Tag: Donald Blair

Genealogy, My Family Tree

A New Research Trip

Becky

I’m preparing for another research trip to the Pennsylvania State Archives this week. I’m so excited as it’s a pretty new building that has only been open for a month or two (I think) and I’m going with my PA Ancestors group that I’ve been either listening to via a podcast since 2019 I believe – and a group I’ve been interacting with via Zoom for a bit so needless to say I’m excited that I get to venture to the Pennsylvania state capital to hang out with some genealogy junkies for a day.

Finding Focus

My biggest obstacle so far has been trying to come up with what I’m going to research. I was so excited about just going and meeting my favorite podcast person in person (she knows I am a fan girl) that now that it’s the Monday before the trip I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to focus my research on.

I guess I feel that my people aren’t important enough to make it into the State Archives (probably because I don’t see them being fancy enough to make it into the Bedford County Archives). Not that my people need to be fancy or important, I just wish they’d be found.

Coal Mining

But the Pennsylvania State Archives seems to have a lot of information about coal mining and so a part of me has found myself making a list of names in my family (at least on my dad’s side) of those who were coal miners (so far I’ve listed a dozen men – on just my dad’s paternal side – 2 are my direct line ancestors) in a hope of trying to figure out the mines they may have worked in and a hope of finding out more information about the men themselves (possibly) and the companies they worked for. My next step is to begin researching the men on my dad’s maternal side.

Religious Records

Another topic listed under the Research Guide is that of Religion. As a person who hasn’t really taken as much time as she should to find the religious records of my ancestors, knowing the WPA surveys on church records could come in handy for me – and they are apparently at the Pennsylvania State Archives. I remember these being mentioned a great deal at PaGE last year (this was the Pennsylvania Genealogy Event that was put on by the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania). So it’s one more thing I can look into should time permit.

Birth Certificates

I do have a birth certificate I want to get for my great-uncle, Donald Blair. When looking him up in the Birth Indices on the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission’s website, he has no name but found his record due to it also listing his mom’s maiden name (Bertha Childers). I found when I received my grandfather’s birth certificate it noted that he was the fifth birth of my great-grandmother, when he should have been the 4th – so was there another child that I am unaware of? Did they make a boo-boo? I’m hoping that Donald’s says fifth too and that would resolve that. I’ve tried to find my grandfather’s older sister, Genevieve’s birth certificate to see what hers would say, but I have been unsuccessful in finding it. I’ve never found a birth certificate for the oldest child, Darrell Blair either, but do have his death certificate from when he passed away at 4 months old. On Vada’s birth certificate, the second oldest, it does state on her birth certificate that she was born 2nd.

You can see in the center underneath where it has “Vada Blair” written in red where it lists the number order of birth and it states “2nd”. This was found on Ancestry.com
Under the carrot showing Charley Wilmer Blair you can see that he is listed as the Number in Order of Birth is 5th. He should be fourth (Darrell, Vada, Genevieve, Charley Wilmer aka Leroy). This birth certificate I ordered up from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Social History

Lastly, if nothing else I would think there would be Pennsylvania history books there that will enlighten me on the social history of Pennsylvania. Not having been taught in Pennsylvania and learning the specifics of Pennsylvania history I am sure there is something to be learned on the shelves, or even possibly in a museum-like atmosphere that I can gain knowledge on a day in the life of my ancestors. This could be from both parts of my family as I have to remind myself my mom’s family was from northern PA and sometimes it feels like it’s a night and day difference from “Mother Bedford”.

Overcoming My Feeling Overwhelmed

I am sure part of my frustration at this point is that I just feel a bit overwhelmed. I don’t want my trip there to be wasted – as it’s a 5-hour drive for me. But it will give me experience in an archive in what I hope to be a friendly environment.

I shall report more next week when I return from Harrisburg.

Maternal Side, My Family Tree, Paternal Side

Who Did You Find in the 1950 Census?

Becky

Ever since the clock struck midnight on Friday, April 1 the genealogical world has gone crazy trying to find their ancestors in the newly released 1950 census. Were you prepared to know where you had to search for your loved ones? I was a last-minute person, looking up the enumeration district for my mom and giving my dad a call to find out what state he was living in when 1950 rolled around. You see this was the first census my parents are in so I will admit I was a little excited.

I contemplated staying up until midnight when it was released to the world, but I was so tired I knew I wouldn’t have been able to stay awake that long. So, I made sure I got up at my usual 6:11am (the time I normally get up to get ready when my kids are going to school, they happened to be on Spring Break last week, so I was able to sleep in an extra hour), got ready, ate early and made sure I had a good solid hour before having to head out the door to focus on the 1950 census.

My Mom

Of my parents, finding my mom was a little easier. I thought initially she and her parents were already living on North Main Street in Akron, Ohio but I was wrong. I am glad I took the time to look up their information in the City Directory to find them living in Cuyahoga Falls, which is where I myself was born and raised (and it’s literally a 2-minute drive in either direction from where I live presently). It made it even easier for me to find except I selected the wrong enumeration district. Where they lived on Second Street there were multiple choices. It was odd though, I never had paid attention that they lived there before and here I drove by where their house was every day when I took my kids to school, or when I was a member of the Natatorium a few years back. (It appears that it’s a vacant lot where the building once stood).

I found my Mom in the 1950 using the National Archives website in enumeration district 77-69 for Summit County, Ohio. They were of course on the very last page. Harold Fairhurst was the head of household.

On my mom’s side of the family, I found her parents, Harold Fairhurst, Alberta Lou Fairhurst, herself, Cynthia Anne Fairhurst, and her younger sister, Terry (Teri) Mildred Fairhurst.

My Dad

My dad was a little trickier. I had called him the night before to ask if he knew if they were in Ohio yet, or if they (he and his parents) were still living in Indiana. My dad would have been 7 in 1950 and apparently all of his schooling was here in Ohio, so that narrowed it down. However, when they first moved to Ohio, they didn’t live in Akron, they lived in the Village of Lakemore, which was near Akron. This is one of those places that I have heard of, but I am not sure if I have ever been there.

I threw “Lakemore” into the enumeration district page to see if anything came up, but it wasn’t helpful. Luckily Google exists. I searched Lakemore, Ohio and luckily it came up and I was able to discover the zip code for it.

I then went to the Ancestry.com and they had a tool you could throw in your zip code and such and it would provide the enumeration districts for the area. So, I put in 44250 and I was able to narrow my search to 77-114, 115, 116, or 117, which translates to about 100 total pages to scan.

I lucked out, they were halfway through 115, and not only did I find my dad and grandparents, but my grandfather’s brother was living right next door with two of their kids as well! So, the total family I found for my dad was his dad, Leroy Blair, his mom, Anna Maria Morgart, his uncle, Donald Blair, his aunt, Anna Smzrlich, and two of their children.

My grandfather, Leroy Blair, is about 4 people down and is the head of household. This can be found at the National Archives website.

Everybody Else

I’ll admit I have hundreds of people I am sure I need to look up and find in the 1950 census. My great-grandparents on all sides of my family would have all been alive and kicking still, but I’m more than happy to wait until I can search by name and save it that way. I figure if I come across someone else that I just need to find, I will, but I have time (and not fully understanding the layout of Pennsylvania towns, who knows how long it would take me to find them).

Did you enjoy the fun of finding your ancestors in the 1950 census? How many people did you find? Share in the comments below!

My Family Tree

16 November 1926

Becky

It was a sad day for my family 94 years ago today. My great-grandfather, Andrew Jackson Blair (also referred to as AJ) was killed when he was caught beneath falling rock within a coal mine owned by the Forks Coal Mining Company located in South Fork, Cambria County, Pennsylvania. Andrew was a pick miner and the tragedy happened between 12-1pm.

Andrew Jackson Blair left behind a widow, Bertha Childers Blair: two daughters, Vada (age 18) and Genevieve (age 16); and two sons, Leroy (my grandfather, age 14) and Donald (age 9).

The only photo we have of Andrew Jackson Blair, it was part of a group photo from Sunday School.
Death Certificate found at Ancestry.com in their collection of Pennsylvania Death Certificates

When I was younger I knew my great-grandfather had died in the mines, but I never knew the detail involved. It makes me cry to think of what his last moments must have been like.