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Schlicher's Bridge, also known as the Game Preserve Road Bridge, is one of several covered bridges which weave around Jordan Creek giving the locals access to neighboring communities. Located in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, (North Whitehall Township), it was built in 1882, and was in operation for 128 years before it was closed in 2010 after it was found to be sagging. It remained unused until 2014 when it was reconstructed at a cost of $1.8 million dollars. The new bridge is longer, wider, and stronger than the original single-span wood-truss bridge, but remains covered. Like all covered bridges in Pennsylvania, Schlicher's Covered Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places. This one is located at the scenic Trexler Nature Preserve and Lehigh Valley Zoo. These photos were taken in July of 2013, before the renovations were started. Check back for an updated video featuring the new bridge! See more interesting places on the Places page. #coveredbridge #pennsylvania #places #myblog

Wehr's Covered Bridge, located South Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania, is one of several historic wooden covered bridges in Lehigh Valley, allowing travelers to easily cross Jordan Creek. This three span Burr Truss bridge was built in 1841 and features a gable roof. Like all Pennsylvania's covered bridges, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. To see more interesting places, see the Places page. #pennsylvania #coveredbridge #places #southwhitehall #framedart

Built in 1858, Rex's Covered Bridge is one of several that criss-cross Jordan Creek in Orefield (North Whitehall Twp), Pennsylvania. See more interesting places on the Places page. #coveredbridge #pennsylvania #places #framedart

Bauer Rock and the view from it's peak. The first half of the video was taken in Winter and the second half was taken in Spring, 2013. Allentown (Salisbury, Pennsylvania). How did these massive boulders end up on top of a mountain in a big huge pile? To see more interesting places, see the Places page. Professional prints of selected photos shown in this video are available, framed or unframed. Take a look! #places #pennsylvania #natural #myblog

Twin Lights at Navesink on the New Jersey shore. This land was occupied by the Lenape tribe until 1651 when a Dutch man, Cornelius Van Werckhover, purchased the "Nevesings" tract, but in 1664 the Dutch surrendered the territory to the British. To see more interesting places, see the Places page. #lighthouse #navesink #newjersey #places #sandyhook #dutchsettlement #middletown #monmouthcounty #video

Two miles west of Route 309, at the corner of Kernville Road and Grist Mill Road, stands the historic Kern's Grist Mill and Dam on Jordan Creek. These photos were taken after it had rained, causing the water to appear muddy. Built in 1806, the mill belonged to Peter Kern, who Kernsville is named after. Now standing over 200 years, this beautiful stone structure has seen generations come and go. Kern's Mill has four floors and the building measures about 40' x 50'. A Grist Mill was a place where people would take their corn, wheat, or rye, to be ground. It would then be bagged and weighed and sold at market. The mill relied on the water from the creek to power the large grinding stones (millstones) which were used to grind the "grist". See more interesting places on the Places page. Professional prints are available for some of these scenes. Click here to see! #gristmill #pennsylvania #places #framedart #myblog

North Whitehall Township is a suburb of Allentown, in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. Immigrants from the German Palatinate settled the region in the early 1700s. Covered bridges, barns, farms and grist mills dot the landscape. See other featured places on the Places page. Prints of this beautiful countryside are available, framed or unframed: #places #pennsylvania #northwhitehall #framedart #whitehall

This home video was recorded by the Dickinson family in the 1940s. Thanks to cousin, Marge Quick for sharing these old videos. After buying three vintage projectors and not being able to play them, we finally took them to a professional camera shop to be transferred to digital video. Can you identify anyone in it? For more on the Dickinson family, see the Dickinson page. #dickinson #myblog #williamhenrydickinson #video

Rev. William Henry Dickinson and his family recorded this footage at a church function with the Walnut Valley UMC in Blairstown, New Jersey, sometime around 1940. See more about the Dickinson family on the Dickinson page. #newjersey #places #dickinson #myblog #video #walnutvalley #church

Harry Dickinson and his daughter, Emma, took a three month trip to England in 1931 to visit cousins in Dewsbury. They traveled on the White Star Line's MV Brittanic , which had taken it's maiden voyage two years prior. It was the third ship to bear the name Brittanic. "She was the last of three White Star Line ships called Britannic. The first Britannic was a steamship launched in 1874 and scrapped in 1903. The second was launched in 1914, completed as the hospital ship HMHS Britannic and sunk by a mine in 1916." [Wikipedia] Emma would have been delighted to know that this ship was used as a troop ship during World War II. She was a big supporter of the troops during World War I, as can be seen in her 1919 diary. Harry and Emma's week long voyage ended on August 9, 1931, when they arrived at Liverpool. The passenger list can be seen here, along with a photo of the ship: They left Liverpool on the same ship on November 9, 1931, and returned to the Port of New York (Ellis Island) a week later, on November 16. The ship manifest can be viewed or purchased at Ellis Island's website here. Harry and Emma brought back this film to share and after almost 80 years it was transferred from the old reels to digital video. The quality isn't great, but the footage is priceless. Clips from Switzerland also included. For more about the Dickinsons see the Dickinson page. #dickinson #england #places #switzerland #myblog #harrydickinson #movies #video

Video from the 1930's filmed by the Dickinson family. The first segment has scenes along the Delaware River in Burlington, New Jersey. Next is Ausable Chasm, New York, followed by Fort Ticonderoga, New York. See more about the Dickinson family on the Dickinson page. HISTORY OF FORT TICONDEROGA Construction After their stalemate with the British at The Battle of Lake George the fort was ordered to be built by the governor of the French Province of Canada, Marquis de Vaudreuil. The Governor sent his cousin Michel Chartier de Lotbiniere to draw up the plans and carry out construction for the new fort. The fort was originally to be named Fort Carillon the name originating from a former French officer named Philippe de Carrion du Fresnoy, who established a trading post there in the late 17th century. Construction began in 1756 and continued on for the next 2 years. By 1758, the fort was mostly complete. The only work left to complete was the dressing of the outer walls with stone. Importance in the French and Indian Wars During the French and Indian War the French captured Fort William Henry, the attack itself originating from Fort Carillon. The French continued to be victorious in 1757 which prompted the British to plan a large-scale attack against the Fort in hopes of using the fort as a launching pad to delve deep into French Canada. The attack taking place on July 8, 1758, the British being led by General James Abercrombie while French were being led by General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm and the chevalier de Levis. General Abercrombie led his army of 18,000 militia, rangers, and natives into a frontal assault of the fort only to be met by General Montcalm accompanied with mere 3,600 men. General Abercrombie whether out of inexperience or incompetence decided to attack the entrenched French position without using any artillery which was undoubtedly his downfall. This was the only major battle ever fought near the fort’s location before being abandoned the following year by the French only to be taken over by the British and renamed it as we know today, Fort Ticonderoga due to the location of the fort. Importance in the Early Revolutionary War With Fort Ticonderoga in despair it still held an important role for the British during the Early Revolutionary War as a supply and communication link between Canada and New York. Though during the spring of 1775 (less than one month after the revolution was ignited) the fort’s inhabitants were surprised by a small force of Green Mountain Boys and some local militia men totaling 48 men altogether led by Ethan Allen and later infamous Benedict Arnold and together they overthrew and forced the British to surrender the fort to them. With the capture of the fort also came a large supply of cannons and other armaments which became instrumental in ending the Siege of Boston in 1776. The capture of the fort made communications between British Canadian and American commands much more difficult. Arnold remained in command of the fort until 1,000 Connecticut troops under the command of Benjamin Hinman arrived in the early summer of 1775, though Arnold was never notified of the change in command. Recaptured During the summer of 1777 a British General named Burgoyne led 7,800 British and Hessian mercenaries south from Quebec to occupy the nearby Fort Crown Point without opposition he prepared to besiege Ticonderoga. Realizing his tactical advantage from the nearby Mount Defiance where he was able to set up cannons fixed on the fort. Without a single shot being fired the fort was ordered surrendered by General St. Clair on July 5, 1777. The British forces occupied the fort the very next day. One Final Siege After the capture of the fort by the British, the fort was garrisoned by 700 troops. George Washington sent General Benjamin Lincoln into Vermont in hopes of dividing and distracting the enemy. Knowing that the British were housing American prisoners of war in the area, Lincoln decided to push through the British defenses into Skenesboro, which they found abandoned by the British. Colonel John Brown led the troops on the west side and was ordered to attack the fort if it seemed reasonable. On the morning of September 18th, Brown’s troops surprised a squad of British troops holding prisoners near Lake George landing. Over the next 4 days, Brown and his troops led a campaign which ended in their hasty withdraw. Though he did fail, his actions resulted in the freeing of 118 American’s and the capture of almost 300 British troops, while suffering less than 10 casualties. Fort Ticonderoga today The fort stands today as a tourist attraction, early American military museum, and research center. The fort opens around May 10, coinciding with its 1775 capture. Though because of the poor condition it has been placed on the National Historic Landmarks watch list since 1998. In summary Fort Ticonderoga has served the United States very well. Five different naval vessels have been named after the fort and the declaration of it as a National Historical Landmark can attest to its importance in history. Source: Wikipedia #FortTiconderoga #dickinson #places #myblog #NewYork #dickinson #movies #video

This photo was taken in the late 1930s at Asbury Park, New Jersey. William Henry Dickinson and his wife, Mary, eat lunch on the beach under the boardwalk. Family video footage from the same period shows the family on the boardwalk in winter, when William's brother, John, and sisters visited. Rev. Dickinson's family lived on Third Avenue and he was pastor for the Assembly of God church. See the Dickinson page for more about the Dickinson family. #dickinson #asburypark #places #boardwalk #myblog #williamhenrydickinson #jerseyshore

My visit to Lost River Caverns was my first time experiencing a cave tour. I was amazed at this underground marvel. It was a lot to take in during the 20-30 minute tour but I snapped tons of pictures because I love art and, to me, nature is the best art out there. I've always stood in awe of the sky and it's continually changing canvas, the patterns and colors in flowers and plants, rivers, lakes, mountains, the beaches and seas, and now I am equally amazed at the subterranean beauty of caverns like this one. Watch the video below for a closer look. This 1200' x 80' cavern wasn't discovered until 1883 when a limestone quarry that was being mined at the site cut into it. It was originally named Rentzheimer's Cave and Lost Cave. The "Lost River" flows through the cavern. The name is fitting since the source of the water has yet to be identified. It has only one entrance. The temperature is 52-degrees Fahrenheit in the cavern year-round. Calcite is commonly found in limestone caverns like this one. Flowstone is seen on the ceiling. Speleothems such as stalactites and stalagmites are numerous. Outside the cavern you may walk the Nature Trail, which explains some of the geological features of the region and facts about caves. There is also a station for gem panning and visitors can try their hand and luck at finding a valuable souvenir. There is a museum, rock shop, jewelry shop, and picnic area too. If you are in the Lehigh Valley and have an hour or two to spare, I would recommend seeing the Lost River Caverns for yourself. They are open year-round every day, except Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day. They are located at 726 Durham Street, Hellertown, Pennsylvania. #places #pennsylvania #caves #historic #video

Did you know about the Gingerbread Castle in Hamburg, New Jersey? I came across this article in the July 8, 1948 edition of The Daily News, Tarrytown, New York, while I was researching my great-grandmother who lived in Hamburg for years until she died in 1951. I can't help but wonder if she ever visited this fairy tale attraction. The place was originally Joseph Sharp's Iron Works, established 1768. Scroll down for a video I found on YouTube, of what the place looks like today. Gingerbread house in Hamburg NJ The Daily News, 7-8-1948 Tarrytown, New York #newjersey #hanselandgretel #gingerbreadhouse #gingerbreadcastle #hamburg #newjersey #notablenews #SussexCounty Click here for more New Jersey history and genealogy!

John Reese died on the 27th of January, 2005, in Cortland, New York at Cortland Memorial Hospital. He is buried in the Reese plot at Willow Glen Cemetery in Dryden, Tompkins County, New York. (Lot 24; Section 8). Click here to learn more about John Reese. Click here to learn about the Reese family. Click here to see my Index of Ancestors. Click here for loads of free genealogy resources! #reese #grave #cemetery #LloydJohnReese

This photo of John Reese was taken April 29, 2001, at his 90th birthday celebration at the Fire Hall in McLean, New York. This photo was taken the same day. John is pictured here with his two sons and daughter at his birthday celebration. (John, Harold, MaryRuth and Lloyd) Shown below, from left to right: Harold Reese and his wife, Phyllis (Cole) Reese, Jim Teeter and MaryRuth (Reese) Teeter, John Reese, Ernestine (Moore) Reese and Lloyd N. Reese. He met his newest 2nd great-granddaughter, Margaret, that day. Check out John Reese's 91st Birthday Celebration here! See the Reese page for more! #reese #JohnReese #lloydreese #haroldreese #MaryRuthReese #PhyllisColeReese #ErnestineReese #JamesTeeter #McLean

Norman Griggs Decker, son of Charles Decker and Lydia (Mayo) Decker, was the 27th of October, 1902, and died on the 26th of March, 1973. He is buried in All Saints Cemetery (Plot 55, East of Block 58 14) in Jensen Beach, Martin County, Florida. A photo of his grave was freely shared on Findagrave (click here). For more about the Decker's, see the Decker page. #decker #cemetery #normandecker #griggs

George D. Decker was born on the 23rd of November, 1932, in Middletown, Orange County, New York. He was a construction worker and avid fisherman. He married a woman by the name of Rosemary, and together they had five known children. He died from cancer at the age of 72, on the 13th of October, 2005, in Ridgewood, New Jersey. He was survived by his wife and children: George P. Decker of Warwick, Steven Decker of Bellvale, Robert Decker of Holland, Mass., Mrs. Doris Hammond of West Boyleston, Mass., and Theresa Decker of Florida, New York. He was pre-deceased by his brother, Norman. For more information and family photos, see the Decker page. If anyone has a photo of George Decker to share, please let me know. #decker #georgedecker

Theodore R. Decker, Sr. was born on the 6th of April, 1908, in Warwick, Orange County, New York. He was a son of Charles G. Decker and Lydia (Mayo) Decker. Learn more about the Decker family on the Decker page. He married Katherine Block, who survived him. He was also survived by a son, Theodore Decker, Jr. of Ohio, and dozens of grandchildren and great -grandchildren. Two daughters pre-deceased him: Mrs. Ruth Dalrymple and Mrs. Shiela Riker. Theodore (Sr.) died on the 9th of July, 1988, and is buried in North Hardyston Cemetery, Hardystown, New Jersey. Theodore's obituary was printed in The Record, Hackensack, New Jersey, on July 11, 1988, and was digitized by genealogybank.com as follows: If anyone can provide a photograph of Theodore and/or his children, please let me know! #decker

Eugene R. Decker was the son of Norman & Beatrice Decker and grandson of Charles G. Decker (1862-1909) and Lydia (Mayo) Decker. For more on the Decker and Mayo families, see the Decker page. A beautiful tribute, along with his obituary, and is currently published on the website of Lazer-Smith & Vander Platt Memorial Home as follows: Eugene R. Decker, of Warwick, passed away on February 16, 2012 at St. Anthony’s Community Hospital. He was 82 years old. Born on April 24, 1929 in Howells, NY, he was the son of the late Norman and Beatrice (Morgan) Decker-Riggs. He was married to Sandra Decker. Mr. Decker served with the US Army during World War II, receiving the Good Conduct Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal with Japan Clasp, Sharpshooters Medal, and Honorable Service Lapel Button WWII. He was Maintenance Supervisor with Sterling Forest Conference Center, Sterling Forest. A master woodworker, he was past Fire Chief with the Sterling Forest Fire Company #2. A family statement reads: “He was truly loved and will be truly missed.” He is survived by his wife, Sandra Decker of Warwick; a son, Terry Decker and his wife Cheryl of Warwick; three grandchildren: Kyle, Michelle and Taylor; sisters: Audrey Recca and husband Joseph and Doris Slockbower, both of Jensen Beach, FL; sister-in-law Rosemary Decker of Warwick; many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by brothers Norman (Whitey) Decker and George Decker. Visitation will be on Monday, February 20th, from 2-4 & 7-9 pm at Lazear-Smith & Vander Plaat Memorial Home, 17 Oakland Avenue, Warwick, NY. Funeral service will be at 10:00 am on Tuesday at the funeral home, followed by interment in Warwick Cemetery. Memorial donations may be sent to Warwick Valley Humane Society, PO Box 61, Warwick, NY 10990. #decker #eugenedecker #charlesdecker #lydiamayo #warwick

The following record shows Norman G. Decker, son of Charles Decker and Lydia Mayo (misspelled Maye on the marriage license application), married Beatrice May Morgan of Westtown, New York, daughter of George Morgan and Adie Caile of Glenwood, New Jersey. Norman and Beatrice were married on the 10th of September, 1924, at Westtown, and together they had three known children: Audrey, Doris, and Eugene R. Decker, Norman (Whitey) Decker, and George D. Decker. Eugene Decker, served in the US Army during World War II, receiving several distinguished metals. Norman was a truck driver. He died on the 26th of March, 1973, in Jensen Beach, Martin County, Florida. View this document for free at FamilySearch.org at this link (click here). For more on the Decker family, see the Decker page. #decker #normandecker #marriage #beatricemorgan

When I started researching the father of my great-grandfather, the only record that had been found was the family on the 1900 census in Warwick, Orange County, New York. Nothing further was known. He wasn't in the home with his wife, Lydia, in 1910. I combed through local newspapers for days until I finally found a tiny announcement in the Warwick Advertiser, June 4, 1909 edition. With this new information, I was full of anticipation expecting it to lead me to the names of his parents. I ordered a copy of his death record from Village of Walden Town Clerk's Office and received it promptly: To my disappointment, in the space for "Father's Name", we learn that the informant didn't know Charles' father's name. "Chas Decker - unknown" is written, leaving us only with the chance that his father's name was also Charles Decker. According to the death certificate, Charles was buried in Walden. I found only two cemeteries in Walden. One is the Wallkill Valley Cemetery. A search on Findagrave for Charles Decker buried there produced four results, none who died in 1909, however. They are: Charles C. Decker (1856-1936) and his wife, Phebe C. Van Sicklin Charles C. Decker (1873-1937) and his wife, Ida May Ells. He was a son of William H. Decker and Deborah Van Sicklen. He had a brother named George W. Decker (1867-1936) Charles E. Decker (1871-1943) and his wives Meta Lorenzen and Minnie Van Houten. He was a son of Williard Decker and had a brother named marian Decker (1872-1937). Charles T. Decker (1918-1974) The other cemetery in Walden is St. Andrew's Cemetery. No Deckers are buried there however, according to Findagrave. As for Charles's birth date, I have yet to pinpoint the true date. His obituary states that he was age 43, which would mean he was born about 1866. On the 1900 census, however, "Jul 1863" is given as his birth month and year. The age given on his death record, however, was 47 years, 1 month, and 13 days (from May 20, 1909). If this is correct, he was born April 7, 1862. (Time Deductor) For more information, see the Decker page. If you know where Charles G. Decker is buried, or who his parents were, please comment below! #decker #mayo #charlesdecker #charlesgilbertdecker #death #records Updated 3/15/2022

John Dickinson was born in Masbro, England, in 1830. His parents were William and Ann Dickinson of Kimbersworth and Sheffield, England. Anyone with information about his family, please comment below or contact me. The following video is a compilation of photo and documents pertaining to him and his family. Click here to see more about John and his descendants. #dickinson #johndickinson #sheffield #yorkshire #england #pittsburgh #pennslvania #video #slideshow

Leonard Road in Willet, Cortland County, New York, was owned by Rose (Hollenbeck) Leonard. It was there that she married Albert Jay Leonard and it was there that she raised her two sons, William and Albert. Her son William died in a fire there at the "homestead" on the 2nd of April, 1949. These vintage bottles were pulled near a fire pit on the property around 1998. The following is a 2014 photo of the place, found on GoogleMaps. Browse the area with Google Maps: For more information about the Leonard and Hollenbeck families, see the Leonard page. #leonard #myblog #rosehollenbeck #leonardroad #marathon #newyork #cortlandcounty

If you are looking for information about a man who was born between 1873 and 1900 (and still living in 1917-1918), you can try to find his World War I Draft Registration Card. Draft registration cards offered a great deal of personal information including the man's address, age, birth date, birthplace, citizenship, occupation, employer, marital status, race, dependents, military experience, signature, height, build, eye color, hair color, and whether or not he was bald. American men within specific age groups were required to fill out and sumit draft registration cards in 1917 and 1918, and approximately 24 million cards were completed, representing 25% of the country's population. There were three draft registrations which took place: Click here to search the index at FamilySearch.org - (Free) Click here for more military resources. Click here for more genealogy resources. #tips #resources #draftrecords #worldwari #worldwar1 #resources #draft #militaryrecords

An all white high school in Fayetteville, Arkansas, becomes the first state in the Confederate South to break the color line. Color line broken discrimination 9-11-1954, Canandaigua NY Daily Messenger #fayetteville #arkansas #segregation #civilrightsmovement #notablenews #school #students #black #white #racism #apartheid

Percy Daniels' World War I draft registration card can be found at FamilySearch.org by using this link. (Find another name in the index using this link from my Links page). For more information about Percy Daniels, see the Daniels page. Percy Registered at the New York Public Library located at 31-33 East Broadway. These two images are from Google Maps, showing where he lived and where he registered. I ♥ Google Maps and FamilySearch.org "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-26581-5537-60?cc=1968530 : accessed 2 June 2015), New York > New York City no 91; A-G > image 3250 of 5725; citing NARA microfilm publication M1509 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.). #daniels #PercyDaniels #worldwar1

Albert J. Leonard was the son of Lewis Leonard and Cora Sherman. He was born on December 15, 1894 and died on October 10, 1957. He is buried in Rose Cemetery in Rose, Wayne County, New York. His obituary, printed in the Clyde Times, October 17, 1957, reads as follows: "Albert J. Leonard, 62 years old resident of the Hadden Road, town of Savannah, died suddenly of a heart attack at the Berry Truck Stop Restaurant one mile east of Clyde late Thursday afternoon, October 10. He was born in Pennsylvania Dec. 15, 1894, son of Louis and Cora Leonard. He had resided in Moravia for many years as a farmer, before moving to Savannah 20 years ago. He is survived by his wife Valentine Mathieu Leonard, 1 daughter, Mrs. Charles May, and one son, Richard Leonard, both of the Town of Savannah; seven grandchildren; one sister, Mrs. Lee Osborne of Willet, N.Y. and one brother, James Leonard of Moravia, N.Y., also several nieces and nephews. Funeral services were held at the Harold S. Mann Funeral Home in Clyde Sunday afternoon Oct. 13th at 3 o'clock, the Rev. Arthur Morey of the Clyde Methodist Church officiating. Burial was in Rose Cemetery". No mention of his first son, Robert J. Leonard (or his grandchildren by him) is made in Albert's obituary. Robert was remembered in Albert's will, however. Click here to learn more about Albert Leonard. Click here to learn more about this branch of my family. Click here to visit the Virtual Family Cemetery. #leonard #AlbertJayLeonard #cemetery #RoseCemetery #ClydeNY #albertleonard #burial #death #obituary

Lewis Leonard was my 2nd great-grandfather, born in 1869 and died from Typhoid Fever in 1897. Click here to learn more about Lewis Leonard. These photos are from Dryer Family Photos. Both photos identify Lewis Leonard but were these the same Lewis Leonard? I believe this portrait is a different Lewis Leonard from the family: For more information about Lewis Leonard see the Leonard page. #leonard #lewisleonard #corasherman

This is a photo of Charles Russell Leonard, the progenitor of many Leonard descendants in and around central New York. He was my third great-grandfather. I'd love to know more about him. If you have photos or information to share, please share in the Leonard Genealogy Forum! For more information about Charles, see the Leonard page. #leonard #charlesrussellleonard #Leonard #portrait #photograph #photo