Maternal

Photo of the Day – January 13, 2015

joelowry1982 1970s, Bixler, Maternal, POTD, Witt
I probably met my great grandma Witt at some point when I was very young. Helen Bixler Witt died in January 1985, two months shy of my third birthday. This photo of her was taken on her porch on North Osborn Street on Youngstown’s West Side in the late 1970’s. You can get a more recent view of the houses in the background by clicking here (link).
Source:
Helen Bixler Witt (1898-1985), photograph, taken at 24 N Osborn Avenue, in about 1977; digital image, photocopy of original, scanned in 2013 by Joseph Lowry; privately held by Marie Dockry, [address for private use], Austintown, Ohio. Woman sitting in a porch chair in housecoat. Provenance is Marie Dockry to Joseph Lowry.

Photo of the Day – January 10, 2015

joelowry1982 1940s, Maternal, POTD
The only thing I know about this photo are the subjects. My grandmother Barb Wolford (Viti) is on the left with her sister Betty Wolford (Thomas) on the right. I need to ask grandma for some details. Sounds like a project for the evening…

Update!
My grandma responded that the photo was taken on June 14, 1950 in her backyard in Topeka, Kansas. It was the day before my great aunt Betty’s wedding to Walter Thomas. They had turned 18 the previous October and had graduated from high school just four days prior. Betty and Walter were married for 62 years before he passed away in 2011. One of their girlfriends took the picture. The car belonged to their dad, my great grandfather Ray. Any car buffs out there know the make and model?

Source:
Barbara Jean Wolford (1931-) and Betty Jane Wolford (1931-), photograph, taken in the back yard of  the Wolford family home on Madison Avenue, on June 14, 1950; digital image, photocopy of original, scanned in 2013 by Joseph Lowry; privately held by Marie Dockry, [address for private use], Austintown, Ohio. Two woman standing in backyard with car in background. Provenance is believed to be Barbara Wolford Viti to Marie Dockry to Joseph Lowry.

Photo of the Day – January 6, 2015

joelowry1982 1980s, Maternal, Porubsky, POTD
My great grandmother Caroline Porubsky Wolford had the gift of the gab, a traditionally Irish phrase, but one that applies nonetheless to this Volga German lady. From her home in Topeka, she made regular phone calls back east to her daughter Barb and granddaughters Julie, Marie and Becky in Youngstown. I’m guessing this snapshot was taken sometime in the 1980’s while great grandma made one of those calls.

Top 5 Posts of 2014

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

2014 was a great year for my genealogy research. I made some fantastic discoveries, both personally and professionally, that will continue to enhance my search for ancestors. This website has been a great resource to help me connect with newly-located cousins and share facts and stories with known relatives. The past year saw the creation of a custom URL – http://www.lowrygenealogy.com – and almost 70 posts to share information and photos. Thanks to all of you who enjoy what I put together, whether it is by visiting the site or subscribing to the e-mail digest. As I look back, thanks to some Google stat magic, these were the top five posts of 2014…

5. New URL, Same Great Content – The blog has a new home and I am so happy to share it.

4. Treasure Chest Thursday – Pennsylvania Death Certificates, 1906 – 1924 – You have no idea how hard it is to prove someone is dead. Until you have their death certificate, that is.

3. (Not So) Wordless Wednesday – A look at the new baby Lowry! – A little genealogy trickery…

2. Military Monday – The Crew of the ‘Rum Pot II’ – A very cool crew photo of a World War II bomber.

and last but not least…
*Drumroll, Please!*
1. Those Places Thursday – A Geography of the North Side – The most popular item on the blog in 2014 is not even something I wrote. My uncle Chuck Lowry wrote up a few stories of life on Youngstown’s North Side; they are shared here with permission.

How Being a New Parent Can Change One’s Genealogy Habits

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

A few days after his birth, I wrote a new blog post about my son Brendan and shared a few photos of the little guy. It was exciting to be able to add a new twig to the family tree, quite literally. I was almost giddy adding Brendan to my Ancestry.com online tree. What I didn’t expect were the very significant changes to my genealogy habits that would result from this little bundle of joy.

Genealogy is a hobby that I have poured hours upon days into over the last several years. I have attempted to be as professional as an amateur genealogist can and that takes time. Before Brendan was born that may have meant hours working in front of the computer. It was not unusual for me to get home from work at 6:30 p.m., have dinner and then spend the next two or three hours searching for documents, following leads, and working my way down genealogical rabbit holes. I would easily lose myself in Ancestry.com or Familysearch.org and before long, it’s 11:30 p.m. and I’ve guaranteed myself only four or five hours of sleep.

As anyone with a toddler knows time is not something I have in abundance anymore. Brendan’s presence has forced a shift in my genealogy habits. Parenting requires that my genealogy involve more fits and starts. I’ve had to become an expert at “5-minute genealogy.” Thanks to the Ancestry.com app, maybe I conduct a quick search for a record on my iPad or clean up my family tree on my iPhone. It’s not unusual for me to conduct a records search, walk away from the computer and come back an hour later not remembering what I had already looked at. Instead of trying to figure it out, I tend to open a new browser tab and start a new search. Pretty soon I have 15 tabs open in Google Chrome, all with search results or record displays and not much to answer for it.

Besides cleaning the house, doing laundry and maybe (just maybe) watching TV, I can usually work on my genealogy for an hour or so after Brendan goes to bed. I tend to rotate between conducting research and new blog posts. Because a blog post of any substance can take at least an hour to write and source, they are often now done haltingly. (I started writing this one over two months ago.) Hence, you will see a lot of “(Not So) Wordless Wednesday” posts, with just a photo and a caption and a lot fewer detailed articles.

While cranking out the work may be harder, I do have a new emotional driver for my work. Brendan is obviously a descendant to whom I can pass my work. I have no idea if he will ever appreciate genealogy, but there are family stories and photos that I want him to hear and see. As we all know, it’s important to pass down the stories of the ancestors he didn’t know as I did, like my grandfather Chuck Lowry or great grandfather Francis Witt. Genealogy has become more meaningful as I write down my family history for him.

Having Brendan in my life is a blessing. With the exception of wanting an hour or two of additional sleep each night, I wouldn’t change a thing. This includes cutting back on the genealogy. Instead of 20 hours a week spent with dead relatives, I gladly spend more time with the living. And those are the real memories I want to remember.

Sunday Night Genealogy Fun – Last Name Unknown

joelowry1982 LNU, Maternal

When I first joined Ancestry.com about five years ago and started looking at the family trees out there, I was dumbfounded by the number of people with the surname that I assumed was pronounced ‘Lanoo.’ Countless women in so many different trees were named LNU. Fortunately, I learned there was not a rash of poorly surnamed individuals out there.

LNU is a fairly common genealogical acronym meaning ‘Last Name Unknown.” You will most commonly see it with female ancestors, whose maiden names are more difficult to discern the farther back in history you search. I have dozens of individuals in my database with unknown last names.

This weekend’s Saturday Night Genealogical Fun at Geneamusings.com (one of the BEST genealogy blogs) asked how many Sarah LNU’s are in your database and how many of those were your ancestors. Well, I searched high and low in mine and of 1400+ people I’ve researched, I have exactly one.

1) Sarah LNU (Abt 1825 – ?), who married William Price (1823 – 1895) in Wales. They migrated to Mahoning County, Ohio and had at least 5 children.

I’ve not done a lot of research with this line. I did a few quick searches for Sarah to see what else I can find and turned up the 1860 Census, which identified several additional children. Certainly I need to look a little deeper, but for a quick five minute search, headway has already been made!

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.

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.