The 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War has arrived and my cousin, Gary Barlow, returns in a guest blogging appearance for the occasion. Since the topic didn’t fit the theme this week, pleas consider this a “bonus blog.” “Jacob Bastel and Bryant Barlow – A House Divided” By Gary Barlow With the…
Willy Kurt Richard Lindner – Motorrad Mars – 52 Ancestors 2014 #14
I have already posted blog entries about my two favorite photos. My top favorite photo of all time is of granduncle Will Maier – Why is My Uncle Wearing a Dress? Second in the line-up is Kate Daniel – One Arm Annie. After that, there are just too many photos that I love and I…
Anna Maria Augusta Müller – Born in a Different Place – 52 Ancestors 2015 #13
This is the tale of finding a long lost ancestor, how she was different from what I expected, and a highly speculative explanation of how she came to be born in such an unusual place. It had never occurred to me to look for confirmation records for my Müller family. I had found this part…
Peter Elsasser of Vicksburg, Mississippi – Are You the Same as My Great, Great Granduncle? 52 Ancestors 2015 #12
This week I am chronicling the search for my great-grandmother’s Bavarian family. This is a long read with a lot of detail on the resources that I drew upon to find the place of origin for my mother’s mother’s mother’s family. I am especially interested because this is the source of my mitochondrial DNA (deep…
Moses McGaughey Senior – The Lucky Bible – 52 Ancestors 2015 #11
St. Patrick’s Day is approaching. My side of the family has 100% of its origins in Germany, at least in the last 150 years or so. For Irish roots, I have to turn to my husband’s family. Gary’s 2x great-grandfather on his paternal side was Moses McGaughey. Moses arrived in Philadelphia, PA, in 1825 aboard…
Elizabeth Rudd – Stormy Weather for Quakers – 52 Ancestors 2015 #10
It cannot have been easy in the middle of the 17th century to have been a member of the Society of Friends, more commonly known as the Quakers. The choice to deviate from the mainstream Church of England required courage and conviction, since there was no separation of Church and State. Quakers were openly persecuted…
Robert F. Wildey – Finding Shoots Instead of Roots – 52 Ancestors 2015 #9
Robert F Wildey Burial Record for Spring Grove Cemetery This is my tribute to this week’s theme, “Close to Home.” I grew up in Pennsylvania, even though my family was originally from Cincinnati. I have moved around the country for my husband’s job, but home is now West Virginia. Over 15 years ago my husband…
Maria Elisabeth Hemesath – Genealogical Good Deeds – 52 Ancestors 2015 #8
The name Elizabeth Heimsath appears just once in the U.S. records for William Joseph Beermann. His death certificate indicates that she was his mother and his father was Christ Beermann. This was not a surname that I had ever heard before. Further, all I knew about my 2nd great-grandfather was that he emigrated to the…
Lydia Barlow – Love, Sacrifice, Outrage and Courage – 52 Ancestors 2015 #7
This week , my cousin Gary Barlow makes his second appearance as a guest blogger here. Although I am not related to Lydia Barlow, except distantly by marriage, this is a powerful tale of love that has gone off course. Gary brings us the opportunity to hear Lydia’s story in her own words. (Lydia’s maiden…
Remembering Marie Lindner – Victim of the Allied Attack on Dresden
Seventy years ago tonight, Anna Marie Kessler Lindner, my great-grandmother, died when the Allied forces firebombed Dresden. The destruction was beyond comprehension. I wrote about her in my blog this time last year. Ruhe sanft, Marie. Read more here: http://wp.me/p4ioO6-x