DIVORCE PAPERS OF JACOB & IDA (WOLF) HAHN 1888-89

The papers discussing the divorce of Jacob C. and Mary Ida (Wolf) HAHN are located in the Lancaster County Archives.  Many thanks to the staff there for locating and copying these for me.

Ida HAHN v. Jacob C. HAHN, case term December 1888-9, and the decree date is August 17, 1889

The papers do mention a child (Irvin) and do state that Jacob left Lancaster County due to his inability to pay debts.  According to the written statements, he did not pay support to either Ida or Irvin, and Ida requested a divorce on grounds of dissertation.

Notice that Ida's uncle - A. O. NEWPHER - is her lawyer

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

JOHN GROFF

I found this article in a DAR magazine while at the local genealogy library.

I am descended through "Swamp" John GROFF.

GROFF REUNION FLIERS

In among all the papers and documents that I got from Grandma, there are not any fliers for this event and I have no doubt that unless there was some emergency, Grandma and Pappy would have been there.  They both loved family reunions. 

 As the years went on, they took kids and grand kids along to RESSLER and GARNER reunions.  I personally don't remember any GROFF reunions, but who knows.....we went to so many over the years.

Source for fliers: The GROFF Book Vol. I by Clyde L. GROFF, Walter B. GROFF, and Jane Evans BEST - published in 1985.

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

BEN MUSSELMAN IN THE CIVIL WAR

Last night I thought it would be interesting to find out a little about the 135th Penn Volunteer Infantry that Ben MUSSELMAN was in during 1862-63.

I already had this picture of him and this roster sheet from a special census in 1890:

Source: AG McMillin, Reba Garner, Ron Schneider

Personal Collection

According to the website Pennsylvania Volunteers of the Civil War (http://www.pacivilwar.com/regiment/135th.html )  the 135th Regiment enlisted for 9 months and were recruited from Lancaster, Indiana, Westmoreland, and Jefferson counties in PA. I know from both the roster cited below and the 1890 special census that Ben Musselman served 9 months and did not re-enlist.

135th PA Regiment Organization, Service & Battles ( http://www.pacivilwar.com/regiment/135th.html )

Organization

• Organized at Harrisburg August, 1862.
• Moved to Washington, D.C., August 19.
• Attached to Military District of Washington, D.C., till February, 1863.
• 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 1st Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, to May, 1863.

  Service & Battles - 1863

• Provost duty at Washington and Georgetown till February, 1863.
• Joined the Army of the Potomac and duty at Falmouth and Belle Plains, Va., till April 27.
• Chancellorsville Campaign April 27-May 6.
• Operations at Pollock's Mill Creek April 29-May 2.
• Fitzhugh's Crossing April 29-30.
• Battle of Chancellorsville May 2-5.
• Mustered out May 24, 1863. 

History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5 by Samuel Bates on pg. 310, Ben is listed in Company E. 

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

 

IN HONOR OF MY PARENTS (NEVER HAPPENED) 60TH ANNIVERSARY

Sixty years ago today, my parents, James S. and Pauline R. (GARNER) APPLEBACH were married at  Covenant Evangelical  United Brethren Church (in my life-time known as Covenant United Methodist) in Lancaster, PA. 

My mother always said her wedding gown made her feel like a princess.  From the photos, I would say that on that day, they were happy.

It was a fairy tale beginning to what became a very unhappy and abusive situation, that ultimately ended in divorce in June of 1983.

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

PLEASE......MY THOUGHTS

I certainly do not mind sharing any of this information with others, or I would never have posted this blog publicly.  Maybe it will save someone a few steps and frustration.  

However, after spending the afternoon looking at several trees on Ancestry, I again (as in my Welcome post) ask that people state that they got the information or photos or documents from me.  Here are my reasons:

1. If there is a mistake on the labeling or I am incorrect on my "facts", I want someone to contact me and let me know there is a mistake.  I am not interested in passing along incorrect information. 

I saw a couple pictures that were labeled incorrectly that I have since updated on this blog - but the old incorrect photos were still posted as facts.

2. I want to trade information if at all possible.  I have a lot of gaps in my documents and I would love to get in touch with other people and family members who may be able to help. 

I have a list of family mysteries I am trying to solve and any thoughts or actual documentation might help solve those.

3. It is polite to say where the information came from and not pretend you were the one who paid for copies of the information or actually did the research in the first place.

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I have boxes and boxes of information that I have collected or was given by others.  If I don't source the information or photos, I've probably inherited the photos or was given them long ago and have no idea where they came from at this point - otherwise, I do try to say were the info came from. 

However, I also pay money for documents and spend hours on a weekly basis researching photos, documents and family connections - much of that by contacting obscure relatives or actually going to courthouses, newspaper offices, or libraries.

I cannot say that I am angry, however, I can say I am disappointed.  I post this blog publicly to help others by sharing my research.  

Yes, I do run the risk of it being "stolen" by folks who for whatever reason are simply lifting it from here and claiming it - however, I am still a believer in the honor system.  If I have mixed up facts, or mislabeled  photos, I need to know so it can be corrected.  

Please feel free to use anything on this blog, but please tell where you got it. 

Thank you. 

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.