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Franklin County’s Town Canes (Part 2 of 4): Chambersburg’s Town Cane

January 20, 2025 by anderso Leave a Comment

The idea of a Town Cane evidently struck Chambersburg residents very well, because at least six Chambersburg men received the Public Opinion Town Cane.

Dr. George Fisk Platt, Civil War veteran and retired dentist, was the first recipient of Chambersburg’s Town Cane. Burgess Clyde H. Pensinger presented the Cane to Dr. Platt on his 94th birthday at his N. Main Street home on 10 April 1929. Unlike the Boston Post Cane, it was described as “a handsome stick with a sterling silver handle.”^[1] But like the Boston Post Cane, it was provided by the local newspaper. Platt expressed his appreciation in being the first recipient and “promised to use it regularly.” He thanked the Public Opinion for “carrying out the idea” and Pensinger for presenting the Cane.^[2] Dr. George Fisk Platt died in August 1929 in Chambersburg.^[3]

Solomon McLucas, also a Civil War veteran, was the next person to receive the Town Cane. Burgess Pensinger presented the Cane to the 94-year-old former farmer and father of eight in September 1929. McLucas and his wife moved to Montgomery Avenue about 1920.^[4] “Although the holder of the Town Cane, Mr. McLucas does not deign to use it. He shuns the use of any aid to locomotion.”^[5] His daughter reported “that right after he received the cane…[he] did not seem to appreciate it. But the idea grew upon him, and he became its proud holder and found great joy in its possession.”^[6] Solomon McLucas died in June 1932 at his Chambersburg home.^[7] At least six Public Opinion articles mentioned him as holder of the Town Cane.

David Benjamin Nace of Montgomery Avenue, another Civil War veteran, was presented with the Town Cane in April 1933. Burgess Robert C. Vanderau presented the Cane to the 94-year-old who was “one of the organizers of the Chambersburg Hospital and for many years treasurer of the board.” Nace expressed his appreciation and stated, “that he would cherish the cane throughout the remainder of his days.”^[8] David Benjamin Nace died in October 1933 at his home in Chambersburg.^[9]

It took almost a year to find the next recipient because, “the last time the Town Cane was given, a mistake was almost…given to the second oldest Chambersburger. Therefore, this time we are proceeding slowly in order to be sure the oldest man gets it.”^[10]

George Washington Immell Sr., “well known retired produce dealer [of] Philadelphia Avenue,” was the next “man living in town” to receive the Town Cane.^[11] In February 1934 Burgess Vanderau presented the Cane to Immell on his 92nd birthday, “on behalf of the Public Opinion.”^[12] Two years later, the newspaper congratulated him for spending his 94th birthday shoveling snow. The article reminded people, “the Town Cane is possessed by Chambersburg’s oldest male. A cane was selected…because such a prop has long been associated with great length of years in man.”^[13] Unfortunately, on his 95th birthday, Immell fell “in his bedroom as he arose from an afternoon nap [and] fractured his left leg.” He spent the rest of his birthday in the Chambersburg Hospital.^[14] He was admitted to the hospital again in May “as the result of complications developing from his fractured leg.”^[15] George Washington Immell Sr. died in May 1937 at the hospital.^[16] At least fifteen Public Opinion articles mentioned him as holder of the Town Cane.

The Public Opinion wondered “how one would hope to use the cane—whether he could swing it, may be a little jauntily, or would have to use it as a prop, as a crutch to aid a diseased and time-wracked body to get about.”^[17]

William Paxton “Pax” Slaughenhaup, a 92-year-old former horse breeder, was the next in line for the Town Cane. Besides working as a horse dealer and owning stables on S. Main Street, he raised Holstein cattle and worked in the hay and straw business. He also recalled “tended horses in the mountains at the time of the burning of Chambersburg by the confederates.”^[18] He received the Cane from Burgess Vanderau in his room at the Hotel LaMar in June 1937. “Except for blindness, Mr. Slaughenhaup enjoys all his faculties and is in excellent health.” Almost one year after breaking his left leg in a fall, William Paxton Slaughenhaup died in March 1938 at Hotel LaMar.^[19]

Wallace Holcomb of N. Main Street was the sixth and last known recipient of the Public Opinion Town Cane. Holcomb was a retired farmer and sheep rancher; hardware, lumber, and coal dealer; coal miner; justice of the peace; and mayor in Massachusetts and Connecticut. “Several years ago, Mr. Holcomb and his daughter, Miss V. Louise Holcomb, professor of psychology and philosophy at Wilson College…took up permanent residence in Chambersburg.”^[20] Burgess Vanderau again presented the cane on behalf of the newspaper in May 1938. The “tall, spare, white-haired” Holcomb beat out Peter Schaffnit by just three months. Schaffnit died in November 1939 and was never eligible for the cane, because Wallace Holcomb died in June 1941 at their home on N. Main Street after a five-month illness.^[21] His daughter was his only descendant.

Holcomb was the last documented holder of the Public Opinion Town Cane. A call for nominations of the next recipient appeared in July 1941. “Who Gets Town Cane? The death of Wallace Holcomb makes the Town Cane available for presentation to the oldest male citizen of Chambersburg. PUBLIC OPINION will be glad to receive the name of those who may be in line to hold the cane. Communications should be addressed to the editor in care of this paper.”^[22] Note that the recipient must still be male. No article announcing the next recipient has been found.

(To be continued in Part 3: Waynesboro’s Town Cane)

[1] “Gets Town Cane,” Public Opinion (Chambersburg, Penn.), 13 Apr 1929, p. 1, col. 1.

[2] “Some Private Opinions of Public Opinion,” Public Opinion, 15 Apr 1929, p. 10, col. 1.

[3] Penns. Dept. of Health, Death Cert. no. 83366 (1929), George Fisk Platt, “Pennsylvania Death Certificates 1906-1970,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/3532115:5164).

[4] “Chambersburg Man, 94, to be Given Town Cane,” Public Opinion, 14 Sep 1929, p. 4, col. 5.

[5] “Holder of Town Cane is Nearing 97 but he Walks without Aid of the Cane,” Public Opinion, 24 Feb 1932, p. 1, col. 2.

[6] “Some Private Opinions of Public Opinion,” Public Opinion, 1 July 1932, p. 12, col. 1.

[7] “Deaths: Solomon McLucas,” Public Opinion, 27 June 1932, p. 2, col. 3.

[8] “Town Cane Awarded to Civil War Veteran, 94,” Public Opinion, 10 Apr 1933, p. 1, col. 5.

[9] “Holder of Town Cane Dies,” Public Opinion, 9 Oct 1933, p. 2, col. 5.

[10] “Some Private Opinions of Public Opinion,” Public Opinion, 13 July 1932, p. 10, col. 1.

[11] “Some Private Opinions of Public Opinion,” Public Opinion, 23 Jan 1934, p. 8, col. 2.

[12] “Town Cane Given to Aged Citizen on 92d Birthday,” Public Opinion, 16 Feb 1934, p. 1, col. 2.

[13] “Some Private Opinions of Public Opinion,” Public Opinion, 18 Feb 1936, p. 8, col. 1.

[14] “Oldest Town Man Falls in Bedroom, Breaks Leg,” Public Opinion, 16 Feb 1937, p. 1, col. 6.

[15] “Aged Man Critically Ill,” Public Opinion, 10 May 1937, p. 1, col. 1.

[16] “Aged Citizen Dies,” Public Opinion, 25 May 1937, p. 2, col. 1.

[17] “Some Private Opinions of Public Opinion,” Public Opinion, 3 June 1937, p. 20, col. 1-2.

[18] “Town Cane Given Fifth Recipient by Public Opinion,” Public Opinion, 1 July 1937, p. 1, col. 3.

[19] “Deaths: W. Paxton Slaughenhaup,” Public Opinion, 30 Mar 1938, p. 2, col. 2.

[20] “Town’s Oldest Citizen is Given Symbolic Cane,” Public Opinion, 12 May 1938, p. 1, col. 3.

[21] “Deaths: Wallace Holcomb,” Public Opinion, 16 June 1941, p. 2, col. 2.

[22] “Who Gets Town Cane?” Public Opinion, 15 July 1941, p. 1, col. 3.

Franklin County’s Town Canes (Part 1 of 4): History of the Town Cane

January 16, 2025 by anderso Leave a Comment

The concept of passing a Town Cane to the oldest living male resident began in Boston in 1909, mainly to improve newspaper sales. The Public Opinion newspaper copied the idea twenty years later when Chambersburg implemented the passing of its Town Cane in 1929. Waynesboro followed in 1934. However, people began inquiring into the whereabouts of Chambersburg’s Cane in 1956 and again in 2023. Although each recipient was well documented in over fifty newspaper articles, neither Chambersburg nor Waynesboro’s Town Cane has been located.

The Boston Post Town Cane

In 1891 Edwin Atkins Grozier purchased the Boston Post newspaper which was near bankruptcy. As its publisher and editor, he needed a plan to make his failing newspaper profitable. After bidding on an unclaimed shipment of walking canes, he devised a plan to increase the newspaper’s circulation. On 2 August 1909, Grozier sent letters and canes to approximately seven hundred selectmen (local government officials) in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island “with the request that it be presented with the compliments of the Boston Post to the oldest male citizen of the town, to be used by him as long as he lives.”

The canes were manufactured by J. F. Fradley and Company of New York in a year-long process. They were made from seven-foot lengths of Gaboon ebony from the African Congo. The canes were topped with a two-inch 14-carat gold head “engraved with the inscription, ‘Presented by the Boston Post to the oldest citizen of [town, state] (to be transmitted).’”^[1]

Although the “rules” seemed clear, questions arose as to who should receive the Cane. The Post’s staff were often asked to settle disputes regarding proof of age, residence, and voting status. The definition of “citizen” was also questioned:

The most common Question has been as to whether both sexes were eligible for the cane. The intention of the Post from the outset has been that the cane should be presented to the oldest male. The word “citizen” has been intended by the Post to mean the oldest registered male voter.^[2]

When the Equal Suffrage Amendment was ratified in 1920, the presentation of the Cane was eventually opened to women—in some places.

But not everyone was enthusiastic about receiving a symbol of a marketing scheme or their advancing age. It became harder to find people willing to take the Cane. “Others suspected a scam. A few were scared off by rumors of a curse, and to doom those who dared take the cane home. ‘People now think of it as a reminder of their age and limited time left’.”^[3] And canes were sometimes presented to the wrong person. Like the end of the passing of the Town Cane, the Boston Post folded in 1956. Over the years, many Canes were lost, stolen, removed from the town, or just not returned. To date only approximately five hundred original Town Canes have been located.

Pennsylvania’s First Town Cane

Weatherly in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, claims starting their Town Cane tradition earlier than 1909, but this has not been proven.^[4] Like the Post, this new tradition was used by the Weatherly Herald newspaper to improve its circulation.^[5] J. F. Kressley, Weatherly’s former chief burgess (town mayor), supposedly established the tradition in 1907. “It was the duty of the chief burgess publicly to present it to the oldest man remaining a resident of the borough.” By 1923 Weatherly boasted five recipients with the following inscription on their Town Cane: “Our Tribute to the Oldest Gentleman Resident of Weatherly, and His Successors. September 1907.”^[6] On 19 December 1928, Weatherly’s announcement of its seventh Town Cane recipient was printed in Chambersburg’s Public Opinion.^[7] Two days later, the newspaper asked its readers, “How does the Town Cane idea strike you?”^[8]

(To be continued in Part 2: Chambersburg’s Town Cane)

[1] The Boston Post Cane Information Center (https://bostonpostcane.org).

[2] Barbara Staples, “Launching of the Boston Post Cane,” The Bay State’s Boston Post Canes: The History of a New England Tradition (Flemming Press, 1999), 25-31.

[3] Jenna Russell, “Congratulations, You’re the Oldest Person in Town! Please Accept This Cane,” 20 Jan 2024, The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/20/us/congratulations-youre-the-oldest-person-in-town-please-accept-this-cane.html).

[4] Negative search for earlier evidence of Town Cane in Carbon County, 1907-1910.

[5] “Cane for Oldest Man,” Tunkhannock New Age (Tunkhannock, Penn.), 20 July 1911, p. 2, col.3.

[6] “Laden May Get Cane,” The Plain Speaker (Hazelton, Penn.), 22 Dec 1923, p. 8, col. 6.

[7] “Young, Rather Old, Gets Town Cane,” article from Weatherly, Public Opinion (Chambersburg, Penn.), 19 Dec 1928, p. 1, col. 6.

[8] “Some Private Opinions of Public Opinion,” 21 Dec 1928, p. 16, col. 2.

Niagara Falls: Not Just for Honeymooners—Also, for Genealogists!

April 23, 2023 by anderso Leave a Comment

Our recent trip to Niagara Falls was not for “the honeymoon we never had,” but to learn more about my only Canadian ancestor—GGG Grandfather Captain Robert Henry Dee, Esquire—who immigrated to Upper Canada (now Ontario) c. 1819. Robert Henry was born c. 1788 to Thomas and Anne Dee, He was baptized on 2 April 1788 in Weyhill, Hampshire County on the southern coast of England.[1]

Capt. Robert H. Dee Commissariat Uniform

Captain Dee served as the Deputy Commissariat in the Napoleonic Wars for fourteen years. “As Commissariat, Captain Dee was in charge of military supplies,” responsible for overseeing military food and equipment.”[2] He was also aide-de-Camp, or personal assistant, to General Sir Peregrine Maitland. They served together in the Peninsular War and possibly at the Battle of Waterloo.[3] Captain Dee married Elizabeth Ottley (1796-1876) on 31 March 1819 at St. Cuthbert’s Church, Thetford, Norfolk, England.[4] She was the daughter of Matthew and Elisabeth (Hill) Ottley.[5] One year later they followed Maitland to Upper Canada, now Ontario.

In 1818 General Maitland was summoned to Stamford, Upper Canada to serve as lieutenant governor until 1828.[6] As aide-de-camp to Maitland, Captain Dee joined him about 1819. On 2 November 1824 he purchased the 100-acre lot no. 56 on the Portage Road “that was part of one of John Burch’s Crown Grants.”[7] He then donated 3.5 acres off “the western extremity of the Dee farm” for the Stamford Green, the only village green in Canada. The Dee family kept this land open “for the benefit and enjoyment of the public,” from 1821 until 1909. Stamford Green is now controlled by a Board of Trustees.[8]

On 20 September 1820 Mr. R. H. Dee also donated the land for the construction of the Old St. John’s Anglican Church. Building began in 1821, and it was consecrated in 1825.[9] In 1827 he donated more land to the church for a church yard and burial ground.[10] Because of the donations of land, an additional 25 pounds, and a “wooden armchair used in the vestries,” a window was dedicated to “commemorate the liberality of Robert Henry Dee and Elizabeth Dee to this Church.”[11] An historical marker also commemorates his “additional financial support and gifts of land and furnishings” to the church.[12]

Board of Health Order — Order to Create a General Board of Health

After his military career, Robert Henry Dee Esquire remained involved in the community. On 23 September 1822, Robert and six others joined the Dalhousie [Masonic] Lodge in Niagara.[13] According to an 1824 document signed by four of the members, including R. H. Dee, the lodge closed “from want of funds till more advantageous circumstances arise.”[14] On 25 June 1832, Robert Henry Dee was present at a Special Session that created a General Board of Health in the Town of Niagara. This Order “coincided with the cholera epidemic of 1832 and was likely created in an attempt to control the spread of the disease.”[15]

Robert Henry was possibly in poor health, as he also wrote his will three days later on 28 June 1832.[16] In October 1833, he also wrote that he was not well.[17] He died at the young age of 46 on 11 November 1833 at Stamford. Robert left seven children under age fourteen with his wife, Elizabeth, who was two months pregnant. He was buried in the family plot at the Church of St. John the Evangelist. Also buried there are Elizabeth (d. 1876), father-in-law, Matthew Ottley (d. 1845), and children Frances Ann, Harriet Martha, and John Matthew, MD.[18]

Dee Cemetery Plot, Front Left in Church Yard & Burial Ground

The house which Captain Dee built c. 1824, now 3252 Portage Road, was later enlarged.[19] All eight of Robert and Elizabeth’s children were likely born in Stamford: William Hornblow (c. 1820-1875), my GG grandfather; Francis Ottley (1821-1892); Henry Ontario (1823-1904); Thomas Wicken (1825-1897), who married Julia Hamilton from Niagara on the Lake and likely introduced William to his future wife in Wisconsin; Frances Ann (1828-1900); Robert Hill (1829-1908); Harriet Martha (1832-1909); and John Matthew, MD (1834-1913), born just seven months after his father’s death.

Captain Robert Henry, Esquire & Elizabeth (Ottley) Dee House, Portage Road

While walking around this property and photographing the house, I was lucky enough to meet Bev, the home’s current owner. Because she was leaving, we exchanged business cards and promised to email each other. Three days later, I received an email from her husband, Steven, sorry that we missed each other. He also invited us back to help celebrate the 200th “birthday” of the Dee house this summer. As they have also been researching this family, I sent him my Robert Henry Dee family research. Although not blood relatives, we share a family, and are now house relatives.

[1] “England, Hampshire Bishop’s Transcripts 1680-1892,” database, FamilySearch, Robert Henry Dee, son of Thomas and Anne Dee, Weyhill.

[2] Also, “3227 Portage Rd. Originally Built by Captain Robert H. Dee,” Historic Niagara Collections, photograph and description. For fourteen years, see Land Petitions of Upper Canada, 1763-1865, Robert Henry Dee, Stanford, 1829, vol. 159, Bundle D-16, Petition no. 20, RG1 L3, microfilm C-1876, digital images 152-155; Library and Archives of Canada.

[3] “Commissariat Uniform of Captain Robert Henry Dee, c 1819,” sign describing Dee-Maitland relationship, Niagara Falls Museum, Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada.

[4] “England Select Marriages, 1538-1973,” digital images, Ancestry, Norfolk Church of England Registers, Dee-Ottley, 31 March 1819; Norfolk Record Office, Norwich, Norfolk, England.

[5] “England Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975,” transcript, Ancestry, Elisabeth Ottley, b. 5 Oct 1796, bap. 30 Oct 1796, parents Matthew and Elisabeth Ottley.

[6] George A. Seibel, “Stamford Green,” The Niagara Portage Road: A History of the Portage on the West Bank of the Niagara River (City of Niagara Falls, Canada: 1990), 265.

[7] George A. Seibel, “Stamford Green,” The Niagara Portage Road: A History of the Portage on the West Bank of the Niagara River (City of Niagara Falls, Canada: 1990), 265. Also, “3227 Portage Rd. Originally Built by Captain Robert H. Dee,” Historic Niagara Collections, photograph and description. Also, Stamford Twp., Welland Co. Deeds, Old Series, 1796-1832, A:332-33, no. 6643, microfilm GS2893; Archives of Ontario, Toronto.

[8] George A. Seibel, “Stamford Green,” The Niagara Portage Road: A History of the Portage on the West Bank of the Niagara River (City of Niagara Falls, Canada: 1990), 265.

[9] Frank Goulding, 150 Years of Christian Witness, 1820-1970: Church of St. John The Evangelist (Stamford, 1970), 22-23, deed p. 26. Also, Donna M. Campbell, Church of St. John the Evangelist (Stamford) (Ontario, Canada: Ontario Genealogical society, undated), 1.

[10] Stamford, Niagara District, instrument no. 7353, Robert Henry Dee to Sir Peregrin Maitland for the Church of England church yard and burial ground, FHL microfilm GS 2893. Also, Stamford Twp., Welland Co., Old Series, 1796-1832, A: pp cut off, no. 7353, microfilm GS2893; Archives of Ontario, Toronto.

[11] Frank Goulding, 150 Years of Christian Witness, 1820-1970: Church of St. John The Evangelist (Stamford, 1970), 22, 28, 34.

[12] Ontario Heritage Foundation Ministry of Citizenship and Culture, “Church of St. John the Evangelist” marker, Portage Road, Stamford.

[13] “England, United Grand Lodge of England Freemason Membership Registers, 1751-1921,” registry image, Ancestry, Robert Henry Dee, Esquire, joined 23 Sep 1822, p. 20. These members were “Erased by Grand Lodge 3 Sep 1864.”

[14] Janet Carnochan, “Freemasons,” History of Niagara (In Part) (Toronto: William Briggs, 1914), 123.

[15] “Order to Create a General Board of Health I the Town of Niagara, June 25, 1832: Brock University Special Collections & Archives,” digital image, Our Ontario, Present—Robert Henry Dee.

[16] Lincoln Co. Surrogate Court estate files, RG 22-234, alphabetically filed, Robert Henry Dee will, 28 Jun 1832; FHL microfilm MS 8409; Ontario Archives

[17] Land Petitions of Upper Canada, 1763-1865, Robert Henry Dee, Stanford, 1829, vol. 160, Bundle D-18, Petition no. 50, RG1 L3, microfilm C-1877, digital images 188-190; Library and Archives of Canada.

[18] Donna M. Campbell, “Cemetery Transcriptions,” Church of St. John the Evangelist (Stamford) (Ontario, Canada: Ontario Genealogical society, undated), 2.

[19] “3227 Portage Rd. Originally Built by Captain Robert H. Dee,” Historic Niagara Collections, photograph and description.

What’s in MY Name?

September 26, 2022 by anderso Leave a Comment

I was born Pamala Ann Praser (PRA-zer). My siblings’ first or middle names came from grandparents, but not mine. When I asked my mother why I was given that name, she replied that she just liked it—Ann is also her middle name. But notice the spelling of my first name. Mom said she thought the three A’s spelling of Pamala would be easier for me to learn than the normal, Pamela. Did she have a premonition about my intellectual ability? And so began a lifetime of correcting teachers, employers, banks, government entities, and others who didn’t think I could spell my own name. To reduce the number of times I had to correct the corrections, I started using the shortened version, Pam.

But nicknames soon replaced Pamala. From an early age, my father called me Boomer—something that I supposedly called myself when I was learning to talk. In elementary school, a gym teacher evoked raucous laughter when he misread Praser, and called me Pamala “Eraser.” Luckily this name didn’t stick. But a friend’s father noticed my initials and started calling me PP. My wonderful friends caught this and began asking (you guessed it), “Does PP gotta go PP?” PP morphed into “P” and stuck until I moved away in sixth grade. In High School my nickname became “Praze,” short for Praser. My Spanish teacher also joined in, changing the Spanish pronunciation of Pah-MAY-luh to Pah-MAH-luh . . . as in Palmolive Soap. UGH.

After college, my initials came back to haunt me. My first car’s license plate arrived. Horrifyingly, and not by my request, it read “PAP 183” and became known as the “Pap-mobile.” No explanation needed—SHEESH! I married in 1979 so the plate made no sense, especially since I took my maiden name as my middle name: Pamala Praser Anderson. Luckily, we moved to Pennsylvania in 1983 and that license plate disappeared. I also stopped using the full “Pamala Anderson” (if possible) because of the images of Bay Watch that came to mind when people of a certain age heard that moniker.

Enter genealogy. My paternal grandparents, Edward and Marie (Supenova) Pracser, immigrated from Slovakia to the United States in 1920. Although the “c” was supposed to be silent, their sons, Elmer and Joseph, experienced their teachers’ mispronunciation of their name as PRAK-ser. Pressures to assimilate and appear more “American” caused my father and uncle to remove the “c” in Pracser. However, my grandparents continued using the original spelling.

I always knew either spelling was pronounced as PRA-zer—until I met my father’s first cousins, Dušan and Milan, in Slovakia in 2014. They pronounced the Pracser name as PRAH-cher! So . . . I learned that my grandparents had changed the pronunciation, even if they didn’t alter the spelling.

Several years ago, I decided to go back to the original Pracser spelling in genealogical articles and on Facebook (where my family first noticed). I didn’t understand why my father and uncle would change the spelling of their surname, and I wanted to honor my immigrant grandparents. (The fact that my grandparents and great grandparents all changed their surname from Konas to Pracser on their ship’s manifests is another mystery for another day!) And then I got it. People began introducing me as Pam PRAK-ser Anderson! But I’m sticking with Pracser, especially now that I know “What’s in MY name.”

Researching House Histories: First the Family, Then the House

May 2, 2022 by anderso 2 Comments

One of the most frequently asked questions at our Historical Society and our Archives in Franklin County is, “How can I find when my house was built?” Following is a taste of our workshop, “Researching Franklin County House Histories.” When researching house histories, the most important principle is that you must research the family to research the house. However, another guideline is to find similar houses in the same area, that may provide clues to builders and time periods.

I’ve lived in my late 19^th century house since 1986. Unlike urban areas, my house sits alone in rural Franklin County, and it’s harder to find an exact duplicate. But driving to Greencastle, six miles southwest of where I live, there is a house that always attracted my attention—because it’s my house’s twin. The exterior has the same brick pattern, front porch style, side porches, slate roof, chimneys, windows, doors, etc. Photos of my house are on the left, and it’s twin are on the right.

But I’ve always wondered about the inside—until now. Through county tax records, I found the current owner and researched the title back to the earliest deeds. Like my house, there was no mention of the house itself—only the property. Like mine, it was likely built in the late 19^th century. I then contacted the owner, who invited me to see his house. Merritt and I spent about two hours talking about how our houses were similar.

His kitchen is still located where my original kitchen used to be. My former kitchen is now my dining room. My current kitchen is part of a 1970s addition. My former and his current kitchen also differ in that mine has a bay window, and his doesn’t, something he would love to have to let more light in. But both have the original wainscoting. Our basement doors are located in this room, and both have an exterior access.

Our interior doors, baseboard, and trim are also similar.

But I have transoms over the downstairs doorways.

And my floorboards are wider.

My double front doors are original. Merritt couldn’t find anyone to repair his and had to replace them with a sidelight and single door. But the transom and trim remain the same. Our tiny front entrance foyers are the same, with one room to the right and one to the left. However, Merritt removed wall sections on both sides of the main stairway to give it a more open feel, which brightens the whole area. His stairway had full walls on both sides, but mine is open on the top left with a railing on the second floor. One huge difference is that my house has a second back stairway leading into the former kitchen, and his only has the front stairs.

My first and second floor side porches (opposite side of his house) were enclosed by former owners to add hallways and a bathroom. His remain original, and they are awesome.

Neither of our houses had bathrooms in the 1800s, and the former owners chose different locations for our upstairs bathrooms. We both have identical second-floor closets, located under the stairways, that are accessed by going up 2 steps.

I then invited Merritt to my house, and he was also amazed at the likenesses. We believe our houses were built around the same time, don’t know by whom, but will continue to look for clues. Merritt will also be my guest at the 5-hour “Researching Franklin County House Histories” workshop on Monday, June 27 2022 that I am coordinating with the Franklin County Archives and Geographic Information Systems. It will be held at the Franklin County Visitors Bureau, one of our sponsors with the Franklin County Historical Society. To register, complete and return the Registration Form to [email protected].

Through researching my house history, I found more than my house’s twin. I found another historic house enthusiast. Maybe you will, too.

Why I DNA Test “In All the Ponds:” Finding My Schwarz Slovak Family in Australia & California

December 26, 2019 by anderso

Many don’t DNA test for various reasons. Luckily, my relatives have been all in to help our family research. And because they understand the importance of testing, a huge brick wall—the one I least expected to break through—came tumbling down.

Gizella (Schwarz) Pracser

Gizella was born on 26 August 1871 in Sered, Slovakia, to Franciscus and Julianna (Jordan) Schwarz, the sixth of eight children. She married Joseph Pracser in 1892 and immigrated to Chicago in 1923. In the 1930 census, Gizella lived apart from her husband in Chicago and worked at a restaurant. This is all that I knew of my great grandmother—until this year.

Requests and searches for a death certificate, funeral record, and burial place came up empty until she appeared at Woodlawn Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois. Last March, I went in search of her husband’s and son’s markers and discovered Gizella there, too. The cemetery found no current records but went back to older microfilm. Her headstone was dated 1936, but the marker was purchased in 1949 by her daughter, Bessie.

**Gisella (Schwarz) Pracser (1871-1936)**

I now had Gizella’s death year but still knew little about her Schwarz family. A female’s family in Slovakia loomed as my most daunting brick wall. My grandmother (her daughter-in-law) knew Gizella’s parents’ names, death dates, and places. Unfortunately, my own research confirmed that only the names were correct. I needed to go beyond the limited on-line resources, so I turned to DNA.

DNA connects Slovakia to the U.S. and Australia

I found DNA matches on Ancestry (two predicted 4^th-6^th cousins), 23andMe (two predicted 3^rd-4^th cousins), and FamilyTreeDNA (one predicted 3^rd-5^th cousin). None matched cousins on my mother’s side but did match my father’s side, so I knew they were in my Slovak line—but where? I also knew they didn’t match my Slovak grandmother’s family, because second cousins living in Slovakia had graciously tested for me. That left only my Slovak grandfather’s family. Based on our shared centimorgans (42-73), we were probably third cousins (3C) or third cousins once removed (3C1R), sharing great great grandparents—either Joseph Pracser’s parents or Gizella Schwarz’s parents.

I contacted my two Ancestry matches in June 2019 but got no response. When I tried again in October, one responded with an apology that he rarely checked the email associated with Ancestry and referred me to his sister, Yvonne Schwarz, the family genealogist. And that’s when the brick wall fell. Yvonne and her brother are, in fact, my third cousins, and we share great great grandparents, Franciscus “Franz” Schwarz and Julianna Jordan, Gizella’s parents from Sered, Slovakia. Yvonne’s great grandfather, Edmund “Mundi” was Gizella’s younger brother. Did I mention that Yvonne lives in Australia? Gizella and Joseph immigrated to the U.S. in 1923, and Yvonne’s grandparents, Alexander and Jolan, immigrated to Australia in 1949. Our families, over 9700 miles away, connected through DNA, and Yvonne was incredibly generous with her knowledge.

What I learned from Yvonne:

Franciscus “Franz” Schwarz was born in February 1821 in Waldhausen im Strudengau, Oberösterreich, Austria. His father may have run a saddlery business.
Franz established a small pileatore (hatter) shop in 1852 in Sered. His business quickly grew to three shopfronts, including a factory.
Julianna Jordan was born c. February 1832 in Bratislava, Slovakia; her father died just prior to her birth.
Franz and Julianna married on 2 November 1856.
Franz died on 7 March 1876 in Sered. Gizella was just four years old, and Yvonne’s great grandfather, Mundi, was only one. Franz’s large grave marker implies that he was a man of some importance.
On 16 August 1879, Julianna married Petrus Treisz who ran Franz’s hat manufacturing company.
Julianna died on 27 December 1914 in Sered.
In 1922, Mundi’s daughter, Edith, immigrated to the U.S. Her destination was “Cicero, Illinois, cousin Bukovsky at 2342 S. 58^th Street,” the home of Gizella’s daughter.
In 1957, Mundi’s son, Alexander, visited my relatives, Frank and Bessie (Pracser) Varchulik and Irma Bukowsky in Downers Grove, Illinois where they lived on a small farm.
Yvonne also shared the following records:
- Franciscus Schwarz 1821 birth record
- Franciscus Schwarz 1876 death certificate
- Franciscus Schwarz 1876 cemetery marker photo
- Julianna (Jordan) Schwarz Treisz 1914 death record
- Various photos of family members and tools of the hatter’s trade

But how would Yvonne and I translate the Slovak records? I contacted my dependable friend and genealogist, Peter Nagy in Slovakia, who promptly translated the original records and interpreted their meaning. He also found Julianna’s second marriage record, confirming that Petrus was 20 years younger than Julianna! According to Peter, “Petrus was probably the assistant of the first husband. After his boss died, he married his widow and so became the workshop owner. It was quite common in that time.”

More DNA family in California

Yvonne also shared information about Edith (Schwarz) Fiedorczyk, Mundi’s daughter. After immigrating in 1922, she married and lived in the Chicago area where her daughter, Evelyn, also married. Checking DNA matches again, I contacted my two matches on 23andMe and the one on FamilyTreeDNA who all shared the same surname. A brother and sister responded and confirmed that the third person is their father. He is my 3C and the siblings are my 3C1R. They live in California and are descendants of Edith and Evelyn. Yvonne also shared Evelyn’s 1940s wedding photo, taken with Frank and Bessie (Pracser) Varchulik, Gizella’s daughter and son-in-law from Downers Grove. Our families were definitely connected.

**Evelyn (center), Bessie & Frank Varchulik (right)**

Because of DNA, someone in Pennsylvania connected with someone in Australia and someone in California. And DNA reconnected families in Australia and California–all with help from someone in Slovakia.

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