Maternal

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.
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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
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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.

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.

Click to enlarge

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.

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.

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday – Family on Ohio Avenue

joelowry1982 Maternal, Witt, Wordless Wednesday
This photo was taken around 1990 on Ohio Avenue in Youngstown. My grandmother Barb Witt, my uncle Chris Witt, my parents and my sister Caroline all posed at a family get-together. I don’t recall the occasion, however. I’m also not 100% certain of the location. This was either in front of an apartment my grandmother was living at or a block over in front of the home of Mary Catherine and Irving Sanders, first cousin’s 2x removed (but affectionately called aunt and uncle by family). Aunt Mary Catherine provided this photo.

Source:
Patrick, Rebecca, Joseph and Caroline Lowry, Barbara Witt and Christopher Witt, photograph, taken on Ohio Avenue in Youngstown, Ohio. digital image, photocopy of original, scanned in 2014 by Joseph Lowry; privately held by Joseph Lowry, [address for private use], Sterling, VA. Six individuals standing in front of door. Provenance is Mary Catherine Sanders to Joseph Lowry.

Another Branch To My Family Tree

joelowry1982 A message from the blogger..., Maternal, Paternal
You haven’t seen much from the blog this month, but that’s because the Lowry family has been super busy taking care of its newest member. Brendan Francis Lowry was born to Eileen and I on April 16 at 10:55 p.m. at Inova Loudoun Hospital in Ashburn, Virginia. He tipped the scales at 9lbs, 5 oz. and was 21 inches long. Both mom and baby are fantastically healthy. Brendan is even just two ounces shy of his birth weight after just 10 days. He’s going to be quite the bruiser!
Many people have asked Eileen and I how we chose his name, a STRONG Irish one at that. It was not an easy process. Most people know that we weren’t certain whether we were having a boy or a girl. It made things twice as hard as we needed to come up with both boy and girl names. We both were partial to Irish names but looked online and in name books for some time before we settled on our choices. Frankly, we just liked the way Brendan sounded. Once we started saying it, “Brendan Lowry… Brendan Lowry…,” we really liked it. Our girls name is still a secret to most; it’s being reserved for a future daughter. As for his middle name, Francis is a family name. It was Eileen’s father’s middle name and a name shared by my great grandfather Francis Witt and his son, my great uncle.
Except when he’s hungry, Brendan is the most content, chill child I’ve ever seen. He loves to be held and rocked, enjoys a good nap (as evidenced by most of these photos) and has what I assume to be a deep appreciation for Bruce Springsteen. Everyday is a new adventure. Thanks to everyone for their well wishes and thoughts. We couldn’t be more in love with this child.

 

I hope to resume to my normal blogging schedule in the coming weeks. First I need to catch up on sleep…

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday – A look at the new baby Lowry!

joelowry1982 Lowry, Maternal, Paternal, Wordless Wednesday
So first, an admission. The subject of this post is only to help drive traffic to my site. Surely a ruse, but if are reading this, it worked. There is not yet a new Lowry in my family, but we are days, hours or minutes away we hope.
This photo was taken in November 1988 shortly after my sister Colleen was born. I was six years old and Caroline five. This photo was taken in the den of our house on Dennick Ave. Colleen is hanging out in a bouncy chair that today would probably be suspect with safety inspectors. At least it has some type of strap to keep her locked in. I’m sporting my favorite Mickey Mouse pajamas and holding ‘Pillow’ (Pillow still exists, albeit in a poorer form). And as Colleen reminded me in the comments, Caroline’s beloved doll Jennifer Maggie is on the couch. Three siblings, two treasured items from our childhood, one photo. I’ve recently started to rewatch one of my favorite childhood shows, The Wonder Years, so I will close this post with this…
Growing up happens in a heartbeat. One day you’re in diapers, the next day you’re gone. But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul. I remember a place, a town, a house, like a lot of houses. A yard like a lot of other yards. On a street like a lot of other streets. And the thing is, after all these years, I still look back… with wonder.
*End Scene*

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday – Four Generations of Witts

joelowry1982 Four Generations, Maternal, Ostein, Roolf, Witt, Wordless Wednesday
This photo was provided to me by the spouse of a distant relative, specifically a great nephew of my 1st cousin, 3x removed. How’s that for some genealogical reach? This fantastic image was taken around 1920 and shows four generations of Witts.

 

Click to enlarge.

Seated L-R: Joseph C. Roolf, with son Norman Roolf, Mary K. Ostien, Martin Witt, Elizabeth Witt, Lenora C. Witt holding Dorothy (baby).
Standing Back Row L-R: John A. Roolf, Margaret M. Ostien Roolf, Johanna Thaner Witt and John A. Witt.

Martin  and Elizabeth Kreher Witt are my 3rd great grandparents. Their son John Albert Witt and his wife Johanna Thaner were featured elsewhere on the blog looking into John’s murder. Lenora Clara (alternatively, Clara Lenora) Witt is John’s daughter, married to Joseph Roolf. She is holding her daughter Dorothy while her husband stands with their other child Norman. Joseph Roolf’s parents John and Margaret Ostien Roolf are behind him, while his grandmother Mary Ostien sits next to him.