SNGF-Brick Wall Ancestors

Randy Seaver at Genea Musings states:
“Awake and arise, you wonderful Genea-Musings blog-readers, and know that it is Saturday Night – time again for more Genealogy Fun!
We all have “brick wall ancestors” – those for whom we cannot find a complete name, or identify a set of parents. By posting information about a “brick wall ancestor,” someone mght find your post and be able to contribute to your knowledge about that ancestor.
Your mission, should you decide to accept it (and I sincerely hope that you do) – is to check your files and sources, advance to your keyboard, and:
1) Identify one of your “brick wall ancestors,” and tell us about him or her. What do you know? What would you like to know?
2) Tell us about this person in a blog post of your own, a comment on this blog post, or a Facebook comment or note. Be sure to leave a way for readers to contact you.”

Here is my SNGF reply,
I have written about one of my brick wall ancestors a couple of times, my GGF, George VanBilliard, a few times already. but tonight I am going to talk about another GGF, Thomas Emil Gunther. I have that Thomas was born, 3 Sept 1861 in the Black Woods area of Germany. He had three daughters, Helen (Gunther) Natale, 5 June 1895-15 Dec 1953, Catherine (Gunther) Kelly, 25 April 1899-5 Jan 1961 and Theresa (Gunther) McCarry, 31 May 1905-23 Feb 1974. Theresa was my Mother's Mother. My Nana talked about her father many times. She would say that he came to this country from Germany alone when he was a young boy. but I never found exactly when that happened. One of those, " why did I not ask more questions" moments! I cannot find anything on him. I know that His wife was Catherine McCarron born 8 Mar 1869. I am not sure where because I was told it was Ireland but in the 1930 census it has Theresa's mother born in Pennsylvania. Nana only said that her mother died when she was little. To ad to the puzzle that is Thomas Gunther, according to Helen (Gunther) Natale's death certificate, her mother's name was Catherine Carrigan. Actually, the last names were put down incorrect because it has her mother's name as Catherine Gunther and her father's as Emil Carrigan. So it looks like Thomas Emil Gunther had another wife? so, I send out to request to our community, if there is anyone out there that could have any help for me on this, I would just be so so so HAPPY! please contact me if you do. thank you!

Sentemental Sunday-Christmas in July

Merry Christmas in July

I guess my parents were in the spirit of things using this photo of me taken in summer for their Christmas Card Stay cool everyone!

Surname Saturday-FITZPATRICK

CECILA FITZPATRICK

Cecila Fitzpatrick was one of my great grandmothers. She was the 5th child born to James Fitzpatrick and Ellen Tracy. Cecilia was born 10 Jan 1873 in Ebervale, PA. She was the first of James and Ellen's children to be born in the United States. James was born about 1831 in Nova Scotia and Ellen Tracy was born in December of 1831. According to the Nova Scotia Historical Vitals, they were married 7 July 1856 in New Glasgow. Their other children were David, Jane, Margaret Ellen, John Taylor, Robert Patrick, and Elizabeth. In the Nova Scotia Historical Vitals I was able to find the birth records for only Margaret Ellen, born 23 June 1868 in Albion Mines where James is a Miner. And I found John Taylor's record also. He was born 3 June 1870 in Acadia Mines with James being a Miner there.

Cecilia married Cornelius (Condy) O'Donnell in Hazleton, PA on 24 July 1892, in St Gabriel Roman Catholic Church. Cornelius was a miner and died of "Miner's Lung" 12 July 1909 at age 39. Cecilia died 11 July 1936 at age 63. They are both buried at St Gabriel Cemetery in Hazleton, PA