or interesting this year as all of these pages were written in prior years—except perhaps whatever people were looking at on the home page! Most of theses posts—with the exception of the pages on Andreas and Jacob Huber—were fairly general, either providing information on how to use an online resource, directing readers to a resource, or providing information on multiple surnames. That two pages on specific people made the list was somewhat surprising—until I realized that although neither was related to President Hoover, both names were used in his family.

So, did you have a favorite post in 2013? What was it about and where was it posted? Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Pennsylvania Dutch Funny Cake

Pennsylvania Dutch Funny Cake
Yum! Funny cake is a holiday tradition in our house. It features a chocolate filling beneath a moist cake, all in a pie shell with a crunchy topping. It makes a perfect breakfast, snack or dessert. And every taste brings back memories of holidays past.

Top 10 Posts of 2012

I like to take a look at my website stats to see what posts & pages get viewed. Partly due to curiosity, but it’s also useful when I need inspiration. I’m sharing with you as a kind of year in review.

Here’s a list of the top ten most viewed posts on my site for 2012.

  1. Lancaster County Deed Books Online with 216 page views and 144 unique Views
  2. George Hoover (ca 1735/40-1813) with 235 page views & 203 unique views (#5 in 2011)
  3. Andreas Huber Origins: Trippstadt, Ellerstadt, or Ittlingen? with 239 page views and 210 unique views (#7 in 2011)
  4. 5,000 Acres—Where Did It All Go? with 240 page views and 122 unique views
  5. Pennsylvania Marriages, 1885-1950 with 249 page views and 161 unique views
  6. Huber Immigrants with 271 page views and 230 unique views (#6 in 2011)
  7. Pennsylvania Warrant Township Maps with 351 page views and 253 unique views (#3 in 2011)
  8. How to Use the Online Land Records at the PA State Archives with 443 page views and 284 unique views
  9. Home page with 1,086 page views and 691 unique views (#1 in 2011)
  10. Pennsylvania Genealogical County Map with 1,665 page views and 741 unique views (#2 in 2011)

It’s an interesting mix of my research, how-tos and Pennsylvania genealogy resources, and older and newer posts. Do you have a favorite  or most useful post? If you have a blog, what were your top 10 most viewed posts in 2012?

On This Date: Lovina Force Houdeshell

Happy birthday, Lovina (Force) Houdeshell! “Lovey” was born 28 Jan 1872 in Pine Glen, Burnside Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania to Jefferson and Susan (Mulhollan) Force. She married George W. Houdeshell 20 Jun 1890. She died 28 Oct 1964 in Pine Glen and was buried with her husband in Advent Cemetery. She was my 2x great grandmother through my paternal grandmother’s mother.

On This Date: George Hocker

Happy birthday, George Hocker! George was born 21 Jan 1794 in Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, a son of Johan Adam and Anna Maria (Hershey) Hocker Jr. He died 6 Nov 1873 in Swatara Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. He was my 4x great grandfather.

On This Date: Levi Hocker

Happy birthday, Levi Hocker. Levi was born 17 Jan 1824 in Swatara Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, son of George and Maria Magdalena (Landis) Hocker. He died 31 Oct 1876 and was buried at Churchville Cemetery.

Matrilineal Monday

So, for a twist on the Matrilineal Monday blogging meme, I thought I’d post my matrilineal lines back to the earliest female ancestors.

Mary Catherine Wagge

Mary Catherine Waage Wieder as a girl

My Mom’s Matrilineal Line

Mildred “Mims” Esther Wieder, daughter of Edwin J. Wieder and Mary Catherine Waage, was born 23 Dec 1912 in Pennsburg, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania1  and died 30 Jun 2002 in Lansdale, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.2 She married Russell Roy Greulich on 12 Jun 1937 in Norristown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.3  She was a physical education teacher at the time of her marriage and worked for years at a bank in Landsdale before retiring. She had three children—two sons and a daughter (my Mom).

Mary Catherine “Mae” Waage, daughter of Dr. Charles Theodore Waage and Lydia S. Eshbach, was born 27 Oct 1877 in Pennsburg, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania4 and was baptized on 29 Nov 1877 by Rev. Frederick Waage, her grandfather.5 She died 28 Nov 1970 in Quakertown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.6  Mae was married to Edwin J. Wieder on 19 Apr 1905 in Pennsburg, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania by her uncles Rev. Jacob Kehm and Rev. Oswin F. Waage.7 Mae and Edwin had three daughters—Gertrude Glenna (1907—1963), Mildred Esther (1912—2002), and Helen Doris (1917—2011).

Lydia S. Eshbach, daughter of Henry M. Eschbach and Catharine Lydia Bobb, was born 3 Oct 1845 in Albertis, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania and died 7 May 1910 in Pennsburg, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.8 She married on 29 Aug 1876 Dr. Charles T. Waage.9 Lydia and Charles had one child that I know about—Mary Catharine Waage (1877—1970).

The information I’ve found regarding Catherine Lydia Bobb is not well-documented in my Reunion file. Please consider it unproven supposition and take it with a grain of salt.

Catherine Lydia Bobb, daughter of Daniel Bobb Jr. and Anna Herb, was born 5 Nov 1805 in Hereford Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. She died 16 Mar 1859. About 1836, she married Henry M. Eshbach, most likely in Bucks or Lehigh County. In 1850, they were living in Salisbury Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania where Henry was an innkeeper.10 To the best of my knowledge, Catherine and Henry had children: Amanda (1838—?) married Rev. Jacob Kehm, Anna Maria (1841—?), Reihel (1843—?), Lydia S. (1845—1910), Rufus (1847—aft 1870), and Elias (1852—?).

My Dad’s Matrilineal Line

Nora Malinda Houdeshell, daughter of George W. Houdeshell and Lovina Caroline Force, was born 25 Oct 1891 in Wooster, Cameron County, Pennsylvania and died 11 May 1965 in Pine Glen, Burnside Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania.11 She married Clyde L. Hoover 16 Apr 1908 in Dubois, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania.12 Nora and Clyde had 12 children.

Lovina Caroline Force, daughter of Jefferson Force and Susan L. Mulhollan, was born 28 Jan 1872 and died 28 Oct 1964 in Pine Glen, Burnside Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania.13 She married 20 Jun 1890 George W. Houdeshell.14 Lovey and George had 12 children: Joseph (1890—1890), Nora Malinda (1891—1965), Wilhelmina (1893—1958), Ida Rachel (1896—1950), Anna Belle (1897—1924), Carrie Edna (1900—1989), Wesley Irvin (1902—1903), Thelma Mae (1904—2001), Millard Franklin (1907—1994), William Arthur (1910—1987), Martha Rebecca (1910—bef 1980), and Georgia Caroline (1914—1989).

Susan L. Mulhollan, daughter of John Mulhollan and Emily Boileau, was born 14 Jul 1841 and died 17 Oct 1917 in Pine Glen, Burnside Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania.15 She married Jefferson Force/Forcy 22 Mar 1857. They had 14 children: Wilhelmina (1857—1921) married Robert A. Askey, Catherine E. (1859—1899) married Albert Gilmore, Hannah (1861—1938) married Johnson Watson, Agnes E. (1863—1934) married John Thomas Fye, Carrie Amanda (1865—1934) married William Henry Meeker, Martin (1868—1945) married Delilah Hamilton, John C. (1870—1890), Lovina Caroline (1872—1964), Mary Alice (1873—1913) married Richard Whiles, Martha Ellen (1875—1934) married Jacob Whiles and Wilson Smeal, Lucy Malinda (1876—1960) married William Emerick and John Kein, George W. (1878—1878), William E. (1883—1883), and Albert M. (1884—1884).

Emily Boileau, supposedly the daughter of Daniel Boileau and Mary Robertson, was born circa 1805 and died 27 Jun 1842, possibly at Milesburg, Centre County, Pennsylvania.16 She married John Mulhollan 21 Aug 1823. The couple had 8 children that I know of: Daniel B. (1822—1907), James E. (1823—?), Roland (1831—?), Harriet (ca 1834—?), Emily Jane (ca 1836—?), Sarah A. (ca 1838—?), Mary Ann (ca 1839—?), and Susan L. (1841—1917). There is a break of 8 years between the birth of James E. and Roland; it’s possible that there were more children.

And that’s as far as I can go in these matrilineal lines. For some reason, I thought I’d taken all my lines further back than this, but apparently I still have a bit of work to do. Maybe I should add researching my matrilineal lines to my genealogy goals for 2012.

What have you found for your matrilineal lines?

On This Date: Georg Philipp Greulich

Happy birthday, Georg Philipp Greulich. Georg was born 9 Jan 1784 and died 12 May 1855 in Haag, Mosbach, Germany. He is my 3x great grandfather through my maternal grandfather’s patrilineal line.

Happy Birthday: Joseph Snyder

Happy birthday, Joseph Snyder. He was born 2 Jan 1826, most likely in Wurtemburg Germany. He was my 3x great grandfather through my maternal grandfather’s matrilineal line.