Tombstone Tuesday–Thomas and Susannah John

This installment of Tombstone Tuesday is for our 2nd Great Grandparents, Thomas David John and Susannah (Rowe) John. Also buried with them is their son, David Thomas John.

Thomas was born in Pontypridd, Eglwiysilan, Glamorgan, Wales on 26 June 1859.

Susannah was born on 7 March 1862 in Machen Upper, Monmouthshire, England.

They were married 18 November 1882 in Pontypridd, Eglwiysilan, Glamorgan, Wales.

Susannah is assumed to have committed suicide in Scranton, Pa on 5 Feb 1915 (that story is for another post), Thomas followed her in death 6 1/2 years later on 24 March 1922.

They are both buried in the Dunmore Cemetery, Dunmore, Pa. Find-A-Grave memorials can be found here: Thomas John – Susannah (Rowe) John

Thanks for reading and keep diggin’ for that family.

Chris

Tombstone Tuesday–Anna (Hinterhauser) Pakledinaz

This weeks Tombstone Tuesday post is for my maternal great grandmother, Anna M. (Hinterhauser) Pakledinaz.  I have written about her before in these posts: 2 Birthdays, Census Sunday, Where did this come from?, Surname Saturday, and Ancestor Appreciation

She was born in 1890 in the small village of Milititsch, which is now located in Serbia.  She died in 1968 and is buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan. Her find-a-grave memorial can be found here.

Thanks for stopping by and keep diggin’ for that family.

Chris

Tombstone Tuesday–John Pakledinaz

This weeks Tombstone Tuesday post is for my maternal great grandfather, John Pakledinaz. I have written about him before in these posts: Census Sunday, Ship Manifest, Surname Saturday, Ancestor Appreciation Day.

He was born 16 March 1885 in the village of Tompojevci in what is now Croatia. He died in 1957 and is buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan. His find-a-grave memorial can be found here.

Thanks for stopping by and keep diggin’ for that family.

Chris

Tombstone Tuesday–Thomas & Susannah John

This weeks Tombstone Tuesday is for Thomas David John and Susannah Rowe. They are our 2nd Great Grandparents. This is how they fit into our ancestor line:

They are the parents of Selina Ann (John) Canter, our great grandmother

The Grandparents of Mary Elizabeth Jane (Canter) Shaw, our grandmother

Thomas and Susanna are immigrant ancestors having come to the United States from Wales in 1910 where they joined Susannah’s parents in Scranton, Pa.

Thomas died of Bronchitis and Susannah’s death is attributed to drowning by suicide. Her son, Thomas William died 2 years earlier (1913) and reports say that she never recovered from his death and suffered from extreme depression.

Thomas’s find-a-grave memorial can be found here. Susannah’s find-a-grave memorial can be found here.

Also buried alongside them is their son, David Thomas John, his find-a-grave memorial can be found here.

NOTE: The Tombstone date of Thomas’s Birth is wrong, he was actually born in 1859.

Thanks for stopping by and keep diggin’ for that family.

Chris

Tombstone Tuesday–George H. and Mary J. Shaw

 

Today’s Tombstone Tuesday post is for George Howard and Mary Elizabeth Jane (Canter) Shaw. These are my grandparents. They are mentioned in a couple past posts: Ancestor Appreciation Day and also Surname Saturday: Shaw. George’s find-a-grave memorial can be found here. Mary’s find-a-grave memorial can be found here.

Thank you for stopping by, keep diggin’ for that family.

Chris

Technorati Tags: Family History,Genealogy

Follow Friday–American Battle Monuments Commission

I began my family history journey back in 1999 when I was assigned to Germany with the US Air Force. I always heard that my grandfather was killed in WWII and buried in Germany but no one knew where, not even my mother – his daughter. So, the search began. One of the first resources that I came across was the American Battle Monuments Commission. I never heard of it before but what a great organization established by our government. You can read all about them on their website but they are charged with caring for and maintaining our overseas cemetery’s and memorials.

On their website is a search page in which you can search all their records and find the exact location of any of our American heroes who are buried in one of their cemeteries. That is exactly what I did and found my grandfather buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery, plot O Row 6 Grave 12. I also found out that he was a Private First Class, his service number, and the unit he belonged to when he was killed, plus his date of death. One resource and I uncovered all this information that proved vital in my continued success in locating my grandfathers story. I can thank the American Battle Monuments Commission for that.

I visited the cemetery many times while I’ve been in Germany and was able to take my mother to see her dad’s final resting place two separate times. The last time was last May for Memorial Day. My mom passed away this past January and I am very thankful that we were able to get her to see her father’s resting place and give her some closure on his death. The staff at the Netherlands American Cemetery is very professional and have always been a great help during my visits. But, more importantly to me, they are very proud to be serving the heroes laid to rest in their cemetery. The staff of this cemetery are not Americans but citizens of the Netherlands.

From the information I got from the American Battle Monuments Commission I have been able to locate records on my grandfathers unit and visit sites in France and Germany where he fought. However, the greatest find coming from this information was the investigation report that describes how my grandfather was killed. That brought total closure and eliminated rumors that my mother had heard about his death.

The American Battle Monuments Commission is not only a great government agency but also a great resource for those that may have family buried in one of our overseas cemetery’s.

Thanks for reading and keep diggin’ up your family.

Chris

P.S. My post for this Monday will be a short bio on my grandfather, so check back.

Technorati Tags: American Battle Monuments Commission,ABMC,Cemetery,Family History,American Overseas Cemetery,WWII,World War II,Genealogy