My Unplanned Genealogy Break

Elmer Carl Anderson, Axel Heinrich Anderson, Dagmar Alice Viola Anderson

William John White "Pin" Smith

Marjorie Elizabeth Dean and Janet Isabella Smith

I had really hoped that in 2020 I would post some sort of content between my monthly Honor Roll posts, but this blogging and research break was unplanned and brought to you courtesy of my failure to get a flu shot this season. As a family historian who believes in immunizations, what was I thinking? Those of us who study history should know only too well how lucky we are to live in a time when prevention is available for diseases that killed our ancestors and it can be as easy as taking a short trip to the nearest pharmacy. But, I digress.

Just before I got sick, My Heritage released its new photo colorization tool. The photos above are some of the results that I got. On the off chance that you haven't heard about it, here is a link to the tool. It is free for those with a membership to MH and I've read that those without one can upload a limited number of photos.  It isn't perfect of course, but I love the addition of the flesh-tones to people's faces, it really brings them to life.

The past few days I have been reading blog posts, working on the Nassau and Queens locality guide and watching the free live stream from rootstech. I feel like I'm finally getting back to my life.

I have an Honor Roll Project post set to go for Monday and then I hope to be back very shortly after to share that completed locality guide and maybe even an updated research plan for Benjamin Smith.

Until then, sneeze into a tissue or the inside of your elbow, wash your hands regularly, and keep them away from your face! And never skip that flu shot.

The Honor Roll Project - Amityville, New York

As part of Heather Wilkinson Rojo's Honor Roll Project, I have transcribed these Rolls of Honor in Amityville, NY to make the names visible to search engines so that family researchers can find them. Please consider finding the Honor Roll(s) in your town or village and transcribing them on your blog or website. Some rolls are long and some are short but there's no deadline, you can take as long as you need to transcribe an honor roll.  I've learned so much about local history through this project and when someone finds the name of an ancestor in one of my posts they are grateful and excited! And even if you don't have a blog or website, you can ask me or another participating blogger. I would be happy to create a post to share your photos and transcription!

Though best known as the setting of the movie The Amityville Horror, Amityville is just another quaint Long Island village with a long history.

This honor roll is located at the Village Triangle where Broadway, Park Avenue, and Ireland Place meet.

This memorial is dedicated "TO THOSE OF OUR COUNTRY WHO DID THEIR DUTY IN THE WORLD WAR."

"To the memory of our veterans who have served in the Armed Forces during all conflicts and the memory of those who served this village. This enhanced triangle area is hereby rededicated as of May 30, 1988."

These plaques contain names only. The inscription above makes me think that these must be the names of all the men and women who served in WWII. There are five names bordered with stars, which I believe means those men were killed in action, but I have not done any research on these names so it is just a guess.

Albra S. Adams

Giacomo Affusa

James J. Affusa

Michael Agresti

Harold C. Albertson

William R. Albertson

Percy E. Arnold

William Aufdenfeld

Jesse M. Austin

Frederic A. Baker

Arthur M. Baldwin

Frank B. Ball

Charles S. Barcellona

George Baromona

Russell Bartow

Charles T. Bassler

John Bazola

Frederick W. Becher

Arthur K. Bennett

Joseph Bernagozzi

Angelo Bogni

Wilmer Bonds

Louis Boselli

Richard Brandt, Jr.

John F. Brewerton

Alexander Brewster

Charles E. Brewster

Frederick Brewster

Gouverneur B. Brewster

Irving Paul Brewster

William Brewster

Archie James Brooks

James S. Brown

Charles Frank Brush

Charles J. Buckholz

Everard R. Burch

Raymond L. Burch

Frank S. Burgwin

Harry P. Burgwin

Arthur R. Burns

Hugo G. Campagnoli

Forrest P. Carman

Stephen B. Carpenter

Pasquale Caruso

James B. Cass

Carl Chichester

Benjamin Cirrincione

Robert W. Combes

Louis Compitello

Walter P. Corns

Anson W. Corson

Emil F. Cron

John J. Cullinan

George Howland Dalzell

Lloyd Hunter Dalzell

Horace A. Darling

Kenneth Darling

Jesse Gordon Davis

George J. Diehl

Frank J. Drake

Charles Rulef Duryea, Jr.

John Ebert

Frank H. Edgette

Milton A. Erwood

George F. Eschwei

Vito Fagone

Vincent Fattaruso

Herbert W. Fiedler

Clarence C. Fleming, Jr.

Peter B. Fleming

Nicholas Follo

Clarence Fowler

Alphonse C. Frevele

Joseph F. Frevele

Walter J. Gardiner

Francis Gayer

Frederick C. Gehrke

Joseph A. Geiger

Guiseppe Giarratano

Henry H. Giesse

Harold A. Gilman

Wallace S. Gilman

Natalie Giorgini

Thomas Green

Alfred S. Griffiths

Benjamin Gutowitz

Louis D. Gutowitz

Charles Haab

James Hayes Haff

Robert W. Haff

George B. Hall

Stanley J. Handy

George S. Hardy

★Eric Stanly Hart★

George H. Harvey

Joseph Heimbucher

William Henry Hendrickson

Isaac A. Henry

Arnold A. Hepp

Emanuel Hirsch

Charles O. Homan

Aaron Derby Howe

Joseph A. Howell

Stanley Howell

Sigvald E. Hunsbedt

Arthur H. Hunter

John Oliver Hunter

Royal F. Hunter

Walter F. Husted

Einer A. Jensen

George W. Ketcham

Jesse H. Ketcham

Royal P. Ketcham

William Marsh Ketcham

Frederick W. King

Louis W. Kinzer

Willard Kohen

Reginald Kortright

Martin Lang, Jr.

Claud H. Lapsley

Thomas Lauder, Jr.

Elbert Laurie

Julius H. Lawrence

Louis T. Learned

Thomas Lee

Adolph W. Lottman, Jr.

Harry B. Lottman

Charles Ludlow, Jr.

George B. Ludlow

Bernard F. McDonald

Thomas E. McDonald

Charles J. McGovern

John H. Maher, Jr.

Louis C. Martin

Alvin Clinton Mayhew

Philip Mazza

Thomas Mazza

Jahew Miller

William McKinley Miller

★Cormly J. Montgomery★

Silvio Orlando

★Michael F. O'Rourke★

Angelo Palermo

Benjamin Parodi

Adolph Pape, Jr.

Michael Pembroke

August W. Peterson

Wayman A. Pierce

William F. Ploch

Harold F. Post

Benjamin F. Powell

Charles S. Powell

Herbert S. Powell

Royal S. Powell

Louis Richter

Philip Rizzuto

Gustav Schaefer, Jr.

William Schimpf, Jr.

Robert E. Scurlock

Anthony Segale

Louis C. J. Shafer

Patrick Sheridan

James Gerard Shevill

Frank W. Shoush

Harry  L. Simonson

Carl Burr Smith

Frederick E. Smith

Raymond B. Smith, Jr.

Roger Smith

Walter Allen Smith

Philip Sparicino

David Aaron Steele

George W. Steele

Arthur F. Squires

Howard F. Squires

John H. Squires, Jr.

George L. Swift

Caesar Tassinari

Hugo Tassinari

Daniel F. Terry

Francis Trongiolito

George Troumbas

Israel VanNostrant

Garry J. Velsor

George A. Walters

Arthur L. Wanser

Ainslie M. Wardle

Oliver Warren

Elliott P. Watson

★Robert E. Watson★

Arthur Cornwall Wells

Frederic Hart Wells

John H. Wendel

Peter Wendel, Jr.

Willet F. Whitmore

Clifford H. Wicks

Frank H. Wolff

William H. Wood

Frank L. Wortmann

Charles I. Yates

★John Yeswoit★

At the base of the memorial is this time capsule to be opened on July 4, 2083, the quadricentennial of Suffolk County.

And this plaque at the foot of the large tree pictured above lets us know that it was donated by the Kiwanis Club of Amityville in 2010.

Just last month another descendant left a comment on one of my honor roll posts letting me know that they had found an ancestor there, so this project really does work.  If you would like to give back to the genealogy community by participating in Heather Wilkinson Rojo's project but don't have a blog or website you can reach out to her or to me or another blogger. With your photos and transcription, someone can always post the honor roll for you.