Remembering the Last 50 Years

Click to see 1st Quarter Member Memories (#1-13, January-March 2024)

Click to see 2nd Quarter Member Memories (#14-26, April-June 2024)

Click to see 3rd Quarter Member Memories (#27-39, July-September 2024)

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Memory 50b: Lynda Zaky Wood (#3560L)  

  

Asking a genealogist for a memory for the WNYGS 50th anniversary is nearly impossible. A genealogist isn’t worthy of the name or a grain of salt if they only have one. As our family’s historian now, memories have flashed through my mind like a dying man’s life passing before his eyes. 

  

COULD THE MEMORY BE THE BEGINNING OF MY JOURNEY. 

  

I have been working on our tree for nearly as long as the society has existed. During WWII my mom and her sister lived in New Jersey while her parents worked for the war effort; it was during that time, her journey began. My interest was piqued after reading Roots by Alex Haley and how his family’s history unfolded with the journey of Kunte Kinte, Haley’s 4th great grandfather. I’d begun to think of my family’s history. That Christmas in 1977, I gifted my mother Finding Your Roots from Doubleday Book club. The book came with worksheets to complete. Off and running, a lot of time was spent in municipality and county basements looking through musty and dusty census, birth, marriage, and death records. Not to mention the deeds and search and surveys. Once a discovery was made, we recorded it in triplicate or more. 

  

MAYBE THE MEMORY IS THE PASSING OF MY MOTHER:

  

All the family history was passed to me. Not just the title of family historian, but the physical history; every copy of each document. She’s been gone since 1993 and I’m still discovering record copies. With the age of computers and the internet, I’ve made it so that much of that information is now down to just three copies of each: hard copy, in the computer hard drive and on a flash drive as well. 

  

OR WHEN

  

I had brick walls on both sides of our tree. I’d seen an event for WNYGS on Facebook. Mom had been a member and a director on the Board of Directors, and I remembered how much she’d learned from June Partridge Zintz, Glenn Atwell and the society. I went to a program at St. Louis RC Church with lunch at Ulrich’s where I met other members of WNYGS who would help me break some of those walls while becoming forever friends. 

  

AFTER THAT, OF COURSE, MY MEMORY COULD BE:

  

My WNYGS journey began when I was part of the 3-person programming committee consisting of Jennifer Libre Raines and Sandi Russo. The three of us pulled together some memorable programs including researching your Native American roots and the Western New York Genealogical Conference.  

  

At the latter, I met Josh Taylor, President of NYGBS and Blaine Bettinger, The Genetic Genealogist. The day of any program, fellow programming committee member, Sandi and I would be found manning the hospitality table, greeting members and hoping to bring in more members. These programs were pre-Covid-19 and pre-zoom, so most programs were recorded and available to members to view. 

  

AND IT COULD BE.

  

Indexing and transcribing which became my favorite past-time, either on my own or for familysearch.org. It wasn’t long before I began doing the same for WNYGS. Soon after, I was asked to join the Board of Directors. During lockdown I was asked to help with several transcription and indexing projects. Once these  projects ended, I was asked to come back to the Board again, but this time serve but this time on the 50th anniversary committee as the memory coordinator. 

  

HOWEVER,

  

The best memory by far has been accepting the founders award on behalf of my mother during the Founder’s Day luncheon this past October. I’m humbled and honored to have accepted it on her behalf. 

  

It has been my pleasure to be the memory coordinator. While I will be stepping away from the board and programming committee, I will be making more memories working on my own family tree and stories.

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Memory 50a: Vincent Hazewski (#4063)   

  

Although I only recently became a member (#4063) I have been actively researching my family history for the past 30 years. A recent experience prompted me to write it down and share. I am currently employed as the facility manager for the Center for the Arts at UB’s North Campus. I also have a part time seasonal position operating a high pressure steam plant as a stationary engineer in a mixed use facility. I was working the part time job, making building rounds. My tour takes me to the loading dock, where a large open top dumpster resides. It was filled to the top with miscellaneous items, much of it discarded items from tenants. Perched on top was a high school yearbook from 1955. I picked it up, thinking it would be interesting to leaf through during my break, which I did. And got interested in who it belonged to. The owner’s name was written inside. There were many signatures, mostly of the senior class, though the owner was a sophomore at the time. It turns out the owner’s sister was a senior and likely knew many of them. I got to thinking, did the yearbook get separated from its owner by accident, and maybe they would like to have it back? Or maybe a relative might like to have it? I just could not let it go to the landfill without making an effort to put it into the hands of someone who would appreciate having it. So I put my genealogical research skills to work to help make that happen. I found her in the 1950 US Census, so I had her parents’ names. Digging further, I learned she was employed as a junior high math teacher in Lancaster after graduating from Houghton College and marrying a dentist soon thereafter. The trail went cold for a while, finding nothing on her until I found her husband’s obituary. In it were listed the names of her daughter and two sons, both of which were noted as PhDs. I found it interesting that the obituary noted their advanced degrees. One of the sons had a spouse and son noted, so I concentrated on researching him. He got his doctorate at UB. Further research found a paper online he had authored. The paper included his email address at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena. Armed with this information, I emailed him, explaining the circumstances of how a found the yearbook and asking if he would like to have it. He emailed me back, informing me that his mother had just sold her home of 60 years, and he did not know of the existence of this yearbook, and would like to see it. He also noted my email sigfile had my affiliation with the CFA at UB. He asked if I had possibly met his mother, as she had been a volunteer usher at many CFA events. I had not, but our events staff (with who I shared this story) fondly remembered her. The yearbook is on its way to the owner’s son. 

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Memory 49: Jack Donohue (#3968)  

  

Like many of you, my memories of and questions about family members started when I was young.  My mother's side of the family had plenty to offer - ultimately dating back to the Mayflower. 

  

My father's side was altogether a different matter.  While he grew up in South Buffalo, the second generation of Irish immigrants, with loads of family scattered around the area, he didn't have a great interest in keeping up with his family roots - or they were distorted with family lore with little basis of fact (ah, the Irish). 

  

And I'm sure like many of us, it was only after he died that I realized I hadn't been more attentive to finding out his family history.  That changed when I read Tim Bohen's book "Against the Grain". 

  

I came back to Buffalo on a regular basis to explore churches, the Holy Cross Cemetery in Lackawanna, and the fabulous Grosvenor Room in the downtown library. 

  

...And the even more fabulous people there, especially Rhonda Hoffman, who helped me find a great, great grandfather I didn't know I had (see above: "ah, the Irish"). 

  

...And then discovering after I joined the WNYGS, my high school European Studies teacher (in 1976) was a founding member of the Society - Glenn Atwell. 

  

Congrats to the WNYGS for our first 50 years.  Thanks for helping me on my genealogical journey.  May the next 50 be as prosperous.

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Memory 48: Joanne Clements (#3767)  

  

I joined the Western New York Genealogical Society a few years ago in hopes of finding out more about my ancestors who emigrated from Germany to Niagara County in the 1800’s.  Since joining, I have been introduced to distant relatives who live in Niagara County.  They have been able to provide additional clues to why those ancestors emigrated in the first place.   I have also learned more about the history of Buffalo and surrounding areas.  I have relatives buried in the Concordia Cemetery and have been interested to read about the Concordia Cemetery project.  By being on the Board of the Society, I have met several wonderful people who have been able to give suggestions and tips for further research.  Thank you WNYGS!

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Memory 47: Dave Yearke (#2380L)  

  

I had always wondered about the origin of the name "Yearke." There were various surnames that sounded similar and had similar spellings, but as far as I knew only people in our direct family spelled it that way. So, in 1985, I decided to start investigating. I wrote to some relatives, who were quite helpful in other ways, but none had an answer on this issue. I pursued this on and off for a few years, but not diligently. I went to various places and looked up records, but didn't have any luck. 

  

On July 29th, 1993, I hit paydirt. I was in the basement of Erie County Hall, looking through marriage records, and found license applications for my great-grandfather and all of his siblings, except for his brother Charles, the eldest sibling. After going through all the indexes of males, I decided to look for his wife in the indexes of females and found a record showing her husband as "Charles Gierke." I started looking for that last name, and in a short amount of time had a marriage license for his mother, who remarried after my g-g-grandfather died, as well as for a sibling who remarried. The dates and details checked out, so I knew I was on the right track. 

  

Charles is listed with the last name "Yearke" in the 1884 Buffalo city directory, and this is the earliest use of that spelling I can find, other than a William Yearke in the 1883 directory, and for whom I am still trying to establish a relationship with our family (if any). 

  

All of his siblings started using the same spelling in 1887, after their father died the previous year. I don't know if they were trying to make the name more phonetic, or if it was a spelling error they just decided to keep, or if there was a reason they were trying to distance themselves from the original spelling. It's still a mystery to me. 

  

Since then, I have used that spelling to find newspaper articles, census records, and other interesting items for the early family. I know now my g-g-grandparents probably came from Prussia, but I have not yet found any records from that area. I guess more searching is in order. 

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Memory 46: Barbara A. Jones (#3593)  

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It was the early 1990s and my son asked me some questions concerning his ancestors. I knew my paternal grandparents were buried in the cemetery across the street but so were my gr grandparents. But then a brick wall on that line. I can now trace the paternal line to 1637 in colonial MA.  

  

In my research I experienced a few unique events.  

  

1 - I was at the LDS library in the early 1990s when a man who was doing research for the first time. The volunteer was very helpful but when she finished I mentioned he might try Surrogate's Court. I had found  this helpful since at that time census records were on microfilm and knowing an address helped narrow the search. I had just found my grandfather’s uncle who passed away in 1899. The new person recognized the Surname Hauser. He said his aunt married a Hauser and mentioned his name. I couldn’t believe it but he was the 6 month old on my microfilm reader. He mentioned his aunt was still alive and another nephew had researched the Hausers. I couldn’t believe it. The researcher was a college professor who taught religious German studies. He was kind enough to share his research back to a town in 1500s in Germany, now a B&B.  

  

2 - Also about 1990 I was at the WNYGS library on South Park. I showed the volunteer my gr grandfather’s death certificate. It stated he died in Johnsburg  NY. The volunteer stated she thought it was Johnsonburg. Sure enough, she was correct. It is what allowed me to break through. I would have never found him since my gr grandmother was born in Bath NY and my grandfather was born in MI. I just figured his father was from MI. I would never have looked in Wyoming County. This broke the brick wall for my Coburn line. Another surprise was that on the census was a Fullington family who were neighbors of the Coburn family and connected through a marriage. This was mid  1800s. In 1940s my Dad married my mom, a Hauser and her sister married a descendant of the Fullington family. Johnsonburg is located about an hour by car from the Hauser family in north Buffalo.  

  

I spent over 20 years looking the Kromer surname in Cleveland where my grandmother was born. Finally found them on a Google search since my gr grandfather’s brother was a famous singer. He preformed at Carnegie Hall and the White House.  

  

I feel the most interesting aspect is the part my ancestors had in the history of Buffalo. A Coburn and Wolfe (from the Hausers) married into the Rumsey family. In fact Mary Coburn was the mother in law of Ansley Wilcox.  

  

Thank you for all you do. I might still be looking for Coburns had it not been for a very helpful volunteer who was willing to help me. 

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Memory 45: Sandy Hudson (#1461) 

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Many years ago, while reading my newly delivered copy of the Journal I noticed an article written by one of our members stating that she had been given a very old family bible from a friend who had purchased it at a flea market.  He thought that she might be able to find someone in the society who would be related to this family.  I could hardly believe my eyes when I read the names of my great-great grandparents.  I immediately made a phone call explaining that I was interested in purchasing the bible that was mentioned in the Journal.  She then invited me to her home and said that as long as I could show her proof of my relationship, she would be delighted to turn it over to me.  Her friend who purchased the bible did not want any compensation in return but thought that perhaps making a donation to the society would be nice.  Wow. How unbelievable and wonderful!  Over the years I have been able to show the bible to other members of my family who were just as excited as I was to see this family treasure that we probably never would have known existed had it not been for the kindness of those two individuals.

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Memory 44: Sandy Hudson (#1461) 

  

Many years ago, while reading the newspaper I came across an article that mentioned The Western New York Genealogy Society.  What?  I didn't realize that there was a genealogical society in WNY.  Had I known, I definitely would have attended that very first meeting 50 years ago.   My interest in family history began when I was about 12 years old. One Sunday afternoon while visiting my grandparents after church I was playing a card game with my grandma and during a lull in the game I asked her the names of her mother and father, and then I wanted to know when they came to America, and then I asked her what country they emigrated from, etc.  I wrote down everything she told me that afternoon on a tiny piece of paper before heading home. Over the next 65 years that tiny piece of paper has grown to twenty-three 3-ring binders, trees online, DNA testing, etc.

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Memory 43: Lisa (Schreiner) Berta 

I grew up in Hamburg, NY.  My father, John “Jack” Schreiner’s has Lola Kimmel as an elementary school teacher. The Kimmels were former neighbors of my paternal grandparents, Francis and Agnes (Petrie) Schreiner.  Mrs. Kimmel was also my fourth-grade teacher at Charlotte Avenue Elementary School, and fostered my love of reading and science by gifting me a copy of Eleanor Clymer’s “Search for a Living Fossil:  The Story of the Coelacanth.”  As the end of fourth grade approached, my mother, Jane (Clark) Schreiner, said I was to have a schedule and purpose that summer break, and every summer afterwards.  And she had already set it up during a parent-teacher conference. 

  

There was a schedule of mornings to pack lunch, hop on my bike, and report to Mrs. Kimmel at the Hamburg Historical Society Museum on South Park Avenue until she said my volunteer day was complete.  That generally happened as the museum was locked up in the afternoon.  After reporting to Mrs. Kimmel, I received assignments to clean floors, dust, clean more surfaces, help with filing, clean, clean the back room, and clean a bit more.  Turns our Mrs. Kimmel had a great sense of humor that I missed as a student. 

  

WNYGS was housed in the Museum, and member of WNYGS asked for help moving huge bound books of the Erie County Independent.  Over the weeks, I helped Mrs. June Partridge Zintz with more WNYGS books, reshelving with Mrs. Kimmel’s approval, or helping members find and read microfilm.  Weeks later, Mrs. Zintz asked what I knew of my family tree.  I had spotted my great aunt Edna (Clark) Schnautz’s book “Alanson Clark, 1807-1888," and I was excited to show her my name in the book.  

  

Mrs. Zintz encouraged me to continue researching my tree. Several years later, my genealogy binder received 4-H blue ribbons at the Erie County and New York State Fairs. I became a life member of WNYGS in 2007.  Today, I’ve joined nearly 40 lineage societies and assist prospective members with their genealogy research for several societies.

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Memory 42: Gloria Osborne (#2909) 

  

Even as a kid I was always interested in where my family came from. Finding time was always a problem, but in the early 1990's I began serious research. Although I lived in Michigan, my family still lived in the Buffalo area. I joined both the WNYGS and the Niagara County Genealogical Society since some of my mother's Irish family originally located in Lockport. My Dad's German family was from Buffalo and also Tonawanda and both Orleans and Genesee Counties.  I returned often to visit my family, of course, but also made many stops at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library where I found many useful resources; newspaper microfilm, filmed local church records and clippings scrapbooks among others. My mother was a wonderful source of information to get me started and the research findings provided a great rapport with her as she  aged. I greatly expanded her basic knowledge and found much more that she didn't know about her family, information which she always looked forward to hearing about. I  look forward to the quarterly Genealogist journal from the Society for their helpful indexes and transcriptions and local history. I made contact with a cousin who is also a member. In 2006 I compiled a book on my dad's paternal family for a family reunion and now I am currently putting all this 30-plus years of research about my mother's 4 Irish ancestor families into a book for my own family.  

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Memory 41: Mary Kay Wright (#1202) 

  

My memory goes back over 40 years concerning the Journal. When my husband and I joined, we volunteered to help collate and mail the Journal as a way of becoming acquainted with active members.  At first, we worked in the DAR on Delaware. Collating by hand took many helpers and we soon enjoyed the task and company. 

Our next move was to a room in the Marine Drive apartments where Isabelle Clifford lived. Over time, the collating was handled by the printer.  My late husband, Joe, had retired from the Post Office and ways of handling the mailing changed.  Preparing and presorting the Journal for the Post Office was a big job.  Many changes have been made over the years resulting in our current. professional   Western New York Genealogist.  I look back with fondness on all my fellow Journal volunteers.

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Memory 40: Charleen Scime (#4038) 

  

I am a new member of WYNGS with a nearly 20 -year journey in genealogy. I am second generation Italian on one side and third generation on the other.  My families came to the US around 1900. 

  

It all started in 2006 when I joined a computer club that had a SIG on genealogy.  At that time using the internet for information was fairly new, and not nearly as sophisticated as it is now!  We were taught how to use AOL search, Ask Jeeves, Mamma, Alta Vista and many more for our research.  After a couple months I was hooked. 

  

As in many families, the “old people” did not share information.  Maybe I was just too young to ask, or maybe they thought if they didn’t talk about it they would assimilate into the American culture better.  All I knew is that I was Sicilian on one side of my family and Calabrese on the other side.  All Italian – this will be so easy, I thought!  

  

Well, as all of you know, nothing in genealogy runs in a straight line.  I had quite a bit of information on names of ancestors on my Mom’s side of the family but very little on my Dad’s.  In order to get started on my Dad’s side I started writing letters in English and using a translator to add the Italian, looked up all the Scime families near my grandfather’s town, stamped the envelopes and popped them in the mail. 

  

I sent 11 letters and got answers from 3.  I still had relatives in the same town! I was amazed and even more excited to see what I could learn. One of my cousins sent me a handwritten list of  my grandfather and his siblings.  There were THIRTEEN in all and only 4 came to the US.  That was new information.  I worked both ends to the middle with that information….. I followed up on the Scime family in Castelvetrano, Sicily and Springfield, Illinois in the US. 

  

I looked up those relatives on Facebook, if you can imagine! I found so many of them and we began to talk about what we knew.  We created a “family” Facebook page where we could exchange that information.  We relied heavily on google translate! 

  

Well, that is where it all began.  I was fortunate enough to meet my cousins from Springfield, Illinois and in 2017 (and just recently in July of 2024) in Sicily.  What an awesome feeling to meet second cousins and find we looked so much alike! 

  

I now teach beginning genealogy classes in Florida and in NY – showing new or aspiring genealogists and family historians some unusual places to start, how to get organized, and sources as to where to go from “here”.   My hobby goes hot and cold, depending on what I have going on – but every one of us knows – once you start going down a rabbit hole….. it is very hard to come up!

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