A Smörgåsbord of Stories
Pauline (pronounced Paulina, auf Deutsch) Kot was born in the Russian partition village of Józefina in 1859. She married Gottfried Arndt in 1882 and immigrated to America in 1910. She and her husband lived simple lives in northern Minnesota, watching their grandchildren grow into citizens. … read more
My great, great grandmother was Matilda “Tillie” Dittrich. She was the youngest child of Susanna Richter and August Dittrich, homesteaders in Winona County, Minnesota. Just across the county border lived Julius Gentzkow, whom she married on October 18, 1879. Tillie’s Birthdate Tillie was … read more
Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Anniversary! My genealogy database contains over 8000 family members and lots of interesting history. Thanksgiving Day combines two of my favorite things: gratitude and storytelling. One of my favorite stories is about my great, great, great grandparents, who married on Thanksgiving Day, … read more
My great grandfather, Horace Lydick, is a legendary character in my family tree. Being a storyteller, my father (who was also the first grandchild) delights in recounting the shenanigans of his grandfather. In turn, I enjoy researching and writing about these tales. A couple of … read more
I am very grateful for the men and women of our armed forces. Their service to America, and to the world, paid the price for our freedoms. Revolutionary War Patriots Since 2014, I’ve held membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), a … read more
John S. Sinnet was an Illinois Territorial pioneer. His story is told in several County History books and recounted here. What documents confirm the information in those un-sourced publications? How do we know that John S. Sinnet was the father of John E. Senate? … read more
Previously, I wrote about my great, great, great grandfather, John Elijah Senate. John was born April 24, 1836 in Christian County, Illinois, and died September 19, 1929 in Sullivan County, Missouri. He married Margaret Hawkins in 1858 in Tazewell County, Illinois. John’s parents were Rhoda … read more
Modern technology has opened up vast resources, especially for those of us that love to research our ancestors. Microfilmed records are available as digital images online. Computers are learning to read cursive handwriting. New indexes are published online every week on genealogy sites. The internet … read more
Since my visit with my cousin Chuck last month, I’ve been looking at old photo postcards. In the vintage collecting realm, these glimpses into the past are known as real photo postcards, PRRCs. Kodak first offered postcard printing in 1907. It was an economical way … read more
Filling out a family tree is more enjoyable with photographs to bring the names and dates to life. Ancestors are more than an entry on a chart; their lives have stories to tell. Photos help us to know more about those by-gone days. … read more