Author: joelowry1982

Treasure Chest Thursday – Happy Birthday Dad!

joelowry1982 Lowry, Paternal, Treasure Chest Thursday
August 28, 1957 was perhaps a slow news day, unless you were in Salem, Ohio in which case the paparazzi were probably out in full force covering this event. Does it get any more exciting than when “refreshments were served, and the rest of the afternoon was spent visiting?” 
Today is my dad’s birthday, and he’s now a few years older than six but his birthday still warrants a few inches of ink. You don’t see too many birthday parties for 6-year olds in the newspaper, so this was a great find. When I first shared this, my dad claimed to have never seen it so I’m glad I could dig this out of the family archives.
So happy birthday dad! Here’s to many more!
Source:
“Patrick Lowry Feted on Sixth Birthday,” 28 August 1957, from Salem News; Joe [name removed for privacy reasons] collection, provided by estate of Charles J. Lowry; privately held by Joe [name removed for privacy reasons, address for private use], Sterling, Virginia.

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday – Lowry Men

joelowry1982 1920s, Lowry, Paternal
I have scanned so many photos that sometimes I glance over one that in fact reveals so much or at least is interesting as I try and discover my ancestors. Such is the case of this photo which is only the second unique picture I have showing my great great grandfather Michael Lowry and his father, also Michael Lowry. Based on their age in a newer photo I have of them from 1928, I would date this photo to the early 1920s. Many images in this collection are of the same time period.
The elder Michael was born in County Westmeath, Ireland in 1830. He emigrated to the United States around 1850 and worked most of his life as miner, first in central Pennsylvania and later in Leetonia, Ohio. I continue to search for leads to help me better understand his life. He left Ireland in 1850, at the height of the Irish potato famine. Crammed onto ‘coffin ships’, he probably crossed the Atlantic with a few hundred other souls, some infected with typhus and cholera. He died in 1928. His son Michael was born in 1868 in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. He was also a miner. He died in 1949 in Leetonia after a nearly 12 year illness, probably caused by a stroke.
Source:
Michael Lowry, Sr. (1830 – 1928) and Michael Lowry, Jr., (1868-1949), photograph, taken in Columbiana County, Ohio; digital image, photocopy of original, scanned in 2013 by Joseph Lowry; privately held by Mary McCaffrey, [address for private use], Canton, Ohio; Two men wearing hats and sitting on chairs; Provenance is Charles Lowry to Mary McCaffrey, with prior to Charles unknown.

New URL, Same Great Content!

joelowry1982 Uncategorized
The Lowry-Witt Genealogy Blog has a new home! I’ve spent a lot of time and effort to share and document family history over the last few years. As such, you can now find us at www.lowrygenealogy.com. (The blogspot URL will continue to work.) I wanted to have a custom web address that I could build from as I expand my genealogy research and knowledge. If I ever start researching professionally for clients, which is a (very) long term goal, I want to ensure a proper web presence. Buying the domain name before someone else seemed like an prudent step.
I will, however, continue to write about all of the names in my family history, on both the paternal and maternal sides. Now it’s just located at a web address that is hopefully easier to remember!

Census Sunday – 1910 U.S. Census for Mathias Porubsky and Family

joelowry1982 Census Sunday, Maternal, Porubsky
Click to enlarge
The 1910 Federal Census was the first for Mathias Porubsky and his family. Though they had been in the United States for 10 years, they missed the 1900 Census by just a few months, having arrived in Baltimore in June. Census enumerations are typically conducted in April. Reading the information below, there is so much interesting information to be gleaned. First of all, after just 9 years in the United States, the family owned a home free of a mortgage. Of course, many people in the household were working to support the family and probably help pay for that house. Mathias and sons Johannes and Joseph worked in the railroad shops, most likely for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. Even daughter Elizabeth, age 16, works as a laborer in a box factory. 
The Porubsky household was home to three generations. Their daughter Ann lived in the home with her husband Andrew Wasinger and their son Karl. Two boarders also lived there, who no doubt served as a source of additional income to the family. Interestingly, members of the Kaberline family lived on either side of the Porubsky’s. Mathias grandson Charles (late the owner of Porubsky’s Deli) would marry Lydia Kaberline in the 1940s. 

State: Kansas
County: Shawnee
Name of Incorporated Place: Topeka City
Ward of the City: 1
Enumerated by me on the 21th day of April
*blank*, Enumerator

Supervisor’s District: 7
Enumeration District: 142
Sheet No. 3B

Dwelling No. 64
Family No. 68
Address: 600 N Quincy Street

Porubsky, Mathias, head, male, white, 53 years old, married 27 years. Born in Austria-Hungry/Slov***. Father born in Austria-Hungry/Slov***. Mother born in Austria-Hungry/Slov***. Immigrated in 1901. *unsure if he’s listed as naturalized or alien – illegible*. Speaks German. Employed as a machinist in the R.R. shops. Is not out of work. Can read: Yes. Can write: Yes. Attended school in the last year: no. Owned a house free of a mortgage.

” Christina, wife, female, white, 47 years old, married 27 years. Number of children born: 9. Number of children living: 7. Born in Russia Ger. Father born in Russia German. Mother born in Russia (Ger). Immigrated in 1901. Speaks German. Not employed. Can read: No. Can write: No. Attended school in the last year: no.

” Johannes, son, male, white, 23 years old, single. Born in Russia German. Father born in Austria-Hungry/Slov***. Mother born in Russia (Ger). Immigrated in 1901. Speaks Ger. English. Employed as a laborer in the R.R. shops. Can read: Yes. Can write: Yes. Attended school in the last year: no.
” Joseph, son, male, white, 18 years old, 2nd marriage, single. Born in Russia German. Father born in Austria-Hungry/Slov***. Mother born in Russia (Ger). Immigrated in 1901. Speaks Ger. English. Employed as a machinist in the R.R. shops. Can read: Yes. Can write: Yes. Attended school in the last year: no.
” Elizabeth, daughter, female, white, 16 years old, single. Born in Russia German. Father born in Austria-Hungry/Slov***. Mother born in Russia (Ger). Immigrated in 1901. Speaks Ger. English. Employed as a laborer in a box factory. Can read: Yes. Can write: Yes. Attended school in the last year: no.
” Mathias, son, male, white, 10 years old, single. Born in Russia German. Father born in Austria-Hungry/Slov***. Mother born in Russia (Ger). Immigrated in 1901. Speaks Ger. English. Not employed. Can read: Yes. Can write: Yes. Attended school in the last year: yes.
” George, son, male, white, 7 years old, single. Born in Kansas. Father born in Austria-Hungry/Slov***. Mother born in Russia (Ger). Speaks Ger. English. Not employed. Can read: Yes. Can write: Yes. Attended school in the last year: no.
Kaberline, Andrew, son-in-law, male, white, 24 years old, married. Born in Kansas. Father born in Russia (Ger). Mother born in Russia (Ger). Speaks German. Employed as a machinist in the R.R. shops. Is not out of work. Can read: Yes. Can write: Yes. Attended school in the last year: no.

” Anna, daughter, female, white, 20 years old, married 1 year. Number of children born: 1. Number of children living: 1. Born in Russia Ger. Father born in Russia German. Mother born in Russia (Ger). Immigrated in 1901. Speaks Ger English. Not employed. Can read: Yes. Can write: Yes. Attended school in the last year: no.

” Karl, son, male, white, 3/12 years old (3 mos), single. Born in Kansas. Father born in Kansas. Mother born in Russia (Ger). Doesn’t speak. Not employed. Can read: No. Can write: No. Attended school in the last year: no.
Beyer, George, boarder, male, white, 24 years old, single. Born in Russia (Ger). Father born in Russia Ger. Mother born in Russia Ger. Immigrated in 1907. Alien. Speaks Ger English. Laborer in a flour mill. Is not out of work. Can read: Yes. Can write: Yes. Attended school in the last year: No.
Balosky, Joseph, boarder, male, white, 33 years old, single. Born in Austria-Hungary/German. Father born in Austria-Hungary/German. Mother born in Austria-Hungary (Ger). Immigrated in 1903. Alien. Speaks German English. Laborer who works odd jobs. Currently out of work. Can read: Yes. Can write: Yes. Attended school in the last year: No.

Source:
1910 U.S. Federal Census, Shawnee County, Topeka City, population schedule, Enumeration District 142, Sheet 3B, Dwelling 68. Mathias Porubsky; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 20 August 2014): FHL microfilm: 1374470. National Archives microfilm publication Roll T624_457.

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday – 25th Wedding Anniversary

joelowry1982 1940s, Lowry, Paternal, Wordless Wednesday
This photo, very clearly labeled, identifies my great grandparents 25th wedding anniversary. Charles and Margaret Lowry were married on August 22, 1922 in Leetonia, Ohio by Father D.B. Kirby in Saint Patrick Catholic Church. In 1947, they were happily married for 25 years and celebrated with my grandfather and their only son, Chuck, who was 22 years old at the time.

Tombstone Tuesday – John Connor

joelowry1982 Connor, Lowry, Paternal, Tombstone
John A. Connor was my 2nd great grand uncle, and the husband of Anna E Lowry. Anna was one of Michael Lowry’s (1830 – 1928) daughters. John was born in 1858 in Ireland and arrived through New York City on 11 Nov 1873. He married Anna in 1875 and they lived the remainder of their lives in New Castle, Pennsylvania. Together they had seven children. John died in 1907 and is buried in Saint Mary’s Cemetery in New Castle. 

We interrupt this broadcast…

joelowry1982 A message from the blogger..., Maternal, Paternal

I’ve been pretty lax posting to the blog lately, and actually I haven’t done much genealogy at all of late. Aside from participating in one webinar and reading a few genealogy articles, I’ve done little to further my own research in the last month. While I have a four month old at home, the current cause of my near abandonment of this hobby is work. My boss recently moved on and a replacement hasn’t been named, so for the last three months I’ve been doing two jobs and will for the foreseeable future.

While I didn’t used to sit at work all day and do genealogy, I did use downtime in the office to sketch out blog posts and ideas for research. I have nearly zero downtime now so it’s a lot harder than it used to be. I love this blog and genealogy in general, so I will certainly find a way to carve out some time to post some new family tidbits. Just don’t be surprised if you don’t see them as often as you used to.

Military Monday – Basic Training Graduation Photos

joelowry1982 1940s, Lowry, Paternal

My grandfather Chuck Lowry graduated in 1944 as one of 800,000 new soldiers to complete Army Basic Training at Camp Blanding in Jacksonville, Florida. As is common still today, graduates of ‘basic’ take a formal portrait. It’s a chance to show off for parents and loved ones far away in a sharp looking Army uniform. Sadly, it’s the same photo we often see in the newspaper when a soldier is killed in action. My grandfather survived (barely) his combat experience in Northern France but had these two photos taken at Camp Blanding.

In this set of photos, he is shown wearing the uniform of a recruit private. His uniform includes the patch of the Army Training Command as well as the Marksmanship Qualification Badge, including Sharpshooter qualifications with a rifle, carbine and one additional weapon that can’t be read. He would go on to earn the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Combat Infantry Badge, campaign medals for the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater (with one service star) and American Campaign and the World War II Victory Medal.

Cemetery Sunday – A Visit to Arlington National Cemetery

joelowry1982 Cemetery, Maternal, Witt

My uncle Tom Witt was in Washington, D.C. for work and wanted to make a point to visit Arlington National Cemetery. As I had not been there in some time, I felt it would make a great time to catch up with him and visit America’s most hallowed ground.

Arlington National Cemetery sits on 624 acres and is the final resting place of 400,000 war casualties and veterans. Included in the latter group is my great uncle, Francis Witt Jr. Francis was an Air Force officer who served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. I’ve previously written about his evasion and escape after being shot down in 1944 here.

My uncle, and later joined by my wife, son and mother-in-law, spent three hours walking around the cemetery, pausing at interesting or well-known individuals and honoring the unknown Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen with a stop at the Tomb of the Unknown.

Headstone of my great uncle Francis Witt’s grave.
The back of the headstone records the birth and death of his wife Mary Lou, buried with him.

My uncle Tom is here digging for a stone to leave on the top of Francis’s grave.

Francis had a brother Fred who served in the Marines during World War II, but this isn’t him. Ironically, this unrelated Fred is buried just a few rows away from Francis in the same section.

The date of death of Lt. McKamey was striking: June 6, 1944 is D-Day. A Google search revealed that his B-26 Marauder was shot down while on a bombing run to weaken the German forces in the area of Utah Beach. The entire crew was killed.

This entire section contains unknown soldiers from the Civil War.
.
General Ostermann was awarded the Medal of Honor for his role in the 1915 invasion of Haiti. He retired from the Marine Corps as a Major General in 1943, in part because he was not given a combat command during World War II.

America’s most decorated soldier. Ever.
The American flag flies inside the Memorial Amphitheater, located behind the Tomb of the Unknown. I have been to Arlington National Cemetery numerous times but had never seen the wonderful exhibit inside the Amphitheater. 
The Tomb of the Unknown
.
The memorial of the seven astronauts lost when the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart during reentry in 2003.
This panoramic shot captures the memorials to the Space Shuttle Challenger, the loss of American airmen in Operation Eagle Claw in 1980, and the Space Shuttle Columbia.
The grave of Commander Dick Scobee, who was lost in the Challenger disaster.
The mast of the U.S.S. Maine. The ‘Maine’ exploded in Havana harbor in 1898 and led in part to the Spanish-American War.
“Ask not what your country can do for you…” Part of the memorial wall around JFK’s grave.

The gang after a hot morning walking around Arlington.