Individual Notes

Note for: Elizabeth Conrad, 23 APR 1860 - 12 NOV 1914 Index

Burial:
Place: Fairview Cemetery, Montgomery, Lycoming Co, PA

Individual Notes

Note for: Jacob Conrad, 21 AUG 1830 - 13 MAY 1912 Index

Burial:
     Date:   15 MAY 1912
     Place:   Bayfield Cemetery

Individual Notes

Note for: Katherine Fry, 21 APR 1833 - 1914 Index

Burial:
Place: Bayfield Cemetery

Individual Notes

Note for: Reuben Henry Fry, ABT 1835 - Index

Individual Note:
The 1910 census of Muncy Twp., Lycoming Co., PA lists Reuben Fry, 76 as a boarder with the William H. Stryker family. Reuben is widowed and born in PA and not employed.

Individual Notes

Note for: William Stirrat, 1787 - 28 OCT 1855 Index

Occupation:
     Place:   Agricultural Laborer

Burial:
     Place:   Irvine Church Yard, Ayrshire, Scotland

Individual Note:
     The Stirrat name originates in the 14th century in Ayrshire, Scotland.

According to the 1841 Scottish Census. William Stirrat and his wife, Jean live in Kirk Vinnel, Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland.

Individual Notes

Note for: Jean Stirrat, 1835 - Index

Burial:
Place: St. Margaret's Churchyard, Dalry, Ayr, Scotland

Individual Notes

Note for: Doris Eva White, 29 JAN 1893 - 27 MAY 1959 Index

Burial:
     Date:   29 MAY 1959
     Place:   Cortland Rural Cemetary, Cortland, NY

Individual Note:
     The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution Volume 161
page 73
Mrs. Doris White Stirrat.
DAR ID Number: 160212
Born in Cortland, N. Y.
Wife of Robert William Stirrat.
Descendant of William White, as follows:
1. Albert B. White (b. 1863) m. 1888 Hattie Hobart (b. 1865).
2. James White (1819-98) m. 1841 Jerusha Northrup (1822-90).
3. William White m. 2d Phoebe Edwards (1783-1852).
William White (1763-1850) received a pension, 1818, for service as fifer and private in the Massachusetts troops under Colonel Bailey. He was born in Massachusetts; died in Norwich, N. Y.

Individual Notes

Note for: William Albert Stirrat, 19 NOV 1919 - 2 JUL 2004 Index

Alias: Hy /Zaret/

Individual Note:
Wrote Lyrics to: "Unchained Melody"

Lyricist of popular song
‘Unchained Melody’ dies
William Stirrat
of Freehold Township
authored lyrics in 1936
BY LINDA DeNICOLA
Staff Writer

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — The melody is unchained from its composer now, with the passing of William Albert Stirrat, 83, on July 2. As a teenager, Stirrat wrote the lyrics to "Unchained Melody," a haunting ballad which has been called one of the most enduring songs ever written.

"Unchained Melody" has been featured in several movies, including a memorable scene in "Ghost." The song initially appeared in the 1955 film "Unchained."

Greater Media Newspapers told Stirrat’s story and the story of "Unchained Melody" in an article that was published in December 2003.

Stirrat wrote the lyrics in 1936 while he was still in high school and then went on to establish a significant career as an electrical engineer. He married, had three children and spent part of his adult life chasing after the recognition and royalties he felt he deserved for having written a song that has been an American standard for almost 50 years.

Stirrat explained that the issue of authorship was complicated by the fact that there were five men claming to be Hy Zaret, the name he made up when he penned the song.

"One of the reasons I decided to collect royalties was to get at the facts and find out what was going on. At first, I just figured the song would go away and I could forget about it," he said.

As it turned out, "Unchained Melody" never went away. The song has been recorded by a number of artists and its place in the American songbook is secure.

Stirrat was born in Syracuse, N.Y., and moved to the Jersey Shore in 1950 when he was hired as an electrical engineer in research and development by the U.S. Army at Fort Monmouth, Eatontown. He worked for the Army for 27 years before becoming principal engineer for Eagle Tech Logican Inc. Northrop Grumman Corporation in Eatontown until 1992, when he retired.

According to his obituary, he circumvented a standard violation of mathematical discipline and originated in 1964 the binomial pulse as a powerful breakthrough in bandwidth reduction, and he initiated a correction in 1971 to texts on electromagnetic field theory.

He also conducted research in control and interference in design of SYNCOM 1 ground stations, and deception control in Tactical Fire Control Systems.

While Stirrat was distinguishing himself in his chosen field, "Unchained Melody" was developing as one of the most popular songs of the second half of the 20th century.

Stirrat liked to tell the story about how the song came to him. He was pining over a girl in his high school and was on a summer scholarship at Yaddo’s Triuna Arts of the Theatre School where he met a composer named Alex North, who wrote the music for his lyrics.

It took 19 years before "Unchained Melody" was performed in public, but when the song came out in 1955 it went straight to the top and has been there on and off for almost 50 years.

Stirrat lived in Freehold Township for the past 35 years. He is survived by his wife, Bernice; a son and daughter-in-law, William and Valerie Stirrat of Freehold; two daughters and a son-in-law, Valerie and John Reynolds of Randolph, and Dorothy Callihan of Tucson Ariz.; and six grandchildren, Brian, Amanda, Stephanie, Allison, Tyler and Rachel.

He was a member of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Freehold, and a member of the Sons of America Revolution.

Disc jockey Dave Kapulsky said last year that "Unchained Melody" is timeless.

"It’s a song that knows no death. A classic in the true sense. It’s a safe bet that ‘Unchained Melody’ will re-emerge once again in the current decade," he said.

Individual Notes

Note for: Katherine Lucy Winder, 23 DEC 1867 - 8 OCT 1938 Index

Burial:
     Date:   11 OCT 1938
     Place:   Montoursville Cemetery, Lycoming Co., PA

Individual Note:
     The is some question over the correct surname for Katherine, separate sources have her listed as Winter, whereas all her sister Victoria's documents state the name Winder.

Katherine was also known as Aunt Lucy to her relatives. She signed her name as a guardian on her sisters' marriage applications as Lucy C. Lutz.

Katherine's mother died and she was left to raise her sisters, Victoria and Annie.
Katherine & her husband had horses and taught Esther Smithgall to ride horses.
Katherine and William had three young sons who died at the ages of 3 yr-3mo-27d, 2yr-5mo-9d, and an infant are buried in St. James Lutheran Church (White Church) Cemetery, Muncy, PA next to their paternal grandparents. (In the front old section next to some very tall arborvitae).

Katherine's death certificate states that her parents were Theodore WINTERS and Catherine Holdren.

Obituary from the Gazette & Bulletin, Monday January 10, 1938
Mrs. William Lutz
Mrs. Catherine Lutz, 71, wife of William Lutz, Muncy RD2, died at the Williamsport Hospital, Saturday afternoon, she had undergone a major operation.
Surviving are three daughters, Mrs. Charles Goodman of Doylestown, Mrs. John Moore of Muncy RD2, Miss Catherine Lutz at home; three sons, Jacob and William at home and Charles of this city.
Funeral services will be held at the White Church at 10 o'clock Tuesday morning preceeded by a prayer service at the home at 9:30 o'clock.
Mrs. Lutz was a member of the White Church for 22 years. The Rev. Harold Doebler will officiate. Burial will be in the Montoursville Cemetery. Friends may call at Spitler's Funeral Home from 7-9 this evening.

Individual Notes

Note for: Lisa M. Troth, 8 MAY 1964 - Index

Occupation:
Place: Banquet Manager

Individual Notes

Note for: Jacob Irvin Lutz, 23 JUL 1885 - 10 JUL 1954 Index

Burial:
     Date:   13 JUL 1954
     Place:   Montoursville Cemetery, Lycoming, PA

Individual Note:
     WWI Draft Registration Card:
Jacob Irvin Lutz Age: 33 b. July 23, 1885 White, US born citizen
Employer: farmer laborer for William Eckerd Miller, RD 5, Muncy, PA
Nearest Relative: father William Lutz, RFD 5 Muncy, PA
Tall, large build with dark blue eyes and brown hair
Thumb and index finger missing from right hand
Signed: Jacob Irvin Lutz, Sept. 12, 1918.

Obituary from the Gazette Bulletin July 1954
Jacob I. Lutz died suddenly Saturday night July 10, 1954 at 959 West Fourth Street where he had been residing for the past few months. He formerly lived in Fairfield Twp.
He had been employed for several years as a sexton for the St. Marks Lutheran Church.
He is survived by two brothers, William of Montoursville RD2 and Charles of Matamoras, Pike County and three sisters, Edith Mohr, of this city; Miss Catherine Lutz of Fairfield Township and Mrs. Blanche Goodman of Doylestown.
Services will be at 2 pm Tuesday at the funeral home at 733 Broad Street, Montoursville. The Rev. Clarence H. Hershey of the St. James Lutheran Church will officiate. Burial will be in Montoursville Cemetery.
There will be no visitation.