Judith Perigal Werner

The remote village of Brodbecks was the birthplace of Judith Perigal and her future husband George Werner. Both families had left the war-torn, religiously oppressed Baden region, migrating through Philadelphia to York county to pursue opportunity. The frontier had...

Daniel Updegrove & Sarah A. Culp

Life was hard in the anthracite coal fields of eastern Pennsylvania following the Panic of 1837. Layoffs, wage cuts, and persistently high unemployment afflicted the nation, dooming President van Buren’s re-election campaign. John Updegrove, a laborer from Berks...

Early Settlers & Migration

With the 400th Anniversary of our first ancestor’s arrival in the New World, it becomes important to recognize how and where these early families settled. The arrival and settlement are broken into five 50-year time periods, starting with 1600 and ending in the 1800s....

Symble (aka A Smile & A Quote)

The world is open for us to explore An expression of love we so adore There’s something out there for us to share Not like us two, no one can compare How long will you let me love you this way Should you say forever, then forever I’ll stay As time goes by, our days...

Elizabeth Kistler Hertzog

Elizabeth Kistler’s ancestors survived through the most harrowing struggles Europe had to offer. Her parents and grandparents, although living near the town of Freiburg, which means “town of freedom,” was anything but. There was Catholic domination from the Empire,...

American Societal, Communal, and Political Shift Imperative

It is glaringly obvious that our great country is no longer great. Studying our history and genealogy, one sees how that, although minor corruption has been part of all societal growth, our colonial ancestors were by and large fair, open-minded, community oriented...