Having established that our second great grandfather Aaron Sechler (father of New York police officer George Sechler) completed two tours of duty in the Civil War, and having noted that Aaron’s first regiment, the Pennsylvania 132nd Infantry, took part in the infamous Battle of Antietam, I wanted find evidence that Aaron himself was actually atContinue reading “The 132nd Infantry of Pennsylvania”
Category Archives: Sechler
Searching for Crossing Paths in the Civil War
Great grandfather Edward Sandford was not our only ancestor to fight in the United States Civil War. Our second great grandfather Aaron Sechler, the father of our great grandfather George Sechler, served in the war for three years. Although they were a generation apart, Aaron Sechler was only three years older than Edward. The 1860Continue reading “Searching for Crossing Paths in the Civil War”
An Early Crossing of Paths Between The Swan and Sechler Families
Our mother recalls that her first planned meeting with the Sandford family at the Ontario homestead had to be postponed because of the death of our father’s grandmother. Our great grandmother Mabel Tuttle Swan died in October 1951 at age 85. Had our mother met Mattie Swan, there is a small possibility that they couldContinue reading “An Early Crossing of Paths Between The Swan and Sechler Families”
Linked Memories: Traces of George and Laura Sechler
Can we find anything in our present memories that links us back to the life of our great grandfather George Sechler, who died at age 33 in 1907 in the line of duty as a New York City police officer? This is no easy task–his wife, Laura, apparently spoke very little about her husband toContinue reading “Linked Memories: Traces of George and Laura Sechler”
The Sechler and Hynes Families Unite in Brooklyn
The Sechler and Hynes families came together in the 1920s in Bushwick, Brooklyn where they lived one block apart. Great grandmother Laura Sechler and daughter Ruth lived at 987 Hancock Street while Great grandparents James and Bessie Hynes lived at 1008 with their four children. The Bushwick Avenue Baptist Church, where James was preacher, wasContinue reading “The Sechler and Hynes Families Unite in Brooklyn”
The Extended Wright Family–Uncle Fred, Seafood, Mafia Threats, and Amateur Genetic Research
Great grandmother Laura Sechler and her daughter Ruth did not face the world alone following the death of husband and father George–they had support from their extended family. Second great grandparents John Nelson Wright and Eliza Marshall Wright had a son and four daughters, all born on Prince Edward Island between 1864 and 1878. AContinue reading “The Extended Wright Family–Uncle Fred, Seafood, Mafia Threats, and Amateur Genetic Research”
Laura and Ruth Move Forward Together
Great grandmother Laura Sechler was forty years old with seven week-old daughter Ruth when they lost husband/father George in April 1907. In the years to follow, chaos and public spectacle would give way to a new everyday life as the pair adapted to their situation. The 1910 Census shows that Laura moved back to herContinue reading “Laura and Ruth Move Forward Together”
Memorials to George Sechler and Alfred Selleck
In Washington DCʼs Judiciary Square, about eight blocks from the U.S. Capitol, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial bears the names of tens of thousands of police officers who have lost their lives across the country since the late 19th century. The names of our great grandfather George Sechler and his fellow New York CityContinue reading “Memorials to George Sechler and Alfred Selleck”
Justice for George Sechler and Alfred Selleck
In the aftermath of the murders of our great grandfather George Sechler and Alfred Selleck, the trial of Salvatore Governale proceeded at lightning speed by today’s standards. The indictment was dated Monday, April 29, 1907, two weeks and one day after the murders. The trial in a Manhattan courtroom began a week later on Tuesday,Continue reading “Justice for George Sechler and Alfred Selleck”
William Wright, the Engineer from Newburgh
In our recent examination of the extended ancestry of great grandfather George Sechler we skipped over a small but interesting detail. Six generations above George, in his mother’s mother’s quadrant of his family tree is his fourth great grandmother Hannah Wright (1692-1768) and her father Jonathan Wright (1635-1689), from Flushing, Queens, New York. This getsContinue reading “William Wright, the Engineer from Newburgh”
Bridging the Silences 