James Christian Ardinger

On this day, 5 December 1876, James Christian Ardinger, my 3rd great-grandfather, passed away.

Born on 16 November 1839, in Williamsport, Washington County, Maryland, James Christian Ardinger was the son of Charles Godfrey Ardinger and Jane Shook. He joined older brother, John William Ardinger, who was born two years earlier on 13 December 1837.

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Margaret (Felix) Noel

On this day, 7 October 1875, Margaret (Felix) Noel passed away. She was my 4th great-grandmother.

Born circa 1797, in Berwick Township, York County, Pennsylvania, Margaret Felix was the daughter of Joannes “John” Felix and Elizabetha “Elizabeth” Keefer/Keffer. She had one known older brother John Felix, who was born 10 October 1777.

Bring Out Your Dead

The following post deals with some seriously sad times in humanity’s history.
To help lighten up an otherwise gloomy piece, I have included a bit of British humor for your viewing entertainment.

The Black Death, also known as the Great Plague, was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history.

In October 1347, about a dozen Italian merchant ships returning from the Black Sea, one of the key trade routes to China, docked at the port of Messina, Sicily. Many of sailors aboard these ships were either dead or seriously ill. Although the authorities ordered an immediate these ships to leave the harbor, it was already too late. Within days, the disease had spread throughout Sicily and onto the mainland. One eyewitness told this grim tale:

“Realizing what a deadly disaster had come to them, the people quickly drove the Italians from their city. But the disease remained, and soon death was everywhere. Fathers abandoned their sick sons. Lawyers refused to come and make out wills for the dying. Friars and nuns were left to care for the sick, and monasteries and convents were soon deserted, as they were stricken, too. Bodies were left in empty houses, and there was no one to give them a Christian burial.”

James Eugene Ardinger

On this day, 11 August 1946, James Eugene Ardinger (my 2nd great-grandfather) passed away.

Born on 20 July 1866, in Williamsport, Washington County, Maryland, James Eugene Ardinger was the third child of James Christian Ardinger and Emma Jane Nitzel. He joined two older sisters, Elizabeth Florence Ardinger (born September 1862) and Ada Mary Ardinger (born circa 1865).

Charles Godfrey Ardinger

On this day, 19 March 1891, Charles Godfrey Ardinger passed away. He was my 4th great-grandfather.

Charles Godfrey Ardinger was born on 28 March 1812, in Williamsport, Washington County, Maryland. He was the son of Johannes “John” Ardinger and Margaret Elizabeth Winterschmidt. He joined elder siblings James Ardinger (born 1806) and Mary Ann Ardinger (born 1809). Another brother, Christian Ardinger, had died in 1806 at the age of two.