Notes from
Monument Square
Newsletter of the
Mifflin County
Historical Society
************
Volume XXVI Number 1 JANUARY 2000
(Text version of Society News & Notes)
************
Office & Research Library,
1 W. Market St., Suite 1
Lewistown, PA 17044-2128
Phone (717) 242-1022
************
McCoy House Museum
17 N. Main St., Lewistown
Sunday afternoon
1:30 - 4:00 p.m.
(May thru December)
************
Newsletter Editor : Forest K. Fisher
MCHS e-mail: mchistory@acsworld.net
************
Society
News & Notes
MEMBERSHIP
We wish to acknowledge and welcome new annual and individual life members of the Mifflin County Historical Society. Memberships are a vital source of income, allowing the historical society to operate the office, research library and museum as well as other special programs.
New Annual Members
D. W. Miller, Lewistown
Sally Matthews, Lewistown
Richard & Louise Smithers, Lewistown
Viola Danko, McKean, Pa.
Douglas Armstrong, Herndon, Va.
William L. Smith, Lewistown
David A. Grassmyer, Milroy
George M. Cunningham, Lewistown
Mr. & Mrs. James L. Henry, Sr., Churchville, Pa.
New Individual Life Member
Carol Ann Brower, McClure, Pa.
As reported in the November newsletter, the society received a monetary gift in memory of Phyllis Seiber Kepler, who passed away last July. Mrs. Kepler was a long-time Mifflin County School District employee and worked for many years at Buchanan Elementary in Lewistown.
This contribution paid for one year individual memberships for all fourth grade teachers in the Mifflin County School District. Each full individual membership begins with the 2000 calendar year.
We wish to acknowledge these new members of the society. Some individuals already belonged, and the gift will extend their memberships for an additional year.
G. Michael Bailor, Lewistown
Linda D. Dalby, Reedsville, Pa.
Jennifer Esh, Milroy, Pa.
Clare Flynn, McClure, Pa.
Deborah Carodiskey, McVeytown, Pa.
Rhonda Carolus, Lewistown
Lauri Dulis, Lewistown
Suzanne L. LaMarca, Lewistown
Marilee R. McNitt, Reedsville, Pa.
William S. Peightel, Reedsville, Pa.
Dora Pyle, Thompsontown, Pa.
D. Robert Reeder, Lewistown
Nancy M. Ressler, Reedsville, Pa.
Tim Ritter, Lewistown
Stephen J. Rynkewitz, Jr, Lewistown
Elizabeth Tressler, Reedsville, Pa.
Larry Weston, Lewistown
Seth P. Yearick, Burnham, Pa.
Holiday exhibit a resounding success
McCoy House Museum was decorated for Home Town Christmas again this year and the members of the Mifflin County Garden Club outdid themselves! The local organization decked the rooms for Holiday Harmonies.
Hundreds visited during the waning days of the 1999 season, Museum committee chair, Fran Mackneer, reported. “Well over 1000 people toured our museum December 2nd through 5th and December 12th,” Fran noted.
Visitors were further entertained on Thursday, December 2nd with instrumental music by Rachel and Heidi Long, Alicia McCalister and Allison Solt. Gale Baker played his antique auto harp on holiday Sundays.
Of course, all of this would not be possible without the help of our dedicated volunteers.
Volunteers manned the museum on Sundays from 1:30 to 4 and for special events. We sincerely thank each and every one.
County sports theme to open 2000 season
McCoy House Museum opens for the 2000 season during Kid Connection in April. We are hoping to use a “Sports in Mifflin County” theme for this initial exhibit.
If you have any sports related items, be it old uniforms, equipment, programs, clippings, photos, etc., that you would be willing to lend for the exhibit, please call Karen Aurand at the society office, 242 - 1022.
Volunteers are the sustaining force behind our successful program at McCoy House Museum. Much has been done behind the scenes to keep our exhibits up to date. As the 2000 season approaches, we need volunteers to help plan and set up new exhibits and to help properly store materials removed from display. Please call the office at 242 - 1022 or Fran Mackneer at 248 - 7464 to volunteer your time. Your help would be greatly appreciated!
Useful Internet Sites
Prior to the death of movie critic Gene Siskel, he and partner Roger Ebert reviewed films on their television program. Thumbs up, they liked it, thumbs down, well, too bad for that movie. Viewers could decide for themselves.
Each month, many sites on the World Wide Web come to our attention. Some are excellent, some are good and some are just so-so. We’re not, however, playing the Siskel and Ebert role of casting a thumb up or down, we’ll just pass along information on internet sites we feel could help our members and friends search for those elusive ancestors.
Here are two sites we feel are worth checking out. They are expanding sites for those searching for that ancestor from the era encompassing 1760 to 1850.
http://www.pa1776.com
www.pa1776.com is arranged by county, with volunteers listed for many Pennsylvania counties, with some counties still seeking volunteers. Fees and the extent of available resources are clearly stated. If you need a document, a researcher, genealogist, or page photocopied, this site may help.
Researchers utilize a variety of public resources (Which are listed.) from official records to newspaper files. There are also research helper lists for New Jersey, New York, Michigan and Ohio. Other links here include one with the Bellefonte Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/6468/
The second site contains an extensive number of resources which include:
PENNSYLVANIA PENSIONERS FROM 1789, PA PERSONS NATURALIZED IN 1760, PA PERSONS NATURALIZED IN 1761, PA QUAKERS NATURALIZED IN 1760 AND 1761, WAR of 1812--COMPANY OFFICERS OF PENNSYLVANIA, and PENNSYLVANIANS AT THE ALAMO.
ACQUISITIONS
The Mifflin County Historical Society always welcomes artifacts that have a direct relationship to our county’s heritage or local genealogy. Each year we receive a variety of county-related materials, such as books, clothing, paper items, and artwork.
We wish to acknowledge and thank the following donors for their generosity:
Robert G. Shuey, Middletown, Del. - Wooden train model K.V.R.R. engine, tender & caboose with track.
Eleanor M. Aurand, M.D. and descendants of the Moore family, Lewistown - Book: “Our Moore Family: The Ancestry of Sara Grace Moore Aurand”, comp. and written by the donor, 1994; Three early Dipple Crocks given in memory of John R. & Ada J. Moore.
(Editor’s note: The first two donor entries appeared in the November newsletter with incorrect information. We regret the error.)
Henry Davis, Brooklin, Me. - Old Lewistown canal bell once owned and used by the Woods family.
Willard Shank, Milroy - Books: St. John’s Lutheran Church Records - Salem Church (1833 - 1878); St. John’s Church (1878 - 1887) and (1887 - 1966); Ancestors of John Wilson Goss & Catherine Elizabeth (Spigelmyer) Goss & the Descendants.
Kathleen C. Waters, Juliustown, N.J. - Book: Descendent of Jacob and Barbara Weidman compiled and written by the donor.
Sherwood R. Hassenplug, Yeagertown - Black fur coat worn by Mrs. Kate Flynn, 1896 - 1944 of Ireland, handed down to Mrs. Stella R. Hassenplug.
Dale E. Vogt, Lewistown - Numerous photos recovered from the local TWUA Hall.
Virginia Narehood, Reedsville - W.W. II Purple Heart & tie clasp in box, which was awarded to Charles R. Narehood, husband of the donor.
Mrs. Myron Cowan, Lewistown - PRR time tables, ticket stubs and menu dated Oct. 10, 1893.
Joseph E. Smith, Lewistown - Numerous snapshot-sized photos of the Lewistown area, including: construction of the Post Office, Grace United Methodist Church, The First National Bank, Juniata Terrace, also photo of Newton C. Harmon.
A. Walter Gill, Lewistown - Five nails used on the railroad with the number on the head of the nail indicates the year the track was laid - nails donated from 26, 28, 29, 32 And 34.
James Corbin, Milroy - Framed KVRR time schedule dated April 24, 1938.
BOOK NOTES
Notice of these recent publications was received by the society. Our members and friends may find them of interest.
COLONIAL PENNSYLVANIANS
by Hannah Benner Roach
This is a compilation of articles written through the years by Mrs. Roach, a Vice President of GSP and for fifteen years Editor of the Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine. She was a preeminent historical and genealogical scholar of early Philadelphia.
Information dating from 1689 to 1782 and appearing in the six chapters of this fully-indexed, 216-page publication was compiled from rent and tax rolls, property assessment lists, deed records, etc. The book represents a virtual census of Philadelphia residents in the hundred years preceding the first “official” census of 1790.
ONLY $29.95 (Plus $4.00 s&h)
GSP Members: $26.95
Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine
Vol. 1 – 39 - NOW on CD-ROM!
Broderbund Software has issued a set of two CDs containing volumes 1 through 39 (All issues of PGM published between 1895 and 1995, plus four supplements).
PRICE: $39.99 for non-members – ONLY $35.99 for GSP members–plus $3.00 postage and handling.
NOTE: “Family Tree Maker” or “The Family Tree Viewer” program is needed to run these CDs. If you do not own either program, please request “The Family Tree Viewer,” available at no charge when you order the CD. For MAC users, the CD will run with the MAC version of “The Family Tree Maker” program.
To purchase these items, mail check payable to:
The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania
1305 Locust Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Editor's Desk
So much for the foreboding Y2K Bug. Must have been a big bust for the media doomsayers who foretold our demise through food shortages, civil unrest and generalized world havoc due to our aged computers.
Y2K Bug? Ha! Television went on unaffected by it. We watched the glittering Waterford ball decend in New York’s Time Square. No computer glitch prevented that thrill. In fact, one of the joys of living in Pennsylvania is watching all those other things fall down at midnight on New Year's Eve.
Real millennium moments, like Dauphin County’s huge strawberry dropped by Harrisburg’s Mayor Reed and the massive Seltzer’s bologna that fell in Lebanon. How about the red and white roses that plunged in Lancaster and York Cities respectively? New Bloomfield in Perry County had a huckleberry descend and who could forget the pickle that plummeted in Dillsburg! No computer malfunctions ceased those merry millennium events.
The worst thing that happened at our house on the stroke of midnight New Year’s Eve involved the red squirrel in our attic. He decided it was a good night to roll walnuts and did his best to make noise, dribbling shells over the floorboards. Through it all, our phone worked, my computer accessed Time Square live on the Internet and the TV brought us those cherished “Millennium Moments” from around the Commonwealth.
As we start the next century, I hope you enjoy this issue on Thomas Mifflin. It is a departure from our usual local content, but it tells us a bit about our namesake. When we search for our own ancestors, it often is an attempt to know where we came from and find out about names. This issue is about our county’s namesake and a time far removed from Y2K or millennium bugs.
Reader's Response
Comments from our readers are
certainly welcome and will be shared as space allows. We received this letter in the late Fall. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Dear Sir:
I would like to tell you that I enjoy your paper very much. Some of the articles I can relate to because I spent some of my life in Lewistown and the area. It brings back many memories.
I wish I could go on some of your trips. I traveled to Alexandra, Va. via computer, as I gave a talk on the Old Town for the DAR. It must have been a wonderful trip.
Thanks for all your news.
Sincerely,
L. Isabelle Fultz Crotcher
Bradford, Ohio
Thanks, Isabelle, for your letter. We do, indeed, try to bring back memories of the area through the articles and trivia questions in each issue. It’s certainly a way to keep those memories of our past alive.
We’re glad you enjoy the newsletter. - Editor