My most “distant” ancestor is one that precedes recorded history. She is the hypothesized female from whom I received my mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and I share her as a maternal ancestor with an estimated 10% of all Europeans. MtDNA is passed in a near carbon copy from mother to daughter. (Men receive mtDNA from their…
David Brown – Plowing Through Brown Fields – 52 Ancestors 2015 #5
David Brown is one of my brick walls. I have almost nothing on this ancestor of my husband’s maternal grandmother; in fact, I think I only have two references to him. Because there is so little to go on, I periodically plow through the early 19th century Browns of Southeastern Pennsylvania. David Brown is supposed…
John F. Beermann – Closest to My Birthday – 52 Ancestors 2015 – #4
The theme this week for 52 Ancestors is”Closest to your Birthday.” Perfect! I was born on the birthday of my great-grandfather, John F. Beermann (later changed to Biermann). He was born 6 June 1862 in Cincinnati, Ohio, to recent immigrants, William Joseph Beermann and Mary Elizabeth Maune Beermann. On 6 June 1880, John F. Beermann…
Effie Lucretia Daughters – The Grandmother I Knew – 52 Ancestors 2015 #3
In week three of the 52 Ancestors Challenge, the theme is “Tough Woman.” I found myself asking just what constitutes toughness in a woman. I have chosen my grandfather’s second wife, Effie Lucretia Daughters, as the subject of my blog this week. She was tough and strong in a quiet way. Her biggest strength was…
Paul Luther – A Doctor and an Alchemist – 52 Ancestors 2015 #2
I struggled with the 52 Ancestors theme of “King” this week. At first I thought that it was going to be impossible, although I hated to think that I would have to abandon the idea of using the theme so early in this year’s challenge. After some effort, I actually came up with two ancestors…
52 Ancestors 2015
I had barely completed the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, heaving an enormous sigh of relief, when I learned that it was happening again in 2015. No, I thought, I really don’t have another year in me. But, everyone was so encouraging that I thought, why not? What do I have to lose? So, this…
Betty Jane Gaa – A Fresh Start for Betty – 52 Ancestors 2015 #1
So, with one year of posts under my belt, I have decided to include some guest bloggers this year. There are people in my family who can tell some of these stories better than I can. There were times last year when I felt inadequate as the storyteller for some of my ancestors. My first…
Johann Christian Beermann – How the Word “Genannt” Shakes up Everything – 52 Ancestors #52
Entry #52 With this entry, I am successfully completing the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks blogging challenge! Right before Christmas I received new information about my maiden name – Biermann, or Beermann as it was spelled prior to 1910. It seems a fitting way to wrap up the year with an extraordinary finding about my…
Johann Heinrich “John” Schulte – Papa’s Delicate Condition – 52 Ancestors #51
Entry #51 Here I am on the second to last night of 2014 posting the second to last entry for the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge. I have chosen my great, great-grandfather, Johann Heinrich “John” Schulte for the topic of this post since I have new information about him. My great, great grandfather, Johann…
Katherine Frieda Schatz Biermann – My Grandmother Ate Watermelon Five Times a Week- 52 Ancestors #50
Entry #50 This should be an easy entry to write, but when it comes down to it, how well did I really know my Grandmother Biermann? I guess I will see, as I jot down what I remember of her. My paternal grandmother was Katherine Frieda Schatz. Katherine was born on 18 July 1898 in…