Family Genealogy Update

Genealogy work takes many forms, and lately, I have focused on honoring my ancestors by managing 105 (and counting) of their memorials and building 43 (and counting) virtual cemeteries. Though this project is tedious and time-consuming, it is the best way to ensure their digital records accurately match my genealogical research. However, this project has also exposed a dark chapter in our family history. I discovered that numerous Mervine ancestors were disinterred and relocated decades after their original burials. When Philadelphia cemeteries like Odd Fellows, American Mechanics, and St. George M.E. Church were dissolved in the late 1940s and 1950s, families were supposedly notified. Yet, the sheer number of Mervine relatives who were separated and buried in mass graves makes me doubt that city officials did their due diligence. Instead of receiving proper reburials, many were split up, while their headstones were used as infrastructure fill in the Delaware River to build bridges. Uncovering this history only makes me more determined. I will continue searching for our displaced ancestors to ensure they are properly remembered and memorialized.

Mom and Dad and Brother

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Mother of Sons

The years slip by so quickly. One moment you have three little boys clinging to your skirts and the next moment they are adults. Meanwhile, you are left wondering where all the time went. ​

Leverington Cemetery

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St. John the Baptist Cemetery

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Memories

The first picture is my mom and my oldest granddaughter Ava. We were down the shore. ​The second picture is Ava and I celebrating her 4th birthday.

Paperworks

​Paperworks also known as Flat Rock Paper Mill was built in 1828. It used the power of the Manayunk Canal and Schuylkill River and became the world’s leading paper making mill by 1860. It closed its doors permanently in 2017. A Fire broke out in that same year and destroyed most of  the building.

Photos were taken by Michael Pearson and Noah Cote. 

Main and Leverington Ave in 1927 Manayunk. The large building straight ahead right over the Leverington Street Bridge is Namco Sosp Company.

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The 6100 block of Ridge Ave in 1934.

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Roxborough Memorial Hospiral June18,1951

Hospital where my siblings and I were born in the years 1958, 1960, 1964, 1965, 1969.

Welcome to 6th Grade

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