Well, I'm off to Altoona to my favorite bar to watch the game later...

[LeftyFingerPop]

but don't worry, my Hummer has a laptop on the dashboard that I can post from while driving.

[LaydeeBug]

1. Altoona PA? My great grandfather owned a hotel there...

I've never been. If there's anything there relating to the last name Schenk, those are my people. :hi:

[LeftyFingerPop]

2. Good morning....

I was there not too long ago.

I have this obsessive thing about the name "Altoona"...I like the way it sounds.

Anyway, the reason I went there is because my grandfather settled in a little town called Barnsboro after getting off the boat from Italy.

Barnsboro is about 30 miles from Altoona, and I guess I just wanted to visit there to get some family vibes, because I have not been there in about 40 years.

Turns out, the town is not even called Barnsboro anymore, it is called "Northern Cambria".

Really quite a fascinating part of PA...a lot of old coal mines. :hi:

[LaydeeBug]

3. "Get the family vibe"...I've been itching to go and do the very same...

Used to be able to type in schenk and get to the old hotel right away, but no longer...

Now I'm wondering if I'm spelling it wrong.

[LeftyFingerPop]

4. Here is what I did...

If you are able, consider taking a trip there. Just start talking to people in restaurants, etc.

Try to find an old timer to talk to...you will be surprised what you can find out.

I was trying to plug "Barnsboro" into my GPS, and it was not finding it. So I just walked into a bank of all places and asked the tellers where Barnsboro was. They looked at me like I was nuts, but there was a guy in line that told me where I could find it, and what the new name was.

I hope you are able to go and find out more about your family!