At least two members of the Sechler family served in the Revolutionary War: our first cousin (5x removed) Michael Sechler and our fifth great uncle John Sechler. Michael Sechler (1762-1847) was the son of our fifth great uncle Abraham Sechler, whose role in the attack of 1757 was described in a previous post. A markerContinue reading “The Sechler Family in the American Revolution”
Monthly Archives: May 2020
Notes on using the website
I want to take a minute to point out some features of the website and blog. I am aware that in telling eight stories at the same time, each spanning centuries and containing multiple plot lines, it’s a lot to keep track of. These features may help. If you are reading the blog through anContinue reading “Notes on using the website”
The Sechler Family of Pennsylvania
Great grandfather George Sechler had deep roots in Pennsylvania going back to the early 18th and even late 17th century. The following diagram maps George’s traceable ancestors back to their points of immigration to America. From this view, we can see that most of the ancestors of George Sechler’s father, Aaron Sechler, came from Germany.Continue reading “The Sechler Family of Pennsylvania”
The Swan and Ingalls Families of England and Massachusetts
Having previously traced the ancestry of great grandfather Henry Edson Swan back to Silas Swan and Silas Kenworthy (Vermont, Ohio, Minnesota and California), we now move back to earlier generations. Our Swan ancestry goes back to colonial Massachusetts and Yorkshire England as shown below. (Another link we have to Yorkshire, England is in the ancestryContinue reading “The Swan and Ingalls Families of England and Massachusetts”
The Johnston and Winter Families of New Jersey and New York
We previously discussed 2nd great grandfather Dr. James Gordon (1838-1912) of Newburgh, New York. He was from Northern Ireland and his parents James Gordon and Susan McClughan originated from Edinburgh, Scotland. There is no earlier trace of this branch of the family. But there is quite a bit of information on the other half ofContinue reading “The Johnston and Winter Families of New Jersey and New York”
How Deep Are Our Newfoundland Roots?
Great grandfather James Louis Hynes immigrated from Newfoundland to Newburgh New York with his family sometime between 1890 and 1898 (ages 6-14). Four different United States Census reports give four different years for their arrival. 1895 (age 11) seems like the most credible number because that is the year recorded in the 1900 Census, theContinue reading “How Deep Are Our Newfoundland Roots?”
Glimpses of George Sechler’s Life and Personality
An irony of the life story of great grandfather George Sechler is that we know far more about him because of his early death than we would if he had survived the events of April 14, 1907. The two best sources of information about George years during and after his police career are newspaper articlesContinue reading “Glimpses of George Sechler’s Life and Personality”
The New York of 1907
I present this article pertaining to the aftermath of the shooting of great grandfather George Sechler as much for the item that appears below it as for the details on the arraignment of Salvatore Governale. The clipping is from the New York Sun, April 16, 1907. In 1907, the Williamsburg Bridge had been in serviceContinue reading “The New York of 1907”
The Charley Ross Kidnapping
During the summer of 1874, four year old Charley Ross and his six year old brother Walter were kidnapped by two men in an affluent Philadelphia neighborhood, resulting in a sensationalized investigation and series of events thought to be the first of its kind (the Lindbergh kidnapping would occur 58 years later). Walter was setContinue reading “The Charley Ross Kidnapping”
Bridging the Silences 