Notes from
Monument Square

Newsletter of the
Mifflin County
Historical Society

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Volume XXVII Number 1 JANUARY 2001
(Text version of Society News & Notes)
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Office & Research Library,
1 W. Market St., Suite 1
Lewistown, PA 17044-2128
Phone (717) 242-1022
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McCoy House Museum
17 N. Main St., Lewistown
Sunday afternoon
1:30 - 4:00 p.m.
(May thru December)
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Newsletter Editor : Forest K. Fisher
MCHS e-mail: mchistory@acsworld.net
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Society
News & Notes

MEMBERSHIP

New Individual Life Members
John C. Laughlin, Lewistown

New Individual Life Members
Rhonda K. Warner, Lewistown
Mark & Margie Givler, Lewistown
Mr. & Mrs. John S. Elder, Jr., Bainbridge, Pa.
William J. Bridge, Dallas, Texas
Leon & Emily Crossgrove, Lewistown
Phyllis M. Barber, Lewistown
Cynthia Rosenberry, Ashland, Va.
Janet Eldred, Hollidaysburg, Pa. Robert A. Weyant, Lancing, Mich.
Kathy S. Glace, Lewistown
David R. Aurand, Lewistown

Edward & Lois Wyatt Barry, Danville
Cindy Hassinger, Lewistown
Mr. & Mrs. Richard Hess, Jr, Berwyn, Pa.
Richard & Barbara Lane, Camp Hill
Clayton L. Shirk, Havertown, Pa.
Earl, Billi & Will Weaver, Lewistown
Bob & Carol Zorn, Milroy
Patty Trgovac, Yeagertown

NEW COMPUTER PROGRAM
HANDLES SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS

With the coming of the new millennium, which the experts tell us actually begins THIS year, our record keeping moves into the 21st Century. The historical society’s extensive membership records are now transferred to a new computerized data program titled Past Perfect. The new technology will enable the society to better serve our members with an accessible repository of membership information. No more quill pens, ink wells and ledger books for us! Actually, our ancient Apple IIGS computer we used for memberships has been eclipsed ten-fold in recent years. Preserving the past has its limits.
Members should take this opportunity to review the label on this newsletter for accuracy. In the upper right corner is a date, with all memberships running on the calendar year. If your label reads 01/01/2001, your dues are due and requested at this time.
If your label reads 01/01/2002, your dues are good for the remainder of 2001 and your renewal is requested after the January mailing of 2002.
Now here’s where we ask our members to bear with us. If your label reads 01/01/2020, it doesn’t mean your membership runs for twenty years! This indicates you are a LIFE MEMBER and no further payment of dues is needed. The new program has its strong points, but won’t allow the word “Life” to appear in place of the year on the address label. (This would never have happened with ink and a quill pen!) If NO DATE appears, this indicates you are on our exchange list and no payment is needed.
We appreciate your patience as the office staff works the bugs out of the new program. Please call 242-1022 or write us with any corrections or questions.

SUCCESSFUL CALENDAR PROJECT

The response by our members and friends to the Picture the Past 2001 calendar has been gratifying With the help of our business advertisers and individual sponsors, plus calendar sales through the fall and holiday season, our costs were covered, making this a modest fund raiser for the benefit of the historical society.
We received numerous positive comments and many society members would like to see the calendar as an annual publication. So to still those beating hearts, we announce that the 2002 calendar is now being planned.
A calendar of local interest, designed and printed within Mifflin County’s borders, is our goal. The 2002 edition will follow a similar format and style, especially since the vast majority of our archived photos are black and white. The finished product is again anticipated to be $5, tax included made possible for 2001 by having Kish Printing on Wind Mill Hill, Burnham do the printing. Working with Kay Semler, owner of Kish Printing and associate Suzann Brown, contributed in making this a successful project, too.
The March newsletter will contain a complete sponsor form, with individual sponsors at $10 and $40 for business sponsors, same as 2001.

THANKS TO THOSE WHO HELPED

Producing the calendars and printing was just our first step. Our society secretary, Karen Aurand, was kept busy selling calendars from the office and answering mail requests.
During the holiday season, volunteers manned a booth in the old First National Bank building, with thanks to Don Chapman for the use of the building, where we had calendars and society publications on sale. Members took a stack of calendars to their places of work and helped sell them there.
Several local businesses allowed us to place calendars in their establishments. We realize this created extra work in dealing with our calendar sales in addition to their daily business routine. Special thanks goes out to: Lewistown Pharmacy, Honey Creek Inn, Heilig Meyers and the Point Store.
You can thank these local businesses yourself by patronizing them whenever you can.

VIDEO OF HISTORIC LEWISTOWN SOLD OUT

The historical society’s venture into video production was one of its most successful fund raisers, but alas, if you haven’t purchased your copy of A Walk Through Lewistown’s History it’s too late. The popular video is now sold out. There are no plans for a reissue at this time.

Newsletter Publishing Dates Explained

From time to time we receive inquiries asking in what months the society’s newsletter is published.
First a little history: The newsletter has appeared regularly since 1975, initiated by the late Donald Kauffman, active board member, corresponding secretary, membership chairman, organizer of society bus trip, director emeritus in 1982, eulogized in the newsletter in 1987 and author of Cemetery Records of Mifflin County. He established the precedent, which has continued for over twenty-five years, of five issues per annum, which subsequent editors have maintained. These volumes and dates include:
Vol. 1 - January and February
Vol. 2 - March, April, May
Vol. 3 - June and July
Vol. 4 - August, September and October
Vol. 5 - November and December
Two important considerations influence the timing of the newsletter issues. First, is the date of the annual spring dinner meeting, which falls around the third Thursday of April, according to the date established in the society’s by-laws. The second date revolves around the fall banquet, held as close to the founding date of Mifflin County, September 19, as possible.
The March, Volume 2 issue always includes information and reservation forms for the spring banquet. Likewise, Volume 4 includes similar forms for the fall gathering. Timing of both allows our office staff to handle the various dinner reservations.
Additionally, Volumes 2 and 4 carry time-sensitive information for the very popular society bus tours generally held in June and October.
There’s been some discussion about making the newsletter bimonthly, but the editor awaits retirement from his regular job before that is given any real consideration!

SOCIETY BOOK PURCHASES
Occasionally, the Mifflin County Historical Society purchases publications to augment the collection of genealogical research materials in the society’s library. Three new additions are listed below.

Centre County Death Records 1852 - 1854, 1893 - 1905 published by the Centre County Genealogical Society c.1997
The Hertzler - Hartzler Family History by Silas Hertzler. (1989 reprint of the 1952 edition)
Mast Family History by C. Z. Mast (1989 reprint of the 1911 edition)

MCCOY HOUSE NEWS

EXTERIOR REPAIR
PROJECT COMPLETE

Could be the repair list for any home its age: The shutters were in need of repair and painting; deteriorating facing boards along the roof line needed work; rainwater was finding its way inside and rodents were planning an extended visit in the basement. Oh, yes, the back porch needed fixing and painted, too.
Last year saw the continuation of a project to rehabilitate these aging elements of the McCoy House.
Work is done in accordance with guidelines established by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, photos by the editor show some of the work in progress on the porch and shutters last summer.
The squirrels and mice are now held at bay, a new back porch is in place and the rear portion of the building boasts fresh paint. Other repairs and additional work at the McCoy House are set for completion during 2001.

VOLUNTEERS
APPRECIATED

The Museum Committee would like to again express its thanks to the 2000 McCoy House volunteers. Their efforts every Sunday and for special events keep the society’s museum open to the public.
An example of a special event was Home Town Christmas, held in conjunction with the Ice Festival. With live entertainment, McCoy House was resplendent in holiday decorations courtesy of the Mifflin County Garden Club, which outdid itself this year. During special hours, scores of visitors toured the museum at the December event.

Useful Internet Sites

Graveyards Online at findagrave.com

This is a site that sounds ghoulish, but claims to cater to both celebrity fans and genealogy aficionados , according to a recent Parade Magazine article on Find - A - Grave.com. The site is divided into two sides. One with dearly departed notables from a wide range of diverse categories including Hollywood, history, politics, the military and science as well as the infamous. According the site’s authors, the resting places of thousands of stars are listed. Filling out a short search form starts the process.
The other side includes burial records of 2.5 million ordinary folks and data on 100,000 U.S. cemeteries. One can search this side by completing a slightly larger search form and browse through the data base of cemeteries and individuals.
The celebrity data isn’t vast, but allows for the input of information through online data forms for notables and ordinary individuals. Registered users can post photos of their ancestors at no charge along with detailed family data and brief biographical sketches.
However, the site lacks the meaty and massive data bases which other genealogical sites often boast. Find - A - Grave has growth potential with the information added by its dedicated users.
The site’s front page contains a directory, pointing the user to a simple form for searching the celebrity or non-celeb data base. Just type in a name and an automatic search begins.
Find -A - Grave’s famous person search has some entertainment value - from A to Z. You can check out the final resting place of the likes of Cleveland Abbe (1838 - 1916) America’s first weather forecaster or that of Abner "Longie" Zwillman (1904 - 1959), a major bootlegging kingpin and gangster during the era of Prohibition.
This appealed to my trivia-seeking mentality, so I attempted the famous side first. I selected an historic figure I knew something about, Simon Kenton. I typed in the frontiersman’s name and there he was. This is the basic information Find - A - Grave provided: Kenton, Simon b. 1755. d. 1836. US Frontiersman. Scout for George Rogers Clark. He served as a Brigadier General of Militia in 1805. Oakdale Cemetery, Urbana, Ohio, USA. Oakdale Cemetery, State Route 54, Urbana, Ohio, USA 43078. Beside the cemetery location, several photos of the tombstone, including the one shown here, were available for viewing with the Kenton entry. Other famous individuals got similar treatment.
Next I went to the non-famous relative search, but was less hopeful. Other sites I’ve mentions in this newsletter have massive data bases with tens of millions of individual listings, but nothing ventured.
I tried finding info on my grandfather, Luther F. Kepler, Sr. (1902-1969) who’s buried in Woodland Cemetery, Milroy, PA. I wasn’t expecting results and the site didn’t let me down. He wasn’t listed. Woodland Cemetery, Milroy, PA WAS shown, but not a complete roster of those interred. However, by filling out an online form after a free registration I could add Grandpa to the cemetery data, his plot location and his birth and death data.
Find - A - Grave covers most questions about the site and its offerings in their FAQs or Frequently Asked Questions, but here’s a feature that’s sort of...well you decide. You can leave “virtual flowers” or a note at the online “grave” of a loved one or famous person. That’s a feature too maudlin or is it too 21st Century for me, something akin to a drive-thru funeral parlor.
Bottom Line: If you want a little Internet diversion, like info on the Rich and Famous, this site’s for you. If you want to add facts and photos about an ancestor to a growing data base, you’ll love it. If you’re a serious genealogist searching out the roots of the family tree, better seek elsewhere.

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 to wish acknowledge and thank the following donors for their generosity:

Alfaratta Kauffman, Lewisburg, Pa. - Banner: Commemorating 175th Anniversary of Lewistown, 1795 - 1970.

Max A. Royer, McVeytown, Pa. - Victorian Basket made of fine wire and sea shells ca. 1860s, family history relates that the basket was brought back to the area by Thomas F. McCoy after the Civil War. Basket is under a large glass dome on a wooden base.

QUERIES
The newsletter occasionally receives queries from our members searching for those family roots. We endeavor to publish requests at our earliest opportunity.
In December, a letter arrived from Eleanore T. Wall, Dover, DE, which reads in part:
Thank you for publishing the query that I sent earlier this year. K. Gail Rudy of Altoona responded and has shared her research of the Shade and Shoemaker families which added a number of generations to my family history of these families that we both claim as ancestors. The following is a query I would like to have published...

THOMPSON - SHADE - KYPER - RYKERD - MILLER

Seeking parents and descendants of Ephraim C. THOMPSON b. 30 Jan. 1812 PA, d. 5 Nov. 1886 in DE. In the 1850 census Amelia THOMPSON b. ca. 1787 lived with Ephraim and on the adjoining farm lived his brother William b. ca. 1817 and wife Jane b. ca. 1825 & children: Allen age 5, Mary M. 4, Amelia I. 2, & Martha A. 2. Ephraim & wife Mary ENYEART THOMPSON were the parents of David b. ca. 1837 married Maria, their children Mary, Alice, Grant, Flora, Ephraim, William & Harry; Anna Amelia b. 1840 married Jacob RYKERD, Mary Elizabeth b. 1842 married Henry KYPER; Margaret b. 1844, d. before 1886, married William H. Miller, parents of Frank, Welmington, and Cora Grace; Daniel b. 24 July 1852 married Mary M. SHADE; and Prudence b. 24 July 1852.
Direct replies to: Eleanore T. Wall, 1242 S. Governors Ave., Dover, DE 19904-4802 phone: (302 - 674 - 2898 or e-mail: rbwallet@dellnet.com

Editor's Desk

My wife received a reprinted first edition of Betty Crocker’s 1950 cookbook this Christmas. That sent me to the attic to see if there was an original one up there in several boxes of old family cookbooks and vintage recipes. Eureka...almost. I found Betty’s 1960 sixth edition.
Memories of special family foods, now there’s a nostalgic topic, if there ever was one. Food and recipes are certainly part of any family’s oral and written history, often joyously recreated during the holiday season.
Favorite and not-so-favorite foods, and meals around the dinner table, were topics this December at our various family gatherings, too. In the not-so-favorite foods category, I recalled as a five-year old, a certain yellow wax bean dish I despised. I’d transfer the inedible legume to my napkin, to my lap and then to my secret depository, the little ledge beneath our dining room table top ...secret to me, but not my mother I eventually found out. She knew it all.
Then there was a special gingerbread recipe Gram Kepler would often bake in the wintertime, three or four inches thick, as I recall, moist, dark brown. But it wasn’t the cake as much as a particular sweet, warmed sauce spooned over the top I fondly remember. It’s been over forty-five years now, that I’d sit there, cake at eye-level, watching that sauce flow down the side, hypnotized by its slow, steady decent to the Blue Willow plate. The anticipation was almost too much to bear and the taste, what a memory. I’d like to know that recipe today, it’s probably in Betty Crocker’s 1950 edition, a recipe with a history.