Tombstone Tuesday: F Joseph Haefner and Helena Betz

This weeks Tombstone Tuesday comes again from Saint Boniface Cemetery in Williamsport, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania.

Frank Joseph HAEFNER (who always went by F Joseph) was born 22 July 1880 in Williamsport to Frank A HAEFNER and Eva Catherine BLITZ. He died 25 September 1968 in Montoursville.

Around 1905 he married Helena P BETZ. She was born in 1883 and died 17 November 1961.

F Joseph and Helena P Haefner marker, Saint Boniface Cemetery, Williamsport (Lycoming), Pennsylvania; photo taken by DKE, 2009.

Tombstone Tuesday: Lawrence and Anna RITTER

Lawrence John RITTER was born 2 October 1884 in Williamsport, Lycoming county Pennsylvania. He died in April of 1970 in Williamsport.

Anna (nee HAEFNER) RITTER was born 24 Jun 1889 in Williamsport to Frank A HAEFNER and Eva Catherine BLITZ. She died in January of 1977 in Williamsport.

They were married 22 Jun 1911 at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Williamsport.

They are buried at St. Boniface Cemetery.

Lawrence J and Anna H Ritter marker, Saint Boniface Cemetery, Williamsport (Lycoming), Pennsylvania; photo taken by DKE, 2009.

Tombstone Tuesday: Carl and Anastasia Haefner

Carl V and Anastasia HAEFNER are buried in St. Boniface Cemetery, Williamsport, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania.

Carl was born 22 Jan 1897 and died Aug 1979 in Williamsport. He married Anastasia M MAYAN about 1921. She was born 6 Sept 1896 and died 15 Nov 1971.

Carl V and Anastasia Haefner marker, Saint Boniface Cemetery, Williamsport (Lycoming), Pennsylvania; photo taken by DKE, 2009.

Tombstone Tuesday: Magdalena and Eugene ECK

Today's Tombstone Tuesday post in the tombstone of my great grandparents, Magdalena HAEFNER and Eugene J ECK.


Magdalena was born 7 Oct 1893 in Williamsport, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania to Frank A HAEFNER and Eva Catherine BLITZ. She died 2 Jan 1975 in Williamsport.

Eugene was born 23 Mar 1893 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania to John Jeremiah ECK and Theresa BANK. He died 2 Jan 1975 in Williamsport.

Notice how they died on the same day? They actually died 8 hours apart.

Magdalena was in the hospital. One of the children went to their house to pick up Eugene to visit her. (I forget which child it was from my dad's story of the events.) He or she found Eugene at the bottom of the stairs. He had had a heart attack and died. He was pronounced dead at Divine Providence Hospital at 10:30 AM. According to my dad, Magdalena decided that she didn't want to live after hearing the news. Although she may have recovered from her illness that sent her to the hospital, she died that evening, at 6:30 PM from congestive heart failure. According to their obituary, she had been in the hospital since November 17 (which makes me think that the illness was more serious than my dad thought. I have a copy of their death certificates and it is interesting to see that Magdalena is listed as a widow, even if it was only for a few hours.

Magdalena H and Eugene J Eck gravestone, Saint Boniface Cemetery, Williamsport (Lycoming), Pennsylvania, photo taken by DKE, 2009.

Copyright Tina Lyons, 2009

SNFG - Ahnentafel Roulette - Alice Susan HILLIS

This week's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun from Randy Seaver is Ahnentafel Roulette.

1) How old is your father now, or how old would he be if he had lived? Divide this number by 4 and round the number off to a whole number. This is your "roulette number."

My dad turned 60 this year. 60 divided by 4 is 15.

2) Use your pedigree charts or your family tree genealogy software program to find the person with that number in your ahnentafel. Who is that person?

Number 15 on my pedigree chart is my great grandmother Alice Susan HILLIS.

3) Tell us three facts about that person with the "roulette number."

Alice was born April Fool's Day of 1896 (1 Apr 1896) in Rabbit Hash, Kentucky (according my grandmother's birth certificate). Her parents were George E HILLIS (my brick wall) and Mary Susan WASHBURN.

She married Dewey Francis BASCOM on 10 Jan 1917 in Lawrenceburg, Dearborn county, Indiana. They had 4 children, 2 sons and 2 daughter.

She died 31 Jul 1979 in Hamilton county, Ohio and is buried at Arlington Memorial Garden in Kenwood, Hamilton county, Ohio.

Census records show her moving around the Cincinnati area and also living in Florida.
1900 - Anderson township, Hamilton county, Ohio
1910 - Rising Sun, Ohio county, Indiana
1920 - Aurora, Dearborn county, Indiana
1930 - Hamilton, Butler county, Ohio
1935 - Plant City, Hillsborough county, Florida

In the 1940s the family lived in Norwood, Hamilton county, Ohio. They eventually moved to Mount Washington and finally to Deer Park, both in Hamilton county. Dewey and Alice worked in the food transportation business and eventually owned a grocery store. Here is a photo of them at their store.

I think that was more than 3 facts about Alice, but more is better, right?

Saturday Night Fun: My 16 GG Grandparents

As part of Randy Seaver's Saturday Night Fun for this week, I am posting the list of my 16 great, great grandparents:

1. Lewis M EISWERTH: born 25 May 1848 in Bavaria, Germany; married 7 May 1871; died 28 Mar 1928 in Pennsylvania.

2. Maria DINCHER: born 24 Jun 1850 in Pennsylvania, USA; died 5 Apr 1926 in Pennsylvania.

3. Ignac KAVCIC: born 10 Aug 1856 in Austria; married 1887 in Austria; died 19 Oct 1908 in Ohio.

4. Apolonia ALBRECHT: born 9 Feb 1859 in Austria; died 4 Sep 1945 in Ohio.

5. John Jeremiah ECK: born 19 Jun 1857 in Nippenose, Lycoming, Pennsylvania, USA; married 25 May 1887 in South Williamsport, Lycoming, Pennsylvania, USA; died 8 Jul 1935 in South Williamsport, Lycoming, Pennsylvania, USA.

6. Theresa BANK: born 8 Dec 1858; died 13 Feb 1927 in South Williamsport, Lycoming, Pennsylvania, USA.

7. Frank Alselm HAEFNER: born 27 Jul 1853 in Baden-Württemberg, Germany; married 22 Jul 1879 in Pennsylvania; died 25 Nov 1933 in Williamsport, Lycoming, Pennsylvania, USA.

8. Eva Catherine BLITZ: born 27 Oct 1857 in Williamsport, Lycoming, Pennsylvania, USA; died 25 Feb 1939 in Williamsport, Lycoming, Pennsylvania, USA.

9. William Watson SUCKLING: born 28 Apr 1860 in Terrington, Norfolk, England; married 30 Dec 1890 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada; died 28 May 1929 in St Catharines, Lincoln, Ontario, Canada.

10. Lavina Victoria FARRELL: born 12 Jun 1867 in Mornington, Perth, Ontario, Canada; died 15 Feb 1904 in Merritton, Lincoln, Ontario, Canada.

11. Howard R STULL: born 25 Oct 1868 in Ontario, Canada; married 19 Apr 1893 in Lincoln, Ontario, Canada.

12. Hattie Belle ROGERS: born 9 Jul 1866 in Niagara, Niagara, Ontario, Canada.

13. Willard Theodore BASCOM: born 4 Jan 1868 in Rising Sun, Ohio, Indiana, USA; married May 1891; died 30 Mar 1934 in Hamilton, Butler, Ohio, USA.

14. Susan SANDERS: born 14 Mar 1870 in Indiana, USA; died 16 Jan 1927 in Hamilton, Butler, Ohio, USA.

15. George E HILLIS: born May 1857 in Rising Sun, Ohio, Indiana, USA; married 5 Sep 1886 in Hamilton, Ohio, USA.

16. Mary Susan WASHBURN: born 28 Sep 1866 in Vinton, Gallia, Ohio, USA; died 19 Apr 1919 in Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, USA.

50% of my great grandparents were born in the USA. 18.75% were born in Canada. 12.5% were born in Germany. 12.5% were born in Austria. 6.25 % were born in England.

I haven't traced these lines back far enough to make a good estimate of my ethnic composition. I definately have lots of German on my dad's side of the family, mixed with a little Austrian and Swiss. My mom's line has a greater mixture including English, Irish, German, Canadian and who knows what else (hopefully me someday).

I also added links to some that I have written about these ancestors on this blog. I can't believe that I haven't written anything about the HAEFNERs and BLITZs. I guess I better get on that. My brick wall with this set of ancestors (besides the crossing the pond issues) is George E HILLIS, which I have previously discussed.

Funeral Card for Edward Charles EISWERTH

My great grandfather Edward Charles EISWERTH was born 22 Jun 1885 in Limestone township, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania. He traveled west to find work and ended up in East Palestine, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania. He married Angela Catherine COUCHIE in 1919 and had their only child, my grandfather, in 1921. Then they traveled back to Limestone township and worked on the farm. Edward died on 7 Mar 1949, less than a month before my father was born.

Last week, I was contacted by another genealogist who had come across the funeral card for Edward Charles EISWERTH at an antiques shop. She was nice enough to send it to me and I was so happy to have it. My grandfather probably has a copy of it in his house, but I have never seen it.

Here is the front:

Here is the center:

What a great find. I'm glad that I had my tree available online and that someone else took the time to find the descendants who would want the funeral cards.