Paternal Lineage - Schoener

Aug 251 min read

The Art of Jacob B. Schoener

Following up on last week's post , here are some examples of Jacob's artwork. The following three works are from my personal collection....

Aug 184 min read

The Portrait & Miniature Painter

Jacob Boyer Schoener was born in Reading, PA in 1805, the eldest child of William and Catherine ( née Boyer) Schoener. By the age of...

Jul 225 min read

The Combat Engineer, Part 3

For Part 2, click here . Elmer Shaner reported to the Group Commander at Karlsruhe Airfield on 2 April 1952 and assumed command of the...

Jul 147 min read

The Combat Engineer, Part 2

For Part 1, click here. After arriving in Hampton Roads, Elmer remained there until 1 September 1945 when he received 30 days...

Jul 78 min read

The Combat Engineer, Part 1

Elmer Ellsworth Shaner was born on 3 March 1921 in Turtle Creek, PA. He was the only child of George L. and Ruby (née Ayers) Shaner. By...

Jun 305 min read

A Blue In Gray

John Monroe Blue was born March 25, 1834, four miles north of Romney, Virginia, now West Virginia, along the banks of the South Branch of...

Jun 163 min read

Reading's Piano Maker

John B. Schoener was born in Reading, PA in 1807. He was the second child and second son of William B. and Catherine (née Boyer)...

Jun 94 min read

William B. Schoener, Jr. - Part 2

William's story continues. For Part One, click here. Besides mulberry trees, William also had a vineyard a peach orchard that contained...

Jun 33 min read

William B. Schoener, Jr. - Part 1

Welcome to my 250th post! William B. Schoener, Jr. was born on 29 February 1812 in Reading, PA. He was the fourth child and third son of...

May 204 min read

Cigar Anyone?

When people think about states that grow tobacco, Pennsylvania is probably not one that comes to mind. The tobacco history in...

May 53 min read

The Sheriff of Luzerne County

John Stephen Oberrender was born on 4 September 1829 in Ebersdorf in Saxe-Coburg, Germany. He was the oldest child of Johann Nicholaus...

Apr 225 min read

The Life & Times of Daniel Shaner, Jr, Part 2

Daniel's story continues after moving to Washington Territory. Click here for Part 1 In early 1886, Daniel moved his family west from...

Apr 147 min read

The Life & Times of Daniel Shaner, Jr, Part 1

Daniel Shaner, Jr. was born in Eastbrook, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania on 18 May 1845. He was the eldest son of Daniel Shaner, Sr. and...

Apr 75 min read

"Little Short of Madness"

DeWitt Clinton and the Erie Canal In the early years of the United States, transportation of goods between the coastal ports and the...

Mar 258 min read

Trapped in the Sierra Nevadas

The story of how an intended shortcut led to unspeakable tragedy. Solomon Blue, Sr. married Telitha Ann Morris in Montgomery County, Ohio...

Mar 187 min read

Ben vs. The Bald Eagle

The bald eagle has been a symbol of the United States for as long as the country has existed. It first appeared on Massachusetts...

Mar 113 min read

A Colonial Colonel

Lewis DuBois was born in early 1744, and baptized on 9 September 1744 at the Reformed Dutch of Fishkill, New York. His father, Elias,...

Mar 46 min read

The Pioneer Cartographer

Simeon De Witt was born in Wawarsing, Ulster County, New York on 25 December 1756. He was one of 14 children born to Dr. Andries and...

Feb 263 min read

All Roads Lead to Ulster County, NY

It was no great surprise to find a lot of grandparents on the maternal side of my family tree to have initially settled in the part of...

Feb 195 min read

The De Witts

This farm is one of the oldest in the Esopus Valley and tradition tells that it was transferred prior to 1700 by Tjerck Claessen DeWitt...