Mountain Laurel & Coal

Forest Vance & Ruth Elaine Brown Ross with their sons  Forrest Wayne and Kenneth Isaac Ross Eighty-four years ago today, on April 28, 1937, my Grandparents Forest Vance Ross and Ruth Elaine Brown traveled 90 miles from Clarksville, Pa. to Cumberland, Md., to get married. They were young and in love and I’m sure it was a lovely day for a drive! Ruth’s sister Margaret and Vance’s friend Mike Barnek went along to serve as witnesses.  Elopement must have been the thing to do back then, and apparently is was easier to get married in Maryland than in Pennsylvania. Twenty-six years later my parents went to Lavale, Md. to tie the knot. My maternal grandparents George and Blanche Shipley Phillians drove a little further east on their wedding day and said their vows in Hagerstown, Md.  My grandmother told me a sweet story about how my grandfather wanted to name my aunt April when she was born. Grandma didn’t care for the name, so she dismissed the suggestion and they chose the name Janet ins

Tucked in with my mother's belongings was this original drawing of a coal miner by artist Frank Melega of Brownsville, Pa. He gave it to her in January of 1996.  I have always appreciated Mr. Melega's work, because he was able to capture the toils and hardships of the life of the coal miners. Mr. Melega's son, who was also named Frank, was my art teacher at Jefferson-Morgan High School.  Click here to learn more about Frank Melega and his art. by Randi Ross Marodi - randileeross@gmail.com

Family tree research is a mixture of learning, research, inspiration, organization, organization, and while we're at it, more organization.  I’ve been collecting letters, obituaries, photographs, vital records, and newspaper clippings for over 40 years. I also have notes scribbled in dozens of notebooks here and there.  A few weeks ago, I decided it was time to organize everything, so I bought this box and created a file for individuals in my family. It’s a start.  My plan is to use these files to write about people in my family (ancestors and relatives who have passed) and share this information with others who may be interested. It’s overwhelming, so I’m going to just go with what inspires me at the moment - to not over-analyze it. I just want to see where it goes: a snippet here, a photo there, a newspaper clipping or two. Hopefully, this box of files will help me find what I need when I want it. I also think I’m going to have to buy some more boxes. by Randi Ross Marodi - randi

My husband’s Grandmother Julia Postic Marodi of Marianna collected  prayer cards from the funerals of her family and friends. She tucked them away neatly in a little plastic bag, along with some other papers. I'm sure that, in her heart, each card represented a great deal of love and sorrow.  Julia  was born on March 23, 1909, in Brownsville, Fayette County, PA and she lived in T ower Hill II. She married Alex Marodi and they had three sons, Michael, Charles, and George. The family lived in Marianna, Washington County, PA, and belonged to the Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in  West Brownsville, PA. Julia, a faithful woman who loved her friends and family very much, died on N ovember 15, 1992, in Marianna, Washington County, PA. My husband's ancestral line to Julia Postic Marodi: 1. Timothy Marodi; 2. Charles Marodi; 3. Julia Postic by Randi Ross Marodi - randileeross@gmail.com

The first time I visited this beautiful cemetery was in early November of 1979 for the funeral of my Great-Grandmother Lelia Levine Sanders Ross. I remember walking down over the hill to attend the graveside service. I've been back to visit her grave a few times since but I don't ever recall the sky looking as blue and as stunning as this.  My memory served me well and I was able to easily find her grave. One of her sons Guy and his wife Gertie are buried beside her. Lelia (on the right) with her daughter-in-law Ruth Brown Ross The Bethlehem Lutheran Church sits on the hill just above the cemetery at 21 Church Road in Scenery Hill, Pa. My paternal ancestral line to Lelia Sanders Ross: 1. Randi Lee Ross; 2. Forrest Wayne Ross; 3. Forest Vance Ross; 4. Lelia L. Sanders by Randi Ross Marodi - randileeross@gmail.com  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfwtC7Flj18&feature=em-upload_owner This video features my paternal Grandmother Ruth Elaine Brown Ross of Clarksville, Pa. It was created with the help of my aunt Janet Ross and cousin Shannon Ross Davis. It’s a treasure that I’m so happy to have and I’m posting it here where it will be safe, waiting for me to add more information. I’m also including the link to the story that appeared in the Washington Observer-Reporter. https://observer-reporter.com/news/localnews/former-clarksville-grandmother-fulfills-dream/article_3a0126f0-431c-5a29-948a-08636bc92460.html Here’s the link to the WTAE story about her graduation! https://www.wtae.com/article/dropout-no-more-92-year-old-graduate-fulfills-her-longtime-dream/7466467 My paternal ancestral line to Ruth Brown Ross: 1) Randi Lee Ross 2) Forrest Wayne Ross 3) Ruth Elaine Brown by Randi Ross Marodi - randileeross@gmail.com

“You are the nosiest person I have ever met.” Those were the words of my Great Grandmother Ross in 1979. She was 94 and apparently didn’t like the question I just asked. I wasn’t nosy, I was just a 13-year-old kid who had been gifted a blue and gold trimmed book titled Our Family Story. It was a workbook to help you build a family tree. It included tips to start the process and the main suggestion was this: interview your older relatives. So, that’s what I planned to do. I decided to start with Great-Grandma Ross, my oldest relative. Lelia Levine Sanders Ross of Scenery Hill, Pa. had recently moved in with my grandparents: her son Forest Vance Ross and daughter-in-law Ruth Brown Ross. Vance and Ruth lived in Clarksville in Greene County, Pa. and I lived on the other side of town. I already spent a lot of time at their house, so this gave me the opportunity to get to know my great-grandmother. One day I grabbed my new family tree book, a notebook with a list of questions, and