Meaning of our Surnames

Anderson: very common patronymic from the personal name Anders, a form of Andrew Batdorf: the town of the baths Bordner: Bartner, an occupational name for a (battle) axe maker Brown: Braun, referring to the color of the hair, complexion, or clothing Bucher:...

The Batdorfs

Jeanne Romberger, 2/26/94 We lived aside of Beulah, in the same double house with Marg and Al Kohler. On the lower side. Our front gate went in beside Beulah’s front fence. On the other side of the house from where their gate was ! If you stand facing...

Livezly Family: A Legacy Marked by Loss

The genealogical record of Jacob Livezly and Eleanor Culin Livezly, our 3rd great-grandparents, reads like a chronicle of heartbreak—a family tree repeatedly pruned by tragedy, war, and the harsh realities of 19th and early 20th century life. What makes their story...

The Wynne Legacy: From Welsh Nobility to Philadelphia Streets

Sarah Humphreys Murphy lived on Locust Street in Philadelphia, a Presbyterian woman whose Welsh Quaker ancestry stretched back through centuries of nobility to the earliest settlers of Pennsylvania. Though she had embraced Presbyterianism, Sarah carried within her...

A Family Legacy of Service and Sacrifice

The Civil War touched the lives of many in our family, from courageous soldiers who fought on the front lines to those who served in support roles or endured hardships far from battlefields. Their stories of valor, loss, and resilience form a powerful legacy passed...

Ancestral Migrations:

They All Chose Pennsylvania The vast majority of our ancestors sailed directly from Europe to New Sweden or Pennsylvania colony through the Port of Philadelphia, drawn by promises of land ownership, religious freedom, and minimal taxation in times of peace....