Charles Edward Stark--Two New Finds

     Every so often I search my Newspaper.com subscription on Ancestry and even though I have previously typed in a family name and found articles, much to my surprise, something new is revealed.  Such happened the other day.

     Charles Edward Stark, my maternal grandfather, had two genealogy prize winning articles.  I never knew him as he died before I was born.  I do not remember my maternal grandmother, Martha Marie Frederick Stark (aka Teek), ever telling me tidbits of his life.  My mother had very fond memories of her father; however, naturally nothing of his life before her memories.  

     I love newspaper articles.  If you are lucky enough to find them, they give a little slice of the personal life.  

     My grandfather utilized several different methods of signing his name--Charles Edward Stark, Charles E. Stark, Charles Stark, C. Stark and the most often C.E. Stark.  This is one reason why I continue to find new articles.  

The Pittsburgh Post
July 19, 1903
page 8

     This was a surprise to me.  Grandfather Stark, a member of a town baseball team, The Avalons.  A person who played or enjoyed sports was a very new piece of his personality to me.  Mom said he was very refined, enjoyed listening to opera records on his victrola and reading Shakespeare.  No mention of sports.       

The Pittsburgh Weekly Gazette
September 6, 1903
page 15

      Finding this article took some work.  C. Stark is pictured with The Avalons baseball team in a suit because he was the manager.  While searching newspapers.com, it appears that my grandfather filled in as manager for the 1903 season.  

The Pittsburgh Press
December 3, 1905
page 29

     I had the picture of Grandfather Stark with the instrument, which I incorrectly labeled a trumpet. 😁  On the 1910 Pennsylvania census, the Stark family was enumerated as living at 530 Marie Avenue, Avalon, Pennsylvania.  

Pittsburgh Sun Telegraph
Saturday, May 29, 1929
page 13

     

     My mother told me of her Dad's involvement with the church.  They were members of the Bellevue Methodist Episcopal Church commonly referred to as the Greenstone Church.  My grandfather was an accountant and he kept the books for the church. 

     This book, The Silent Shepherd, written by Dr. John Benjamin Magee, minister of the church, signed a copy for my grandfather calling him "Old Reliable".  

     I know I have mentioned this before on Flipside.....pulling the trigger on subscribing to Newspaper.com on Ancestry continues to be money well spent.

 

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