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Sunday, March 02, 2003 Page: 1B
OPINION
Family history researchers dealing with the southern part of Luzerne County
(the Hazleton and White Haven areas) often feel frustrated because so much
material seems pitched toward the more populous northern and central portions
of the county.
Now there is a Web site devoted exclusively to that sometimes-overlooked
area. It is “Lower Luzerne County,” set up recently by Sheila Brandon.
“After years of researching the Luzerne County Area and gathering bits of
information, I decided to start this site to help others obtain information
that is not readily available to the public,” she says on the site’s home
page.
The quickest way to approach the site, Brandon recommends, is by typing
“Lower Luzerne County” into a search engine. Just a few places down you will
find it.
Relying heavily on volunteer labor and donations of material, it is
building up what any good genealogy- and history-related site should have: a
query board, town histories, a guest book, photos, links to many other Web
sites of local interest and more. You can also contact Brandon by e-mail to
offer material or make suggestions.
Much of the material would be useful to anyone researching Luzerne County
ancestors. The immense local death lists published in the Wilkes-Barre Record
Almanac in the late 19th and early 20th centuries are here. So are rosters of
area Civil War volunteer regiments.
But much is specific to the lower end of the county. You will find three
18th- and 19th-century maps, which may be enlarged, showing changes in the
county’s borders and the development of lower-end communities. Also, lists of
deaths published in the old Shickshinny Echo newspaper from 1900 to 1925 are
on the site.
Have something you’d like to see added to the site? As does the Luzerne
County Genweb, it actively courts public participation. The site interprets
the idea of “lower Luzerne County” liberally, and many more town histories
and other bodies of information would be useful. It is a genuine work in
progress.
“We are always looking for new material to add to it,” said Brandon.
Searching: Deirdre Collins of Glendale, Calif., is researching Patrick and
Catherine (Kelly) Purcell, married in Wilkes-Barre, 1865; lived in Scranton
1865-1920 (approximately); children John Joseph, Michael Francis, Mary, James
Vincent, William and Agnes Aurelia. Contact Deirdre Collins at
snillocsd@aol.com.
Donna Kishbaugh is researching three families. 1) William “David” Lewis
(1869-1949) of Wilkes-Barre. Married Annie Jones (1873-1956). Children
Clarence, Norman, Thelma and Gladys. 2) John Llewellyn (1847-1939) of
Wilkes-Barre. Married Jane Lloyd (1851-1934). Children William, Leticha,
Margaret, David, John, Diana, Sarah, Irene, Myrtle and Samuel. 3) David
Llewellyn (1876-1923) of Wilkes-Barre. Married Mamie (Mary) Yeager
(1882-1951). Children Joseph, David T., Alfred and Lillian. Contact Donna
Kishbaugh at adkishbaugh@comcast.net.
Local History Moment: A Wilkes-Barre haberdasher of a century ago knew how
to tailor a bad situation to his own advantage. When thieves broke into Louis
Rosenthal’s downtown clothing store in 1908 and walked off with choice
pickings from the racks, Rosenthal didn’t waste any time feeling sorry for
himself. Instead, he took out an ad in the Wilkes-Barre Record praising the
“highly intelligent burglars” who had the sartorial taste to select his shop
for their pilferings. He then announced a men’s suit sale at such low prices
that the customer would feel like he too was stealing the merchandise.
News Notes: The Genealogical Research Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania
will offer “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Genealogy but Didn’t
Know Whom to Ask” at its meeting 7 to 9 p.m. March 19. The meeting is open to
the public, and those attending are encouraged to bring questions about family
history research for a panel that will try to help. Meetings are held at
Lackawanna Heritage Apartments, 211 Susquehanna Ave., Olyphant. Call (570)
383-7661.
Some states are seeing strong private efforts to locate and preserve
inactive, unmarked and largely forgotten old cemeteries before they are
destroyed. Ohio is a leader in the field. “The Ohio Genealogical Society,
which has spent the past 30 years locating cemeteries, counts at least
16,000,” the Associated Press reported recently.
“Out on a Limb,” the Times Leader’s award-winning local genealogy
column, appears every other Sunday. It is also accessible at
www.timesleader.com and on the Luzerne County Genweb. Back columns are
archived on the Genweb. Contact Tom Mooney, Times Leader, 15 N. Main St.,
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711. E-mail is tmooney@leader.net.