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Sunday, March 16, 2003 Page: 1B
Time to check the mail.
1) Gary Willis of Kildeer, Ill., a former local resident, is looking for
information on the Stark family of Wyoming Valley, a very old name with roots
going back through the 1778 Battle of Wyoming to New England of the 1600s.
Gary, there is someone who kept track of the local Stark family through
the 19th century. Dr. Frederick Johnson, owner and editor of the old
Wilkes-Barre Record, collected and published genealogical and obituary
information in hardbound books known as The Historical Record from the 1880s
through the early 1900s. I’m sending you photocopies of the major references
to your Starks. Hope they help.
2) Sharon Gordon of New York City is researching Harry Miller, whom she
understands to have been a Times Leader employee decades ago, married to Rose.
Sharon, Wilkes-Barre City Directories are the place to start. The man
you’re looking for appears to have been known alternately as Henry and Harry
and to have worked as a printer and an advertising salesman for the paper from
the World War I era up through the 1950s, and later on for a printing company.
Sound familiar? I’ll send you some pages.
3) William Williams of Perrysburg, Ohio, asks “Does anyone know of a
family named Rowland? He was a bootmaker and had a small shop in Wilkes-Barre
for a short time. Died early.”
Once again it’s the directories to the rescue. William, in the 1880s and
1890s there was an Evan Rowlands who operated a boot and shoe shop on North
Meade Street in Wilkes-Barre. There were a lot of footwear shops in that era.
Incidentally, the same street had an Evan Rowlands’ grocery store. Does that
ring a bell? I’ll send you the listings.
Local History Moment: The area’s sports scene was different a century and a
quarter ago – a lot different. One of the most eagerly awaited events of 1879
was the great March six-day walking race, in which T. Washington beat William
Murray 456 miles to 405 miles on a pair of tracks set up in downtown
Wilkes-Barre. To help keep spectators entertained, the nearby Market House
hotel was lighted up at night, with music being offered as well. Don’t laugh:
Washington took home $400 for his victory, a year’s salary for many people in
those days. Evidently the sport enjoyed quite a vogue, because spinoffs
developed. The first local women’s walking competitions took place in
November, and in 1888 there was a race for blind men.
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. Wednesday.
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.
The Northeast Pennsylvania Genealogical Society will offer a special
session on computerized census research as it opens its 2003 schedule of
events. The session is set for 6 to 8 p.m. March 25 in the Gates Computer Lab
at the Osterhout Free Library, South Franklin Street.
Michael Strauss, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, will
demonstrate the use of the 1880 U.S. Census CD. Reservations are limited to 25
and may be made by calling the library at (570) 823-0156.
The society has a copy of the census at its research library on North Main
Street in the Shavertown section of Kingston Township. To inquire about
membership and hours of operation, call (570) 674-7648.
Explore Wyoming Valley’s rich religious history at the Luzerne County
Historical Society museum. The new exhibit will focus on the area’s religious
buildings down through the years, with photos and artifacts. A separate
exhibit titled “Women of the Past” offers more than 50 photos, never before
seen by the public, of prominent area women from a century and more ago.
The museum, located behind the Osterhout Free Library on South Franklin
Street, is open noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday. Admission is free, though a contribution is asked.
The fee for Pennsylvania death certificates would more than double from $3
to $6.50 under a preliminary budget announced recently by new Gov. Ed Rendell.
The final budget, if approved by the state Legislature and signed by the
governor, will take effect July 1.
“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.