A MEMORY OF JAMES APPLEBACH

My sister and I were at a small family gathering last week in Lancaster, PA.  

Two of my father's sisters are still alive and were there, and they were talking about how the boys (brothers?) would put nails in their pockets so it sounded like they had change in their pockets (hence, they were not poor). My sister commented later that maybe that was why our father would stand and rattle the change in his pockets as an adult.

My cousin Keith as a child spent a lot of time with Grandma Jennie APPLEBACH because his mom (Aunt Romaine) was working.  He remembered my father and Uncle Paul going out one night after dark.  The next morning, a local man showed up at the door and told my grandmother that she owed him 50 cents for the watermelons that Paul and James stole from him during the night.

I only remember James as my father, but I know his own family remembers him as a child and young person.  It was good to listen to the stories and see him from a different perspective.

After walking around the area on E. Chestnut where he lived as a child, I now understand why he always insisted that there was a yard for us to play in as children, something that I really never understood until last week. 

BIRTH CERTIFICATE OF RALPH GARNER

I found this on Ancestry over the weekend:

Pappy was born during the transition in Pennsylvania between births being registered in a large log book and actual birth certificate. 

Honestly, considering he was born in a rural area of Lancaster County, I never dreamed he had a actual birth certificate. What a wonderful find!

PLEASE NOTE: 
ALL PHOTOS AND WRITTEN CONTENT ARE MY OWN UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

MUSSELMAN PHOTOS - We could use some help identifying these folks......

Here are 3 photos that were supplied by R. SCHNEIDER. 

 All have to do with Ben F. and Anna (MOSSER/MUSSER) MUSSELMAN, however, they are barely labeled and we would like to share in hopes that someone out there has more information. I have labeled what is known.

If you look close at the two photos above, there are some repeat faces.  Any help identifying people would be wonderful.

According to the marriage license of Ben and Anna on Jan. 25, 1853, Ben MUSSELMAN's parents were David and Elizabeth (BRESTLY) MUSSELMAN. Can anyone confirm exactly who these people and where this photo is of????

June 29, 2018: The above photo that is thought to be Ben MUSSELMAN's parents is probably actually a brother and his wife.  I have done a little poking around in records looking for Ben's parents and it is starting to look like they both died in the 1840's, which would mean the above type of photo would not have been available at that time - however, it could easily be available in the 1880 - 1900 era. Plus the clothing style is more 1880-1900.

PLEASE NOTE: 
ALL PHOTOS AND WRITTEN CONTENT ARE MY OWN UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

JUNE 1923 GARNER REUNION

Location: Mechanic's Grove, Lancaster County, PA in June 1923

(Thanks to Ron SCHNEIDER for sharing his memories and photos)

Ron has a large panoramic photo taken at this GARNER reunion.  He has labeled everyone he is sure of, and the rest are "unknown".  In order to fit the pic here, I had to break it into 3 parts. The photo starts with the top photo, then the center, then the last section.

Charles and Elizabeth (MUSSELMAN) GARNER in the top section had 9 (known) children who survived to adulthood - they are all accounted for in the photo. 

According to the death certificate for Charles' brother Albert, he also lived in Lancaster County so I have to think some of the unknown in this photo are his family.  Charles and Albert's parents and most of the family were in York County, where they moved from as young men.

I have to admit curiosity about the very young unnamed girl in the center section who is obviously pregnant. Does anybody out there have any ideas about the unnamed people in this photo??

In 1923 my grandfather, Ralph GARNER, would have been 16 or 17 so maybe one of the teenage boys in this photo is him, but he isn't labeled. 

JOHN & MARY GARNER

The parents of Charles Jacob GARNER (1863 - 1943) have been a really tough case to work on.  

There are so many John and Mary GARNERS in and around York and Lancaster Counties in Pennsylvania that I really needed a large block of time to look for them.  There were tons of documents to go through and a lot of conflicting information.

So after several days of concentrating only on John and Mary, I think I have at least the basic information that I am comfortable sharing and feel that I am working on the right couple. 

For many years, the only "for sure" document I had was the 1880 census in York Co., PA. Charles GARNER was on it, and all his info was close enough to consider a match.  

I grew up being told that he was the only one of his family that settled in Lancaster County, but after considerable searching have found at least one other sibling that lived, died and is buried in Lancaster County.

Let's start with Charles as we are on firm ground here:

Charles Jacob GARNER was born in York County, PA in 1863 to John and Mary (GREENAWALT) GARNER.  There is no clear evidence as to how or exactly when he moved to the neighboring county of Lancaster.  

I have seen lists and "family trees" saying that he was the oldest with anywhere from 9 - 16 siblings.  Based on his parents marriage date of July 1862 (a suggested date on one of the trees, I found no proof so far), Charles being born in March of 1863 would make him the oldest.

Charles married Elizabeth MUSSELMAN and they had 9 (known) children who lived to adulthood - this photo was taken in 1923 at a family reunion.  

The reunion was held in Mechanic Grove (which is in Lancaster Co) which made no sense to me unless either his family traveled a long way for the reunion from York County, or as I now know, he actually had at least one other sibling in Lancaster County. 

The below photo is of Charles, Elizabeth, and their 9 adult children:

This photo below hung in my grandparents bedroom for the many years I was growing up - it was said to be the only photo of Charles as a young man. It currently hangs proudly in my cousin Lori's home. Besides his parents, I have no idea who is who in the photo.  I hope someone out there can help with this:

Here is Charles Jacob GARNER's death certificate:

Here is John GARNER's (Charles father) death certificate:

His death certificate confirms a family story that John's father was Jacob GARNER and that he was born in Germany. There is a Mary GARNER in the same cemetery as John & Mary GARNER whose dates could be reasonable to be the mother of John, but I have nothing yet to back up this thought, other than another family story was that John's mom was a Mary or Maria.  Right now, I do not know Jacob's birth or death date, and do not have a burial place for him.

Here are the gravestones of John and Mary GARNER (source: Find A Grave).  I still have not found her death certificate or a marriage license.

Here John and Mary are in the 1910 census.  They are lines 62 and 63.

8/14/2017: My aunt Gloria gave me the below photo when I was in Lancaster last week. It is, I am guessing, circa 1910. I labeled the 3 people I was sure of in the photo, but the photo caption is my aunt's.

PLEASE NOTE: 
ALL PHOTOS AND WRITTEN CONTENT ARE MY OWN UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

SO MUCH FOR JIM APPLEBACH'S CAR 1962

James APPLEBACH talked about this particular car many years later.  

I think it must have been his favorite.  Unfortunately, the car was in an accident in 1962 and so much for that car. Apparently there were no serious injuries to the folks involved. It was a red Studebaker.

1/12/2019:

I am still going thru the piles of letters I inherited and I found this letter from mom to Uncle Jerry describing the accident. So in mom's own words:

The letter goes on with getting a new car because the frame was bent on the Studebaker and ordering seat belts to be put into the new car.  Then onto other news and questions...

PLEASE NOTE: 
ALL PHOTOS AND WRITTEN CONTENT ARE MY OWN UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

PAUL APPLEBACH 1931-2004

Paul APPLEBACH was the son of Taylor Z. and Jennie (STOVER) APPLEBACH.

These are just some items I have on him.

Source: Ancestry

1953 - US Navy Cruise Book for USS Minotaur - Paul is in top row (see list of names at left). Source: personal collection

Source: Find A Grave

Source: Personal Collection

PLEASE NOTE: 
ALL PHOTOS AND WRITTEN CONTENT ARE MY OWN UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.