Author: joelowry1982

Four Generations Once Again

joelowry1982 2010s, Four Generations, Lowry, Maternal, Paternal, Witt
I love photos showing four generations of my family. There are quite a few collecting on the blog here, here, here, here, and here. This is another taken two weeks ago at the baptism of my son. My grandmother Barb Viti is holding her great grandson Brendan Lowry with my mom and me on either side. I will feature Brendan’s baptism in an upcoming blog post.

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(Not So) Wordless Wednesday – Eddie Lowry, Sr.

joelowry1982 1920s, Lowry, Paternal, Wordless Wednesday
Click to enlarge
Edward Martin ‘Eddie’ Lowry, Sr. is the brother of my great grandfather Charles Edward Lowry. He was born in Leetonia, Ohio on 8 Dec 1896 and died in Canton, Ohio on 17 May 1978. He married and had three children. He looks quite dapper in this clearly professional portrait, with the flowing necktie, pocket square and lit cigarette. I believe this image was taken in the early 1920’s. This was in a small collection of Lowry family photos I received from Aunt Mary, who inherited it from my grandfather, Eddie’s nephew Chuck.

Military Monday – My Ancestors in the American Revolution

joelowry1982 Maternal, Military, Rogers
The Battle of Long Island

A few days late, but many genealogy bloggers are in honor of the Fourth of July writing about their ancestors who fought in the American Revolution. I have at least one, but perhaps more, direct ancestor who fought in the Colonies between 1775 and 1783. As my paternal ancestors didn’t arrive in the United States until the 1820’s, they are on my maternal side.

  • Zephaniah Rogers served as a private in Captain Satterlee’s Company, Colonel Elmore’s Regiment of the Connecticut Line. Zephaniah is my 5th great grandfather through my maternal grandmother. He enlisted in the regiment on April 16, 1776, less than a month after the British evacuated Boston, for a period of one year. He served in garrison in Johnstown, New York and saw little, if any, combat. He was later awarded a pension for his service. Zephaniah is buried in Indian Run Cemetery in Dublin, Ohio not far from where several of his descendants, including my aunt and sister, live today. I will certainly work to explore his life in the coming months and share those findings here. 
  • The other candidate whose service remains unexplored is Gottfried Wohlfarth (Wolford), who arrived in the United States around the time of the war and would have been of fighting age. He was 35 years old at the end of the war in 1783. I have not confirmed his arrival and thus, his service, if any to his new country.
I have not identified any other direct descendants who may have fought in the Revolution or who could be a candidate for service based on his age and location. If I find additional service for our country’s independence or more on Zephaniah Rogers, as the saying goes, ‘Watch This Space.’

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday – Caroline’s Baptism

joelowry1982 1980s, Maternal, Paternal, Wordless Wednesday
Two weeks ago we baptized my son at Saint Edward Church in Youngstown. I started looking through family photos related to baptisms and found this one. My sister Caroline was baptized at the old Saint Joseph Church, then the Youngstown State University Newman Center, in summer 1983. Around the baptism font are my parents and Caroline’s godparents, our aunt Marie Dockry and uncle Mike Lowry. Both are obscured behind the priest, Fr. Ray Thomas. The Newman Center at Saint Joseph Church was torn down in 1992.

Amanuensis Monday – Last Will and Testament of Jacob Pepperney (1805 – 15 Aug 1888)

joelowry1982 1880s, Amanuensis Monday, Paternal, Pepperney

Just what is “Amanuensis Monday?” An amanuensis is a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another. I’m not employed but by you, my dear reader, and will use the occasional Monday to transcribe family documents. Transcribing forces me to make a very close reading of the text, thus perhaps showing some detail I may have otherwise missed. When printed on the blog, it makes information more findable for search engines and others interested in the same topic.

One way to easily learn about the last years of an ancestor is to read their last will. Many are available online and recently I was able to locate the will of Jacob Pepperney, my 4th great grandfather. Jacob was born in in or near present-day Austria in 1805. He died in Allegheny (present-day Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania on August 15, 1888. One of his last acts before his death was to have drafted in his name a last will and testament. This document is available through the records of FamilySearch and is itself a transcription. Instead of keeping thousands of wills and testaments in different formats, entire probate records were transcribed into journals for record keeping. This ensured a more complete record that was uniformly organized. I’ve transcribed the transcription. While nothing earth-shattering – Jacob wasn’t bequeathing any family treasure – it does show that he left a small sum to his grandson whose father died a few years prior. The details are below; I’ve transcribed it as best I can but apologize in advance for any errors.

Page 1 of 2. Click to enlarge
Page 2 of 2. Click to enlarge
No 307
Last Will and Testament 
of
Jacob Pepperney
In the name of God, Anew, 
I, Jacob Pepperney of the City of 
Allegheny, County of Allegheny,
 and State of Pennsylvania, being of sound mind, memory, and underst-
anding, do make and publish this my last will and testament, hereby
revoking and making void all former wills by me as anytime hereto
-fore made by me.
And as to my world Estate and all the property, real, personal, or 
mixed, of which I shall die seized and possessed, on to which I shall be 
entitled at the time of my decease, I give, advise, bequeath, and 
dispose thereof in the manner following, to wit:
First, my will is, that all my just debts and funeral expenses
shall by my Executor herein after named, be paid out of my Estate, as
soon after my decease as shall by him be found convenient.
Hence, I give, devise, and bequeath to my grandson John Pepperney
(child of my deceased son John Pepperney) the sum of One Hundred
dollars.
All the rest, residue and remainder of my Estate, real, personal,
and mixed, of what nature or kind so even and whensoever the
same shall be at the time of my death I give, devise and bequeath
unto my son Frank Peppperney and to my daughter Mary Beck
(wife of John Beck) their heirs and assigns forever share and 
share alike.
And I do hereby constitute and appoint my said son Frank
Pepperney Executor of this my last will and testament.
In witness whereof, I, Jacob Pepperney the Testator, have to
this, my will written on one sheet of legal Cap-paper, set my 
hand and seal, this second (2) day of March A.D. 1882.
Jacob (his X mark) Pepperney
————————————————————————
Signed, sealed, published and declared by the above named Jacob
Pepperney, as and for his last will and testament in the presence of us, 
who have hereto subscribed our named as his required as witnesses
thereto in the presence of said testator and of each other.
Joseph Schmid            Adam Hohmaun
Nikolaus Manz            George Roesch
————————————————————————
State of Pennsylvania
Allegheny County
Be it known, that on the twentieth day of August A.D.
1888, before me, Samuel P Conner, Registrar of Willis, **** and for the
County aforesaid, came Adam Hohmam and Nikolas Manz and
on August 22nd 1888 came Joseph Schmid three of the subscribing 
witnesses to the foregoing last will and testament of Jacob Pepp
erney deceased and on this their solemn oath did depose and say that
they were present and did see and hear Jacob Pepperney the test-
ator therein named, sign (my making his mark) seal, publish 
and declare the same as and for his last will and testament, and
at the time of so doing he was of sound mind and memory to the 
best of their knowledge and believe and as his request and in his 
presence they subscribed their named as witnesses thereto.
Sworn and subscribed before me the above date:
Samuel P Conner, Registrar
Adam Hohmaun
Nikolaus Manz
Joseph Schmid
————————————————————————
Now, August 23rd AD 1888, the testimony of the above named witnesses
being sufficient, I do hereby admit that foregoing Will to Probate, and
order the same to be recorded as such.
Given under my hand the above date
Samuel C Conner
Registrar
————————————————————————
State of Pennsylvania
Allegheny County
Be it known, that on the 23rd day of August A.D. 1888.
Letters testamentary with a copy of the Will annexed upon the Estate of
Jacob Pepperney deceased was duly granted unto Frank Pepperney
the Executor in said Will named who was duly sworn to well and 
truly administered the goods and chattel rights and credits which
were of said decedent and to faithfully comply with the acts of ass-
embly relating to collective inheritances.
                           Given under my hand the above date
                                                                  Samuel P. Conner
                                                                  Registrar
Source:
“Pennsylvania, Probate Records, 1683-1994,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-28781-6621-99?cc=1999196&wc=MDSG-YWL:268499101,283261801 : accessed 03 May 2014), Allegheny > Wills 1887-1889 vol 33-34 > image 320 of 691.

Treasure Chest Thursday – Manifest of the SS Roland

joelowry1982 1900s, Maternal, Porubsky, Treasure Chest Thursday
One hundred and fourteen years ago today, my 3rd great grandparents Mathias and Christina Porubsky, their son Carl and five of his siblings were on an adventure at sea. The Porubsky’s had left their Volga German community in Kamenka, Russia, perhaps to escape the Tsar and policies of assimilation and were en route to Topeka, Kansas. It was there that an enclave of Volga Germans had established themselves. They had set out aboard the SS Roland of Norddeutscher (North German) Lloyd. At 345 feet, the Roland was just a few dozen feet longer than today’s Staten Island Ferry. They sailed from Breman, Germany and were en route to Baltimore, Maryland.
The Porubsky family was among up to 800 people stuffed below deck in 3rd class. On June 22, 1900, they arrived at the passenger terminal along the Patapsco River and proceeded overland to Kansas.
This manifest marks their journey to a new life in America. At the time of his arrival, Mathias Porubsky was a 44-year old laborer; his wife Christina was 38. An uncle had paid their way, although the identity and relationship of this uncle remains unknown. They arrived with $20 in their pockets (about $550 in today’s dollars). Checkmarks indicate that all but the youngest two could read and write.
The manifest as located through FamilySearch.org
The manifest as located through Ancestry.com
Finding the above images was not without it’s small challenges. Both Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org have the manifest in their record collections but neither is perfect. The two sites, which are the largest genealogical record holders in the world, only sporadically overlap so it’s not always the case that both sites will have the same record.
I retrieved the Ancestry.com manifest because it appeared as a ‘hint’ on Mathias Porubsky’s page. Ancestry.com hints allow users to quickly identify records that may be related to their ancestor and attach them to their family tree. Unfortunately, many people accept every single hint without closely examining the record to ensure it belongs to their ancestor. The Ancestry.com record was poorly scanned, as it is crooked and has several columns (18 and 19) chopped up. That said, the index (transcription) of the manifest was spot-on and I was to quickly find my ancestors on the page.
The FamilySearch.org document is a very clean scan, but slightly darker. Unfortunately, a very poor transcription for this document made it much harder to locate. The ship was listed as the SS Poland, instead of the SS Roland. I couldn’t even begin to tell you how the family name was listed because numerous searches failed to turn up anything. Having already located the Ancestry.com version of the manifest, I used my search skills knowledge to search for a simpler surname I knew was further down the same page. Sure enough, after I located ship mate Joseph Zadja, I scrolled up to find the Porubsky family.
Having these types of documents tells a lot about the travel conditions my ancestors endured to arrive at a new life. When paired with other documents, we can start to piece together a life story, which is the ultimate goal for any genealogist.

Sources:
“Baltimore, Passenger Lists, 1820-1948 and 1954-1957,” index and images, Ancestry.com (http://interactive.ancestry.com/8679/mdt844_19-0177/696872?backurl=&ssrc=pt_t28087067_p5130324876_kpidz0q3d5130324876z0q26pgz0q3d32768z0q26pgplz0q3dpid&backlabel=ReturnRecord : accessed 18 Jun 2014), National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, DC; Records of the US Customs Service, RG36; Series: T844; Roll: 19

“Maryland, Baltimore Passenger Lists, 1820-1948,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-29149-8032-62?cc=2018318 : accessed 18 Jun 2014), 1891-1948 (NARA T844) > 19 – Jun 7, 1900-Feb 25, 1901 > image 180 of 876; citing NARA microfilm publications M255, M596 and T844.

Mystery Monday – Who Is Edna?

joelowry1982 Lowry, Mystery Monday, Paternal, Pepperney, Reiber
Update 3/14/2015:
While searching Ancestry.com, I discovered a picture of Edna Reiber on her wedding day. The picture is of a low quality and from a bit of a distance, but the similarities are enough that I believe it to be her. Edna Reiber is the sister-in-law of my 2nd great grand aunt Philamena Pepperney Reiber.
Original post:
This photo is from a collection of Lowry and Pepperney photos dating between 1915 and 1930. While the name ‘Edna’ is written across the top and bottom (more faintly), it’s not clear who Edna is. I have three Edna’s documented in my family tree and they are all on my maternal side, while the photo collection is on my paternal side. Perhaps over time I will find another Edna tucked in a branch somewhere.
Source:
Possibly Edna Reiber Ferry (1905-1986), photograph, taken unknown location probably in the mid/late 1920s; digital image, photocopy of original, scanned in 2013 by Joseph Lowry; privately held by Mary McCaffrey, [address for private use], Canton, Ohio. Portrait of woman with hair pulled back, white collar on blouse. Provenance is Mary Pepperney Lowry to Charles Lowry to Mary McCaffrey.

Census Sunday – 1860 U.S. Census for Michael Lowry and Family

joelowry1982 Census Sunday, Lowry, Paternal
The 1860 Census record for my 3rd great grandfather Michael Lowry is the oldest confirmed record I have of him. I also have an 1854 naturalization record for a Michael Lowry, but can’t confirm that it belongs to my Michael. In 1860, he was living as a coal miner in Carbon Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. Carbon Township is located in southern Huntingdon County, which itself is located in south central Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to locate any record prior to 1860 for Michael, which have to exist in some form as he is by this time already 30-years old and married with three children. At least two additional children would be born to Michael and his wife Bridget, including my second great grandfather Michael Jr.

State: Pennsylvania
County: Huntingdon
Township: Carbon Twp.
Enumeration District: 26
Enumerated by: E.L. Everhart, Asst. Marshal

Post Office: Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
Page 11

Dwelling-houses numbered in the order of visitation – 63

Families numbered in the order of visitation – 70
Michael Lowry, age 30, Male, Coal miner, no real estate or personal estate value, born in Ireland, not married within the year, did not attend school within the year, not a person over 20 years of age who cannot read or write
Bridget. ” , age 34, Female, born in Ireland, not married within the year, did not attend school within the year, is a person over 20 years of age who cannot read or write
Mary C. ” , age 6, Female, born in Pennsylvania, not married within the year, did not attend school within the year, person over 20 years of age who cannot read or write
Edward      ” , age 5, Male, born in Pennsylvania, not married within the year, did attend school within the year, not a person over 20 years of age who cannot read or write
Anna E  ” , age 3, Female, born in Pennsylvania, not married within the year, did attend school within the year, not a person over 20 years of age who cannot read or write

Source:
Michael household, 1860 U.S. census, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Carbon Township, page 327, dwelling 63, family 70; National Archives micropublication M653_1115. Page: 89; Image: 93. Ancestry.com; Link. Accessed 25 May 2014.