Tip - Don't Overlook Old Social News

Have you ever tried to piece together who's who in a family? Of course you have! It really gets interesting when the eldest children in family are having grandkids while their younger siblings are still working on cranking out their own babies. Well stop banging your head on the desk in frustration!

If your ancestors lived in a small town, don't overlook the social gossip that was printed in the newspapers. They often show party guest lists, out of town visitors, medical updates, estate sales (with every item being sold listed), etc. In small towns everyone knew everyone else's business.

Guest lists for family dinners or reunions can be a real find for the family genealogist. At these events you know that almost everyone who attended is related to the host in some way, by blood or marriage. Now that you have the names, you just need to piece them together. Of course there is always the possibility to keep in mind that single attendees may have been boyfriends or girlfriends who never made it to marrying into the family....or they could be grandkids or inlaws or....

Here is an example from my paternal family. The folks I've been able to positively identify have corresponding notes. There are a few that I'm still working on and haven't pinpointed their relationship yet.

I've used my paternal grandmother, Ada M. (DeHart) Yohn as the base person to use in the relationship metric.

News article that appeared in the Reading (Berks County, PA) Eagle, on May 22, 1931

My notes on the Guest List:

Rev. A. R. Bachman - pastor of St. John's Reformed Church, Mt. Aetna, Berks Co., PA, the family church

Miss Maggie Stumbach

Mrs. Lizzie Lightner

Samuel DeHart - brother to my grandmother

Mr. and Mrs. Lewis B. Miller, Philadelphia - sister to my grandmother (Martha)

Mr. and Mrs. John Thomas

Mrs Emma Hoffman and Children, Jacob and Russell - sister to my grandmother

Mrs. Kate Boeshore and daughter Emma, Fredericksburg - sister to my grandmother

Mr. and Mrs. Frank DeHart and daughter Mary - brother to my grandmother

Charles DeHart - brother to my grandmother

Mrs. Ada Yohn and children Floyd, Evelyn, Arline, and Fern - my grandmother and her 4 kids, my Dad wasn't born until December of that year.

Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Bulles and children Elizabeth and Bernice - sister to my grandmother (Lillie)

Mrs. Carrie Sherman, Reading - sister to my grandmother

Mr. and Mrs. Hiram DeHart and children Allen and Alberta - brother to my grandmother

Miss Maggie DeHart - sister to my grandmother

Mr. and Mrs. Lewis DeHart and children Lucille and Curtis - brother to my grandmother

Mr. and Mrs. Henry DeHart, Myerstown - brother to my grandmother

Mr. and Mrs. George DeHart, Lebanon - brother to my grandmother

Mr. and Mrs. Artemus Bulles - nephew to my grandmother,  Raymond and Lillie Bulles's son

Lewis Bear - Carrie Sherman's companion/2nd husband (actually spelled Louis)

Stanley Adams, Reading

William Shimp, Wernersville

Mildred, Eleanor and Lucy Ream. Fredericksburg - My grandmother's sister, Kate Boeshore's granddaughters via daughter Mary E. (Boeshore) Ream

Miss Ethel Balthaser

Rufus Brigel - future husband of Elizabeth Bulles (dau of Raymond and Lillie Bulles)

Mr. and Mrs. Ross Bear, Reading - (related to Louis Bear, but how?)

Mystery Monday - Amos DeHart, Myerstown, PA

Mystery Monday - Amos DeHart, my gr-gr-grandfather

Some Background

Amos DeHart was my gr-gr-grandfather, residing in and buried in Myerstown, Lebanon County, PA. He married Lovina Schmidt Dieffenbach and they were the parents of two sons, Samuel J. DeHart and my gr-grandfather, Thomas Henry DeHart, known as Henry.

Amos was born 20 November 1814 in Pennsylvania, and died 10 March 1883 in Myerstown, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. He is buried (along with his widow Lovina, and son Samuel and Samuel's second wife, Emma) in Old Union Cemetery, Myerstown, PA.

My first record of Amos is when he appears in the 1850 Federal Census for Myerstown, Lebanon County, PA, as a "30" year old Laborer. Value of Real Estate owned - $1,000. In the same household is Caroline DeHart, aged 17, no relationship status given. At the same address, but enumerated as a separate household are Nicholas Noll, a 38 year old Laborer, his wife and their 4 children (ages 2, 3, 5, and 11).

By the 1860 Fed Census, Caroline DeHart has disappeared (married?, died? moved elsewhere?) and Amos is now married to Lovina. Samuel is 7 years old, Thomas Henry is 5. They no longer share the same enumerated property with another family. Amos is a Farm Laborer, Real Estate Value $1,600 and Personal Property Valued at $75.

In the 1870 Fed Census, Amos is listed as a Carpet Weaver, Lovina as "Keeping House" and 18 year old Samuel is an "Apprentice to Carpenter". Henry DeHart is 16 years old. Amos's Real Estate is valued at $1500 and his Personal Property is valued at $200. There are 2 other families also enumerated at this property: Henry Fox "Works In Stone Quarry", Personal Property Valued at $100, his wife and 3 children; and Thomas Achey, a 72 year old farm worker, personal property value $200 and 36 year old Harriet Achey, a dress maker.


By the 1880 Federal Census, the family is again enumerated as a sole household in the property: Amos, a carpet weaver; Lovina, his wife "Keeping House"; son Samuel "Laborer" and now Samuel's wife, Emma noted as "daughter-in-law" and "Boarder". (Samuel was married twice first to one Emma, who died and then to a second Emma). Henry has married and is living elsewhere.


Amos DeHart's wife was the former Lovina Dieffenbach, daughter of David Kastnitz Dieffenbach. Lovina's Dieffenbach family contained 3 generations of pipe organ builders and her brother Thomas was the fourth generation to carry on the well known and respected family business. Who was Amos that he could marry into such an old and established family?

The Mystery

My head banging mystery is who were Amos's parents? Where was he prior to 1850? Who was Caroline DeHart? (first wife, sister, cousin, ?)? He didn't just spring as a 30 year old man out of the Swatara Creek like Venus on her clamshell. What was his background? There are Amos DeHarts in Berks County, including one contemporary in Lower Alsace Township who is very close in age to my Amos. Were they cousins?  Carpet weaving and farming are common occupations of DeHarts in Eastern Berks County PA. Usually DeHarts in Berks engaged in Farming plus a second occupation. Lebanon County, where I find my Amos DeHart is the county just west of Berks. Myerstown is just over the county line. In all census records, my Amos claims to have been born in Pennsylvania.

Later generations of my Amos have crossed and recrossed the Berks/Lebanon County line.

I found a news article from 1955 that discussses an 1832-33 school year records book that belong to a school teacher who taught in Western Berks County. One of the names mentioned in the book is Amos DeHart. Is this MY Amos or a different one?

Any help, guidance or shining lights would be much appreciated.  Please help me crack this brick wall.

Tombstone Tuesday: Carrie DeHart Sherman Bear

Carrie M. (nee DeHart) Sherman Bear

Carrie M. DeHart was my paternal grandmother's younger sister. Since my paternal grandparents had both passed away before I was born, Aunt Carrie stepped in and acted as sort of a surrogate grandmother to me as a young girl. She was a classic Pennsylvania Dutch farm woman and she was fluent in both PA German dialect and in English, although her English was heavily accented.

Carrie was twice widowed, first in 1921, then again in 1961. When she passed on in 1974, she was buried in St. John's Church Cemetery, Mt. Aetna, Berks County, Pennsylvania, between her two husbands. She shares a stone with husband #1, Herbert Sherman. Husband #2, Lewis Bear, lies immediately to her right with his own military stone marker.

Carrie and Husband #1, Herbert Sherman.

Carrie's husband #2, Lewis Bear, who lies immediately to the right of Carrie.

I miss you Aunt Carrie!

Sentimental Sunday - 5 Generations, Same Church

St. John's Church

Mt. Aetna, Berks County, PA

 View of St. John's from the far end of the cemetery

(photo taken 25 September 2010 by Karen Fox)

St. John's Church is a small intimate country church. It was originated as a Protestant Reformed Congregation, and for many years was associated with the United Church of Christ. In 2003,  it elected to become an independent, non-denominational Christian Church. This was the church of my paternal family for five generations.

Buried in the adjoining church cemetery are

• my gr-gr-grandparents, Nathan and Elizabeth (Achenbach) Gruber
• my gr-grandparents, T.(Thomas) Henry and Mary E. (Gruber) DeHart
• my grandparents, Earl L. and Ada M. (DeHart) Yohn
• my father, John Henry Yohn
• I  [Karen M. (Yohn) Fox] was baptized as an infant in St. John's Church in 1958.

In addition, many extended family members were baptized, confirmed, married and/or buried at St. John's.

Interior view of St. John's sanctuary taken from rear right corner

(Photo taken 25 September 2010 by Karen Fox)

As a child I have many memories of visiting the cemetery to place flowers on my grandparents' grave (they both passed before I was born). When I'd see a familiar last name or an interesting looking tombstone, I'd always pester my father with questions -  "Who is that? Tell me about them!". He'd do his best, even if it belonged to a stranger. As I grew older, I saw the empty spaces in the cemetery slowly start to fill with relatives I knew and loved - my many gr-aunts and gr-uncles, my own aunts and uncles, my father's cousins, and then my father joined them. Visiting that cemetery is visiting my childhood.

*