A Smörgåsbord of Stories
In April of 2022, I secured a Research Appointment at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Even though it was not my first trip to the repository, it felt like Christmas. My “gifts” consisted of several original Homestead applications. Christmas at the Archives Fast … read more
Thomas Wentworth Higginson wrote: “How many lessons of faith and beauty we should lose, if there were no winter in our year!” When I think about winter, I remember the snow-filled wonder of younger days. I also embrace winter as a time for reflection. … read more
Family History is a hobby that encompasses many different aspects: research, writing, familial relationships and detective work. With the advent of the Internet, we can quickly connect to so many cousins. We can share information and photos so easily. Today I present to you, … read more
Happy Thanksgiving! Today, I’m thankful for my many blessings, like family, friends, fun, and food. On Thanksgiving Day, my family has been known to gobble up non-traditional foods like build-your-own tacos, homemade pizza or movie theater popcorn. But what about turkey? Wild … read more
A year ago, I wrote about Milton and Lottie Rector’s marriage. Today, I present another November Nuptial, this time from North Dakota. Edward “Ed” F. Gentzkow (1881-1948) was the eldest son of Matilda Dittrich and Julius Gentzkow. Ed was born and raised in Minneiska, … read more
From 1939 to 1947, Otto Norenberg (1910-1997) and his business partner Simon “Si” Neises (1887-1987) had the contract to deliver U.S. mail along the Lake Route in/around Cass Lake, Minnesota. The 3 routes were: around the main part of Cass Lake, the west part of … read more
Last week, I was distracted by a squirrel in a 1943 newspaper clipping. At the end of the blog post, I shared a photo of grandpa Otto Norenberg (1911-1997) standing in one of the mail boats. What was this mail route? Which boats were used? … read more
The year I turned 40, I was diagnosed with Adult Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). This was not a surprise to me, or to my family. Some of my people believe that I ramble on, and on, and on, talking about my family tree, old documents, … read more
Back in August, I wrote about my Grandma Gert’s Bible. Grandma’s notes provide clues and point me in the direction of my maternal ancestors. In particular, I’ve been thinking about Grandma’s maternal grandmother, Dollie Pile (1870-1955). At FamilySearch.org, I even started a discussion thread. No … read more
John Blees (1856-1916) was born in (what we now call) Germany. But where, exactly, was he born? Where did he live? For the last few weeks, I’ve walked through all of my attempts to find a document that points to the birth location of Johann … read more