Author: Karrie Blees

Horace: Horsing Around

Horace: Horsing Around

Any entry-level genealogy class will instruct the novice to begin with living relatives. So, back in 1986 I started by interviewing my grandparents. They showed me photo albums, reminisced about their siblings and told lively tales about their parents. As we traveled back in the … read more

Crazy Quilt Comfort

Crazy Quilt Comfort

My grandmother, Mary Mae Lydick Norenberg (1910-2003) was a crafter and a creator. Working within her means, she created many decorative items for her home and for gifts. She sewed her own clothes, produced crafts to sell at her Ladies Bazaar and taught me the … read more

Grandma Gert’s Bible

Grandma Gert’s Bible

Bible Records are a wonderful tool for a family historian. Sometimes an old Bible provides the only records of births, marriages and deaths. Each set of records written in a Bible need to be examined carefully. Were the entries written at the time of the event? … read more

John Pile: Fatal Affray

John Pile: Fatal Affray

John Pile, a native of Virginia, settled in Carroll County, Missouri by 1843. Last week, we noted that by the fall of 1847, John Pile was dead. When did he die? How did he die?   Newspaper Research In other blog posts, I’ve extolled the … read more

John Pile to Missouri

John Pile to Missouri

John Pile married Patsey Allen in Botetourt County, Virginia June 29, 1809. They were the parents of several children, including Oscar Pile. All of their known children were born in Adair County, Kentucky. After Patsey died, John married Matilda Miller, his wife’s niece. Matilda’s mother … read more

John Haden, Patriot

John Haden, Patriot

Haden family research is built upon the foundation of many talented and thorough cousins, notably: Edith Attkisson Rudder, author of My Father’s Family (1947) Dorothy Kabler Haden, author of John Haden of Virginia (1968) Kay Haden, researcher and blogger at Leaves of the Tree and … read more

No, You Cannot Use My Map!

No, You Cannot Use My Map!

It’s my Birthday Week, so I’m telling a story about one of my own life-adventures (like I did last year). In 2008, Patrick and I traveled to Dartmoor, England for a hiking trip. While researching, I discovered the hobby of letterboxing which originated in Dartmoor … read more

Marriage of Two Fleischhackers

Marriage of Two Fleischhackers

Joseph Fleischhacker (1891-1946) was born in Apetlon, Burgenland, Austria, immigrated to America and resided in St. Paul, Minnesota. Katherine née Fleischhacker  (1890-1957) was born in Pamhagen, Burgenland, Austria, immigrated to America and resided in St. Paul, Minnesota. Together they forged a great partnership.   Church … read more

Bowmar at the Battle of Blue Licks

Bowmar at the Battle of Blue Licks

Last week, we looked at a couple of sources for Robert “Robin” Bowmar’s involvement in the Battle of Blue Licks, one of the last battles of the American Revolution. For an in-depth look at how he escaped the gruesome battle, we are indebted to a … read more

Ensign Robert Bowmar, Patriot

Ensign Robert Bowmar, Patriot

The Battle of Blue Licks was one of the last battles of the American Revolution. Ten months after Cornwallis’s surrender at Yorktown, British and patriot forces met on a hill next to the Licking River in what is now Robertson/Nicholas Counties, Kentucky (then Kentucky County, … read more