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The recent warm weather seemed to stimulate genealogists to even greater endeavors. Let’s see if we can help these family historians and other researchers in their quests.
1. Greg Leck of Bangor is looking for a 1934 Hanover Township High School yearbook.
His aunt was a member of that graduating class.
“I have checked with the Osterhout Library, the Luzerne County Historical Society and the current Hanover High School librarian for a copy, without success,” he writes.
Greg, yearbooks are among the most elusive of genealogy resources.
Probably because of mergers and renovations, school libraries tend not to keep them on file for long.
But if I needed one, here’s what I’d do. First, I’d go to Times Leader or Wilkes-Barre Record newspaper backfiles (at the Luzerne County Historical Society and the Osterhout Free Library) for a list of Hanover’s 1934 graduates.
Then I’d try to match names with the current Wyoming Valley phone book. The men’s names would be easier to work with, since they most likely would not have changed.
Of course most of these folks are deceased, but perhaps families could help. To focus effort, I’d look specifically for people currently living in towns of the Hanover Area School District.
I’d also scan the Times Leader for reunion notices about Hanover classes of 50 years ago and more.
Then I’d contact them to see if their members know of any person or institution keeping older yearbooks.
Anyone else who can help is asked to contact this column.
2. Jeff T. Giambrone of Clinton, Miss., a collector of military memorabilia, is trying to find local people to identify a soldier in a set of World War II photos he owns.
One of the photos identifies the soldier only as “Lt. Heist,” as he stands next to a tank.
Giambrone’s research turned up the fact that only one Lt. Heist, a Lt. Edgar C. Heist from Wilkes-Barre, served with the Army tank forces during the war. The lieutenant, winner of the Distinguished Service Cross, was killed Dec. 22, 1944, and was buried in Luxembourg. The Cross is the second-highest decoration awarded to Army personnel for valor.
Giambrone is hoping that some relatives in our area can look at copies of his photos and positively identify the soldier as their family member.
Anyone who can help is asked to contact this column so that he/she can be put in touch with Giambrone.
3. Claude Cemeno of France is looking for information on two members of his wife’s family, Filippo and Calogero (Charles) Medico, who emigrated from Sicily to the Pittston area in 1906 to work in the coal mines.
He believes that only Calogero has descendants in the United States, and he would like to visit them when he retires in a year or two.
Cemeno believes that the two brothers have no connection to the prominent Medico family with business interests in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Mike Lizonitz of Hughestown is assisting Cemeno with his quest. If you can help, please contact Lizonitz at 570-655-8336 or [email protected].
News notes
Joan Bogdanowicz will present “The Life of Martha Washington’s Granddaughter, Mrs. Robert E. Lee,” at the next meeting of the Genealogical Research Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The meeting will be 7 to 9 p.m. May 20 at the society’s Research Center, 1100 Main St., Peckville. If you’re interested in joining the group, go to the Web site http://gsrnp.org. You can also call 570-383-7661.
… yearbooks are among the most elusive of genealogy resources. Probably because of mergers and renovations, school libraries tend not to keep them on file for long.