The Return of the Amateur Family Historian

After a much longer hiatus that I had intended due to personal issues I am returning to blogging about my family history research.

I have resumed my Ancestry.com membership and have discovered that I can no longer access my family tree there which does not  particularly bother me because I intended to delete it and start over again. I have begun and I will institute the following rules:

1. Other family trees are not sources.
2. This tree is for research purposes only.
3. Did I mention not sourcing other family trees?

I will continue posting family group sheets for the virtual family tree project.

As I continue to reintegrate myself with the online Genealogy Community, I will blog about it here.

Family of Charles M. Hunsicker and Hannah Landis

Charles M. Hunsicker, son of Henry C. Hunsicker (1810-1874) and Lydia Markley (1814-1850), was born 23 April 1842 in Towamencin Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and died 7 June 1922 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States. When the family group sheet for his parents is posted on this blog the link will be placed here.

Sources for Charles M. Hunsicker:

Charles appears on page 47 and page 112 of A Genealogical History of the Hunsicker Family born 23 April 1842 in Towamencin Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States, second son and fifth child of Henry C. Hunsicker and Lydia Markley.

The 1850 US Census shows an 8 year old Charles living with his parents in Perkiomen Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States.

The 1860 US Census shows an 18 year old Charles living with his parents in Perkiomen Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States.

According to A Genealogical History of the Hunsicker Family, page 112, Charles M. Hunsicker and Hannah Landis were married on 15 November 1864.

The 1870 US Census shows a 28 year old Charles, a farmer, living with his wife, first two children, and a farm hand in Perkiomen Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States.

The 1880 US Census shows a 38 year old Charles, a farmer, living with his wife and four of his five children (one died in infancy) in East Perkiomen Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States.

The 1900 US Census shows a 58 year old Charles, a widow, boarding with his two youngest children at 942 N. Eleventh St., Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States.

The 1910 US Census shows a 68 year old Charles living with his son Henry L. Hunsicker at 40 E. Washington St., Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States.

The Pennsylvania Death Index lists death certificate 56467 for Charles Hunsicker who died 7 June 1922 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States.

On 15 November 1864 Charles M. Hunsicker married Hannah Landis, daughter of John B. Landis (1814-1896) and Ann Hunsicker (1817-1897), born 14 January 1845 in Perkiomen Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States and died 1 December 1892 in Skippack Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. When the family group sheet for her parents is posted on this blog the link will be placed here.

Sources for Hannah Landis:

Hannah appears on pages 57, 112, and 139 of A Genealogical History of the Hunsicker Family born 14 January 1845 and died 1 December 1892.

The 1850 US Census shows a 5 year old Hannah living with her parents in Perkiomen Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States.

According to A Genealogical History of the Hunsicker Family, page 112, Charles M. Hunsicker and Hannah Landis were married on 15 November 1864.

The 1870 US Census shows a 24 year old Hannah living with her husband, first two children, and a farm hand in Perkiomen Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States.

The 1880 US Census shows a 33 year old Hannah living with her husband and four of his five children (one died in infancy) East Perkiomen, Montgomery Township, Pennsylvania, United States.

According to A Genealogical History of the Hunsicker Family, page 112, Hannah Landis died on 1 December 1892.

Children of Charles M. Hunsicker and Hannah Landis:

Sheridan Landis Hunsicker (1865-1916) married Emily Farquhar (1873-1965) daughter of Alexander Farquhar (1843-) and Mary Ann Beatty (1843-1925), had 9 children. This family can be found here.

Henry L. Hunsicker was born 16 August 1868 in Skippack Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States and died 7 February 1911 in Germantown, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States. He was unmarried.

Sources for Henry L. Hunsicker:

Henry appears on page 112 of A Genealogical History of the Hunsicker Family born 16 August 1868 and died 7 February 1911.

According to Certificate of Death #3362 Henry L. Hunsicker was born on 16 August 1868.

The 1870 US Census shows a 2 year old Henry living with his parents and his older brother in Perkiomen Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States.

The 1880 US Census shows an 11 year old Henry living with his parents and his 3 siblings in East Perkiomen Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States.

The 1910 US Census shows a 39 year old Henry living with his father, sister, and nephew at 40 E. Washington St., Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States.

According to Certificate of Death #3362 Henry L. Hunsicker died on 6 February 1911.

An unnamed child that died in infancy was born approximately 1869.

Sources:

This child appears on page 112 of A Genealogical History of the Hunsicker Family listed as “died young”.

Annie Landis Hunsicker (1870-1957) married Thomas Hodgett Medd (1868-1905) son of Unknown Medd and Unknown, had 1 child. When the family group sheet for this family is posted on this blog the link will be placed here.

John Horace Hunsicker (1879-1911) married Florence Hallowell Jackson (1879-) daughter of Unknown Jackson and Unknown. When the family group sheet for this family is posted on this blog the link will be placed here.

If you have any questions or additional information on these individuals please comment on this post.

Family of Sheridan Landis Hunsicker and Emily Farquhar

When I started looking into my family history I only knew the names of my parents and grandparents.

I found this family once I discovered A Genealogical History of the Hunsicker Family.

I do not have any original documents for members of this family other than my grandfather, Clifford Sheridan Hunsicker. Therefore the only sources will be the book mentioned above and the census with a few other things like the SSDI and the Pennsylvania Death Index.

With this family I have taken my tree back three generations through my father William Robert Hunsicker, my grandfather Clifford Sheridan Hunsicker, and my great grandfather Sheridan Landis Hunsicker.

This will be the next family for which I look for original documents after I have found everything for my grandparents.

Sheridan Landis Hunsicker, son of Charles M. Hunsicker (1842-1922) and Hannah Landis (1843-1892) (This family can be found here), was born 13 September 1865 in Skippack Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States and died 10 Oct 1916 in Germantown, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States.  

Sources for Sheridan Landis Hunsicker:

Sheridan appears on page 112 and 229 of A Genealogical History of the Hunsicker Family born 13 September 1865 in Skippack Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States, first child of Charles M. Hunsicker and Hannah Landis.

The 1870 US Census shows a 5 year old Sheridan living with his family in Perkiomen Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States.

The 1880 US Census shows a 14 year old Sheridan living with his family in East Perkiomen Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States.

According to A Genealogical History of the Hunsicker Family, page 229, Sheridan L. Hunsicker and Emily Farquhar were married on 20 Jan 1897.

The 1900 US Census shows a 34 year old Sheridan, born September 1865, living with his wife, his first two children, and his Aunt, Katharine M. Hunsicker (1845-) on Clinton Street in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States.

The 1910 US Census shows a 44 year old Sheridan living with his wife and six of his first seven children at 2215 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States.

The Pennsylvania Death Index lists death certificate 119781 for Sheridan L. Hunsicker who died 10 November 1916 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States.

On 20 Jan 1897 Sheridan Landis Hunsicker married Emily Farquhar, daughter of Alexander Farquhar (1834-1904) and Mary Ann Beatty (1834-1925) ( When the family group sheet for his parents is posted on this blog the link will be placed here), born 29 August 1873 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States and died 6 November 1965 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States. 

Sources for Emily Farquhar:

Emily appears on page 229 of A Genealogical History of the Hunsicker Family born 29 August 1873.

The California Death Index states That Emily F. Hunsicker was born 29 August 1873 and that her mother’s maiden name was Beatty.

The 1880 US Census shows a 6 year old Emma (Emily) living with her family on Cove Street in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States.

According to A Genealogical History of the Hunsicker Family, page 229, Sheridan L. Hunsicker and Emily Farquhar were married on 20 Jan 1897.

The 1900 US Census shows a 25 year old Emily, born August 1874, living with her husband, her first two children, and her husband’s Aunt, Katharine M. Hunsicker (1845-) on Clinton Street in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States.

The 1910 US Census shows a 36 year old Emily living with her husband and six of her first seven children (the first of two children who did not survive infancy) at 2215 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States.

The 1920 US Census shows a widowed, 45 year old Emily living with seven of her nine children (two did not survive infancy) at 1633 Spencer St in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States.

The 1930 US Census shows a 55 year old Emily living with her two youngest children and four boarders at 6209 North Gratz Street in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States.

The 1938 California Voter Registrations show Emily living at 252 S Oak Street in Ventura, Ventura County, California, United States.

The 1940 California Voter Registrations show Emily living with her son Earl at 252 S Oak Street in Ventura, Ventura County, California, United States.

The 1940 US Census shows a 66 year old Emily living with her son and two of her granddaughters at 252 South Oak Street in San Buena Ventura, Ventura County, California, United States.

The California Death Index states that Emily Farquhar died 6 November 1965 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States.

Children of Sheridan Landis Hunsicker and Emily Farquhar:

Earl Farquhar Hunsicker (1897-1968) married Caroline A. Ritter (1901-1938), daughter of Charles C. Ritter (1862-) and Anna M. Olt (1862-1968) and had two children. When the family group sheet for this family is posted on this blog the link will be placed here.

Dorothy E. Hunsicker (1898-2002) married Frederick Nethanial Anderson (1897-1979), son of Stephen Anderson (1861-) and Letta Lueticia Weimer (1861-1942), and had two children as of 1940. When the family group sheet for this family is posted on this blog the link will be placed here.

Clarissa E. Hunsicker (1902-2003) married John Daniel Weiss (1899-1957), son of Frank Weiss (1875-1940) and Jessie Unknown (1879-). When the family group sheet for this family is posted on this blog the link will be placed here.

Clifford Sheridan Hunsicker (1903-1976) married Margaret Mary Smith (1902-1955), daughter of Michael Arthur Smith (1871-1937) and Elizabeth Dickson (1870-1945), had 5 children. This family can be found here.

Alexander Farquhar Hunsicker (1905-1995) married Edna Kistler Hughes (1908-), daughter of Thomas F. Hughes (1879-) and Anna J. Kistler (1874-)

Mary Ann Hunsicker was born 6 April 1907 and died 30 December 1909 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States.

Sources for Mary Ann Hunsicker:

Mary Ann appears on page 229 of A Genealogical History of the Hunsicker Family born 6 April 1907 and died 30 December 1909.

The Pennsylvania Death Index shows on death certificate #117363 that Mary A. Hunsicker died 30 December 1909 in Philadelphia, PA.

Ethel Florence Hunsicker was born 11 September 1909 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States and died 11 March 1911 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States.

Sources for Ethel Florence Hunsicker:

Ethel Florence appears on page 229 of A Genealogical History of the Hunsicker Family born 11 September 1909 and died 11 March 1911.

The Pennsylvania Death Index shows on death certificate #31113 that Ethel Hunsicker died 11 March 1911 in Philadelphia, PA.

George Thomas Hunsicker (1911-1965) married Vera Cora Patterson (1917-2002), daughter of William Edward Patterson (1873-1933) and Anne Mead Donner (1879-1938), had 1 child. When the family group sheet for this family is posted on this blog the link will be placed here.

Elva G. Hunsicker (1913-2000) married William F. Reagan (1909-1971), son of William F. Reagan, Sr. (1885-) and Ellen Unknown (1889-), had 4 children. When the family group sheet for this family is posted on this blog the link will be placed here.

If you have any questions or additional information on these individuals please comment on this post.

Genealogy is everywhere!

Check out this web comic that I read: On The Fastrack

Lower Bucks Genealogy Club meeting 6/9/12

This meeting consisted of another excellent roundtable of members discussing their family history research.

Members brought in pictures of their father in honor of Father's Day.

What I have learned - 5/23/12

Since my first goal is to "learn more" I will periodically report what I have learned.

This past week I learned the following:

People are actually interested in what I write about - dozens of people. Thank you for reading!

Also, taking another look at documents that you have had for awhile can yield new information.

While checking on the 1880 census for my paternal grandfather's parents (partly to research a new family posting here) I discovered information that showed where and approximately when my great grandmother Emily Farquahar's (1873-1965) parents emigrated.

When I first looked at the census I only looked here:

1880 US Federal Census Alexander and Mary Farquar (Farquahar) names detail

With everything I have learned over the last few months when I looked at the record again I noticed this:

1880 US Census Alexander and Mary Farquar (Farquahar) birthplaces detail

Looking at this we can see that both Alexander and Mary Farquahar as well as their their parents were born in Ireland. Sometime before the birth of their first child (in approximately 1856) they emigrated to England (their first two children were born there). 

Then, prior to the birth of their third child (in approximately 1860) they emigrated to Canada (their next three children were born there). 

Finally, prior to the birth of their sixth child (in approximately 1868) they emigrated to Pennsylvania, United States (their last three children, as of 1880, were born there) and in 1880 were living in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.

I have not yet found them in the 1870 census to see if they were still living in Philadelphia (because Emily was born in 1873 and I was looking for information on her).

When I research this family I will be looking for records in Canada, England, and Ireland as well as Pennsylvania!

"Who Do You Think You Are?" - Some Thoughts

I don't watch much television and up until recently I have been what you might call a loan family historian - basically doing everything on my own and not following genealogy news or what others were doing.

Therefore I did not hear about "Who Do You Think You Are?" until the beginning of the current season.

I have read some criticism about the show along the lines of "it's bad genealogy" or "they don't show enough of the research". I think that the reason is that some people who are watching the show are missing the point. This show is not about genealogy. It is about family history.

Quick Amateur Family Historian definition: genealogy is how you find information about your ancestors; family history is what you do with that information.

While I thoroughly enjoy seeing original documents that are sometimes hundreds of years old, the best part of the show for me is when the person shares the results with their family.

I like the show so much that I bought the first season from the iTunes Store. I may comment on those episodes as I watch them.

Ancestry.com subscription

Because I have a limited budget and because I have decided to rebuild my family tree from scratch and will therefore be concentrating on my American ancestors for a while I decided to downgrade my Ancestry.com subscription to US only from Worldwide.

In order to do this I had to threaten to cancel my subscription because it was too expensive. Only then was I offered the US only subscription. I could not find any other way to do it.

Unusual birth circumstance yields a treasure trove of genealogical information.

I was born in Stuttgart, Germany yet I am an American citizen and have been since the moment of my birth. You may wonder how this is possible.

My dad was in the US Army and was serving there at the time.

Four documents establish my birth and citizenship. Let’s look at each one and see what genealogical information they contain. (Since these are my personal documents in the current climate I will not be showing scans.)

The first document is my German birth certificate or Geburtskunde. This was issued by Stamdesamt Stuttgart-Bad Constant. This document shows my full name, my birth date, where I was born and who my parents are. Also, what religion they were (Catholic) and my mother’s maiden name.

According to the Immigration and Nationality Act, Effective December 24, 1952: “The following shall be citizens of the United States at birth: (3) a person born outside of the United States and its outlying possessions of parents both of whom are citizens of the United States and one of whom has had residence in the United States or one of its outlying possessions, prior to the birth of such person”.

In order to prove their citizenship and residence my parents had to submit the following forms:

Form FS-240, Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of The United States of America, which provided the following information for each of my parents:

Full name

Date of birth

Place of birth

Present address (at that time)

Address in the United States

Evidence of U. S. Citizenship (my father provided a birth certificate, my mother a passport)

Precise periods of physical presence in the United States

Place of Marriage

Date of Marriage

AE Form 360, Report of Child Born Abroad of American Parent(s), which provided the following information for each of my parents:

Father:

Full name

Race

Religion

Occupation

Birthplace

Birthdate

Present Residence Address

Precise periods and Places of Residence since birth

Mother:

Full name

Race

Religion

Name before Marriage

Birthplace

Birthdate

Passport Number, Issue Date, Expiration Date

Present Residence Address

Precise Periods and Places of Residence since birth

My parents submitted my German birth certificate and these forms (plus a statement from my father explaining why he used the middle name “Robert” when his birth certificate stated that his name was “William Hunsicker”) to the American Consulate General in Stuttgart-Bad Constatt, Germany and received Form FS-545, Certificate of Birth, Issued by the Department of State, Foreign Service of the United States of America. This form shows my full name, gender, place of birth, and date of birth. This form alone is what I use as my birth certificate when I renew my driver’s license.

If my father had not happened to be serving in the US Army in Germany when I was born all of this information would not be conveniently in one place.

The Genealogy section of About.com has more information here. 

Apparently obtaining copies of these documents for genealogical purposes if you are not the person involved or parents of that person would be extremely difficult.

Family of William Elmer Stauffer and Mildred Lefforts Leedom

Compared to my father’s family, my mother’s family is relatively simple. Since my mother was the only surviving child she inherited some of my grandparent’s documents.

My mother’s family moved around quite a lot in the thirties and forties but fortunately my birth documents (more on those can be found here) pointed in the right direction so that I was able to locate them on the 1940 Census.

William Elmer Stauffer, son of Ulysses Simpson Grant Stauffer (1869-1912) and Katherine Cramer (1867-1949), born 14 June 1899 in West Point, Upper Gwynedd Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States, served in the US Army in World War I (30 April 1917 to 17 October 1919), and died 24 Oct 1977.

Sources for William Elmer Stauffer:

Birth Certificate issued 26 June 1942

The 1900 Census shows an 11 month old William Stauffer, born June 1899, living with his parents and grandparents in Upper Gwynedd Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States.

An Enlistment Record and Honorable Discharge from the US Army in World War I

The 1920 Census shows a 20 year old William E. Stauffer working as a jockey and living with his mother, Katherine Stauffer, a widow, on Overlook Ave. in Upper Moreland Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States.

A Certificate of Marriage states that he married Mildred L. Stauffer 12 March 1927

The 1930 Census shows William and his wife and daughter living with his brother Leon P. Stauffer and family along with his mother and sister at 210 Summit Ave. in Upper Moreland Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States.

The 1940 Census shows William and his wife and daughter living on a farm in Hartsville Village, Warminster, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States.

A Record of Burial Place of a Veteran shows his dates of service as well as birth and death dates

The Social Security Death Index

On 12 March 1927 in Willow Grover, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA, he married Mildred Lefferts Leedom, daughter of Isaac Newton Leedom (1867-1941) and Mary Lena Johnson (1870-1956), born 19 June 1906 in Bethayres, Lower Moreland Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania,  United States and died 15 February 1986 in Warminster, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States.

Sources for Mildred Lefferts Leedom:

The 1910 Census shows a 3 year old Mildred living with her parents I. Newton and Mary Lena Leedom on Walton Road in Moreland Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States.

The 1920 Census shows a 13 year old Mildred living with her parents at 1737 Bristol Street in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States.

The Certificate of Marriage to William E. Stauffer

The 1930 Census

The 1940 Census

Death Certificate No. 200062 states that Mildred L. Stauffer, born June 19, 1906, in Lower Moreland Twp., PA, died February 15, 1986 in Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States.

Children of William Elmer Stauffer and Mildred Lefferts Leedom:

Dorothy Mae Stauffer (1927-2007) married William Robert Hunsicker (1932-2002), had five children. His parent's family group sheet can be found here. This is my mother and father. Due to privacy concerns detailed information on this individual will not be shown on this public blog. 

Herbert Elmer Stauffer was born and died 12 November 1928. Due to privacy concerns detailed information on this individual will not be shown on this public blog.

If you have any questions or additional information on these individuals please comment on this post.

Family of Clifford Sheridan Hunsicker and Margaret Mary Smith

To determine what work I need to do to complete my father's (William Robert Hunsicker) family I have written out all of the information and sources I have.

After seeing how much information there is, I have decided to place my comments at the top.

The only person I have complete documentation for is William Robert Hunsicker, my father, because I inherited it directly from him. All other information not supported by documentation is from discussion with family members.

I need to get birth certificates, death certificates, and, in some cases, marriage certificates. It appears from what I have read that in order to get birth certificates for uncles and aunts I will have to get the death certificates first. Birth and death certificates come from the Pennsylvania state and (prior to 1906) county government. All marriage certificates come from county government. I will have to see what documents my cousins and my one remaining aunt have.

I will consult with the  members of the Lower Bucks Genealogy Club and see if my understanding is correct.

I need to speak to my Aunt Evelyn (who is my oldest living relative) to get more information on her family.

I would like anyone who is interested to comment on whether I need to get these documents for all of the individuals listed below.

The 1930 Census shows Clifford S. Hunsicker and Margaret M. Hunsicker, along with their first three children living at 111 Congress Street in Newtown Borough, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States.

1930 Federal Census ED 9-48 Sheet 7A (detail)

The 1940 Census Shows Clifford S. Hunsicker and Margaret M. Hunsicker, along with all five of their children living at 235 S Lincoln Ave in Newtown Borough, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States, and living in the same place in 1935.

1940 US Federal Census ED 9-58 Sheet 9A (detail)

Clifford Sheridan Hunsicker, son of Sheridan Landis Hunsicker (1865-1916) and Emily Farquahar (1873-1965) was born 1 April 1903 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania,  United States, and died 3 July 1976 in Penndel, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States.

Sources for Clifford Hunsicker:

Clifford appears on page 229 of A Genealogical History of the Hunsicker Family born 1 April 1903 the fourth child of Sheridan L. Hunsicker and Emily Farquahar.
The 1910 Census shows a 7 year old Clifford living with his parents at 2315 Germantown Ave. in Philadelphia, PA.

1910 US Federal Census ED 315 Sheet 12A Dwelling 224 (detail)

The 1920 Census shows a 16 year old Clifford working as a roofer and living with his widowed mother at 1633 Spencer Street in Philadelphia, PA.

1920 US Federal Census ED 1570 Sheet 13B Dwelling 294 (detail)

A Marriage Certificate shows that on February 7, 1925, Clifford S. Hunsicker and Margaret M. Smith  were united in marriage in accordance with License #39856 issued by the Clerk of the Orphan's Court of Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
 A Certificate of Marriage shows that on February 7, 1925, Clifford S. Hunsicker and Margaret M. Smith were lawfully married at St. Michael's Church, Chester, PA, by Rev.John J. Toner. James Duffy and Mary Duffy were the witnesses.
The 1930 Census (shown above) shows a 26 year old Clifford working as an assistant freight-clerk for the steam railroad and living with his wife and  3 children at 111 Congress Street in Newtown Borough, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States.

The 1940 Census (shown above) shows a 37 year old Clifford working as a clerk for the Reading Steam Railroad and living with his wife and 5 children at 235 S Lincoln Ave in Newtown Borough, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States, and living in the same place in 1935.
Death Certificate #541099 issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Health, Vital Statistics, states thay Clifford S. Hunsicker died on July 3, 1976 in Middletown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania,United States, of Accute Coronary Occlusion, Advanced Coronary Heart Disease, and Generalized Arteriosclerosis.
The Bucks County Courier Times 6 July 1976 Page B29 includes the obituary of Clifford S. Hunsicker.

In the future I will show images of and discuss Clifford's other documents in a separate post and put the link here.

On 7 February 1925 he married Margaret Mary Smith, daughter of Michael Arthur Smith (1871-1937) and  Elizabeth Dickson (1870-1945), born 27 April 1902 in Cheltenham Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States,  and died 4 August 1955 In Bristol Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States.

Sources for Margaret Mary Hunsicker:

The 1910 Census shows a 8 year old Margaret living with her parents on Franklin Ave in Cheltenham Township, PA.

1910 US Federal Census ED 70 Sheet 11A Dwelling 326 (detail)

The 1920 Census shows a 17 year old Margaret working as a weaver in a mill living with her parents at 123 Old Soldiers Road in Cheltenham Township, PA.

1920 US Federal Census ED 78 Sheet 5B Dwelling 98 (detail)

Margaret Mary Smith at work circa 1920

The 1930 Census (shown above) shows a 27 year old Margaret living with her husband and first 3 children at 111 Congress Street in Newtown Borough, Bucks County, Pennsylvania,  United States.
The 1940 Census (shown above) shows a 37 year old Margaret living with her husband and 5 children at 235 S Lincoln Ave in Newtown Borough, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States, and living in the same place in 1935.  

1955 Pennsylvania Death Index (Death Certificate to follow)

Funeral Card issued by Charles Swartz, Funeral Director, 323 East Washington Ave, Newtown, PA

He then married Lorraine Simmons, a widow, daughter of Edward J. Winder (1883-) and Catherine Unknown, who was born 14 Nov 1911 in Pennsylvania, USA and died Nov 1988 in Glenside, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States.

Sources for Lorraine Winder:

The 1920 Census shows Lorraine living with her parents in Middletown, Bucks County, PA.

Social Security Death Index

In the future I will show images of and discuss Margaret's other documents in a separate post and put the link here.

Children of Clifford S. and Margaret Mary:

John Joseph Hunsicker (1925-1933) married Unknown. Due to privacy concerns detailed information on this individual will not be shown on this public blog.

Charles Thomas Hunsicker (1927-2006) married Evelyn Unknown. Due to privacy concerns detailed information on this individual will not be shown on this public blog.

Mary Ann Hunsicker (1928-2000) USA, unmarried. Due to privacy concerns detailed information on this individual will not be shown on this public blog.

Marjorie Theresa Hunsicker (1930-2003) married Alan Ellis Shaw (1922-2003), had four children. Due to privacy concerns detailed information on this individual will not be shown on this public blog.

William Robert Hunsicker (1932-2002) married Dorothy Mae Hunsicker (1927-2007), had five children. Her parent's family group sheet can be found here. This is my father and mother. Due to privacy concerns detailed information on this individual will not be shown on this public blog.

If you have any questions or additional information on these individuals please comment on this post.

Documents Retrieved

I have gone through my parents (who are both deceased) papers to find vital records and other items of interest.

Here is what I found:

My father, William R. Hunsicker:

Marriage Certificate
Retirement request from US Army
Discharge (DD214) from US Army
Death Certificate
Funeral Expenses

My mother, Dorothy Mae (Stauffer) Hunsicker:

Marriage Certificate
Reissued Social Security Card (married name)
Medicare Card
Death Certificate
Funeral Expenses

Other interesting items:

Father's funeral guest register
Mother's funeral guest register
Grandfather's (mother's father) funeral guest register

In the future I will analyze the genealogical significance of these items.

Brick Wall Dismantled

Since I started researching my family tree my biggest brick wall has been my paternal grandmother. She died shortly after my parents were married and by the time I started asking about her the only close sources I had were my mother and my older sister. The only paternal grandmother I knew was my  step-grandmother (my grandfather's second wife) who insisted that we call her "Aunt Lorraine."

The initial information I was given was that her name was Margarite Mary Smith (my sister, Margaret Mary said that she was supposed to be named after her and they didn't find out the mistake until the the birth certificate was issued), and she died before my parents were married in 1955 (possibly 1950).

When I entered this information in Ancestry.com I got no results that made any sense. I set it aside and worked on other lines.

In the meantime, I cancelled my subscription to Ancestry.com and otherwise stepped back from research as life, as it has a habit of doing, demanded my attention.

Then, early last year (don't know when - no research log then), my cousin Susie visited and brought pictures and a funeral card for our grandmother which showed the day she died.

Margaret Mary (Smith) Hunsicker

Funeral Card

She also gave me some pictures and the names of her parents (Michael A. Smith and Elizabeth Dickson.

Elizabeth and Michael Smith

At the time my only research activity was matching family trees on MyHeritage.com. I got no matches so I set this aside.

Recently I became interested in my family tree again and started listening to podcasts including the excellent ones provided by Lisa Louise Cooke. I renewed my subscription to Ancestry.com.

Today, I entered the above information for my grandmother and her parents and Ancestry.com found a 1910 US Census that included Margaret Smith and the rest of her family (including siblings). I now have my grandmother's immediate family including her eight siblings. A 1900 US Census provided the birth year and month for her parents and her older siblings.Since (per the same census) Elizabeth immigrated from Scotland in 1887 and Michael's parents were born in Ireland, further research will have to cross the pond.

It was very exciting and satisfying to bring down this long lasting brick wall and I look forward to climbing this particular branch of my family tree in the future.

Goals

Here are my long term goals for my Family History research:

1. Learn more.

2. Clean up and properly source my family tree.

3. Identify and organize the assorted papers, photos, and etc. that I have received.

4. Communicate my results and participate in the Genealogy Community.

I will detail what I am doing to achieve these goals and give updates on my progress in future posts.

A brief history of my family history research

I had been thinking about checking my family history for a long time but did not begin until about 1997 or 1998. At that time I wrote down all that I knew and started asking questions of my immediate family. This gave me information about my immediate family and my grandparents.

Then my mother gave me some typed (remember typewriters?) papers that were so old that the staple holding them together was rusted. It was titled "The Stauffer Family" and gave me incomplete information about my Stauffer ancestors back to the Civil War.

About 2001 or 2002 I went on Ancestry.com and started looking for information on my grandfather Clifford S. Hunsicker. The search led to a page in a book. This book, A Genealogical History of the Hunsicker Family, would give me my Hunsicker ancestors all the way back to 1700. Up until this time my entire family believed that our ancestry was German but it turns out that our first ancestor in America was Valentine Hunsicker who was from Switzerland.

Since then I have identified myself as the Family Historian and have received a lot of items (mostly photos) but also some documents and copies of documents.

My father, William Robert Hunsicker, passed away in December 2002. My mother, Dorothy Mae Stauffer Hunsicker, passed away in 2007. Fortunately, I was able to share most of this information with her before then.

I received a communication through Ancestry.com from someone who asked about Emily Farquahar who is my grandfather Clifford Hunsicker's mother (my great grandmother). It turns out that she is my first cousin once removed (daughter of one of my grandfather's brothers). I learned about a great uncle and a great aunt that I was not aware of.

I was recently given a much updated version of "The Stauffer Family" in a loose leaf binder which included tombstone pictures for a lot of the persons listed.

My efforts to this point have been infrequent and inconsistent (a lot of the items I have been given are unorganized). I am now going to learn from the resources available within the Genealogy Community so that I can bring order to the chaos that I have created.