Searching for the greatest treasure - our ancestors!

Myrtle and John Staub's descendants gather each July for an annual reunion.  In my last blog post, I asked if anyone could remember when the reunions began.  A reliable source mentioned that they could remember back to the early 1970s and Mammaw's orchard in Mt. Misery.  So, if you were born before the 1980s, you may not remember this.

Myrtle, aka. Mammaw is pictured above and a bit of her life history follows:

• She was born to Jerome Henry Groft and Annie Maria Smith on June 26, 1890, and died on December 11, 1986.  FYI...Annie is a Smith link. 
• Mammaw married John Lawrence Staub (January 24, 1890-May 21, 1948) on August 26, 1913.  They are pictured sitting in the wedding photo to the right. Her sister, Violet and husband Charles Henschke are shown standing.
• Mammaw's father, Jerome (June 14, 1861-June 28, 1947), was the son of George H. Groft and Mary Ann Storm. 
• At age 18, Jerome worked as a farm hand for the John and Jane Jenkins family in Mt. Pleasant Township, Adams, PA, USA. (1900 U. S. Census)  Later, he worked as a cigar maker and was a member of the Irishtown Fire Company.  On December 28, 1886 Jerome married Annie Maria Smith (June 29, 1866-May 4, 1897) at the Conewago Chapel.  Annie died at age 31 from tuberculosis.  (The New Oxford Item, obituary publish date May 7, 1897)  Annie's parents, Mammaw's grandparents, were John Henry Smith and Anna Maria Groft.  FYI ... this is one of the Smith/Groft family connections.
• Jerome, age 45, lived in New Oxford, Adams, PA, USA with daughters Myrtle, age 19, and Violet, age 17. (1910 U. S. Census)  According to the Conewago Chapel Book of Baptisms another daughter, Marguerite Emma, born on October 1, 1894 to Jerome and Annie.  I found in a newspaper archives that Marguerite Emma died on January 21, 1909 following surgery for appendicitis at the York Hospital.  (The New Oxford Item, publish date February 3, 1949, page 10, '40 Years Ago Today' column)

One Sunday afternoon I visited the John Timon Reily Society in McSherrystown to learn more about the Groft family.  Research by the Harold Groft family showed that Mammaw and Violet may have had a brother, George John Groft (November 2, 1887-April 26, 1889).  I must research this further.

• At age 68, Jerome lived with his daughter Violet and her husband Charles F. Henschke. (1930 U. S. Census). 

I know little about John Lawrence Staub except that his parents were James Augustin Staub and Mary Catherine Weaver. 

• Would anyone have a photo of Jerome and wife Annie to lend me for a future blog?
• What do you remember about Myrtle and John so I can share with everyone?

You may send your memories and scanned photos of Jerome or John or Myrtle to me directly to my email Inbox by clicking here. 

Thanks for visiting my blog!