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Guarding Lincoln: Private Bruno Albaugh, Co. K, 150th Pennsylvania Infantry

Mary Todd Lincoln, Robert Todd Lincoln, and Tad Lincoln surround Abraham Lincoln. A portrait of Willie, the Lincolns' deceased son, hangs on the wall. 1 I've been noodling about my Aunt Sharon's family tree the past few weeks, extending her family back a couple of generations. This week, I discovered an unknown family story: that of her great-grandfather, Bruno Albaugh , a German immigrant from Meadville, Crawford Co., Pennsylvania.  Bruno, born about 1836, enlisted in the Union Army on 15 August 1862 in Meadville. 2 He may have seen notices like the one shown below pasted around town and like many other men of his age and condition, 26 years old and unattached, he heeded the call to arms. Perhaps it was patriotism that spurred him or a longing for adventure away from his farming life in Meadville. Maybe he wished to join forces with  his friends and neighbors who also enlisted that day from his community or felt passionate about the Union's cause. The bounty offere...
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Mom's Big Trip

Mom, and friends Janet and Zora, in traditional Croatian costumes, taken at Braddock, Pennsylvania, May 1953.
By Nancy Gilbride Casey

"Boy were we surprised. We never expected anything like this hotel." 

A trip to Pittsburgh was the ultimate in excitement for a 15-year old from Cleveland, Ohio, back in 1953, if a letter home is any indication. My mother, then Anna Margaret "Margie" Kozlina, had just checked in to The Penn-Lincoln Hotel in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. Mom was a member of a Cleveland-based Croatian dance ensemble, and had set out to perform at a Kolo festival in the Pittsburgh area.

Mom was exposed to kolo by her father's family, who immigrated from Croatia in the early 1900s. A traditional communal dance, it is performed in a closed circle, a single chain or in two parallel lines. One of many European chain dances surviving from ancient times, kolo is spirited and often fast-moving. 1  (Click here to view a video of a kolo dance from the Sv. Jana region of Croatia; 2  my great grandmother Vjekoslava "Louise" Baltorinic, was born in Sv. Jana, near Zagreb, Croatia.)

Mom's postcard and a longer letter capture her wide-eyed thrill at staying in a fancy hotel—on probably her first solo trip away from her family—as well as youthful antics with her friends. Four photos of her troupe taken on a hillside in Braddock, Pennsylvania provide a visual backdrop to her exciting teenage adventure.

It's a wonderful snapshot of a time in Mom's life which she clearly treasured.

Penn-Lincoln Hotel, where Mom stayed in May 1953.

Writing home to the family in Cleveland.




Captioned on the photo reverse: "Friends: Margie, Madeline & Janet. Taken at Bradock, PA, May 30, 1953"

Mom, standing, far left, and the rest of the ladies of the ensemble.

The men of the ensemble, enjoying a beverage!


 NOTES

 1 Encyclopaedia Britannica Online (https://www.britannica.com : accessed 29 Nov 2019, 09:38:00), "Kolo."

2 J.I.M. Video, "Kolo “Croatia “ Croatian Independence 2019 San Pedro," uploaded 27 May 2019; YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMQNUpTmz7I : accessed 29 Nov 2019).  



Until next time... 

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