Today two of my great grandmas celebrate birthdays. Well they would if they were still with us or the keep track of that sort of thing in heaven.

My 2nd Great Grandma Mary A Shoenfelt Ritts was born 181 years ago in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. She married John Ritts and had six children including my great-grandpa Harry.  Mary's life was tragically cut down when the trolley she was riding went off the bridge and plunged into the Juniata River. In the subsequent trial, her husband was awarded $1200. Family Tree of Mary A Ritts

Harriet Slyder lived her life in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Married to Jacob Embich in 1838, Widowed in 1854 at age 37 Harriet was left with six children; John age 13, William 11, Mary 10, Emma 8, Jacob 3 and 2 month old Harriet. The young family survived off of Jacob estate until after the Civil War marched it's way through Chambersburg as part of the Battle of Gettysburg. To defend family and home, son John took up arms joining the Union Army. After the war Harriet took up jobs housekeeping and sewing to support her family. My 3rd great-grandma at age 68 was buried in the First Lutheran Church Cemetery, Chambersburg. Family Tree of Harriet Embich

Happy Birthday Grandmas!

First Families

"I believe the dead rely on us to tell their stories and that leave is up to you and me." ~ Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote

My 2nd great-grandfather has been inducted into the First Families of Blair County, Blair County in Pennsylvania was formed in 1846 from parts of Hunterdon and Bedford County. The county seat is Hollidaysburg, but the largest most recognized town is Altoona, originally home to the Pennsylvania Railroad. John saw the birth of that railway, the nation torn apart by civil war and the the introduction of automobiles making his saddlery business obsolete.

Blair County Townships Map

Below is my mini-biography submitted to the First Families of Blair County:

John L Ritts was born 30 Mar 1833 to Thomas and Catherine Lower Ritts in North Woodbury, Bedford County, Pennsylvania. The Thomas Ritts family which included son John and daughters, Catherine, Elizabeth, Martha, Mary and Lydia all resided in what became Blair County in 1846. John married Mary Shoenfelt in 1856 shortly after Taylor Township formed. John who followed in his father’s footsteps as a saddle and harness maker settled with his bride a few doors down from his parents in the new township. 

John and Mary had six children:

Catherine Jane (11 Sep 1857 - 28 Nov 1937) m. Peter Grove
Sarah Anne (27 Mar 1859 - 28 Apr 1943)
Albert S (27 Mar 1861 - 09 Jul 1951) m. Janet Butler
Harry Samuel (Apr 1863 - 04 Jul 1949) m. Elizabeth Hudson
Luria (1869 – bef 1880)
John Elmer (03 May 1871 – bef 1949) m. Rose Hardman

John served briefly in the Civil War as a Private. John and Mary were married for 48 years. While on the way to visit her sister, Susan Tipton, wife Mary was tragically killed as the trolley she was riding jumped the tracks plunging into the Juniata River. In a subsequent trial against Altoona and Logan Valley Railroad, John was awarded $1200. 

A lifelong resident of Blair County, John L Ritts passed away at age 78 of heart disease on 6 Jul 1911. He is buried in Antis Cemetery along with his son Harry’s family.

Fág an Bealach! Morris County Resident to Discuss the Irish Brigade

Clear the way! Mine Hill resident Andrew Bermingham fought at the Battle of Antietam as a part of the Irish Brigade. Hear Civil War chronicler Steve O’Neill recount the story at the Ferro-Monte Chapter, NSDAR on Saturday February 8th at 10am.  

Ferro-Monte Chapter meetings are held at Roxbury Township Free Public Library 103 Main St, Succasunna, NJ at 10am the 2^nd Saturday of the month from October - April. Prospective members are always welcome. If you have an interest in learning about your family tree, we can help you; maybe we can even find a Patriot among your leaves. For information, email: NJDARFerroMonte@aol.com.

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 to promote patriotism, preserve American history, and support better education for our nation's children. Its members are descended from the patriots who won American independence during the Revolutionary War. With more than 165,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide, DAR is one of the world's largest and most active service organizations. To learn more about the work of today's DAR, visit www.DAR.org.

Arlington National Cemetery

Yesterday I attended the internment of my cousin's husband at Arlington National Cemetery. This is not the first family member who has been laid to rest on this hallowed ground. My uncle (USN) joined his wife in 2010, and there is at least one other known to me.

Dad at John Armstrong's Grave

The history of Arlington itself is interesting. The mansion was originally built by the grandson of President George Washington. It became the residence of Robert E Lee after his marriage to the grandson's daughter. Arlington House as it was known, was confiscated by the Union at the outbreak of the Civil War. On June 15, 1864 Brigadier General Montgomery Meigs appropriated the property as a military cemetery. Sixteen days later Private John Armstrong died in a Washington DC hospital of gunshot wounds received in battle. He was one of the first soldiers buried in Arlington National Cemetery. 

The Krise Brothers and the Battle of Gaines’ Mill

In the heat of battle, heroes emerge, sometimes from the most unlikely of sources.

~ Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson

Historyof Pennsylvania Volunteers: 1861-1865 v2, part 2 by Samuel Bates

Cambria County was and is a rural farming area in western Pennsylvania where my paternal grandmother’s family comes from. Her grand-uncles Daniel and Henry Krise were coopers on a local farm before the War Between the States.  Young and idealistic the brother’s joined the Union Army weeks after the firing on Fort Sumter in April of 1861. As members of the Pennsylvania Reserves Infantry they went to Virginia to fight in the Peninsular Campaign.

The Peninsular Campaign was led by Gen. George McClellan its purpose; to capture the Confederate capitol of Richmond. The largest of the Seven Day Battles, Gaines’ Mill was one of the most vicious of the war and the only obvious victory by the Confederates during the peninsula campaign. The battle began midday on June 27^, 1862. At the start of the battle General Stonewall Jackson was to bring his men to back up General Lee in the battle. When Jackson didn’t arrive on time the confederates were forced to delay their assault. The tide of battle turned when General Jackson’s troops arrived. Disjointed, disorganized, and companies crushed, the battle became a desperate struggle for the Union forces. By sunset the battle raged so fierce the smoke enveloped the Colonel Gallagher’s Pennsylvania 11^th Reserves and Colonel Simpson’s New Jersey 4^th obliterating their view of the Union pullback until they were surrounded by the Confederates. From the report of General McCall “The situation of these two brave regiments , which so nobly maintained their ground after all had retired, was now hopeless; their retreat was entirely cut off by the increasing force of the enemy, who were still advancing, and they were forced to surrender.”  Over 600 soldiers in the Pennsylvania 11^th Reserves captured among them were the Krise brother’s Henry and Daniel.

The non-commissioned soldiers captured during the Peninsular Campaign including those at Gaines Mill were sent to Belle Isle at the end of June. Like the notorious Andersonville prison, conditions were deplorable. By mid-July Belle Isle held over 10,000 prisoners of war, the prison was only meant to hold 3,000. Prisoners including Henry and Daniel were filthy, covered in vermin and starved. Gratefully for their incarceration was brief. Henry & Daniel were amongst the first wave of prisoners exchanged in August of 1862. Both continued the fight for the preservation of the Union. Daniel re-enlisted joining and died during the war in 1864. He is buried in Alexandria Cemetery. Henry was shot in the face at South Mountain and discharged. It’s believed Henry died of his wounds at home in 1867.   

Source:  History ofPennsylvania Volunteers: 1861-1865 v2, part 2 by Samuel Bates pg 222-245

History Does Matter

My nephew often complains that history is boring, that it isn’t relatable to the present. Tonight I have proof that his hypothesis is wrong. And that the proof involves his family past and present.

Joe Armstrong at
John Armstrong's grave

I’ve had a road block regarding information on my great-great-great grandpa John Armstrong. In my ongoing ancestry quest, I attended a chat tonight on Civil War research tips hoping for someone to help me find more information on John. While I didn’t find a lot of information on John’s individual record, I did find a fascinating book “The Story of the Forty-Eighth, a record of the campaigns of the Forty-Eighth Regiment Pennsylvania veteran volunteer infantry during the four eventful years of it’s service in the war for the preservation of the union” by Joseph Gould. This particular John Armstrong served in the 48^th regiment from 1861 until his death in 1864.
 

The first story that touched me was about the early 1864 furlough of the regiment (pg 156). That trip took the regiment by train from Pittsburgh to Altoona and finally home to Pottsville. What struck me about this trip was the history of these locations for my family. This John came to America from the Isle of Mann in 1838 settling in Pottsville to work as a miner prior to the war.  My 2nd great-grandpa, Michael Armstrong, and his son Edward Lewis also worked the mines until Edward left the area to work on the railroad in Altoona. 

If this was my John Armstrong, he would have left for the war when Michael was 7 and he was dead by the time Michael was 11. He never would have met my great-grandpa Edward or my grandfather or father whom both born in Altoona. He would never know how the tracks he traveled on his last trip home would 87 years later take his great-great grandson on the reverse trip from Altoona to Pittsburgh where my father met my mother.

At this point in time the only facts I know about John’s time in the war are about his final battle at the Spotsylvania Courthouse in May of 1864. Private John Armstrong was wounded by gunshot on May 12^th in Spotsylvania, sent to a backline hospital in Washington DC where he succumbed to his wounds on July 1, 1864. He was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery.

On the day Private John Armstrong was mortally wounded, another soldier Comrade John Morrisey had a premonition he would not survive the day (pgs 178-179). Morrisey turned to his friend Sgt William Wells beseeching him to relay a message to his sister Mary that he died facing the enemy. As the battle commenced, Comrade John Morrisey was shot through the head. During a lull in the battle, Sgt Wells buried his friend.  Later during the war, Sgt Wells was injured and sent to a hospital in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania where John’s sister Mary Morrisey found him. Sgt Wells shared with Mary Morrisey her brother’s last words. This story gave me chills when I realized not only that John Morrisey and Private John Armstrong fought in a battle on the same day that ultimately killed them both, but the hospital where Sgt Wells and Mary Morrisey met was the same hospital where I born... Can anyone say small world.

Surname Saturday: Krise

The Krise family actively participated in the Civil War. Brothers Stephen, Daniel and Henry, along with brothers-in-law, Joshua Cretin and Daniel Brand; and nephews William Ryan and John Albert Nagle all served with Union forces. Joshua fell at Antietam, William in 1863 and Daniel is buried in Alexandria National Cemetery having died in August 1864.

Daniel & Henry serving with the Pennsylvania 11^th Company A fought and were captured during the Battle of Gaines’ Mill June 27, 1862. They were held at Belle Island until the Regiment was exchanged August 5, 1862.

My great-great-grandfather Steven Krise served as a Private in the 3rd Maryland, PHB. This is his discharge paper from the Union Army.