Deborah Oesch’s Autobiographical Story:

I was born, and grew up in, the Northwest quadrant of Lancaster City, attending the beautiful Stevens Elementary School, Reynolds Junior High School, and then graduating from McCaskey High School. I have always had a love of Lancaster City and its historical significance.

I spent years in the banking industry here, but when I decided on an early retirement, I had the time and the inclination to volunteer at several local historical societies, and became passionate about family history and genealogy. For over 25 years, I had been a member of the committee that put together an annual Lancaster Family History Conference with a variety of speakers, field trips, and vendors each year.

As the leader of a Genealogy Group that meets at a local library, I also provide presentations on many different topics of interest to genealogy and family history enthusiasts, and have given classes for other genealogy clubs. I also became involved with researching ‘house histories’.

Just for fun, I have an Instagram site that I call ‘Women Dig History’--- where I load photos of “long gone… and mostly forgotten” buildings and houses in Lancaster County, some with additional information that I have found through my research on their “lost history” or the name of the architect. www.instagram.com/dyoesch

In 2018, I was asked to become a researcher and co-author of a book based on “The Lititz Wall of Remembrance Biographies”. “The Wall” had been dedicated in 2006 as part of the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the town of Lititz in 1756, and is located inside the Lititz Springs Park. The plaques on it are in recognition of those who built the community of Lititz. It includes the names of 302 individuals from all walks of life who “enhanced life through their vocation or avocation to Lititz, the United States, or the world”. The book contains short biographies of all 302 people commemorated on the Wall of Remembrance, and was published in October 2020.

Also in 2018, after attending some of Architect Gregory J. Scott’s presentations on architecture and on local architect C. Emlen Urban, I volunteered to help research C. Emlen Urban’s family and personal history. That led me to become his Research Historian, “digging up lost history” and providing documentation for his Lancaster Newspapers column series, ‘Design Intervention’, walking tours, and presentations; and now, in 2023, historical researcher for his forthcoming book, “Urban Legend, The Life and Legacy of C. Emlen Urban” to be published in November.