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Memorial Stone Drawings

  Mrs. Helen Van Scryoc, of Westmont, has donated a large collection of drawings that her husband created over the last 50 years. Mr. Van Scryoc operated a memorial stone business across from Grandview Cemetery.

  For every stone he designed he kept the original drawing in envelops which he kept indexed. There are approximately 4,000 drawings in this unique collection.

Web Sites

Our friend Amy Gates sends along some website suggestions.

  To see some old photos of South Fork, PA; along with the history of Dimond Funeral Home click onto-     www.dimondfuneralhome.com/pages/history/html 

  Are you thinking of hunting for your family tree? Try Beginning Genealogy 110, at -
  www.rootsweb.com/~genclass/110/gen110.htm
 

Civil War web sites.  

  www.pacivilwar.com   --This one has quite a bit of information on the Civil War, including diaries kept by some soldiers.
    www.pacivilwar.com/cwparosters.html   Many of the Pennsylvania Volunteers are listed at this site.
    www.pacivilwar.com/cwpahelp.html 

This web site tells how to find your Civil War ancestor, and send for his war record.
  This web site has some old photos of Cambria County. Are any of your ancestors on this page?
www.familyoldphotos.com/pa/cambria/index.htm  

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RECENT ACCESSIONS

The Oracle – 1935, 1937, 1964, 1966 - donated by Bernard Covitch

Silver tea service - donated by Mrs. Kay Larimer Kelley

Toy cars & trucks - donated by Lois Gruver

Woman’s dress form - donated by Michael J. Gregory

Photographs-Ebensburg High School Class of 1925 & Reunions - donated by Barbara Evans

Patton High School band uniform – Mrs. Marjorie Corby Dimmette

Ebensburg Legion Airs & Cambria Cadets scrapbooks – Bill Bumford

Cambria House memorabilia, John Platt Family Tree – Frank and Betty Seymour

1894 Injunction & Complaint / Gallitzin School District – donated by James E. Keenan

Genealogies:  Hoppel - donated by Deanna Hoppel

                  Kirsch -  donated by Deanna Hoppel

                  The Delozier Family -   donated by Ellis Michaels

                   Michaels, Coleman, Trent -   donated by Ellis Michaels

                   The John George Gill Family of St. Lawrence -   donated by James C. Gill

Books:  Cambria Steel - donated by Mrs. Bonnie Summy

             In the Valley of the Fair Mahoning - donated by Fremont McKenrick

              The Ebenezer Chapel Book - donated by W.R. Davis

Newspapers on Microfilm:  Hastings Tribune 1894-1896

                                  Mountaineer-Herald 1978-2001

Memorial Stone Drawings—approximately 4,000– 1930’s to 1990’s. Donated by Mrs. Helen Van Scryoc.

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BICENTENNIAL NOTES

  Editor’s Note: In the May 2002 issue of this newsletter we published a history of Cambria County during it’s founding years. We continue our look at that period in preparation of our county’s bicentennial celebration in 2004.

Indian Tribes

On the land that we now know as Cambria County, the “early people” hunted on top of the Allegheny Ridge, fished in the Stony Creek River and traded with other Native Americans along the Kittanning Path. Early reports about Indians range from the friendly encounters with the traders like John Hart to the violent kidnapping and murders of many pioneers who had to frequently retreat back to the nearest fort for protection. Judge Robert L. Johnston, a county historian wrote: “ The howling of the wolf, and the shrill screaming of the catamount or American panther (both of which animals infested the country in great numbers) mingled in nightly concert with the war-whoop of the savages”.

The early people had tribe names such as The Munseys (Wolves), The Unamis (Turtles) and The Unalachtgos (Turkeys). They belonged to the Indian Nations of the Shawnee and the Delaware.

  A large part of the land in Cambria County lies atop the rocky Allegheny Mountain. It is believed that most of this area was not considered good hunting grounds by the Native Americans. There are some archeological sites where arrowheads or stone tools have been found but for the most part there were far better lands elsewhere for the early people to live.

Conemaugh

  It is well documented that there was an Indian Village where the Little Conemaugh River meets the Stony Creek River at “the point” in Johnstown. As early as 1731, James LeTort, an explorer of the area, reported to Governor Patrick Gordon that he found 45 Indian families living on “Connumach Creek,” also referred to in the colonial era as the “Cough-naugh-maugh Creek”. Whether or not this village was permanent or part of a “traveling” tribe remains open for debate. Nevertheless, there is evidence that the Delawares and Shawnees frequently passed through the area. An old Indian trail--the Conemaugh Path--extended from Bedford to Johnstown and thence through the Conemaugh Gap westward to the Ohio Country. Another close-by Indian village was located at Cherrytree and was known as Canoe Place as it was the first place along the West Branch of the Susquehanna River deep enough to put the canoe into the water.

Treaty of Fort Stanwix

  Life for the Indians in this region change on November 5, 1768 when the chiefs of the Iroquois, reigning Indian power in the East, and representatives of the Penn family's government in Pennsylvania made the pact known as the Treaty of Fort Stanwix. Prior to this agreement the Indians had a pact with the Penn Family that this region would be closed to White settlers. Even traders and hunter had to obtain a special license to enter the area. The Treaty of Fort Stanwix opened up settlement for all of Pennsylvania south of the historic Kittanning Path. This allowed settlers to enter the valleys of the Conemaugh and the Stonycreek.

On the very day that the treaty became effective--April 3, 1769--a warrant was taken out for 249 acres that stretched between the Conemaugh and Stonycreek Rivers. This tract would eventually become Johnstown.  

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The large summer resort known as the Cresson Mountain House attracted many city people. Industrialists such as Benjamin Jones, Andrew Carnegie and William Thaw built or leased summer homes in the area and often frequented the local resort.