This and That

I am going to miss the mornings here at the shore. We are closing the house this weekend . We do not plan to be back until we return from a wedding in Florida next April.

I am responsible for planning the desserts for the baby shower next month. I have a coworker who makes delicious cupcakes creatively decorated so I asked her if she would be interested in making 48 for the shower. In addition to the cake & cupcakes, I am unsure what else I plan to have. All I know is excitement is in the air as the time approaches. The pregnancy has been going well thus far. Lynee has been visiting the doctor weekly since she discovered she was pregnant. Despite being high risk, she has been doing well. Josh & Lynee decided not to name the baby Isabella. As of the other day, the baby's name was Aubree Clare Marie. Aubree because they like the name. Clare for Lynee's mother and Marie for me. A few years ago, they lost a baby in utero whom was to be named Isabella Marie. We have all been cautiously optimistic since this new baby's announcement and now that Lynee has passed 28 weeks we can plan a shower. The hall has been reserved and each of us is responsible for a part in the shower as Lynee has sisters who are supportive as well as a 19 year old daughter .

As a genealogist I am thrilled ancestry updated Pennsylvania's death certificates up to 1963 which means I now have access to my paternal grandparents certificates in 1945 & 1956 respectively. I now know for sure that Marie Schroeder Weleski died of a stroke. I heard stories referring to that fact however what I did not know was she had  a  left Subarachnoid Hemorrhage which is bleeding in the area between the brain and thin tissues that cover the brain. I knew she died two days after giving birth however I now know she died exactly 36 hours after the birth of my Uncle John. Subarachnoid Hemorrhages are very rare and only comprise between 1% to 7% of all strokes. Subarachnoid Hemorrhages are the result of a head trauma or cerebral aneurysm. The aneurysm could be congenital therefore it could have been present in Marie's brain since birth and perhaps pregnancy combined with possible high blood pressure could have been the catalyst. Marie gave birth and died at Lankenau Hospital. Once I get all the certificates organized I will be posting them to this site.

My paternal grandfather John Joseph Weleski appears to have been one shady fellow as the death certificate lists three possible names; John Wisloski, John Weleski and John Fleming. I had heard stories about him too. Wisloski was the birth name. Weleski is the name he changed it to between the births of my father and uncle. Fleming was his boxing name. (Buck Fleming) Whereas my paternal grandmother Marie was sweet, quiet and very compassionate, my paternal grandfather John was a bully. Marie was well liked in the community. John was loathed  in the community.  John had a severe alcohol problem which probably along with hypertension lead to a Cerebral Hemorrhage shortly before his 52nd birthday in 1956. The certificate provided another piece of information I was not aware of. He was in the Navy from March 1919 to July 1919 and he was just 15 years old. I wonder if his discharge from the Navy was the result of his age being discovered. Lots of young men lied about their ages when joining the service during the earlier wars before we had proper proof of Identification. To be fair, John did not have an easy life. He grew up without his father in a home where his mother never spoke English and died in 1932 followed by the sudden deaths of his brothers in 1938. John died in the home of his daughter Lillian.

I also found my maternal great grandmother's death certificate. Mary Keller Gallagher died at Roxborough Memorial Hospital in 1959 from heart failure as the result of breast cancer. Mary had a breast removed four years prior to her death.

My grandmother's maternal aunt Kate died at Roxborough Memorial in 1958. My paternal great grandfather Charles Schroeder died of Kidney Disease in 1945. More details to follow all several of my ancestors. Folklore travels down the generations so it is amazing to find proof.

Florence Schroeder

John Albert Schroeder

Helen Schroeder and her Husband Elwood Rogers

Charles Schroeder (Paternal Great Grandfather)

Edna (Schroeder) SANFORD

 Great Paternal Aunt Edna Schroeder Sanford Discovered on a public family Tree during research of my father's family. 1925 - 2010 Daughter of Charles and Mary Mervine Schroeder (Great grandparents) Sister of my grandmother Marie Schroeder Weleski Another aunt I never knew.

Charles and Mary Mervine Schroeder

Photo taken around 1905.
Charles was of German decent. Mary was of Irish, German and French decent.
Charles was first generation. Mary's family has been in the United States since Revolutionary War times.

I recently discovered these pictures of my paternal great grandparents. A cousin of mine had the pictures posted to a public family tree. If I never did genealogy would I have ever known any members on my father's side of the family? I am 54 years old and this is the first time I have seen these pictures of my great grandparents on my father's side of the family. It saddens me to know Mary lived until 1979 ( I was 19 years old) and I had no idea she existed because the adults in my life felt it necessary to keep us apart as a result of problems those adults could not resolve. My paternal grandmother Marie died in 1945. My paternal grandfather died in 1954. However, this woman (my paternal great grandmother) along with several aunts and uncles and dozens of cousins resided in close proximity of me while I was growing up and I never knew any of them. It saddens me even more that history seems to be repeating itself with my own granddaughter.

A Genealogist Records Everything

Just came in from my morning bike ride. I love riding the bike at the shore. Everyone is so friendly in the neighborhood and we wave to say "hello". I thought I could get the boys to ride with me however they like to sleep in so I went off on my own.

Meanwhile last night we had family time;

This morning someone fell asleep on the floor instead of his bed upstairs.

Shore house supplies when the grandpoles come to visit.

I believe my Dad placed these cuties in my garden when I was away.

Last week pictures;

And a visitor at work.

Table by the door.

Pictures of my grandchildren as babies, picture of my parents, trusty old lamp, a basket to throw my mail and keys and a portrait of a girl which was a gift from my Mom because she said it resembled my granddaughter.

What's in your China Cabinet?

Prayer of Our Lady of Knock purchased in Knock, Ireland.

 Millennium Lenox Angel which was a gift from my parents Christmas 1999. The cross hanging from the angel was found in an antique shop in Gettysburg.

Crystal rosary beads from Ireland.

 I call this my "Ava" corner. These were things she took out of the china cabinet and played with. The blue glass shoe on the left used to be my grandmother's Anna Marie McCaffery Gallagher). I bought that blue glass shoe and gave it to my grandmother when I was a child. It became mine when she died in 1990 and I will cherish it forever.

 I was left my maternal grand mom's (Anna Marie McCaffery Gallagher) china as well. The bronze stature was from my grand mom's casket. Her casket had these statures on all four corners.

The Lenox angel was a gift from a friend. The silver goblets are from my wedding. The Lenox glasses were purchased by me. The music box was a gift I bought for my granddaughter "Ava" which I will hold onto until she is older. It plays "You are my sunshine", a song Bill sang to her often as a baby as he rocked her in his arms.

Our Lady of Knock was given to me by a friend many years ago.

The things that hang on the wall surrounding the China Cabinet.

 A painting of my paternal grandmother in 1933. She was 27 years old. Her name was Marie Schroeder Weleski and she was born in Milwaukee Wisconsin in 1906. She would never grow old as she died shortly after giving birth in 1945 at the age of 38 years old. I am really glad this painting was handed down to me.

I purchased this painting in a portrait gallery in New Hope.

Pearl Schroeder Twin of Earl Schroeder

Pearl was born dead on July 16, 1926 to Charles and Mary Mervine Schroeder. She did not survive the birth but her twin brother Earl Schroeder did survive. Pearl was interred at Glenwood Cemetery on July 19,1926. When Earl died suddenly in 1938, Charles and Mary would have lost four children.

Howard Schroeder

Howard was born to Charles and Mary Mervine Schroeder on September 19, 1917 was admitted to Women's Medical College on September 14, 1917 and died on October 7, 1917 from acute gastroenteritis. He was interred at Mechanics Cemetery on October 9, 1917. He was nine months old. Today, people do not die from gastroenteritis and Mechanics Cemetery no longer exists. http://ajourneyintothepast.blogspot.com/2012/07/mechanics-cemetery.html

Edwin Schroeder

Edwin was born April 10. 1914 to Charles and Mary Mervine Schroeder. He was admitted to the Samaritan Hospital on September 28, 1914 for Gastroenteritis and malnutrition and died at the hospital on September 30, 1914. Edwin was interred in Mechanic's Cemetery on October 3, 1914.

Lillian Marie Weleski Liss and More

Birth:	Mar. 22, 1929 Gloucester City Camden County New Jersey, USA
Death:	Mar. 8, 2000 Gloucester City Camden County New Jersey, USA
"Lillian is my grandmother, i called her "nanny". Lillian is the Sister of Ronald Weleski and John Weleski. She is the mother of Leonard Liss(Luann) Martin Liss(Leah) John Weleski(Maria). She is a proud Mother, Grandmother, Aunt, Sister, Friend. She would have been a GREAT Great-Grandmom. She worked at Yellow Cab as a dispatcher. She was Married to the late Dominic Pologruto. When her mother passed after giving birth, Lillian took on the role of mother to her brother John and raised him with her two sons. Her Grand children in order of birth are Sean, Matt, Derek, Regan, Leah, Nichole, Megan, Anne Marie, Melissa, Gabrielle, Zachary,and Alexis. " (Leah) I discovered this linked to my grandparents' Find a Grave Post, I uploaded some years ago. Lillian was my paternal aunt. I last saw her alive when I was a child. I mention "alive" because I did attend her viewing after she died. It is my understanding she died from a stroke. Lillian was my father's older sister. I do not know her granddaughter "Leah" who linked her grandmother's grave post to my grandparents' grave post but I wonder how much truth is in the above post. Lillian Marie Weleski Liss was born in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia. As an infant, Lillian resided with her parents at 166 Roxborough Ave Philadelphia Pa 19127. The Roxborough Ave address was the home of my great grandmother Eva Wisloski. As I mentioned in my family history, the name "Weleski" was not the original spelling of my ancestors name. The spelling was Wislosky changed to Wislocki changed to Wisloski then to Weleski. Lillian would spend most of her "growing up" years on Commissioner Street in the East Falls Section of Philadelphia. She lived around the corner from her Schroeder relatives. When my grandmother, her mother died in February 1945, Lillian was one month short of her 16th birthday. My father, her brother, Ronald was 11 years old and would not be 12 until October of 1945. My grandmother, Marie Schroeder Weleski died two days after giving birth to my Uncle John. The next nine years, the children would be raised by my grandfather, their father, John. When John died in 1956, my father was in the military and John Jr. went to live with Lillian and her husband in the Strawberry Mansion Section of Philadelphia. A few facts, I was told about their life after Marie Died. My grandfather's drinking problem became worse and his anger was more explosive. My great grandfather Charles Schroeder took my father under his wing until my great grandfather died November of 1945. The Weleski children were neglected and my father told me there were many nights the children did not eat. Lillian took over a lot of the responsibility. Lillian was often times envious of her Schroeder cousins which lead to anger issues and insecurity in self. Lillian probably married early to leave the home as my father, Ronald left to serve in the military. Lillian raised her brother John who was nine years old when their father died. Lillian had a difficult time getting social security for her brother John because their father never changed the family name legally to Weleski. Apparently, when Lillian and my father, Ronald were born their legal names were listed as Wisloski. As far as the above Find a Grave Post from Leah Liss linked to my Schroeder/Weleski Post, I was told by my father Lillian was not legally married to Dominic Pologruta. According to my father, Lillian lied about the marriage. My father, Ronald and John found out the truth after Lillian was interred in St. Mary's. A few months after Lillian died, the funeral director contacted my father, Ronald to tell him the funeral bill was never paid. Apparently, Lillian had a life insurance policy and the sons/son or whoever took the money, changed phone numbers and left the bill unpaid. My father was furious. Apparently, there was not a whole lot of truth in the family. My memories of Lillian are not fond memories. I was taken to her home in New Jersey by my father when I was a child. There was a painting of my grandmother, Marie, hanging on Lillian's wall. When I told Lillian, I thought her mother was pretty, her response to me was, "Well, you are not pretty like her". I was a child and her words cut me like a knife. When I became an adult, I was told Lillian was an "ugly duckling" compared to her Schroeder cousins and this created jealousy. After Lillian's death, that painting which hung on her wall was given to me by my father. It has hung on my wall, the last 13 years. The painting was done around 1940. Someday I will pass it down to my own granddaughter. I am sure the Lillian I knew as a child was not the same Lillian her grandchildren knew. It is evident that Leah loved and adored her.

Wislosky Siblings

Children of Lucas (1906) and Eva (1932)

• Andrew   1887 - 1938
• Samuel    1898 - 1938
• Anna       1899 - 1990                       Married George Kraft           DOD     (1954)
• Mary       1902 - 1968                            #        John Lowry               #         (1975)
• Lucas      1903 - 1903
• John        1904 - 1954                            #       Marie Schroeder        #          (1945)
• Julia        1906 - 2002                            #       Anthony Coppola      #          (1962)          

John D and Mary Drexel Lankenau

Lankenau Hospital was founded in 1860 as the "German Hospital of Philadelphia" located on Morris Street in North Philadelphia. In 1917, many German institutions took new names with the entry of the United States intoWorld War I. The hospital renamed itself "Lankenau Hospital" after John D. Lankenau, a successful German-born Philadelphia businessman who was one of the first supporters and leaders of the Hospital.

After relocating to larger facilities at Girard and Corinthian Avenues in North Philadelphia, Lankenau moved to Wynnewood in the "Main Line" region of the suburbs in December 1953. Its new location was the former site of the Overbrook Country Club and golf course. Since then, the Hospital has continued to grow, along with its community. Today, Lankenau Medical Center serves southeastern Pennsylvania by offering a wide variety of primary and specialty clinical services, residency and fellowship programs, and research programs emphasizing cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes.

Earlier I posted a picture of the Mary Drexel House. The founding of the Mary Drexel House was in honor of Mary Drexel, John Lankenau's wife. In its earlier days, it was known as the Home for Aged German Men and Women which is interesting since I located a mass burial plot in Westminster Cemetery a few years ago and wondered where that particular home was located.

Genealogy is putting the pieces together of a world/life that has gone before us and when one finds another piece of the puzzle, it makes so much sense. My grandmother Marie Schroeder Weleski gave birth to her last child, John on February 17th, 1945 at Lankenau Hospital. I always thought it was at the present location on the Main Line. However, according to the history, Lankenau was located at Girard & Corinthian Avenues until 1953. That makes sense to me. I often wondered why my grandmother traveled from her East Falls home to the Main Line to give birth. At the time, it made sense that she would chose a German hospital as she was born German Lutheran. I often wondered why she did not give birth at Roxborough Memorial. The Weleski family were from the Manayunk/Roxborough area. Of course the story has a sad ending. My grandmother suffered a stroke immediately after John's birth and went into a coma. She died February 19th, 1945 and is interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery where her father, John Schroeder was a "grave digger". I wonder if my grandmother had preeclamysia, a condition where a woman has increased blood pressure in the later stages of pregnancy. My grandmother was 38 years old at the time of her death. Again, preeclamysia is common in women who are older. Left untreated. the mother most certainly dies from a stroke and/or seizures.

Back to the Mary Drexel Home......The home still stands today. I do not know if the residents are still interred in that mass grave in Westminster Cemetery, but I believe they are not. Lankenau Hospital still stands today on the Main Line and has recently began a kidney transplant program. In its day, it was run by German speaking physicians and nurses and provided treatment to the poor.

As a post note, Katherine Drexel (saint) was Mary Drexel's cousin.

Laurel Hill

She died sixty-eight years ago today. I went to the cemetery on Saturday morning and placed a heart upon her grave. I do not know why I feel this connection with her. I never knew her. I only know about her. Some people avoid cemeteries like the plague. I like to walk through cemeteries and the older the cemetery, the better. I guess it is my love of history, and one can learn alot about history just walking through one. It can also be the genealogist in me. God knows, I have walked in hundreds of cemeteries through out this country and in other countries, I visited. Talk to my boys and they will tell you how many cemeteries I took them in just to research, while they were growing up. I wonder if I keep a blog as a hiker may leave crumbs to track oneself back. When I research, I rarely get to read something the person had said. I get to read about where they lived and worked. If this blog exists in the future, it will be those crumbs that track back with one difference. My words will give an inside look at who I am not just where I lived or worked. I have over a thousand posts in draft that will remain in draft until time has passed and I can release them to the public once more.

Cemetery walkers are nothing new. People have been walking in cemeteries for two hundred years, especially during the middle to late 1800's when it was not unusual to pack a picnic basket and go to the cemetery. Laurel Hill is a prime example of such traditions. Folks took a boat up the river, got off, climbed steps from the river into the back of the cemetery across what is now called Kelly Drive. They made a day out of it. Picnic basket in hand, small children in tow and off to their loved one's grave. Death was a natural part of life. Unlike today, where we want to avoid talking about it, let alone see it or even acknowledge it actually occurs. When my grandmother died in 1945, she was laid out in the living room of her parents' home. Her newborn son was placed in his cradle next to her casket with the belief that he would know something of his mother, and she would know something of her child. Family members took turns standing by the casket 24/7 until the day of burial, when the casket was hand carried across the street and walked through the cemetery to the burial plot.

The family had two burial plots at the time in the North Section of the cemetery. Marie was interred in a grave beside her thirteen year old brother who died in 1938. After Marie's death, her father purchased several plots never knowing that later in that year 1945, he would be in one also. Today, there is room for eight with five interred; my grandparents, my great grandparents and a young uncle. My grandmother was the second oldest of sixteen children. Earl who is interred in the family plot was the youngest. He had a twin sister known as Pearl who died at birth.

And to think I once lived across the street in that same house.

My grandmother was 38 years old when she died. My great grandmother (her mother) was 90 years old when she died. My aunt (her sister) lived until 102 years old, so I believe longevity is in the Mervine (great grandmother's maiden name) side. My great great grandfather Alexander Mervine also lived a ripe old age and even outlived three of his four wives producing children well into his late 60's.

And to think I once played in that cemetery as a child.  

Grandmother

As the days approach closer and closer to my birthday, I can't help but feel some sadness as well as loss. I do not grieve for what I had and lost. I grieve for what I never had. I have her painting in my dining room. As I glance up to it, I see myself in her face. She is a woman, I never got to meet. She is a woman who died fifteen years prior to my own birth. She is a woman who died two days after childbirth leaving behind a husband and two children ages 16 & 11 in addition to a newborn son. She was my paternal grandmother.

I was told she had blond hair and blue eyes. I heard she was sweet and kind. I heard she was unhappy in her marriage and knew she would die. I was told, she hung baby clothes out on a line to dry and glanced back at them as she walked away saying, "I will never see the baby wear those clothes". She gave birth at age 38 yrs old to a son February 17, 1945. She had a blood clot to the brain that facilitated a stroke. She laid in a coma two days before she died on February 19, 1945. She never held her newborn child nor placed those clothes on him that once hung in the wind in the backyard.

She was laid out at home. She was buried across the street in Laurel Hill. It was said, the infant child was placed in a cradle next to the mother's casket as he would know something of his mother as she would of her child. It was the custom. Though morbid to modern life, it was normal for years gone by.

I never knew her. I only knew about her. I wish I knew her and often wonder if her influence in my life would have impacted my decisions or lack of? I know I lost out on a loving sweet kind grandmother. It is sad, her husband was abusive. It is sad, my own father would lose his mother at age 11 yrs old and live with a father who neglected him. It is even sadder that the one positive in my father's life, his own maternal grandfather would die later in that same year 1945.

Life seems so cruel and unfair. God gives and takes away. I guess I should be grateful that I never got to know her and then have her taken away. I would change it all if I could just to know her love for one single day.

Grandparents are important in a child's life. I believe that with all my heart. God bless and take care of you Mary (Marie) Anna Schroeder Weleski.

Flash Back

 Puggles after licking Shaun's face.

 Brothers

 Love the hat, Nikolas.

 Arlington Cemetery

 Linville Orchards

 Joe painting the middle room.

 My Aunt Helen at the Schroeder Family Reunion. It was the first time, I met my father's maternal side of the family. This was 2006. Aunt Helen died at age 101. She was my grandmother's sister.

 My sister and I in 2007.