This has been a tough, yet interesting search for my birth father's history.
I know my ggrandfather, David Gethen, was b. in Wales abt 1855. On the 1880 PA USA
census for Pitt Allegheny Co I find the following
David, Rose (b. @ 1857 Pitt PA), son Harry (b @ 1879 Pitt PA) and Isaac Gethen
(David's bro) in Pittsburgh Allegheny Co PA in 1880. David's occupation was listed
as boiler. I found him in the Pittsburgh directory 1890 then I lose him. Isaac was his
brother attending school in 1880 and b. abt 1867 OH
Supervisor district 9 enumeration dist. 153 pg 21 24th ward 4 Jun 1880 David could not
read or write
I find a David Gethen also applying for citizenship in the same place 1880
I lose this family after that. I only find Isaac on the 1880 census. There is no
record of him before or after this. I ckd the 1870 OH figuring he would be 3 at the time.
I am not really in contact with this family.
my grandfather John Gethen was a child of David/Rose. I do find tid bits on him. I
know he is buried in North Side Catholic Cemetery near Pitt. John was to have been buried
in the same grave as his wife Mary Agnes, but I have found no verification of that as of
yet.
I had conversations with two my bio relatives. An uncle, John, is buried at the same N
S Cemetery. Before he died he told me where my grandparents were buried. An aunt,
Theresa told me that there was a tiff in the family that went bk to my ggrandfather David
Gethen. I am thinking it might be true.
The story goes that when David married Rose and converted to catholism his family hit
the roof. They did as my Amish lines do, they shunned him and he became dead to them.
There were not that many Gethen's and it is not a common name. Theresa thought that
he came from the Cardiff region so that is one wishful link. I am hoping that since this
name is not common there might be someone who would know of where to begin looking. I
find no ship and would not know where they landed here in the US.
I thought I would throw a line in the Wales area and see if I get a nibble.
Pat Jones
riverrat111(a)earthlink.net