John: Thank you so much for the Findley Township index. I found a John TITUS 37, Sarah TITUS 33, children Laura M, Julia E, Emma A and Maggie E. Believe they are members of the TITUS family I am searching for in Mercer County and Crawford County. John B. TITUS was born 2 Jun 1833 in Titusville, Crawford Co, PA, married Barbara A. MCKAY 6 Sep 1855 PA. I have found several TITUS families in Mercer County and believe that Isiah TITUS may be the father on my John B. Titus. There was also a John TITUS and William TITUS as heads of household in the 1850 Census, Hickory Township. Would love to correspond with anyone related to these families. Thanks Jane Stratton-Boast, Phoenix, Arizona.
Hello, For those who asked, the Me-My 1850 index file at the archives site now functions. Thank-you for your patience. Richard S. Winder (Richard_Winder@bc.sympatico.ca)
The 1870 Census for Findley Twp., Mercer County, PA, lists David JAMES, age 23, living in the household of Isaac & Anna FARRED and their four minor children. I assume he was a hired hand because there was also a Henry GOODAT, age 28, living there. Does anyone recognize the name David JAMES? Who and where is his family? The Census also lists a boarding school named S. O. School (Orphanage?). Two of the many children listed are Amelia JAMES, age 9, and Frank G. JAMES, age 6. There is no indication they are connected to the above David JAMES. Again, does anyone recognize these children and can you connect them to a JAMES family? My grandparents, A. P. JAMES and Emma Isabelle RILEY JAMES lived in Greenville, Mercer Co., PA, prior to coming to Nebraska in 1884. Could these above listed JAMES's be associated with that JAMES family? I will appreciate any information any of you may have. Max James ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]
If anyone in Mercer has access to the 1830 census for the county would they please look up William Franklin? Hiram Franklin was born there in or around 1833 and I believe William to be his father. Thanks Soni
Hello listmembers, The index of the 1870 census for Findley Township is available. As with the other indexes, this is an alphabetical listing, by surname, of each individual found in the Findley Township portion of the census. This index also includes the family number, first name, and age of each individual. If you would like the complete census information for an individual or family, I can send the entire township census as an attached file in TEXT format. Any word processing program should be able to open the file. PLEASE NOTE: due to my time restrictions, I am unable to look up and send the information for spedific individuals or families. If you request this index, I'll add you to my mailing list and you will receive future indexes automatically. If you do not want to recieve future indexes, please make a note of that in your request for the Findley index. This census is being is transcribed as part of the GenWeb Census Project. Before being posted on their web site, a transcription must be proofread. In the interest of helping Mercer County researchers, as I making this transcrption available as I finish each township. Please be advised that this has not yet been proofread! For a list of all available on-line censuses, go to: http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgwcens/help/censusinventory.html Regards, John MacDonald 1021 Hancock Road Williamstown MA 01267-3021 413-458-0056 macillus@bcn.net
Reposting family lines: Sharp, Munnell, Elder, Neely, Rice/Reiss, Crowthers, Jones, Rose, Brownlee, Withington. Will Share. Harry
I am looking for Berrier's in Mercer County. My ggrandfather Mathew Wilson Berrier was born in Mercer county in 1835, and married a Ann or Sarah Ferguson. His father John Berrier, shows on the 1830 census with many children, but I only know the name of Mathew. Sometimes the name was spelled Borger or Berger.
To all those who cannot access the file containing the last half of the M's, it looks like Murphy's law strikes again- Murphy is an M name, isn't it? Give me time to contact the Archives person, and we'll try to have that (and the 2 duplicate files) fixed up. Thanks, Richard
Hello! I am looking for information on my very elusive 3G grandmother, Margaret ORR Luce of Mercer Co., PA. I am hoping to prove that she is the daughter of Elias and Margaret ORR of Mercer Co., PA. At thi point, I have not info on the names of my Margaret's siblings, and so cannot compare with the census listings, etc. If anyone has any leads on this family, please let me know! I'm including a file on her and her husband, Josiah LUCE. Thanks, Cassie Langley Brown ================= Person Sheet Name: Margaret ORR Birth Date: 23 May 1852[1] Birth Place: PA, USA Death Date: 16 Apr 1945[1] Age: 92 Death Place: Youngstown, Mahoning Co., OH, USA Death Memo: Home of daughter, Mrs. Grace Luce Lewis Burial Date: 1945[1] Age: 92 Burial Place: Oakwood Cemetery, Sharon, Mercer Co., PA, USA Residence Place: Fisher Hill, Sharon, Mercer Co., PA, USA Cause of death: Chronic Myocarditis/arteriosclerosis Spouses 1: Josiah W. LUCE Birth Date: 18 Mar 1848[2] Birth Place: PA, USA Death Date: 27 Mar 1915[2] Age: 67 Death Place: Sharon, Mercer Co., PA, USA Death Memo: 4 AM Burial Date: 28 Mar 1915[1],[2] Age: 67 Burial Place: Oakwood Cemetery, Mercer Co., PA, USA Residence Place: Fisher Hill, Sharon, Mercer Co., PA, USA Religion: Methodist Occupation: Furnace laborer Cause of death: Infection of left leg[3] Father: [Pvt.] John T. LUCE (1831-1911) Mother: Amanda [BOAL] BOLE (1827-1907) Children: Maude (1871-1957) Vera M. (1878-1911) Grace (1882-1966) Notes for Margaret ORR The death notice of Margaret Orr Luce in the Sharon Herald of April 17, 1945 states: "Mrs. Margaret Luce, 93, formerly of Fisher Hill, died yesterday at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Edward Lewis, Youngstown. She is the widow of Josiah Luce who preceded her in death 29 years ago. In addition she is survived by another daughter, Mrs. Maude Langley of Youngstown." [1] According to family stories told to William H. LANGLEY, the ORR family is originally from Belfast and owned and operated a linen green there. So far this is unsubstantiated, since Margaret ORR's parents have as of yet to be identified. Margaret's death certificate mistakenly lists her name and her husband's name under Mother & Father. It reads Margaret ORR & Josiah LUCE. Gravestone lists birthdate as 1852, but census dates vary between 1850 and 1854. If 1850 or 1851, then possible parents are Elias & Margaret ORR of Springfield and Fairview Twp., Mercer Co., PA. In the 1850 Census for Springfield Twp., Mercer Co., PA there is a Margaret ORR, age 3 months, the daughter of Elias and Margaret ORR. The census was taken on August 9, 1850, which would fit, more or less, with the birthdate of May 23 given for Margaret on her grave and death certificate (although in both locations,the year is given as 1852). Put together with the 1850 year of birth on the 1900 census for Mercer Co. this is a possible match for Margaret's parents. 1850 Census, Springfield Twp., Mercer Co., PA 9 Aug 1850 1 126 128 ORR, Elias 39 M Farmer 1000 Mercer Co., Pa. 2 126 128 ORR, Margaret 38 F Mercer Co., Pa. 3 126 128 ORR, Mary 9 F Mercer Co., Pa. 4 126 128 ORR, Robert 8 M Mercer Co., Pa. 5 126 128 ORR, Beriah 7 M Mercer Co., Pa. 6 126 128 ORR, Sarah 5 F Mercer Co., Pa. 7 126 128 ORR, Robert W. 4 M Mercer Co., Pa. 8 126 128 ORR, Jane 2 F Mercer Co., Pa. 9 126 128 ORR, Margaret 3m F Mercer Co., Pa. 1870 Census, Fairview Twp., Mercer Co., PA June 4, 1870 Orr Elias 59 m, w, Farmer 5390 970 PA f.f.b., m.f.b., (father/mother foreign born) citizen over 21 Orr Margaret 57 f, w, Keeping H. PA Orr Mary 30 f, w, House K. PA Orr Sarah 26 f, w, House K. PA Orr James W. 24 m, w, At School PA school, Orr Margaret 19 f, w, School Teacher PA school, Orr Samuel 17 m, w, Farm L. PA school, Orr John 13 m, w, At School PA school, 1880 Census, Hickory Twp, Mercer Co., PA Josiah W. Luce, 31, b. Mar. 1848, PA laborer Maggie 26, b. PA Maud 9 b. PA Bera 3, b. PA (Female) 1900 Census, Hickory Twp, Mercer Co., PA Josiah W. b. Mar 1848 Self and both parents b. PA Furnace laborer Margaret b. May 1850 " " " " Grace b. Dec. 1881 " " " " Notes for Josiah W. (Spouse 1) Josiah's obituary in the Sharon Herald states: "Josiah W. Luce, aged 67, well known and highly respected resident died at his home early Sunday (3/28/1915) after an extended illness with a complication of diseases. Mr. Luce was born in this state and had been a resident of Sharon for many years. He was a member of the Oakland Avenue Methodist Church, Sharon Lodge Knights of Pythias, Franklin Lodge of Odd Fellows, Tribe of Ben Hur, and the Rebeccas. He is survived by his widow and two daughters, Mrs. James Langley of Youngstown and Mrs. Edward J. Lewis of Cleveland, a brother, George Luce of Sharon, and three sisters, Mrs James Burford of Youngstown, Ohio, Mrs. N A Sieg of Farrell and Miss Mary Luce. The funeral services will be held Tuesday afternoon at 2 o'clock with the Rev. C. A. Williams officiating. Interment will be made at Oakwood Cemetery." [1] Josiah is not mentioned in his fathers civil war pensioner reports and is not listed with the other children although he (Josiah) was living at the time the pension applications were filed. John and Amandas names appear as parents on Josiahs death certificate, and the names of his siblings in his obituary match those listed by John in his pensioners application. Possibly Josiah and John were not on speaking terms and John refused to acknowledge his sons existence (other evidences of feuds in the family are documented). Another possibility is that Josiah is the son of Amanda and a first husband who died soon after Josiah's birth. Language in John's pension application does allude to the fact that it was the first marriage for both parties, however (for instance, wife's name is listed as Miss Amanda BOLE, daughter of James & Elizabeth BOLE---not as Mrs. Amanda so and so, dau. of J & E BOLE, which would likely be the case if she had been married before). Amanda could have, of course, had Josiah out of wedlock, either with John or another party and for this reason, John did not wish to disclose this fact on his application. (Josiah was born, apparently, 3 years before John & Amanda's marriage). Obviously John gave his surname to Josiah, although, whether this is due to actual paternity or to adoptive purposes is unknown. Amanda and Josiah are not found in the 1850 Mercer Co. census, although John Luce, about 19 at the time, is living with his mother and other siblings. The whereabouts of Amanda and Josiah in 1850 and the identity of his father are uncertain at this point. There is a possibility that Josiah's middle name is Wilson, after Wilson BOAL/BOLE(S), the brother or cousin of Josiah's mother Amanda. This is a commonly passed down name in the family and possibly derived from a surname of a relative. In the 1870 census for Venango Co., PA, Josiah and John are shown living with Wilson BOLES and wife Nettie while working in oil fields. Location of Amanda during 1870 census is unknown (have not seen returns for Hickory Twp., Mercer Co., PA 1870). It is assumed that Wilson is Amanda's brother----in the 1850 Census for Sandy Creek Twp, Mercer Co., PA, there is a Wilson BOLE (spelled BOWLS in the listing) with parents James and Elizabeth (same as Amanda's parents' names). As Amanda is not present in the listing, further investigation is necessary in order to positively link her with this family.
To get to Oak Grove Cemetery, go north of Mercer on route 62. A couple of miles out, you will go through a railroad underpass. Take the Airport Road to the left and stay on it until you see the Oak Grove Wesleyan Methodist on your right. The cemetery is just ahead on your left. Sorry, I can't give you good directions to Millbank Cemetery because I would be going cross country on dirt roads. Norma Fischer Joy or Rudolph Fulgham wrote: > Hey Gang, > I am going to be in the neighborhood on Wednesday. > I was wondering if any one can send me the hours of the Historical society? > Also I was wondering if any one can give me directions to the Oak Grove > Cemetery as well as the Millbank Cemetery from the Mercer-Greenville Rd. > > Joy > > ==== PAMERCER Mailing List ==== > > Any questions/problems regarding the PAMERCER-L list, contact the > listowner, Michael L. Hebert mailto:mhebert.usgw@worldnet.att.net > Visit the Mercer County, Pennsylvania Genealogy web site at: > http://www.rootsweb.com/~pamercer/ > This list is sponsored by the RootsWeb Genealogical Data Cooperative. > Please help support Rootsweb: > http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/how-to-subscribe.html
Hello everyone, Researching those pesky Smiths or Johnsons? You'll be happy to know that an everyname index is now online at the Mercer Co. Archive page: http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/pa/mercerz.html Searching Tips - Mercer County 1850 Census Even with an index, the Mercer Co. 1850 census is a large record to search, with over 30,000 names to choose from. If you can't find the surname that you are looking for, here are some things to keep in mind: 1. Alternate spellings - Different spellings can be especially tricky if they occur near the beginning of the surname, and you are trying to use the search button on your browser, or an alphabetically sorted index. Looking for Humphry? How about Umphry? Knox? How about Nocks? McCan? How about Can? Kenada? How about Canada? McClane? Have you tried McLain? These are just a few of the many variations you'll come across in this census. Scan through all of the names in a township, and you may come up with ideas for new starting points. Remember that the electronic file is just a fast check- you can always check the actual microfilm! 2. Localize the search - Consulting other records, such as one of the county histories, can be very helpful in narrowing down the locality for a search. If you need microfilm for other counties, please see the National Archives links mentioned at the top of the 1850 census page. Also, trying an earlier or later census may uncover those who were absent during one enumeration. 3. Surnames enumerated by R. Henderson were listed as ditto marks (") after the head of household on the original schedules. Therefore, the surname (as well as birthplace and occupation) has less spelling accuracy (there was less chance to cross-check the handwriting for these particular names against other versions of handwriting for the same family). 4. Some people have detected transcription errors- please keep in mind that the interpretation in the transcript can be wrong. Important leads should be verified from microfilm! While the handwriting is pretty good for most of the schedules, legibility problems are still plentiful, and some names defy interpretation. With sufficient haste, you can make "Daniel" look like "David", "Sawyer" look like "Lawyer", or "Chairmaker" look like "Chainmaker". Try it! If you are certain that you've found an error, you are welcome to forward notice of the mistake to Richard_Winder@bc.sympatico.ca Here is a list of common look-alikes in this census (the equivalences can be read in either direction). If you've hit a brick wall, you might try some variations based on them: UPPER CASE CONFUSION P=B=R=K=H=N I=J=S F=T=J L=S M=W P=T U=V lower case confusion a=e a=o (very common) a=u e=i (very common) o=ie u=ee c=e c=i d=el/cl s=r g=y=z n=m m=nr rm = nn t=l u=v w=m b=l h=li k=h p=fr r=n (very common) ending s = ending z Numeric confusion 0=1 1=7=9 4=9=5 2=9 5=6=0 2=3 8=9 Happy hunting! Richard S. Winder (Richard_Winder@bc.sympatico.ca)
John, All your efforts and time in doing this for everyone is very admirable. We out here in cyberspace do appreciate everything that you are doing. I do hope that you know that. Thank you so much for everything. I have found quite a few relatives in the different townships that you have e-mailed to me. A hugh "WA DO" ----------------That's Thank you in Cherokee. Later Karen In Texas
Hi Mercer Gang: What a response to my Raystown request! You people are the greatest! My thanks to Wilma S., Pat S., Jack & Marilyn H., Bev L., George M., Nancy OA, Jane GSB, Donna M., Esther Mc., Fred Mc., Carolyn and any of you for whom I've not yet received your response. This is a lesson in PA geography! I hope I can be of assistance to you in the future. Sincerely, Max James Nebraska ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]
Hey Gang, I am going to be in the neighborhood on Wednesday. I was wondering if any one can send me the hours of the Historical society? Also I was wondering if any one can give me directions to the Oak Grove Cemetery as well as the Millbank Cemetery from the Mercer-Greenville Rd. Joy
Max, The Raystown Dam on the Raystown branch of the Juniata River is just south of Huntingdon, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. There must have been a town somewhere near there at one time for the name to have been adopted. There is no present Raystown in my atlas. Maybe the Pennsylvania Line shows a Raystown. Mac
Max James is looking for Raystown, PA. The town is not listed on the current PA state map. Not sure what became of the town, but Raystown Dam is certainly still very much in existence. It is located Huntingdon County on the Raystown branch of the Juniata River, in a triangle of land between Huntingdon, Mt. Union and Martinsburg.
Does anyone know where a town called Raystown, PA, might have been? One of my DEAN ancestors is said to have died there in 1821. These DEANs were known to have been in Huntingdon, Mercer and Lawrence counties at different periods of time so I'm assuming it was/is in one of those counties. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks, Max James ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]
I looked at my map and noticed there is also a Raystown Lake and a Raystown State Park. In case the original requester doesn't know where Huntingdon County is - it's in the middle of state southwest of Altoona, south of State College, almost due west of Harrisburg.
Hello list members, Fairview Township is completed. Those of you who've requested previous census indexes (Cool Spring, Deer Creek, Delaware and East Lackawannock townships) should now recieve the Fairview index - you're on my mailing list. If you have not received it in a day or so, let me know. Any others who would like it, please e-mail me. As before, the names are arranged alphabetically by surname. It also includes the family number as written in the census, as well as the first names of the individuals and their ages. If you would like a copy of ALL of the information available, I will send it as an e-mail attachment, which you should be able to open in any word processing program. (The file is in TEXT format). Because of my time constraints, I regret to say that I am unable to search for or send any individual families. The entire townships are not, however, very large document (Delaware, the largest to date, is 148k). I appreciate the many thanks and kind words I've recieved from many of you and hope this helps you breach those ever-present brick walls! Regards, John MacDonald 1021 Hancock Road Williamstown MA 01267-3021 413-458-0056 macillus@bcn.net
I am looking for information about Charles VANN (married to Nellie Ryser). I do not have Charles' birth or death dates. Nellie was born in 1883 and died in 1961. I believe Charles may have been born in the Mercer Co., PA. area. My father says Charles was a conductor on a streetcar that ran from Sharon, PA. through Hubbard, Ohio. Does anyone know how I might find out more about Charles' experiences as a conductor? He later moved to N.Y. and owned a dairy farm south of Buffalo. Joani