Amos Llewellyn Pettingell
He was the son of New Englanders, born in Connecticut to a Congregational minister named John Hancock Pettingell. Amos was named after his grandfather, also a minister and a graduate…
Read MoreJohn Henry Harres
Although the surname Harres is not of German origin, that’s the country John’s father, Gebhard, left to settle in Philadelphia and have nine children. John went to Central High School…
Read MoreJohn Francis Maher
This ancient Irish surname is pronounced like Mars but without the letter “s.” John was given the name when he was born in Waterford, Ireland, but his father wasn’t there…
Read MoreVeronica Jane Geris Curran
Jane B. Geris was her given name according to the 1900 and 1910 census reports, but she used Veronica Jane as an adult. Her mother, Rose Campbell of Illinois, married…
Read MoreSamuel Smith Cord
Sam’s father, Samuel T. Cord, was born in Indiana. His mother, Phoebe Elizabeth Fithian, was born in Georgia, but her parents were born in New Jersey. That’s where Samuel and…
Read MoreElizabeth “Betsy” Ross
It’s well known that Betsy Ross sewed flags. The claim that she made the first American flag is doubted by most historians, a legend that was popular as part of…
Read MoreDavid Eric Harmon, M.D.
Chicago was where David was born but Philadelphia was where he grew up with three younger brothers. Friends and family called him Rick. As a student at Overbrook High School…
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