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Civil War Blog

A project of PA Historian

Obituary of Lazarus Zerbe of Williamstown

| March 30, 2018

Lazarus Zerbe, also known as Zerby, died in September 1905 in Williamstown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  According to his grave marker in the United Methodist Cemetery in Williamstown, he served in the 17th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company H, as a Private.  Confirmation of this service is found in the Pennsylvania Archives, but the service was in the […]

Emma [Hoffman] Yentch – Lykens Woman’s Relief Corps Member

| March 28, 2018

According to her death certificate, Emma [Hoffman] Yentch died on 5 January 1908 in Lykens, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, of pneumonia.  She was the widow of Frederick Yentch, a Civil War veteran who died in Lykens on 11 September 1885. Her obituary, which appeared in the Lykens Standard, 10 January 1908, told of her role in […]

First Public Ku Klux Klan Day Demonstration in Williamstown, 1926

| March 19, 2018

Williamstown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, held its first Ku Klux Klan Day in 1926.  A comprehensive, descriptive report was published on what transpired. This post is a continuation of the reporting on hate groups that were active in the Lykens Valley area in the years following the Civil War.  It was a widely known fact that the […]

Sarah Jane [Zerby] Machamer Buried with Full Ku Klux Klan Rites, 1926

| February 19, 2018

Sarah Jane [Zerby] Machamer died on 16 Jul 1926 in Williamstown, Dauphin County.  Her parents were Henry Zerby (1829-1922) and Sarah S. [Wolf] Zerby (1833-1906).  Her husband was Charles Machamer.  Her funeral was largely attended by members of Ku Klux Klan of Williamstown, of which she and her husband were leaders. This post is a […]

William Martz – Did He Have a Connection to Millersburg?

| February 2, 2018

The obituary of William Marsh appeared in the Harrisburg Telegraph, 10 January 1922: William Martz, Aged 75, Dead at Williamstown Williamstown, Pennsylvania, 10 January 1922 — William Martz, aged 75, a veteran of the Civil War, died Sunday evening in his home on East Market Street.  he is survived by his wife, Mrs. William Martz […]