U.S. National Cemetery In Philadelphia

Philadelphia National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located north of Germantown in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It encompasses 13.3 acres, and as of the end of 2005, had 13,143 interments. It is maintained by the Beverly National Cemetery in Beverly, New Jersey.

Those From The Civil War


Those From The Vietnam War

Those Who Fought In The Mexican War

Whitemarsh Memorial Park

This cemetery has flat plates as grave makers (shown above). It is not a place to visit after a snow fall because you would have difficulty finding the grave. As a historian/cemetery walker/genealogist, I prefer cemeteries/churchyards with a variety of stone shapes and sizes. It gives the final resting place a feeling of character and warmth. (my opinion)

Sometimes It Is Fun Just Hanging Out

Divine Lorraine Hotel

(Photos taken by me)

Built in 1894, the Lorraine was originally designed as a luxury apartment house for Philly's nouveau-riche industrialists. Still counting their first millions, they spurned the elitism of Rittenhouse Square's established wealth and stomped toward the outlands of North Philadelphia.

North Broad would hold the fortunes of the future, augured the kings of the Gilded Age, and the Lorraine would be its gem. She was built in grandeur on a 4-acre swath of land at the intersection of Broad Street and Ridge and Fairmount avenues. Ten stories of Pompeian brick and ornate marble. Oversized, lavish suites with tile-lined fireplaces and private servant staffs. A grand banquet hall. A polished barroom. Rooms even had electric lighting and telephone service.
In the early 1900s, North Broad began a shift from residential mansions to a commercial district, and the Lorraine was transformed into a luxurious hotel. Great galas and debutante balls were hosted in its banquet hall.

Now, aside from a horror-flick crew using the Divine as a backdrop, only David Peace traverses the grounds, on the lookout for squatters, scroungers, breached or busted windows, or signs of infestation. Many rooms contain only a few pieces of furniture, strewn about and covered in plaster. Others have neatly made beds and wrapped cakes of soap in the bathrooms. In one room, a threaded needle rests on a knitting tin. In another, a Bible sits on a nightstand opened to John 11:11: "Our friend, Lazarus, has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I may awake him out of his sleep."

Some say sounds of music and laughter echo from the banquet hall at night and that the unsettled spirit of a murdered woman roams the seventh-floor corridors. Peace scoffs at the ghost tales.

"Ain't nothing here but the presence of God," he says as he cranks up the elevator, which leaks oil and shakes like a jalopy.

In 1939, God rolled into Philadelphia on a 16-car train, dubbed the "Divine Special," in the form of Father Divine, a bald, squat, itinerant African-American preacher whose real name is believed to have been George Baker. He had centered his Peace Mission in New York City, but he ran afoul of the authorities there and former mission members who claimed he bilked them out of their finances.

A self-proclaimed deity and ardent civil rights activist, Father Divine also oversaw a real estate empire. In 1948, he acquired the Lorraine for $485,000, assigned the deed to 300 of his followers, and commissioned the two-story, neon-red Divine Lorraine Hotel sign that still stamps the North Broad skyline. His properties were looked upon as "heavens" by his followers and were considered part of the "promised land."

Father Divine opened the doors of the Lorraine to people of all races and creeds, and his rates were dirt-cheap. The hotel's 246 rooms were often completely booked with clientele ranging from businessmen to holy rollers, traveling students to reformed stumblebums. Scores of Peace Mission Members lived and worked at the Divine.

He converted the grand 10th-floor auditorium into a place of worship and opened up the first floor kitchen as a public dining room. Wholesome meals were offered to the working class of North Philly for only 25 cents.

Food was bountiful in the "promised land," but there was no beer in the icebox. Guests had to abide by Father Divine's "International Modest Code." No drinking. No smoking. No undue mixing of the sexes. No vulgarity. No blasphemy. Evangelical attire at all times: men in Sunday's best, women in stockings and long skirts.

"The atmosphere here has been purified," says Peace.
With his thick hands and strong back, David Peace was assigned to work in the boiler room of the Divine. He lived in the hotel for close to a decade and now resides at a Peace Mission property along South Broad Street.

(When Father Divine died in 1965 and did not rise from the dead as his followers thought he might, his wife, Mother Divine, 50 years his junior, took over leadership of the Peace Mission's numerous properties in Pennsylvania, including the Divine and a 73-acre estate in Gladwyne.)

Most of the time, Peace refuses to become nostalgic about his former home. "It's served its purpose," he often says. "I look at it like a pair of shoes. If my shoes wear out, I don't go barefoot. Brother, I buy a new pair of shoes. I'm not thinking about yesterday. Brother, I'm thinking about today."

But on this bleak winter's day, Peace is reflective as he stares out upon the city, which seems sad and beautiful from the eerily silent banquet room on the 10th floor of the Lorraine.
Headlights snake down Broad Street and paint a gold cylinder through the gray mist. Hard-bitten men stand hunch-shouldered in front of the Ridge Avenue homeless center. A woman lugs groceries up the subway steps. Scraps of dirty newspaper blow along the dirty street.

The world below seems foreign and distant, removed.
"There is something about this place," Peace says respectfully. "It is something set apart."

(Philadelphia City Newspaper)

Family Search Records

Alexander MERVINE
Household
Male
Other Information:
Birth Year 1828
Birthplace PA
Age 52
Occupation
Butcher
Marital Status
W
Race
W
Head of Household
William JACOBS
Relation
Other
Father's Birthplace
PA
Mother's Birthplace
PA

Medieval Cemetery Yields 1,300 Skeletons

London (AP) _ A large medieval cemetery containing around 1,300 skeletons has been discovered in the central English city of Leicester, archaeologists said Tuesday.

The bones were found during a dig before the site is developed as part of a 350 million-pound ($630 million) shopping mall.
University of Leicester archaeologists say the find promises to shed new light on the way people lived and died in the Middle Ages.

"We think, probably outside London, this must be one of the largest parish graveyards ever excavated,'' said Richard Buckley, director of University of Leicester Archaeology Services.

"Archaeology will tell us a lot from the rubbish people throw away. We can really learn about the lives they were leading.''
"But it's very rare that we get a look at a (whole) population itself. It's quite a tightly dated group.''

He said the graveyard was probably used from the 12th century until the demolition of a church at the site in 1573.
Communal graves and a high number of child skeletons already provide evidence of high infant mortality and contagious diseases in the area, Buckley said.

What is believed to be Britain's largest medieval cemetery was found at Bishopsgate London in 1999. It contained more than 10,000 bodies.

The Posts Below Are All Records Directly Taken From Social Security, World War I & II, Korean & Vietnam Wars And Military Cemeteries.

Enjoy The Journey.

William C Cafferty Son Of Bernard & Mary Boland Cafferty

World War II

William C Cafferty
Birth Year:
1923
Race:
White, citizen (White)
State:
Pennsylvania
County or City:
Philadelphia
Enlistment Date:
19 Mar 1943
Enlistment State:
Pennsylvania
Enlistment City:
Philadelphia
Branch:
No branch assignment
Branch Code:
No branch assignment
Grade:
Private
Grade Code:
Private
Term of Enlistment:
Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law
Component:
Selectees (Enlisted Men)
Source:
Civil Life
Education:
2 years of high school
Marital Status:
Single, without dependents
Height:
68
Weight:
094

World War I Record Of William Mervine

Click on image to enlarge & view.

William J Gallagher II

William Gallagher
SSN:
184-10-5012
Last Residence:
19136 Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Born:
15 Apr 1906
Died:
Nov 1980
State (Year) SSN issued:
Pennsylvania (Before 1951 )

William J Gallagher III

Name:
William J. Gallagher
SSN:
180-24-1419
Last Residence:
19120 Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Born:
10 Mar 1931
Died:
14 Jul 1996
State (Year) SSN issued:
Pennsylvania (Before 1951

Anna Marie McCaffery Gallagher

Name:
Anna M. Gallagher
SSN:
200-46-8343
Born:
5 Jul 1912
Died:
30 Jul 1990
State (Year) SSN issued:
Pennsylvania (1971 )

William H McKiernan

William H. McKiernan
SSN:
204-28-9677
Last Residence:
19127 Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Born:
2 Jan 1937
Died:
25 Jan 2003
State (Year) SSN issued:
Pennsylvania (1953-1954 )

Marlene Cannon

Marlene A. Cannon
SSN:
164-28-9131
Last Residence:
34698 Dunedin, Pinellas, Florida, United States of America
Born:
13 Dec 1934
Died:
26 Feb 2007
State (Year) SSN issued:
Pennsylvania (1951-1952 )

John H Mervine (son of John H Mervine, grandson of John H Mervine, Great grandson of Alexander & Sarah Mervine)

MERVINE, JOHN H
PVT US ARMY
WORLD WAR II
DATE OF BIRTH: 01/20/1928
DATE OF DEATH: 05/23/2002
BURIED AT:
ARLINGTON CEMETERY
1620 COVE ROAD PENNSAUKEN, NJ 08110
(856) 663-5100

Stella Zysk

ZYSK, STELLA
DATE OF BIRTH: 01/03/1903
DATE OF DEATH: 07/16/1990
BURIED AT: SECTION X SITE 4125
BEVERLY NATIONAL CEMETERY
916 BRIDGEBORO ROAD BRIDGEBORO ROAD BEVERLY, NJ 08010
(609) 880-0827
WIFE OF ZYSK, ANTHONY
PVT US ARMY

Anthony Zysk

ZYSK, ANTHONY
PVT US ARMY
WORLD WAR I
DATE OF BIRTH: 07/28/1896
DATE OF DEATH: 10/03/1964
BURIED AT: SECTION X SITE 4125
BEVERLY NATIONAL CEMETERY
916 BRIDGEBORO ROAD BRIDGEBORO ROAD BEVERLY, NJ 08010
(609) 880-0827

Harry Charles Walsh

U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 Name:
Harry C Walsh
Birth Year:
1903
Race:
White, citizen (White)
Nativity State or Country:
Pennsylvania
State:
Pennsylvania
County or City:
Philadelphia
Enlistment Date:
30 Oct 1942
Enlistment State:
Pennsylvania
Enlistment City:
Philadelphia
Branch:
Signal Corps
Branch Code:
Signal Corps
Grade:
Private
Grade Code:
Private
Term of Enlistment:
Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law
Component:
Army of the United States - includes the following: Voluntary enlistments effective December 8, 1941 and thereafter; One year enlistments of National Guardsman whose State enlistment expires while in the Federal Service; Officers appointed in the Army of
Source:
Civil Life
Education:
Grammar school
Civil Occupation:
Section Hand, Railway
Marital Status:
Married
Height:
67
Weight:
137

Regina Cafferty Walsh

WALSH, REGINA
DATE OF BIRTH: 03/14/1919
DATE OF DEATH: 12/01/1985
BURIED AT: SECTION X SITE 1664
BEVERLY NATIONAL CEMETERY
916 BRIDGEBORO ROAD BRIDGEBORO ROAD BEVERLY, NJ 08010
(609) 880-0827
WIFE OF WALSH, HARRY CHARLES
PVT US ARMY

Charles S Walsh

PFC US MARINE CORP
VIETNAM
DATE OF BIRTH: 10/08/1948
DATE OF DEATH: 03/15/1968
BURIED AT: SECTION X SITE 1665
BEVERLY NATIONAL CEMETERY
916 BRIDGEBORO ROAD BRIDGEBORO ROAD BEVERLY, NJ 08010
(609) 880-0827


Stats
Charles Sumner Walsh
Birth Date:
8 Oct 1948
Death Date:
15 Mar 1968
Gender:
Male
Age:
19
Race:
Caucasian
Home City:
Philadelphia
Home State:
Pennsylvania
Religion:
Roman Catholic
Marital Status:
Single (Spouse Not Listed)
SSN/Service #:
2375255
Citizen Status:
U.S.
Death Date:
15 Mar 1968
Processed Date:
Mar 1968
Casualty Country:
Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam)
Casualty Type:
Hostile - Died of Wounds
Casualty Reason:
Misadventure
Casualty Air:
Ground Casualty
Body Status:
Body Recovered
Service Branch:
United States Marine Corps
Component:
Regular (RA, USN, USAF, USMC, USCG)
Military Grade:
Private First Class
Pay Grade:
Private (U.S. Army) or Airman (U.S. Air Force) or Private First Class (U.S. Marine Corps) or Grade/Rate Abbreviations With First Column: A,C,D,F,H,S,Or T; Third And Fourth Columns: Blank (U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard)
Province:
Military Region 1 - Quang Tri
Length of Service :
00
Service Occupation:
Assaultman (USMC)
Data Source:
Combat Area Casualties Current

James Thomas Walsh

PFC US ARMY
WORLD WAR II
DATE OF BIRTH: 06/24/1919
DATE OF DEATH: 02/27/1958
BURIED AT: SECTION V SITE 88
BEVERLY NATIONAL CEMETERY
916 BRIDGEBORO ROAD BRIDGEBORO ROAD BEVERLY, NJ 08010
(609) 880-0827

Rita Maier Walsh

WALSH, RITA
DATE OF BIRTH: 10/05/1918
DATE OF DEATH: 04/16/1972
BURIED AT: SECTION V SITE 87
BEVERLY NATIONAL CEMETERY
916 BRIDGEBORO ROAD BRIDGEBORO ROAD BEVERLY, NJ 08010
(609) 880-0827
WIFE OF WALSH, JAMES THOMAS
PFC US ARMY

He's My Best Friend

The Verdict Is In

a.k.a. puggles

St Peter & Paul Cemetery

Located at 1600 S. Sproul Avenue in Springfield, Pennsylvania. Established in 1958.

Weekend Of Festivals

Conshohocken Festival On Fayette Street





Miles Park In Whitemarsh Township




Harvest Festival In Roxborough