Hi listers, I am hoping someone might be interested in helping me locate a Naturalization Petition at the DELAWARE COUNTY COURT HOUSE (Front & Orange Streets, Media, PA). I would be very pleased to pay for a local researcher to go to the Court House and photocopy (if located) the relevant documents (Certificate of Arrival, Declaration of Intention and Petition of Naturalization) as I would like to have them sooner than it will take them to respond by mail. Please e-mail me directly and we can discuss names and dates. Best Regards, Nancy Atkinson [email protected]

Thank you, Elaine and Helen, My father would have attended school roughly 1901-1913. His family lived very near Widener their entire lives. His father was working for PMC (now Widener) as a fireman when he died in 1932. H(arry or Henry) Weston EYRE was b: 1896 and was living w/his parents at 431 E 12th St in Chester during the 1900 census. > ... On a map (c1916), I found a school at 15th & Walnut Sts. It does >not give the name of the school but I think it is Wetherill. This is >the school closest to 431 E. 12th St., Chester, Delaware Co., PA ... > ... The school at 15th & Walnut Streets was Martin Elementary School [no longer >exists - it was on land now belonging to Widener University.] > >As to which school was the closest to 431 E. 12th Street. What time frame >are we looking for? So many schools have closed over the years. There was a >Jeffries Elementary School near Morton Avenue and Melrose, but it was >displaced by the construction of Route 95. Jeffries was the school attended >by those who lived below the B & O Railroad tracks. The tracks are located >between 12th and 13th Streets. Martin School was attended by those living >above the tracks. > >Wetherill Elementary School was on E. 24th Street, near Upland Street. >My husband, attended kindergarten at Wetherill, and elementary school at >Martin. He attended Smedley Junior High School, on Upland Avenue between >16th and 18th Streets, and graduated from old Chester High School in 1950 >the original building was located on the block bounded by 8th and 9th >Streets and Fulton and Barclay.]

Is there anyone out there familiar with the descendents of John Archer of Ridley from colonial times? Pat Saletore

Concerning schools in Chester PA: The school at 15th & Walnut Streets was Martin Elementary School [no longer exists - it was on land now belonging to Widener University.] As to which school was the closest to 431 E. 12th Street. What time frame are we looking for? So many schools have closed over the years. There was a Jeffries Elementary School near Morton Avenue and Melrose, but it was displaced by the construction of Route 95. Jeffries was the school attended by those who lived below the B & O Railroad tracks. The tracks are located between 12th and 13th Streets. Martin School was attended by those living above the tracks. Wetherill Elementary School was on E. 24th Street, near Upland Street. My husband, attended kindergarten at Wetherill, and elementary school at Martin. He attended Smedley Junior High School, on Upland Avenue between 16th and 18th Streets, and graduated from old Chester High School in 1950 [the original building was located on the block bounded by 8th and 9th Streets and Fulton and Barclay.] My husband's parents also attended Chester schools. His father was on the Chester School Board for a number of years. Hope this helps, Elaine Fryer A Delaware County native now living in Erie County

Edna, On a map (c1916), I found a school on Morton Ave, near 7th. It does not give the name of the school but I know it is Morton School from previous research. This is the school closest to 806 Potter St., Chester, Delaware Co., PA but of course this does not mean it is the school your grandmother attended. If she graduated from Chester High School there are year books (with pictures of the graduates) at the DCHS. Here is some interesting trivia: From 1889 to 1891, a William (Bill) J. RHOADS & a Mary Alice WILKINSON attended Morton School at 7th & Morton Ave, Chester, Delaware Co., PA. Not only were they childhood sweethearts that grew up & married but they are the great grandparents of "Jack" NICHOLSON the "actor." The RHOADS Family lived at 700 Potter St. & the WILKINSON Family lived at 1106 Upland St., Chester, PA. Below you will see in the 1900 Census, Wm & Mary lived at 720 Upland St., in Chester. This is where "Jack's" grandmother, Ethel Mae RHOADS was born. Jack, being a child born out of wedlock to Ethel's daughter June, was raised by Ethel Mae & called her, "Mud." Jack did not know who his real mother was until he was in his early thirties & a "Times" reporter told him. 1900 Census -- 720 Upland St., Chester, Dela. Co., PA RHOADS William Mar 1878 22 M3 PA PA PA Alice M Mar 1879 21 M3 PA PA PA Ethel M Mar 1898 2 S PA PA PA Happy hunting, Helen (DCGS) In a message dated 11/18/2 1:49:53 AM, [email protected] writes: << Hi All, In the 1900 Census my ggrandparents lived at 806 Potter St. in Chester. I have a picture of a school class of about 12 children with nothing written on it. I believe one of the children is my grandmother who was born in 1893. The only time I would think they would take a picture of a school class back then would be maybe a 6th grade graduation. So I figure the picture was probably taken about 1904. Anyone know of an elementry school in the area of Potter St. in Chester at that time? P. S. Please everyone ;Write names and dates on all pictures! Thanks for any help you can give. Edna >>

Judy, On a map (c1916), I found a school at 15th & Walnut Sts. It does not give the name of the school but I think it is Wetherill. This is the school closest to 431 E. 12th St., Chester, Delaware Co., PA but of course this does not mean it is the school your father attended. If he went to a Catholic School it was most likely St. Michael's at 7th & Welsh Sts. If he graduated from Chester High School there are year books (with pictures of the graduates) at the DCHS. Happy hunting, Helen (DCGS)

Hi Judy, Off the top of my head, I would have no idea what school your father attended. The record books are dated. You first look for the book that fits the time period your father would have been in school. The books are then alphabetized by surnames that begin with the letter "A" & so on. Secondly, you look for his surname. You do not need to know the name of the school in advance. Nothing is indexed by the school's name. Happy hunting, Helen (DCGS) In a message dated 11/19/2 9:15:49 AM, [email protected] writes: << Hi Helen, Just saw your post to the list about Chester School Books! Wonderful! My father was b: Oct 1896. In the 1900 census he was living at 431 E 12th St - Chester, PA in the household of Frank Nathan EYRE. Would you have any idea what school H(arry or Henry) Weston EYRE would have attended? It may be that blessed ole Pete Mooney would do a look up for me in the Chester school books the next time he is at DelCoHisSoc and I'd like to narrow the search a bit for him before I ask him if possible. Judy >>

In a message dated 11/18/02 10:14:34 PM Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes: > There is/was a Sleighton Farms School on Valley Road in Middletown Township, > Delaware County, Pa. This was a school for troubled (or in trouble) girls > and at one time or other included boys. Perhaps there was a Sleighton > School > Perhaps Ms. Morrison lived on Woodland Avenue. The boys' school was called Glen Mills School. Karen Greim Mullian [email protected]

There is/was a Sleighton Farms School on Valley Road in Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pa. This was a school for troubled (or in trouble) girls and at one time or other included boys. Perhaps there was a Sleighton School on Woodland Ave. Piketre

In a message dated 11/18/02 7:49:51 PM Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes: > This is concerning the school I am looking for in Delaware County which I > thought was at 4904 Woodland Ave. I have a death article that was written > for > Emily F. Morrison may have been 1962 possibly Bulletin or Inquirer. > The article is ripped so can only see parts. She was a superintendent of > this school. I see the word Sleighton and for Girls, Dela > She won the Gimbel award in 1950 > I also see the word ?eighton Farm > > Does this sound familiar to anyone? > Barbara, This is Sleighton School for Girls in Glen Mills, Delaware Co. I think the school closed a couple of years ago. On the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare page, I found the following brief description: 1826 The House of Refuge is established in Philadelphia so that delinquent youth will no longer have to be incarcerated with adult prisoners. The facility was later divided into separate campuses for girls and boys, which still provide services as Sleighton Farms School and Glen Mills School respectively. Karen Greim Mullian [email protected]

This is concerning the school I am looking for in Delaware County which I thought was at 4904 Woodland Ave. I have a death article that was written for Emily F. Morrison may have been 1962 possibly Bulletin or Inquirer. The article is ripped so can only see parts. She was a superintendent of this school. I see the word Sleighton and for Girls, Dela She won the Gimbel award in 1950 I also see the word ?eighton Farm Does this sound familiar to anyone? Barbara in Louisiana email: [email protected]

Hi list, <A HREF="http://www.headstonehunter.com/meanings.htm">Meanings of Headstone Carvings</A> http://www.headstonehunter.com/meanings.htm I think this in not only interesting, but fascinating site! :) Happy hunting, Helen (DCGS)

Hello John. Did any of your TROUTs live in Norristown/Philadelphia/UpperDarby area? This is my husband's mother's line. Frank Trout sold insurance and was in real estate in Norristown, PA. Curious... Dolores Cobb Phifer ----- Original Message ----- From: John Trout To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, November 17, 2002 8:27 PM Subject: Census look-up for Sinton Hi All, I'm looking for John Sinton. He was born in Ireland and would have come over here with his parents shortly after 1850. In 1860 he would have been about 40. He would have been 60 in the 1880 Census and 80 in the 1900 census. He died in 1904. Don't know if he ever married. His parents and sister lived in Chester. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Edna ==== PADELAWA Mailing List ==== Please remember our pledge drive to support RootsWeb! http://199.72.15.191/Sites/Gen/Chet2/scripts/RWGoal.asp

I just came across a document of my grandfather Ralph Trosino. On 9/24/1924 the Sheriff of Delaware Co. appointed him as a Special Deputy in the County of Delaware and State Of Pennsylvania. What is ,was, a Special Deputy and did something significant happen in Delco. at that time to appoint extra law men? I also found an old envelope addressed to Mr.John A. Draper,Box #42, Upland ,Pa. With a 4 cent stamp. Anyone interested? Dave Steckel,Wenonah,NJ

Hi Edna, The following info is at the Delaware County Historical Society: Chester School Records Book I 1873-1883 Book V 1898-1899 Book II 1878-1888 Book VI 1898-1907 Book III 1889-1899 Book VII 1908-1916 Book IV 1897-1898 * Book VIII 1920-1931 * (missing 1991-Pupils promoted to Chester High School). Acquired 1988 Note: Over 1,000 proof of Birth Documents, used in compliance with the Child Labor Law of 1915, births between 1930-1940. Acquired 1988 In the above records you should be able to find the school your grandmother attended. What is your grandmother's name? You can find them in the 1860 &1880 Census at: <A HREF="http://www.rootsweb.com/~cenfiles/pa/delaware/1860/">C-1860 Census Dela. Co., PA</A> http://www.rootsweb.com/~cenfiles/pa/delaware/1860/ <A HREF="http://www.familysearch.org/ENG/Search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=census/s earch_census.asp">C-1880 Census US - 1881 Canada & Eng</A> http://www.familysearch.org/ENG/Search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=census/search_ census.asp I'll try to find the school for you this evening. Happy hunting, Helen (DCGS) In a message dated 11/18/2 1:49:53 AM, [email protected] writes: << Hi All, In the 1900 Census my ggrandparents lived at 806 Potter St. in Chester. I have a picture of a school class of about 12 children with nothing written on it. I believe one of the children is my grandmother who was born in 1893. The only time I would think they would take a picture of a school class back then would be maybe a 6th grade graduation. So I figure the picture was probably taken about 1904. Anyone know of an elementry school in the area of Potter St. in Chester at that time? P. S. Please everyone ;Write names and dates on all pictures! Thanks for any help you can give. Edna >>

Good morning list, Naturalization Books at DCCH: Volume: Date: #1 27 Feb 1860 - 27 Sep 1876 #2 27 Sep 1876 - 20 Oct 1883 #3 25 Oct 1883 - 23 Sep 1886 #4 23 Sep 1886 - 27 Sep 1888 #5 27 Sep 1888 - 2 Oct 1890 #6 2 Oct 1890 - 3 Oct 1892 #7 3 Oct 1892 - 7 Oct 1892 #8 7 Oct 1892 - 30 Dec 1892 #9 30 Dec 1892 - 13 Mar 1893 #10 13 Mar 1893 - 17 Sep 1894 #11 17 Sep 1894 - 2 Oct 1896 #12 2 Oct 1896 - 22 Sep 1897 #13 22 Sep 1897 - 28 Sep 1899 #14 28 Sep 1899? - 23 Mar 1903? (missing)* #15 23 Mar 1903 - 23 Sep 1906 *Rumor has it -- this Naturalization Book may be at the Neumann College Library -- sent there by mistake when the Tax Dockets were sent to Neumann, a few years ago. The information in these books, gives the name & date the immigrant became a citizen, the country they immigrated from & the name(s) of the witness(es). Little else is available in these documents. Petition Books for Naturalization 1. Certificate of Arrival 2. Declaration of Intention 3. Petition of Naturalization In the above named documents you have: Photo IDs; names; dates of birth; place of birth, (town, city, county, region); date of immigration; wife's name (if married) & some times info on her; occupation; etc. Happy hunting, Helen (DCGS) Other info: Naturalization date, laws and residency rules: 1790: required 2 years residency in US and 1 yr in state where final papers were filed 1795: changed to 5 yrs in US, 1 yr in state where nat. petition was filed, declaration of intention need to be filed 3 yrs before petition 1798: changed to 14 yrs in US, declar. of intent needed to be filed 5 yrs bef petition; aliens had to report their arrival to US through a process called Report and Registry 1802: back to the 1795 requirements 1804: aliens living in US betw the 1798 and 1802 law changes were allowed to naturalize without previously filing a declar of intent. 1824: reduced the filing time betw declar of intent and petition of nat from 3 yrs to 2 yrs 1828: dropped the Report and Registry requirement 1862: aliens over 21 with honorable discharge from military did not have to file a decla of inten after proving 1 yr residency 1918: Aliens in US military or navy were allwed to file a petition for nat. w/o a declar. of intent, also didn't need to prove 5 yrs residency 1926: need a picture with their declar of intent Under the 1855 law, while a woman became a citizen when her husband became naturalized, prior to the 1906 change in law, she may or may not have been mentioned on the record. Her only proof of US citizenship would have been a combination of her marriage cert and her husband's nat. record. However, in some cases a woman became a citizen when she married a US citizen. Then her proof of citizenship was a combination of two document-the marriage cert and her husband's birth record or his nat. cert. Another interesting development that effected women as a result of the 1855 law was that women born in the US who married a foreigner lost their US citizenship at the moment of marriage. They then became a citizen of their husband's country. Eventually this was taken to court and decided that between 1866 and 1907 no women lost her US citizenship by marriage to an alien unless she left the country. After 1907, marriage determined a woman's nationality status completely. Under the act of March 2, 1907, all women acquired their husband's nationality upon any marriage occurring after that date. This changed nothing for immigrant women, but US born citizen women could now lose their citizenship by any marriage to an alien. Most regained their US citizenship when their husbands became naturalized. Pat Connors, Sacramento CA http://www.connorsgenealogy.com Married Women's Act On September 11, 1922, Congress passed the Married Women's Act, also known as the Cable Act. This 1922 law finally gave each woman a nationality of her own. No marriage since that date has granted US citizenship to any alien woman nor taken it from any US born women who married an alien eligible to naturalization. Under the new law women became eligible to naturalize on almost the same terms as men. The only difference concerned those women whose husbands had already naturalized. If her husband was a citizen, the wife did not need to file a declaration of intention. She could initiate naturalization proceedings with a petition alone (one paper naturalization). A woman whose husband remained an alien had to start at the beginning, with a declaration of intention. It is important to note that women who lost citizenship by marriage and regained it under the Cable act, could file in any naturalization court, regardless of her residence.

Hi All, In the 1900 Census my ggrandparents lived at 806 Potter St. in Chester. I have a picture of a school class of about 12 children with nothing written on it. I believe one of the children is my grandmother who was born in 1893. The only time I would think they would take a picture of a school class back then would be maybe a 6th grade graduation. So I figure the picture was probably taken about 1904. Anyone know of an elementry school in the area of Potter St. in Chester at that time? P. S. Please everyone ;Write names and dates on all pictures! Thanks for any help you can give. Edna

Hi All, I have affidavits made by a couple of people to help my gggrandfather to get a pension for injuries received in the Civil War. A couple served with him and one was a neighbor and one worked with him in the Chester Dock Mills. If any of these men are your relatives I can send you a copy of the affidavit. The names are: Matthias Cooper, Samuel Pilling, William Campbell and William Harrison. Good Luck, E-mail me if any are yours. Edna [email protected]

Hi All, I'm looking for John Sinton. He was born in Ireland and would have come over here with his parents shortly after 1850. In 1860 he would have been about 40. He would have been 60 in the 1880 Census and 80 in the 1900 census. He died in 1904. Don't know if he ever married. His parents and sister lived in Chester. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Edna

Hello Edna, As I understand it these are the dates available at the Delaware County Court House (DCCH): Volume: Date: #1 27 Feb 1860 - 27 Sep 1876 #2 27 Sep 1876 - 20 Oct 1883 #3 25 Oct 1883 - 23 Sep 1886 #4 23 Sep 1886 - 27 Sep 1888 #5 27 Sep 1888 - 2 Oct 1890 #6 2 Oct 1890 - 3 Oct 1892 #7 3 Oct 1892 - 7 Oct 1892 #8 7 Oct 1892 - 30 Dec 1892 #9 30 Dec 1892 - 13 Mar 1893 #10 13 Mar 1893 - 17 Sep 1894 #11 17 Sep 1894 - 2 Oct 1896 #12 2 Oct 1896 - 22 Sep 1897 #13 22 Sep 1897 - 28 Sep 1899 #14 28 Sep 1899? - 23 Mar 1903? (missing)* #15 23 Mar 1903 - 23 Sep 1906 Regards, Nancy