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The a3Genealogy researchers have been
laboring of late in Pennsylvania research.
First there was the migratory paths project from PA to the Missouri
Rhineland research, and then a large Quaker Study media project. Right when I
thought we were done with PA for just a short while, I labored over a
resourceful article on researching almshouses and institutionalized hospitals,
that is chocked full of tips to uncover your institutionalized ancestors in a
“closed state.” This article will be
published in the upcoming Pennsylvania
Legacies, Historical Society of PA and it also shares light on other
states. This has been our summer.
Brickwall Horror Show
Then, to top it off we have two rather pesty brickwalls that
demanded a visit to PA. They represent the horror shows of genealogy: name
changes, early deaths, PA to MO migration in 1840’s, widows remarry, repeat
family names, no marriages records (or wills, or deeds or court records) to
identify parentage or dates. Yep, long on family folklore, short on proof. But, we did add to our possible hint list as
we visited some fun repositories.
Philadelphia
Our favorite in Philadelphia was the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Well that was just fun. Just scouring the card catalog opened our eyes
to surnames and spelling options. Ask
yourself, how many ways can you really spell Barnds. Oh, oh, I know. There’s Barndz, Bards, Barnitz, Barns, Bard,
and of course Barnes. And yes, we found
our subject using all those surname spellings.
There were Bible Records in books - great way to find a marriage. Thank you Charles! And, county books, that placed the family
first in Lycoming and Clinton County vs Washington County PA. It was here that we learned that Dunstable
township changed counties and the family was very active in the United
Methodist Church, not just the Lutheran / Episcopalian church of latter years..
That was just from the old fashion card catalog. But we still didn’t have
answers to our critical objectives so off to Pittsburgh.
Church Reviews
Understanding PA German church structure/evolution is
essential. You will need to study this
on your own before an undertaking like this but here’s a basic summary.
Unscrambling
Misconceptions
Dutch PA Church = German
Reform church not Netherlands
Anabaptists = Amish, and
Mennonites. Think religious freedom but
often poor records, with the occasional family bible.
Then you have the following:
Lutheran --àEvangelical Lutheran
Church
Roman Catholics
Evangelical Church: United Methodist Church / Evangelical Congressional
More complicated than it needs to be, but your understanding
of the church names and its evolution will solve half your battles and allow
you to focus your research. And, quite
frankly from this you will know what to expect.
Whereas the top ones on the list have good records, I cannot say the
same for early United Methodist Church records.
For success, you may need to snuff out the pastors in hopes of getting
detailed pastoral records that may assist with your family’s migration within
the state, and across the nation.
Pittsburgh
If time is limited, as it was for me, you will want to
surely visit the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society library located at
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh in Oakland, next to Carnegie Mellon University. (See comment below- corrected 2 Dec 2017). Here there
were some great finds.
It was here that I found more information on the Western PA
Conference United Methodist Church (WPAUMC) and a few helpful resources like
the Pastoral Records extracts. This led
me to the original church records needed also.
The most delightful reference books however were the compilations
of Deaths 1834-1855 and Marriages 1834-1855 and Marriages of 1856-1865 “gleaned
from” The Pittsburgh Christian Advocate.
Other Resources
This research requires the genealogists to be heavily
armed.
- One of our favorite tools is the Methodism in Western PA 1784-1968 by Wallace Guy Smeltzer, D. D. Editor. You may not only uncover your ancestor mentioned in the Ministerial Records, but also in various Appointments.
- Also, the Western Pennsylvania conference United Methodist Church 1784-1986, provides Pastoral Appointments to Churches.
Patience
All of our objectives have not yet been met, and we are
still ferreting out hints to verify and confirm kinships, but answers are slowly
trickling in. And where there was a solid brickwall, we are seeing rays of
sunlight peeking through.
Of course we had to add one more spelling of the name:
Barndtz!
Kathleen Brandt
a3genealogy.com
Accurate, accessible answers
