I am a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

I retired in 2003 after 30 years as a civilian employee with the U.S. Department of Defense. For the last 22 years of my career, I was Chief of Public Affairs for the U.S. Army Chemical and Biological Defense Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.

I also served 3 years (1968-1971) in the U.S. Army, with a year tour of duty in Vietnam ('69-'70). I was privileged to serve on the Army's special team that planned the State funerals for former Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Harry S Truman. I had the honor of working the Abilene, Kansas, end of Ike's funeral as he was buried in a special crypt inside the Eisenhower Chapel. I guess that's where my fascination with graves and personal legacies was born.

I moved to Lansdale, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania in 2007 and have been working on my and my wife Shirley's family trees since.

Family research interests include (by surname):
Allingham
Bazner
Bejenkowski (Benkoski)
Dembecki
Eckhardt
Giesy
Hamme
Klavon
McGrandle
Seberry
Wasser
Weitzel

All of these families have contemporary roots in Pennsylvania.

Please feel free to use any headstone photos or family photos that I've posted. I put them here to share with other folks, not to claim copyright restrictions or to seek personal recognition. Use them as you need if they can compliment your work on your family tree.

I keep this quote from fellow Find-a-Grave contributor Mike Osiol near my laptop:

"A stone with a name is a memorial. It represents the last hard impression of the person for whom it was prepared.
To research and say something about that person keeps their personality alive."

That quote is what drives me to keep the memory of our ancestors alive.

Good luck on your quest to keep your family legacy alive through this great forum which, ironically, is dedicated to honoring the dead.

Jim Allingham
Lansdale, PA

I am a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

I retired in 2003 after 30 years as a civilian employee with the U.S. Department of Defense. For the last 22 years of my career, I was Chief of Public Affairs for the U.S. Army Chemical and Biological Defense Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.

I also served 3 years (1968-1971) in the U.S. Army, with a year tour of duty in Vietnam ('69-'70). I was privileged to serve on the Army's special team that planned the State funerals for former Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Harry S Truman. I had the honor of working the Abilene, Kansas, end of Ike's funeral as he was buried in a special crypt inside the Eisenhower Chapel. I guess that's where my fascination with graves and personal legacies was born.

I moved to Lansdale, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania in 2007 and have been working on my and my wife Shirley's family trees since.

Family research interests include (by surname):
Allingham
Bazner
Bejenkowski (Benkoski)
Dembecki
Eckhardt
Giesy
Hamme
Klavon
McGrandle
Seberry
Wasser
Weitzel

All of these families have contemporary roots in Pennsylvania.

Please feel free to use any headstone photos or family photos that I've posted. I put them here to share with other folks, not to claim copyright restrictions or to seek personal recognition. Use them as you need if they can compliment your work on your family tree.

I keep this quote from fellow Find-a-Grave contributor Mike Osiol near my laptop:

"A stone with a name is a memorial. It represents the last hard impression of the person for whom it was prepared.
To research and say something about that person keeps their personality alive."

That quote is what drives me to keep the memory of our ancestors alive.

Good luck on your quest to keep your family legacy alive through this great forum which, ironically, is dedicated to honoring the dead.

Jim Allingham
Lansdale, PA