A Smörgåsbord of Stories
A relative on my husband’s side of the family passed away a few months ago. Because I am the “family historian,” I inherited her box of photos and papers. When pondering what to do, I remembered an Extreme Genes podcast in which Scott Fisher and … read more
Exactly one year ago, I wrote a blog post about the marriage of Albert Blees and Katherine Müller. After discussing why I chose the topic, I related my theory of how the couple met (through Katherine’s family). Then I looked at my two pieces of … read more
Family names connect us to our ancestors. In our modern thinking, we want our surname to be unique and to be consistently spelled the same way. In genealogical research, we need to be open-minded about how our surnames are historically spelled. My 3x great grandfather … read more
When pursuing the lives of my ancestors, I frequently find myself “down the rabbit hole.” Like Alice, I’m chasing a proverbial white rabbit. Today, this particular genealogical digging adventure led me to Oscar Pile. Karrie Blees – yet another Rabbit Hole Last week, I … read more
It’s snowing (again) in Minnesota. The beautiful flakes cover everything with a clean coat of crisp, sparkling delight. A handful of snow brings back memories of younger days, building impressive snowmen, sledding down steep hills or creating cavernous forts. Not everyone is enamored with snowfall … read more
During most of my life, my paternal grandparents, Mae Lydick (1910-2003) and Otto Norenberg (1911-1997), lived in the same house on the west shore of Cass Lake. Because of the attractiveness of their property, my family did not take sightseeing vacations; we went to Grandma … read more
Today, let’s remember and celebrate Kathryn “Kathy” Gentzkow Studer (1931-2021), daughter of Gert Rector and Frank Gentzkow. Happy birthday in heaven, dear Auntie! Kathy Studer, May 2008, Rector cousin meet-up in Minnesota During her lifetime she sent many, many birthday cards to family and … read more
My great grandmother, Bertha Arndt Norenberg (1893-1970) came to America in 1910 and married Konstantin “Charlie” Nörenberg seven months later. At Christmastime, great grandma always made cabbage rolls. These wonderful-smelling packets of wintertime warmth are a Norenberg tradition. My family calls them galishkys [gah-LISH-keys]. … read more
Merry Christmas! As an adult, what type of Christmas gifts do you fancy? Do you prefer an experiential gift? Perhaps an outing to a festively decorated historic home or a night out at at new restaurant. Do you enjoy serving others? My neighborhood has a … read more
Christmas memories and traditions are different for each of us. For me, my favorite part of Christmas is decorating the tree with my grandmother’s crocheted snowflakes. Mary Mae Lydick Norenberg My Grandma Mae was born May 1, 1910 to Susan Roy and Horace “H.S” … read more