Erie, Pa Research Trip – Part 1

Wow, I had forgotten how much fun a research trip can be!! Even a short stop, like this one, gets you out to places you’ve never been and might possibly have never gone, if not for genealogy. Best of all, though, are all the wonderful people you meet and learn from along the way.

This morning, March 04, 2010, after a breakfast at the hotel, Jim and I set out to take pictures of some of the key locations for Charles and Salome (C&S) – their address in 1873, the tannery where Charles and Fred worked (probably) and the church where they were married and where Caroline, Eva, Emma and Julia were baptized. The first two places are really no longer in existence so we just did the best we could to come close to how things might have been but St. Paul’s UCC (formerly St. Paul’s German Evangelical Church) is as it once was.

On the way to the church, I called the office to see if we could get inside to take some pictures. The answer was a hearty, “sure, just ring the bell and I’ll let you in.” A few minutes later we were graciously met by Rev. Wayne Sova and Cheryl Pierce. I explained about C&S’s marriage and the childrens' baptisms and Cheryl said, “Would you like a copy of those records? [I have the abstracts but not the originals.] They would be in German.” Of course, I jumped at the chance. So, while we talked with Rev. Sova and took pictures of the sanctuary – which is much as it was in 1873 -

Cheryl busied herself with finding the records in the old ledgers; not only that but she, also, found a picture of the altar area in 1901 before any remodeling had occurred.

We were enjoying our visit so much we could have stayed and talked for hours but didn’t want to take up all their time. We reluctantly said goodbye to two helpful and interesting people!!

Cheryl Pierce and Rev. Wayne Sova

What a great start to the day! The next stop: Erie County Historical Society. More on that later.