Knowing you have once walked upon this earth but finding no recorded evidence of your existence. That statement fits my grandmother's father. To think he lived here but did not leave one shred of evidence of his existence behind.
Today, Bill & I went to the Central Library in Center City Philadelphia to research old newspapers. The goal was to find "death notices" of those who lived nearly one hundred years ago. I found the "death notices" of both my great grandmother's parents John G. and Elisabeth Keller who died in the years 1897 and 1905.
I made a major breakthrough on my paternal side of the family too when I discovered that my grandfather John Weleski's (Wisloski) father was named Lewis and that his mother's maiden name was Dalhanceyk. I found Eva Wisloski's "death notice" in a 1932 Philadelphia Inquirer. She died of cancer. With this additional information, I can research other records more accurately and perhaps even solve the mystery and answer the question, "Why Was Eva Not Buried With Her Husband?"
After today, I wonder if I will ever find evidence of grandmom's father's existence. When he died August 9th, 1930, there was not one "death notice" placed in any Philadelphia newspaper even though I heard he died at the old Philadelphia General Hospital once located in West Philaldelphia in that hospital's TB ward and that he was buried with his wife. I have his burial records. This is the only evidence that he even existed. But I have searched census records, directories, military records, death records and now newspapers and still cannot find who he was, where he was from or even if he had any siblings. When he died at age 46 years old in that summer of 1930, grandmom and grandpop buried him and to true family form, grandmom probably buried her father without any notice or fanfare for he left her in the care of others when her mother died in 1915 and if folklore can be trusted was an alcoholic at the time of his death. John McCaffery, how can I find out about you?
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