Sorry, Forgot my subject line.... I am trying to find the exact date of death of Rachel M. MELLOR who died in Chester, Delaware County, Pa. somewhere between 1897 to 1898. Her residence at time of death was 614 North Street, Chester, Pa. Husband was Louis A. Mellor. I do not have a birth date on her. Thank you, Sorry for any duplications.

Searching for information about John Dickson b. abt. 1922, son of William and Nellie Scofield Moore Dickson, who lived on Strathmore Road, Brookline, Delaware County, about 1925 - 1930. I am interested in sharing family information. We share great-grandparents. Marjorie Brownley Winter in Oriental NC, researching Brownley and Truby in Virginia and Pennsylvania VanLeer and VanRiper in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania Bevan and Haley in Pennsylvania Winter and Porter in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wynyall in Europe, New York, and Michigan --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.538 / Virus Database: 333 - Release Date: 11/10/2003

Hi list, Tom DiFilippo would like to find the most interesting people buried in Arlington Cemetery, Drexel Hill to be used for a historic walking tour. If anyone knows of a famous person or special interest persons buried there please e-mail Tom at: [email protected] with your story. He is looking for politicians, sports figures, business owners, descendants of original settlers, criminals, people with a cause or any other types that might have educational or public interest. Does any one have any ghosts stories or has anyone had any unusual happenings while looking for an ancestor buried in this cemetery??? :) Please contact Tom at: [email protected] Happy hunting, Helen (DCGS)

Hello Everyone: Those of you who are working on your lines back to your 1600s American Ancestors will find the1600s Ancestors Data Base to be of great help. My recent posting updates to the Data Base has taken it to over 26,500 Ancestors who have descendants living today. I have also added several National Societies who have proven many of these Ancestors. Also at this time a few new respected Reference works that contain thousands of sources including some of the early colonists who have Royal Blood lines. All the entries are coded to indicate to which reference work or which National Society has at least one of their proven lines. Several of the National Societies have over 20 different lines from a single Ancestor. When you enter the 1600s Ancestor Data Base be sure to look at the top of each data page for the link that takes you to the "Data Base Information Page" Here you will find the codes and references listed and how to use them. This is must reading to understand the Data Base. We are constantly updating the Data Base with additional Ancestors added as time permits. You will find the 1600s Ancestor Data Base at: http://www.firstfamilies.org/db/ Everyone has FREE access to all our web site and the reports contained there. Enjoy and Happy Hunting Ryan Jackson Data Base Manager America's First Families

There are many reasons that Americans observe Veterans Day this month, not Conscientious Objector Day. One is that they never heard of Chester County's John Smith, who shamed the military he defied and should shame today's peaceniks as well. See "When Pacifists Lived Dangerously" at <A HREF="www.markedixon.com/retrospect.htm">www.markedixon.com/retrospect.htm</A>. "When Pacifists Lived Dangerously" is the latest edition of Retrospect, my monthly column on local history in Main Line Today, a monthly magazine serving Philadelphia's western suburbs. For previous columns, just scroll down. Coming next month: Why Modern Became Old Mark E. Dixon

Hi list, I found the following info in the Naturalization Index Records 1795-1860 for Delaware Co., PA: THURLOW, John James & Family Age 24 Born - Essex Co., England 1795 Migrated from ___ to ___ Arrived 12 Jun 1819 DoI. 11 Nov 1819 New Castle Co., Delaware PfC. 26 Jul 1827, Al. Sworn & Subscribed in Open Court Date filled - 26 Jul 1827 Witness: John THOMPSON State of Delaware James John THURLOW having with his family lately removed from the Kingdom of Great Britain. A report of the Birth-place, age, nation, allegiance, Country whence migrated, & place of intended settlement of John James THURLOW & his family. John James THURLOW - Born - Essex Co., Age 24 Nation - England, Allegiance - King of Great Britain & Ireland, Country whence migrated - England, Place of intended settlement - State of Delaware. Mary THURLOW (his wife) - Born - Yorkshire, Age 23 Nation - England, Allegiance - King of Great Britain & Ireland, Country whence migrated - England, Place of intended settlement - State of Delaware. Dated at New Castle, Delaware - November 11, 1819 Inside of Declaration of Intent. Second piece of paper. To the THURLOW Mailing list -- I have no other info or connection to the THURLOW Families but I do have info on how to obtain a copy of this record. Happy hunting, Helen (DCGS) Helen M. Imburgia 396 Derry Drive Aston, PA 19014 (610) 358-1102 [email protected]

I'm really slow on catching up with my email, but wanted to tell you that the A.C. Meyer's house is still standing and in good repair as a private home. There is a "new" road now that it is on, Ridley Creek Road in Moylan and I'll try to look at the exact address when I drive past next. Their neighbor was a noted Methodist female minister and MD in the 1903 until her death in 1919, Anna Howard Shaw, so I think they must have had some interesting neighborhood conversations. Thy friend, Nancy Webster PS: You could also write to the Rose Valley Borough Historian, Mrs. Morris Potter (yes, that IS her name), c/o The Old Mill, Wallingford, PA 19086. She might have more info and/or old photos for you. ********************************************** "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." ~~Benjamin Franklin~~

OK, Tina et al.: I meant to write one yesterday, but this month has been the busiest....I have a list of 67 ghost stories for Delaware County, so don't think we'll run out soon. BLACK ANTHONY Few names are known of the ordinary people who made up the bulk of the early settlements along the Delaware, under the New Sweden Company. We don't have a complete list until the 1655 expedition, so mostly only the officers and Crown officials are known. But there is one exceptional member of the community who has left a record, and may be in residence still. Perhaps when one of the Swedish ships went to the West Indies for supplies, or perhaps he just jumped ship from another vessel, but a free African appeared in the Tinicum Island community very early on. His name was Anthony, and he told people had been born in Angola, captured and sold as a slave in Jamaica and escaped to be a free person. He had spent part of his life aboard a naval vessel, and so understood the casting and firing of cannon, as well as how to make black powder. Evidently Anthony was far more skilled than the soldiers sent out by the Swedish Army, and soon Governor Printz had intrusted him, so the story goes, with overseeing the artillery and the defense of the community. (There was a constant fear of attack by either the Spanish or the Dutch in those times.) Anthony did his job well and seems to have been accepted into the community, listed 9 years after his arrival as a "free man" and taxpayer, employed by the New Sweden Company. Perhaps some of the soldiers were jealous, or perhaps Anthony was just unwary when a trading vessel arrived, but he was stolen away from his home and, rumor said, was sold into bondage again to work in the sugar cane fields of the Caribbean, where the life expectancy of a slave was 2-3 years. He was never heard of again, but he must have longed to return and be free. In the 1920s, the PA Historical and Museum Commission began the first of several archaeological explorations of the site of the first Swedish settlement in Essington, and found what they believed to be the fort and government building, the Printzhof. Mary Butler and others who worked on that project said they had been trying to confirm where to dig, when a friendly African American man approached who seemed extremely knowledgeable about the early community. He pointed out the fort's perimeter, where the artillery had been posted and where the main docks were - all of which were subsequently confirmed by their dig. They even found some of the stone cannon balls brought from Sweden and other artifacts (alas, now long lost by confusion in Harrisburg). The man, who only gave his name as Anthony, told them he had been a resident "for some long time," that his happiest years had been spent in this location, and that he planned never to leave. When the dig was over, the archaeologists looked for Anthony to thank him and give him public credit for his help. According to the Mayor and the local police chief, no such man lived there. He was never seen again.... until a similar incident occurred to a worker on the most recent PHMC dig in the 1990s, who said he had met a black local resident named Anthony, who wanted them to dig on the rear of what is now the Lazaretto site, to find the main government building and church site. Was it Anthony - still residing where he had been free, valued and accepted, and trying yet again to be useful to the governmental officials presently in charge of his "home"? Happy Hallowe'en to all! Thy friend, Nancy Webster ********************************************** "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." ~~Benjamin Franklin~~

Hi list, I will do a lookup in the Naturalization Index Records from 1860 -1906 for Delaware Co., PA for the surnames starting with the letters: A - B or C, (only)! Please place on the subject line "only one" person's name. Do NOT send me a list of surnames! Please put the surname in capital (LARGE) letters so I can tell if it is the person's given name or surname: Example: James THOMAS or THOMAS, James -- NOT James Thomas. Women were NOT Naturalized in this time period -- they became a citizen if & when their husband did or when they married a man who had already became a citizen or was a citizen. Th´person would have had to enter the US before 1904 to become a citizen by 1906. Happy hunting, Helen (DCGS)

C'mon, it's Halloween tomorrow....could Nancy regale us with a Delaware County ghost story? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeaaasse!

Hi Everyone, I need some help trying to find a death date and ultimately ordering the death certificate for Rebecca (DUNCAN) MC CLAY. I've narrowed down the time frame for her death to between 1888 -1900. Is there anyone who could do a look-up at the courthouse? Alternatively, if I request the court clerks do the look-up are they pretty thorough when doing the look-ups? (I've encounter some that aren't). If someone can do a look-up for a death date, I'll be happy to reimburse expenses. Additional identifying info: Rebecca was widowed at the time of her death. Spouse: Thomas Mc Clay. She was born in Ireland, probably Co. Donegal, approx 1832-1845. Last known address: 720 W. 2D, Chester, PA. I appreciate any help and/or advice on how to proceed. Thanks very much. Mary Helen Monterey, California

When talking to those who are not at all interested in genealogy, it becomes apparent that they feel that these old documents that we seek to preserve are absolutely worthless. I tried to put together a tree for my now deceased husband, and when I asked questions about names, times and places for clues to search, etc, he frequently said "what do you want to know that for? What you are doing is worthless pieces of paper that you're spending a lot of time and money on !" Of course, I never saw his logic about games and felt it was a waste of time for him to watch an entire football game in late evening that he had already seen in its entirety earlier in the day!! Different strokes - - - - BUT, I agree, the people in charge of the caretaking of these documents shouldn't BE in charge if that's their attitude! And a more careful screening before hiring those individuals might eliminate some of it. Oh, the loss !! DORI

Since when do people who are in charge of our history have the right to make decisions to trash out heritage? I also found out a county out in Illinois ran out of room for old deeds and burned years of them before someone stopped them. What is wrong with these people? What are they hiding? Good for those who saved the Bibles. Jerilyn

Good Morning List. Does anyone know when the following photography studio was open in Chester? Emile E Bucher 520 Market Street Chester, PA. I found the abvbe mentioned photographer on John Bullock's website but the address is for Edgemont Avenue. I am trying to narrow the timeframe of when Bucher was located on Market St. for photo identification. Thanks to any who may be able to help! Tina

Good morning, A few weeks ago, Ginny DeNENNO told me Carol FIRENG had spoke to her about finding a man going through the dumpster at the DCHS's Museum in Chester, back in June of this year, 2003. Upon doing so, she approached him & asked him what he was doing. Carol looked in the dumpster only to find many Bibles, books & other items had been thrown out by the DCHS. The man did retrieve & carried away some of the "items." Carol is a volunteer, giving Historic Tours in Chester for DCHS & a long time board member of DCHS. She is also a board member of the Chester (City) Historical Society. Carol had tried to bring this matter to the DCHS board's attention but they did not want to hear it! Needless to say I was very upset when I was told about this stupid act of destruction of these priceless records!!! Carol & Ginny are also very concerned! These "Bibles & other items" should have been return to family members &/or given to another historical society. I spoke to Merv HARRIS, DCHS's president at "Old Chester Day," & was told it was nothing to be concerned about -- all the genealogy had been extracted from the Bibles. In other words I was gaffed off!!!! Ginny & I visited Carol at her house, where all the Bibles, books & items have been since they were retrieved. They are now in the hands of the Chester (City) Historical Society. I estimate the value of the items to be between $15,000. to $20,000. Ginny & I learned one of the Bibles had been given to the Newlin Grist Mill. (Which we believe is a great home for it.) We went to the Newlin Grist Mill & Dabbs WOODFIN allowed us to take the genealogical info to a professional copier. The surnames in this Bible dating back to 1706 were: BLUNSTON - SMITH - BUNTING - McCREADY - NEWLIN - TRAINER & a few others. Here is a list of some of the Family Bibles, dates & places: HINKSON - 1836 SPIGEL - no date (Chester) LAMPLUGH - 1802 (Wilm.) SIMSON - no date OTTEN - 1845 LIBSON - no date ESREY - 1839 DUTTON - CLAYTON- - no date LEVIS -1818 McCALE - SLAWTEN - no date Ginny told me she spoke to the librarian Mary Ann JEAVONS, who says takes full responsibility for the Bibles, Books & other items being thrown away be Angela HEWETT & her son. S. Damon Kletzien, Vice President of the Springfield Historical Society spoke to Mary Ann JEAVONS & this what was said: "I had a conversation with Mary Ann Jeavons yesterday and her knowledge of the "dumpster event" was that only one bible was inadvertently thrown into it." I have contacted the Daily Times & an attorney. I'm not quite sure how to handle this but I would like the public to know what is going on. Thank you all for taking the time to read this & any help would be appreciated -- please contact me off the list. Please pass this on to others who may have an interest in the genealogy records of Delaware Co., PA. Helen M. Imburgia 396 Derry Dr. Aston, PA 19014 (610) 358-1102 [email protected]

Hi list, Please put the surname in capital (LARGE) letters so I can tell if it is the person's given name or surname: Example: James THOMAS or THOMAS, James -- NOT James Thomas. Women were NOT Naturalized in this time period -- they became a citizen if & when their husband did or when they married a man who had already became a citizen. If a person lives in Philadelphia or Berks Co., PA they would NOT have come to Delaware Co., PA to file citizenship papers but if a person lives in Delaware Co. he may go to Phila. to file! Hence, going from the county level to the state level to file. Happy hunting, Helen (DCGS)

Hi list, I will do a lookup in the Naturalization Index Records from 1795-1860. Please place on the subject line "only one" person's name. Do NOT send me a list of names! Example: TUTTLE, Patrick -- lookup Happy hunting, Helen (DCGS)

Would someone be able to look up an obituary in Delaware County, PA? Name: MARY E. WHITE Location Darby, (Delaware County) Pennsylvania Died: July 1972 Thanks Jim

I am looking for any record of birth and death of LOUIS A. MELLOR, Delaware cty., Pa. Also, I found him in the 1900 census as a widow, would like some information on the death of his wife, CLARA P. (CLAYTON) MELLOR. Any information on this is appreciated, I have no clue to the parents of Louis. Nancee McClay

Hi, can anyone help me 3rd husband Benjaamin Dressman{was a Covington Contractor} my great grand mother was his servant in 1920 and she had two kids with her Ethel and Charles. In the Covington obits it says she died at her sons home at 13 East 11th St Covington at age 90 years old on Feb. 5,1959 Is there any way you can find any information more on her and my grandpa Patrick, you see they both died on Feb 5 ,1959 him in Philly ,Penn > So, who was the first child born? That was a question ask me. Louis and Ethel's first child was Louis J. Patrick Jr {b}1919 in Ohio This information may be of interest because they say the place where the first child is born, is usually where the marriage took place or not far from where it took place. Personal Information Census Image This seems to be my grandfather>He was in the army in the corp of Engineers in the WWII in the Far East > Name: Louis J Patrick > Age: 36 years > Estimated birth year: 1893 > Birthplace: Pennsylvania > Relation to Head-of-house: Head > Race: White > Home in 1930: Covington, Kenton, Kentucky > Occupation: View image > Image Source: Year: 1930; Census Place: Covington, Kenton, Kentucky; > Roll: T626_762; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 21; Image: 0249. This Louis is my grandparents first.child By what I was told he died at the age of 15 from someone hit him head on by a car and sorry to say his head came right off from the crash > Name: Louis J Patrick > Age: 10 years > Estimated birth year: 1919 > Birthplace: > Relation to Head-of-house: Son > Race > Image Source: Year: 1930; Census Place: Covington, Kenton, Kentucky; > Roll: T626_762; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 21; Image: 0249 > > > All that I am sending you is like a gold mine I hope the information that I am sending you and whatever you sent me will get me over the wall Please is there anyone who has excess to this information, you will be really helping me alot if you can find any of this inforamation What you see up above a nice young woman sent me.She help me get one step closer I have been looking for this information for years. I hope I am not asking to much for any more help you might be able to find Thanks loads Bev Taylor from Canada, born in Ky