Thursday, December 31, 2015

1951 - Bridge Construction Photographs

These two photographs of a bridge under construction were included in the photography collections from my family. The were mixed in with photographs from Erie County, Pennsylvania and Clarion County, Pennsylvania.

The men in the photograph and the location of the bridge are currently unknown. The photographs were taken in late May and early June 1951. The only hint at the location is the caption on the back of the one photograph which indicates "Jim & fellows on bridge at Lovells".
Michelle M. Murosky: The Unknowns &emdash; 1951 - Bridge Photograph
The back of the photograph reads: "May 31, 1951”

Michelle M. Murosky: The Unknowns &emdash; 1951 - Bridge Photograph
The back of the photograph reads: "Jim & fellows on bridge at Lovells'. Early June, 1951".



Photographer Unknown. Editing and digital restoration by Michelle M. Murosky.

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Vintage Christmas Photographs - The Murosky Family

December 28, 2015 This blog post has been updated. The names of the children have been determined and their ages have been used to identify the dates of the photographs. The blog post has also been updated to show the photographs in chronological order. The first grouping of photographs is estimated to have been taken in 1953. The second grouping of photographs is estimated to have been taken in 1957. 

The Helen Tillie Bukowski Collection contained vintage Christmas photographs that appear to have been taken at different holidays. Some of the photographs may have been taken in the late 1940's.

The photographs were most likely taken at the home of Helen Tillie Bukowski which was located at 729 East 24th Street in Erie, Erie County, Pennsylvania. The photographs were taken in the same location as the piano and carpet are common elements.  The first grouping of the photographs feature wall paper in the parlor. The second grouping of photographs feature painted walls in the parlor.

1951 Vintage Christmas Photograph - The Murosky Family

This photograph of Marian Elaine Murosky was taken December 25, 1951. The back of the photograph has a hand written label that reads "Marian Dec 25 1951". The photograph was most likely labeled by her mother Helen.She would have been 16 years old in this photograph.  

Michelle M. Murosky: The Murosky Collection &emdash; Vintage Christmas
Marian Elaine Murosky

1953 Vintage Christmas Photographs - The Murosky Family


The first grouping of photographs feature Helen Tillie Bukowski with her grandchildren. Helen's daughter Rita Ann Murosky is also featured. The parlor in these photographs has floral wall paper. This grouping of photographs is estimated to have been taken in 1953 based on the ages of the grandchildren. 
Michelle M. Murosky: The Murosky Collection &emdash; Vintage Christmas
Helen Tillie Bukowski with her grandson - Ronald Murosky, son of Edward V. Murosky and Margaret Forgash. Helen's husband, Anthony Harry Murosky, Jr., is the man in the framed photograph on the far left side of the piano.

Michelle M. Murosky: The Murosky Collection &emdash; Vintage Christmas
Helen Tillie Bukowski with her two children. The boys are Ronald Murosky, son of Edward V. Murosky and Margaret Forgash (center) and Kenneth Niemi, son of Rita Ann Murosky and Walter E. Niemi (right).

Michelle M. Murosky: The Murosky Collection &emdash; Vintage Christmas
Helen Tillie Bukowski watches Kennth Niemi, her grandson, open a gift with assistance of his mother Rita Ann Murosky. The woman her back to the camera is currently unknown.
Michelle M. Murosky: The Murosky Collection &emdash; Vintage Christmas
Helen Tillie Bukowski stands adjacent to an ironing board. Her grandson, Kenneth Niemi, plays below the Christmas tree on the left side of the frame. Ronald Murosky is on the right side of the frame wearing a cowboy hat. Helen's daughter Rita Ann Murosky is standing on the right side of the photograph.


1957 Vintage Christmas Photographs - The Murosky Family

The second grouping of photographs feature Helen Tillie Bukowski with her daughter Marian Elaine Murosky. This grouping of photographs appears to have been taken in 1957 based on the age of the baby in the photograph. 
Michelle M. Murosky: The Murosky Collection &emdash; Vintage Christmas
Marian Elaine Murosky holding her daughter Janet.
Michelle M. Murosky: The Murosky Collection &emdash; Vintage Christmas
Helen Tillie Bukowski with her daughter Marian Elaine Murosky.
Michelle M. Murosky: The Murosky Collection &emdash; Vintage Christmas
Helen Tillie Bukowski carries a poinsettia
Note the rotary phone in the photograph.
Michelle M. Murosky: The Murosky Collection &emdash; Vintage Christmas
Helen Tillie Bukowski
Note the old radio behind Helen.
The photographs were part of the Helen Tillie Bukowski Collection. Helen was married to Anthony Harry Murosky, Jr. Rita Ann Murosky and Marian Elaine Murosky are their daughters. Rita Ann Murosky married Walter E. Niemi - their son Kenneth Niemi is included in several of these photographs. Anthony and Helen's son Edward V. Murosky married Margaret Forgash. Their son Ronald is shown in several of the photographs. Photographer Unknown. Editing and digital restoration by Michelle M. Murosky.

Helen Tillie Bukowski is my great grandmother. Her son Arthur Murosky is my paternal grandfather. Rita Ann Murosky and Marian Elaine Murosky are my great aunts. 

Saturday, December 19, 2015

The Mystery of Pvt John McDonald - Civil War Solider

While preparing submissions for The Families of Clarion County, Pennsylvania to be published by the Clarion County Historical Society I solved one of the many mysteries in my family tree - the final fate of Pvt. John McDonald - Civil War Solider. For many years I knew John had served in the Civil War - I just had not come to a conclusion on what happened to him as there was no record of him following the war. While researching Civil War Muster Rolls I connected with Joe Nihen. Joe has been researching members of the 208th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Company H. He was also searching for a John McDonald but after discussion we concluded  we were not searching for the same John McDonald. Despite all of that Joe helped to locate some documents on the John McDonald I was looking for - my 4th great uncle. Special thanks to Joe for his willingness to assist me - it is most appreciated. 

John McDonald, son of Irish immigrants David McDonald and Bridget Dunn, was born 1836 in Farmington Township. The History of Clarion County Pennsylvania records David McDonald in the list of early settlers of Farmington Township.

The 1850 United States Federal Census recorded John living with his parents and seven siblings in Farmington Township. His father David was recorded as a farmer. The birth location of his parents and older brother James was recorded as Ireland. The local school teacher, John Toomy, was also recorded living in the household.

The 1860 United States Federal Census recorded John living with his parents and seven siblings in Farmington Township. His father David was recorded as a farmer.

John was recorded in the June 1863 Civil War Draft registration records for Farmington Township. A copy of the draft registration record shows John on line 13 and his brother Michael on line 12.

Michelle M. Murosky: Blog Images &emdash; U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865
Civil War Draft Registration RecordsPennsylvania, 20th, Vol 2 of 2
The History of Clarion County Pennsylvania indicates John enlisted in the Union Army. He initially served with Company F, 63rd regiment. He was later transferred to Company H, One Hundred and Fifth Regiment on February 25, 1864.

Details of the Company H, 105th Regiment, Pennsylvania indicate that the company participated in the several battles after John mustered into the regiment. John's specific involvement in these battles is unknown.
  • Fought on May 4-8, 1864 at the battle of The Wilderness in Spotsylvania  County and Orange County, VA. 
  • Fought on 10 May 10, 12, 15, 19, 23 and 24 1864 at the battle of Spotsylvania Court House in Spotsylvania County, VA. 
  • Fought on May 23 and 24 1864 at the battle of North Anna in Caroline County and Hanover County, VA. 
  • Fought on 31 May 31, 1864 the Battle of Cold Harbor in Hanover County, VA. 
  • Fought on June 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 1864 at the Battle of Petersburg in, Petersburg, VA. 
  • Fought on August 6, 12, 15, and 16, 1864 at The Second  Deep Bottom Battle at  Henrico County, VA. 
  • Fought on August 18 and 21, 1864 at Petersburg, VA. 
  • Fought on September 4, 1864. 
  • Fought on September 9, 10 and 16, 1864 at Petersburg, VA. 
  • Fought on September 19, 1864.
The Pennsylvania State Archives Civil War Veteran's Card File, 1861-1866 indicates that John McDonald was filed as John McDonnell.
Michelle M. Murosky: Blog Images &emdash; McDonald, John C - 68 - I Muster Roll
Pennsylvania State Archives
John McDonald - 68th Regiment, 
Infantry

Michelle M. Murosky: Blog Images &emdash; McDonnell, John H - 105 - I Muster Roll
Pennsylvania State Archives
John McDonnell - Company H, 105th Regiment, Infantry
Notes in John's file indicated was hospitalized from wounds that he received. He died on October 16, 1864 from chronic diarrhea. He is recorded in the Registers of Deaths of Volunteers. He is recorded on the third line from the bottom.
Michelle M. Murosky: Blog Images &emdash; U.S., Registers of Deaths of Volunteers, 1861-1865 Box 51 Page 1
Registers of Deaths of Volunteers
He is buried in Beverly National Cemetery in Beverly, Burlington County, New Jersey. His grave marker references Company H, 105 PA. Inf. To view a copy of his grave marker visit this link.

John left a few mysteries which remain unsolved. The Last Will and Testament for John’s father David McDonald was recorded February 16, 1871. The will includes references that John was deceased and had a son named William: “the sum of one dollar to my grandson William McDonald son of John McDonald now deceased.” To date no additional details are known about William.

John McDonald is my 4th great uncle. He is the son of David McDonald and Bridget Dunn my 4th great grandparents. My paternal grandmother Mary Eugenia McDonald is a descendant of David McDonald and Bridget Dunn through their son Michael McDonald. 

References:
  1. 1850 United States Federal Census. Source Citation: Year: 1850; Census Place: Farmington, Clarion, Pennsylvania; Roll: M432_767; Page: 193B; Image: 392. Record for David McDonald. Line 42. 
  2. 1850 United States Federal Census. Source Citation: Year: 1850; Census Place: Farmington, Clarion, Pennsylvania; Roll: M432_767; Page: 193B; Image: 392. Record for Bridget McDonald. Lines 1-10. 
  3. 1860 United States Federal Census. Source Citation: Year: 1860; Census Place: Farmington, Clarion, Pennsylvania; Roll: M653_1095; Page: 144; Image: 148; Family History Library Film: 805095. Record for David McDonald. Lines 10-19. 
  4. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Consolidated Lists of Civil War Draft Registration Records (Provost Marshal General's Bureau; Consolidated Enrollment Lists, 1863-1865); Record Group: 110, Records of the Provost Marshal General's Bureau (Civil War); Collection Name: Consolidated Enrollment Lists, 1863-1865 (Civil War Union Draft Records); ARC Identifier: 4213514; Archive Volume Number: 2 of 2. Record for John McDonald, 20th Congressional District. 
  5. A. J. Davis, History of Clarion County, Pennsylvania with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers (Clarion County Historical Society, 1887), Clarion County Historical Society, Chapter 35 History of Farmington Township. Chapter XIX Company F, 63rd Regiment Page 207 Chapter LIII History of Farmington Township Page 515 
  6. Pennsylvania State Archives. Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866 Indexes. McDonald, John, F – 63 I, 2-511 
  7. Pennsylvania State Archives. Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866 Indexes. McDonnell, John – H-105 I, Muster Roll  
  8. Ancestry.com. U.S., Registers of Deaths of Volunteers, 1861-1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Original data: Registers of Deaths of Volunteers, compiled 1861–1865. ARC ID: 656639. Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780's–1917. Record Group 94. National Archives at Washington, D.C. Record for Jno McDonald. 
  9. Find A Grave. Pvt John McDonald. Find A Grave Memorial# 27625754.

Monday, December 14, 2015

Family Tree Maker is being Retired - Now What?

On Tuesday, December 8 Ancestry.com announced the retirement of Family Tree Maker 2014. Family Tree Maker is a desktop software platform used by many family researchers and genealogists to document their family history. One of the features that made Family Tree Maker unique was the ability sync research between desktop trees (trees located on a computer) and the Ancestry online trees. The sync process allowed data and media items like photographs or copies of historical records to be transferred back and forth.

Ancestry.com indicated in the retirement message that they would continue to support Family Tree Maker with full functionality through January 1, 2017.  There will be no ability sync after January 1, 2017.

My initial reaction after reading the announcement was that that I felt sick to my stomach. So many questions immediately came to my mind....... What happens now? What do I do? How difficult is it going to be to transfer 15 years of research to another software package? How much time is this going to take? What if my research file gets messed up? What will this do for future sharing and collaboration? How will this impact my workflow moving forward?

There are many different workflow models that researchers use. There is no right or wrong workflow - each researcher has to select a workflow that works best for them. My workflow is best illustrated through the graphic below: 
Michelle M. Murosky: Blog Images &emdash;

My family tree research is made up of three primary data sources:
  • Historical Records - Historical records make up the bulk of my research. Historical records include items like Census Records, Ships Manifests, Passport Applications, Birth Records, Marriage Records, Death Certificates, Cemetery Records, Military Records, Will & Probable Records, Maps, Historical Book references, etc. Historical records come many sources. In addition to using the numerous data bases at Ancestry.com I also utilize other genealogy sites like FamilySearch, Find a Grave and other archival websites like Pennsylvania State Archives.
  • Family Stories & Details - These are stories and details family members have shared with me other the years. These include memories and other personal recollections that have been incorporated into my research. 
  • Photographs & Items from Family Collections - One of the projects I have been working on is to digitize the old collection of family photographs in my care. As these photographs are processed in conjunction with the Portraits of a Life Project the photographs have been linked to individuals and events in my research file. Other items that have been added include newspaper clippings, diplomas, wedding invitations and other items my ancestors saved.
My workflow model is more on the traditional side, My main research file is saved on my computer. I use Family Tree Maker software to access and edit my family tree.  As I evaluate historical records I manually enter the historical record, cite the source and link the record to individuals and events. In some cases copies of original historical records exist. In these cases I download a copy of the record and save it into my filing system. After renaming the record I attached the record as a piece of "media" to the citation. In a similar manner photographs and other items from the family collections are uploaded as "media" items that are linked to individuals.

If your interested in learning more about how I used Family Tree Maker see this link for screen shots of the detailed individual screen, media screens and sources screens.

Although Family Tree Maker offered the ability to import records directly from Ancestry.com databases - I opted not to use that feature. 

After completing a batch of updates on my desktop tree I would sync to my Ancestry online tree. The Sync feature allowed me to update my Ancestry online tree - allowing that tree to be a living document that would grow with the addition of new ancestors, historical documents and photographs. The ability to update and share data fostered collaboration for many researchers.

The use of Sync also allowed researchers to share photographs and media housed in their private collections. The modern world is allowing researchers like myself to digitize private collections that were previously unknown to other researchers. For example, the photograph below is Leopold Guth, my 3rd great grandfather. There are currently seven generations of descendants of Leopold Guth. Sync allowed me to easily share priceless photographs like this one with other researchers so they could learn more about our shared ancestors.

The data found in the private collections doesn't exist in data bases  I do find it curious that in this data driven world Ancestry.com would make it harder for researchers to share the data housed in their extensive private collections. To date many of my media items including photographs have been shared by other researchers.
Michelle M. Murosky: The Guth Collection &emdash; Leopold Guth
Leopold Guth, my 3rd Great Grandfather
In addition to family research I have also DNA tested several individuals in my family utilizing the AncestryDNA product. The AncestryDNA module allows researchers to link the test individual to an Ancestry online tree. The benefit of linking DNA matches to a tree is helps genetic cousins better understand how they relate to one another. The DNA Circles feature in the AncestryDNA module uses the content in Ancestry Online trees to inform genetic cousins of a possible shared ancestor with our genetic cousins.

My research includes both ancestral and descendant research. The use of Sync allowed my Ancestry online tree to be updated.  My expanded tree has also assisted other researchers who are using DNA to learn more about their family. There are several cases where adopted individuals have reached out to me because my expanded research has helped them better understand their own lineage. 

This all leaves me wondering - how will this impact collaboration? Collaboration and sharing is what made the Ancestry platform so unique. In the current model there is no way to update an existing online tree. Once Ancestry.com stops supporting Sync on January 1, 2017 there will be no easy way for a researcher similar to myself to update our trees. How will this impact collaboration and features like DNA Circles?

As it stands today researchers like myself have some decisions to make. After a few days thinking, reading and interacting with other researchers at the Ancestry forums there look to be two options for moving forward -

Option 1 - Transition to an Ancestry Online Tree

Researchers that would pursue this option would shift from desktop software to utilizing Ancestry's online tree format. Work would be done through the internet based interface.

Considerations of this option:
  • Online access would be required for a researcher to access and work on their tree. 
  • Moving forward (based on what we know today) there would be no easy way to download all of your research with media files to your computer. 
  • If a researcher is using a public tree - their "work in progress" would be visible to other researchers.
  • The online trees in the current format are not capable of producing reports and charts that desktop software packages can. 
  • Researchers are dependent on Ancestry.com  
Option 2 - Transition to a new Desktop Software Package

Researchers that pursue this option would make the shift from Family Tree Maker to another one of the desktop software platforms.

Considerations of this option:
  • The Researcher would have to determine their workflow when evaluating desktop software options.
  • Time will be needed for data review and checking after making the transition.
  • With what we know today collaboration with Ancestry.com online trees would be eliminated.  If the researcher wishes to maintain an Ancestry.com online tree they would need to do manually update their online tree. It may not be practical for researchers to do the work "twice". 
  • There may be opportunities for online collaboration with other desktop software packages.
  • The ability to work offline.
  • The researcher is not dependent on Ancestry.com to house their data. 
Where does this leave me? 

The discontinuation of Family Tree Maker has made me reevaluate research plans I had for 2016. Transitioning to an online tree is not a work flow I am interested in shifting to. As stated earlier in this post I prefer to work, research and ponder before making my research public.  Additionally, I often run reports and generate charts when collaborating with other researchers. I also prefer working from the computer when working on my tree. 

Before making any decisions about which desktop software package to shift to I am going to wait for the dust to settle. Perhaps Ancestry.com will be willing to sell Family Tree Maker to another company or they will re-think their decision to discontinue to Family Tree Maker. If they do not then I will start the process of evaluating what software package to shift to. 

If this decision does become permanent - the biggest question I keep coming back to is - how will this impact future collaboration