Dear List, In looking at the Civil War Pension papers of Lorin MATSON and his wife Caroline TITUS I noticed that one of the witnesses was Hannah WHITE. Does any one have information on Hannah? Was she a relative of Caroline, or perhaps Lorin? Thank you, Alice

Sorry everyone. I forgot to mention in my previous e-mail that this is Maple Grove Cemetery in Horseheads, Chemung Co., NY Sorry for the confusion. Sherry

Remember to check when a county came into existence so you will know where to look for documents pertaining to that county. Bradford became a county in 1812. (Actually 1810 but did not become official until 1812.) Before that it was part of Luzerne County. And before that in 1804 part was detached and became part of Lycoming County until after 1810. The townships included Athens, Burlington, Smithfield, and Ulster. I don't know if records were kept in Lycoming Co pertaining to these townships at that time. Does anyone know for sure? Sandra Johnson

Hello lists, I am looking for early deeds for bradford and Wyoming counties. If a person died in Athens in Bradford county in 1803 where could the will or probate be located? I have already checked in Towanda in Bradord County, but there are none. Thanks Marilyn Bess

Hi All, Summer is almost over and I realized I haven't got as much done at Maple Grove Cemetery as I had hope. SO, I'm looking for volunteers that would like to help me record stone readings there on Sept. 14. The sections that need done are from the earliest to the newest so have all different kinds to read from. You can take your pick. If you have never done it before its alot of fun, give it a try. Let me know if you can make. Thanks Sherry Nichols

Hi list, I'm wondering if anyone knows where records might now be kept that once belonged to the W.C. Harrington Funeral Home? I have a receipt for funeral arrangements dated 1915, but they do not say when the deceased, Alexander B. Dickinson, died or where he was buried. He was alive in 1880, and then in the 1889 and 1890 Elmira Directories, but I don't find him in the 1900 Census. Thanks! Ellen Kane Bugs Papillion, Nebraska

Hello Tri-County List, Recently, on the NY-Military Rootsweb List, a post about the NYS Archives at <http://www.archives.nysed.gov/>. Also mentioned was the fact that additional information may be available about your civil war ancestor: “if you know where he resided when he joined the military, you might be lucky enough to find the "Return of the Town Clerks, 1865," book from his town. This is not the NYS Census, but a separate book of record kept by the Town Clerk which may give you not only his date and place of birth, but also the names of his parents, including his mother's MAIDEN NAME. That is if the Town Clerk filled that part in which many are lacking.” I would be very interested to know if this book is available for the Elmira area. I have been searching for the maiden name of my great great grandmother for years. Anyone heard about a "Return of the Town Clerks” book? I had two great uncles who fought in the CW, one made it back and one did not. Thank you for any information. Don Thompson Whittier, CA

Hello again list, Since I'll be checking the censuses page-by-page, I'd really like to know in what townships the jails/prisons are located. Thanks. Ellen Kane Bugs

Does anyone know where (in the tri-counties area) the county jails and prisons were located, circa 1850-1880? Thanks! Ellen Kane Bugs Looking for a suspiciously missing Simon Kane/Kain/Cain/Cane/Keane/Keen/Kean/O'Kane/O'Cain/O'Cane...

Do a search on WWW.GOOGLE.COM, under "FURMAN TURNPIKE" First item is about Roy Furman in SW PA. may be what you want.

----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, August 23, 2002 2:01 PM Subject: PABRADFO-D Digest V02 #165

I hope I'm on the right list! Am searching for information on a little museum with FURMAN information, FURMAN BLVD and FURMAN TURNPIKE in SW PA. . Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Marilyn

I am looking for the person who has a website which includes the names, Oliver NEWELL and Jane WATTS or Samuel NEWELL and Polly Maria GREENE. I believe it is the later. The color of the page is yellow. I found it helpful in my research as I am researching information about those two families. Something happened and I didn't bookmark the site. I found the site on the Joyce M. Tice Site, I believe . Please help Thanks. Drake Porter Gig Harbor Wa

Anyone aware of an epidemic in 1844. As I surveyed a family cemetery this summer, I found multiple graves dating to 1844 in the area of Erin and Chemung. Just curious. Joyce Raleigh, NC

The Jacob Frederick Hauser family lost 8 of their 13 children in 1862 of Diphtheria. They lived in nearby Upper Fairfield Twsp, Lycoming Co. The eight children all died within a six week period. Larry Hunt Pittsburgh, PA

I found the following listed on e-bay; current bid/minimum bid is $7.00. Cornelia Andrus Offered are 8 GD-VG condition ink personal letters with envelopes and stamps from Selwyn N. Blake in Elmira, NY 1890-93 to his beloved Eleanor (Ellen). With these old letters is a photograph measuring about 3" x 5" identified in ink on the reverse showing Selwyn Blake and his wife as 2nd and 3rd standing from the left. Selwyn N. Blake was born in 1864 in Vermont the son of Elias Barber Blake and Elizabeth Ball. He married in 1893 Ellen Blake. Son Selwyn, Jr (1906-93) plus two others were born to them. Selwyn, Jr. is seen being held in his Father's arms in the photograph. Mr. Blake was a "General Agent" for the Easton Electric Company, Elmira, NY with branches in NYC and Brooklyn. These are very well written and articulate travel and love letters, one of which is written on "The Mather Electric Company, Manchester, Conn." letterhead in 1892. Another letter is on "Easton Electric Co., Manufacturers of Apparatus for Electric Lighting, Elmira, N.Y." letterhead (see scan). Considerable Blake Family news and local events relating to his work and travels; affectionate sentiments; health issues are also addressed; his travels in the Syracuse and Buffalo vicinities; plus lots more content. Wonderful letter collection with photograph of both the correspondent and recipient!

"United For Freedom" Tioga Co. PA. The War Years 1941-1945 will be shown on PBS (Wskg) Thursday PM the 22nd., at 8: PM Joan O'Dell

Hello List, I spent a few hours in Elmira today doing some genealogy research on my Rowe and Barber families--not nearly enough time!!! Hope to get there again when I can go for a whole day. I found a reference to the Barber Cemetery at the Steele Memorial Library. It said: (from CEMETERIES OF CHEMUNG CO., NY, page 100; on file at the Steele Mem. Library:) "Barber cemetery; Catlin twp., Chemung Co., N.Y. Over the other side of the mountain west of Millport. To get to the place, go up the Johnson Hollow rd. to the school house, turn right on a dirt road over 2 miles then nearly a mile through the fields. This cemetery is very old, abandoned years ago and all grown to briers and brush. From 35 to 40 persons are buried there, very few of the graves were ever marked. It was a family plot for the Barbers, but later became a Community burial ground. This information was furnished by Mr. C. Sleeper, who has the family history written out in full, also the same was told by a resident of Milport. Dr. Reuben Barber is buried in this cemetery. There was a marker ling ago to his grave. He was a soldier of the Rev. and had 3 enlistments in the Continentel army. He was a guard and stood at the scaffold, when Maj. John Andre, a British army officer, was hanged as a spy at Tappentown Oct. 2, 1780. Dr. Barber also was a sodlier in 1812. He died in 1845. His wife was an Indian woman. Her maiden name was Hannah Chegunsands. She (next few words are crossed out). They had 3 children-Patience, James and Hannah. She is buried in this cemetery. James Barber, their son, was a soldier in 1812. His wife, Catherine called by those who knew her "Aunt Kit". She was 80 yrs. of age when she died. James Wesley Barber, a younger member of this family, hanged himself. He is buried there. Haggai Johnson and Carrie Wanzo, without dates, are all that can be remembered being buried there." Reuben Barber is my ancestor (4th gr-grandfather). I am very interested in the second paragraph above which mentions that "Mr. C. Sleeper, who has the family history written out in full". I take that to mean that he had a written Barber family history. Does anyone know anything about this? I didn't know who he was so searched the Tri-Counties site. I found this obituary, which might be his: "SLEEPER, CHARLES W. - OBITUARY Charles W. Sleeper, 89, late of Millport, died Monday morning, April 29, 1935, after a brief illness. He is survived by four nieces, Mrs. G. Archie Turner, Veteran; Mrs. Frank Williams and Mrs. Florence Burnett, Albany; Josephine Bailey Doyle of Watkins Glen; three nephews, Charles S. Sterling, Albany; Horace Brown, Buffalo; Carl Parsons, Binghamton. Mr. Sleeper had been a resident of Millport many years and was a charter member of the Veteran Grange. The body is in the Mathews & Van Buskirk funeral home, Horseheads, until Thursday at 1 p.m., when it will be removed to the St. Mark Church, Millport, where the funeral will be held at 2 p.m. The Rev. Paul Thompson will officiate. Burial in the Millport Cemetery. " Also found this on Joyce Tice's Tri-County site, from History of Chemung County 1892 - Towner: (this may be the Mr. C. Sleeper referred to above.) "The first cemetery in the west part of the town was on the old Bently farm, and was the burial place of several of the old settlers. The Millport Cemetery Association, having control of a cemetery east of the village, was incorporated November 18, 1870. C. W. Sleeper has been prominently connected with the association as secretary for several Years. The original plot of land consisted of an acre purchased of Erastus Crandall. Another purchase was made in 1841 ; another of two acres was added about the time of the incorporation" I believe he is also the C. W. Sleeper who was a testator for the will of my gr-grandfather, Abram Rowe. I don't know if Mr. Sleeper was related to the Barber family, but I am wondering where the written family history (referred to above) is, if it still exists. I'm hoping someone on the list will have some info about this. Pat Stone

FYI Last Friday, I visited the BCHS in Towanda, PA. I spent all day in their Research Center discovering information about my family whom resided in western Bradford County. The BCHS receptionist, Denise Golden, told me they had just created a website and she gave me their address: http://[email protected]/ I checked out their website a few mintues ago and it really looks good. There's also an Email address provided. Paul Newell Ellicott City, MD

----- Original Message ----- From: Virginia McElroy To: [email protected] Cc: [email protected] Sent: Saturday, August 17, 2002 10:44 PM Subject: Conklin/Comfort Cemetery Hi Ed & Sandy Dickinson, the cemetery that you were in is called the Rosstown or Christian Hollow Cemetery. Lucy Conklin died Feb 5, 1901 and is buried in a family plot on a farm on the Christian Hollow Road. It has been referred to as the Conklin or Comfort Cemetery. But there are no records of the cemetery. I have not been out there but the former Historian was. She records that the cemetery is located two and one half miles up the Christian Hollow Road from the Route 14 intersection on the west side of the highway. It is situated on a farm owned (1988) by a Jeffrey Judson. This cemetery is located to the right side of the highway, down an embankment in a pasture field. One has to cross Christian Hollow Creek. You continue approximately twenty-five feet and five stones were found on a small plateau of land; however, only one could be read and it was of Lucy Conklin (date of death not readable, but believed to be in the late 1800's. Two large trees are nearby. During the flood of 1972, this stream overflowed its banks and it is a possibility it may have washed away more of these stones from this cemetery. This farm was originally part of the Watson Tract of land. A man by the name of Valentine Miller owned many acres here in the valley at one time. Around the early 1900's, a person with the name of George Comfort owned this property and later his son Otis Comfort, lived on these premises. The former Historian Nelda Holton visited this site in 1988 will Carol Mallory who lives next door to the farm. I believe her house number is 742 Christian Hollow Road. Hope this helps some. Virginia McElroy, Southport Town Historian.