Maddin Sisters

recreated from deleted post 2012 

 

 

 

 

Marge, Elma, Helen and Dorothy Maddin

 on Dorothy's 2nd birthday

Aug 22, 1922

Poor planning, but fruitful research on Rev. Henry Giesey

recreated deleted post from 13 Jan 2012

In 2007, we made a trip to Berlin, Somerset County, Pennsylvania to see what we could learn about Rev. Henry Geise, who arrived in America in 1776, reportedly with the Hessian troops hired by England to fight against the colonists in the American Revolution.  Henry Giesy was the 5th great-grandfather of our grandchildren (Brianna, Alex, Spencer, and John).

New to on-site genealogy trips our planning was pretty poor.  We arrived and got set up in the RV park then I made the initial call to the Berlin Area Historical Society (Genealogy Building) telling them that I would like to visit and I was interested in Henry Geise.  I was informed that the office would only be open another hour and wouldn't be open again during the days we were slated to be in town.  However, they were wonderful and told me they would pull what they had, and if I rushed over I could pick up all the information.  Talk about panic.  We arrived about 20 minutes before the office was due to close, but as promised they had a big stack of photocopies of information for us.


They also gave us directions to the cemetery and told us to go over to the Evangelical Lutheran Church, and the secretary would give us a tour of the modern day church that Rev. Geise served for about 35 years back in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The original church no longer exists. Here's more about the Berlin Reformed Church as it was known when our forefather served there.


By the time we drove the couple of blocks to the church, the secretary had been told of our impending arrival.  Even though it was her lunch hour she took us on a tour of the church and gave us some general history.  In the basement she showed us pictures of all the previous ministers of the church including one of Rev. Henry Geise -- again poor planning on our part -- we didn't have a camera with us, so we didn't get to photograph the picture.

Original Henry Geisey Headstone

Henry and his wives (Anna Marie Baker and Margaret Young Wise) were originally buried in the Reformed Cemetery in Berlin, Pennsylvania.  Later, they were moved to the I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Berlin, and as one of the founding fathers he was honored with a new headstone. http://files.usgwarchives.org/pa/somerset/cemeteries/wpa/index/index-g-gi.txt

New Headstone

There is quite a bit written about the Rev. Henry Geise, and I will be sharing more about him in the months to come.

We learned a lot about planning our genealogical research trips, since that first trip.  We now know to do all our background research ahead of time, so that we know what we don't know and have specific research trip goals.  We also learned that we need to call ahead and schedule our visit with the people we want to meet with and tell them what we are looking for.  Take cameras, notebooks, change for copy machines - in other words--have a plan. Here's a great web site with suggestions for incorporating a vacation with some family research - Family History Travel.

The real surprise was how much we still learned and how accommodating and generous the wonderful people in Berlin, Pennsylvania were in helping us on such short notice.

Obituary of John N. Maddin

Grandpa John Norton Maddin died 17 Nov 1968, in Buffalo, New York.

John N. Maddin, 85, died Nov. 17.  He was the husband of the late Lillian Turner; father of Mrs. Alfred (Elma) Whitehead, Norton T. Maddin, Mrs. John (Marjorie) West, Mrs. Edward (Helen) Milius, and Mrs. Howard (Dorothy) Glover; grandfather of five grandchildren and sex great-grandchildren.  Services were at the Campbell Funeral Home as at St. John the Baptist Church.  

John Norton Maddin & Lillian Mary Maddin (Turner)
1946

Maddin Family 1946
Father & Mother with children Helen, Dorothy, Marge, Norton, Elma

Grandpa & Mammy
Grandchildren
Howie, Bill, Paul (deceased) , Jack, Don, Judy

Great-grandchildren pre-1968: Darrell, Dean, Tammy, Terri, Mike & Bobby

Just the old fashioned way

This postcard is postmarked Bellaire Ohio 9-30-1908 and is addressed to: 

Mrs. H. W. Turner 107 Sylvania St. 38th Ward Pittsburgh Pa. 

The message reads:

Grand Ma

(See to it)

Nothing like this goes, only the old fashioned way 

Grand Pa

Lillian Mary Maddin with baby Elma abt 1908

It appears that Harry William Turner (aka grandpa) was writing to his wife Mary Ellen Turner (maiden name Giesey) after the birth of one of their grandchildren.   Harry and Mary only had 3 children Howell Edwin Turner, William Giesey Turner and Lillian Mary Turner.  I feel reasonably certain that this new grandchild was Elma Lillian Maddin daughter of John Maddin and Lillian Mary Maddin, as Elma was born June 29, 1908, in Pennsylvania.  Elma was the first grandchild of Harry and Mary Turner.  The next closest grandchild in age would have been Ellen, the daughter of William G. Turner, not born until 1910.  

At the time of Elma's parent's marriage, John Maddin and Lillian Mary Turner on June 18, 1907; John was living in Pittsburgh, PA.  Since Elma was born in Pennsylvania just a year later it is probably safe to assume the the newly weds moved to Pittsburgh after their wedding.

This wonderful postcard is also a social commentary on the times.  The kind of baby bottle depicted in the postcard was very controversial and considered detrimental to babies' health because they were difficult to clean (The not so friendly bottle).  So it is no wonder that "grand pa" was concerned.  

Turner - Maddin Family Trees

These are the family trees of John N. Maddin and Lillie M. Turner who were married on 18 June 1907 in Bridgeport, Belmont County, Ohio.  This couple will be the starting point for my study of the Turner - Maddin families.  In the next weeks, months, and years I hope to discover and share the stories of the lives of these people and their families with their descendants.  I hope other family members and researchers will contribute to this effort.  

John Maddin and Lillian Mary Turner took out a marriage license on 17 June 1907 in Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virgina (see image of license below), and were married the next day on 18 June 1907 in Bridgeport, Belmont County, Ohio.  (Ohio Marriages, 1800-1958. https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.2/MXH2-6GV/p4) (NOTE: Wheeling, West Virgina and Bridgport, Ohio are just across the river from one another).   It is interesting that while they were married in Ohio as their marriage license was taken out in West Virginia; we would expect the marriage license to be from the same state as the location of the marriage.  I noticed that several other members of this family living in Ohio also had marriage licenses in Wheeling West Virginia; e.g. Lillian's parents Harry William Turner and Mary Ellen Giesey, and Lillian's brother William Giesey Turner and Anna Ihlenfeld.  It would be interesting to know why this occurred.

John Norton Maddin age 23
(Original owned by Judy Novack)

 

Young John Maddin and Lillian Turner
This photo was probably taken close to the time they were married.  The photo may have been taken on the same day as the formal portrait above as John appears to be the same age and wearing the same outfit.  I have to wonder if there is a similar formal portrait of Lillian somewhere.  

Lillian Turner Maddin with baby Elma
(about 1908)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John N. Maddin & Lillian Mary Turner Maddin
1945

John and Lillian had 5 children:

• Elma Lillian (28 June 1908  Wheeling, Ohio Co. West Virgina. - 13 Mar 2003 Sutherland Key, Monroe County , Florida)
• Norton Turner (2 Feb 1910 Belaire, Belmont Co. Ohio - 20 Jan 1975 Buffalo, Erie Co. New York.
• Marjorie Mary (8 Sept 1911 Canton, Belmont Co., Ohio - 11 Apr 1990 Deltona, Volusia Co. Florida)
• Helen Louise (3 Apr 1914 Buffalo, Erie Co. New York - 4 Aug 1990 Buffalo, Erie Co., New York)
• Dorothy Leona (24 Aug 1920 Buffalo, Erie Co. New York - 30 Mar 1987 Long Beach, Los Angeles Co. California) 

Elma, Dorothy, Lillian, Norton, John, Helen, Majorie
1945

John and Lillian 50th Wedding Anniversary

50th Wedding Anniversary

I'll be sharing more about these grandparents and their ancestors in future blogs.