Entry #37 John Elliot, my husband’s 3rd great grandfather, was the eldest child of Robert Elliott and his wife, Lillian (last name unknown). They were Irish immigrants who made the journey to relocate in Philadelphia from their native land in 1816. John was born sometime in the following year. On 24 April 1838, he married…
Category: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks
Thomas Hartley – Too Many of You – 52 Ancestors #36
Entry #36 The farthest back I have been able to go with my husband’s Hartley line is Thomas Hartley. He was the father of the black sheep of the family, William Hartley, who was convicted of passing forged banknotes and transported to Van Damien’s Land (Tasmania) in 1832. This was a lucky break for my…
Heinrich August Gustave Lindner – The Will of Uncle Gus – 52 Ancestors #35
Entry #35 Uncle Gus was one of the few members of my Linder family to settle in the United States. My mom and aunt both mentioned him from time to time. This is not surprising as Uncle Gus lived with their family for a while when they were growing up. He was actually their grand…
Emil Max Heinrich Lindner – A Traveler Who Settled Down – 52 Ancestors #34
Entry #34 My maternal great-grandfather was Emil Max Heinrich Lindner, who was the son of Emil Heinrich Max Lindner and Charlotte Püschel. He was born in Dresden on 8 February 1858. I have always been fascinated that Max Lindner left his home in Dresden, Germany, and WALKED through Central Europe in 1884. His journey included…
Evelyn Mulloy – Tragically Burned – #52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks #33
Entry #33 Last week I had occasion to finally meet Nancy Schanes, who is a Sigmund cousin of my mother-in-law, Evelyn Hartley. Nancy and I have communicated off and on for at least 20 years about the Sigmund family. I have been staying in Southeastern Pennsylvania for about a week and decided it was time…
Katherine “Kate” Wippel Miller – For a While, I Thought You Fell off a Turnip Cart – #52 Ancestors #32
Entry #32 I have been postponing blogging about some of my most complicated research endeavors. For week #32, I have to tackle one. After all, we only have 20 ancestors more about whom to write. For years, no single ancestor preoccupied me more than my second great-grandmother, Katherine Wippel. Katherine Wippel was my paternal grandmother’s…
William Sigmund or William Wilson? – Three Civil War Photographs – #52 Ancestors #31
Entry #31 A few weeks ago I mentioned having found a photo in my mother-in-law’s possession that was pretty exciting. It was a Civil War vintage photo of a young soldier in uniform, and, of course, as my luck always goes, it was unidentified. My mother-in-law could not tell me anything about it. She did…
Martha Blumenstengel Luther – Much Younger Than Her Husband – 52 Ancestors #30
Entry #30 Martha Blumenstengel married into my Luther family, which I covered in entry #13 – Martin Luther – Yes, THAT Martin Luther. She was born in in Zeitz, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany, on 14 April 1587. Her parents were Jeremias Blumenstengel, alderman and mayor of Zeitz, and his wife. Martha Hellborn. Martha Blumenstengel was first married…
William Robert Sigmund – Wounded at Gettysburg – #52 Ancestors #29
Entry #29 July marked the anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. I do not purport to be an expert on this battle or the Civil War in general. In fact, I find it a little intimidating to write about events that are so historically significant; however, I do feel that it is noteworthy to document…
Joseph Köhler – It’s Nice to Know You Better – #52 Ancestors #28
Entry #28 I am visiting family in Pennsylvania this week and staying with my mother-in-law. She has been telling my husband and I for a few months that she found boxes of “really old photos.” At my request, she dragged out the five boxes in her keeping. Mostly, I was disappointed. There are only a…