A Smörgåsbord of Stories
It’s my day, so I’m writing about myself. Buckle up as we go back to 2014 for one of my favorite, genealogy-trip stories. Adair County, Kentucky My family has lived in Adair County, Kentucky since the early 1800s. Naturally, I wanted to visit their … read more
Family tradition tells us that Charlie Norenberg [also known as Konstantin or Constantin] was a hard-working man. Let’s look at his work life through written records. Charlie’s Work Life When Konstantin Nörenberg immigrated to the United States in 1909, he listed his occupation as … read more
Mary Mae “Mae” Lydick and Otto Norenberg stood outside the Telephone Office downtown Cass Lake on April 10, 1932. Look at the reflection in the window; you’ll see the Telephone Office sign. Inside this building is where Mae worked as a telephone operator. … read more
Tomorrow is the 111th anniversary of the marriage of Charlie Norenberg and Bertha Arndt. Let’s celebrate with a bit of genealogical research! The marriage of Constantin Nurenberg and Bartha Arnt [probably spelled the way their names sounded, see this discussion] is recorded in Cass … read more
When my family immigrated to America, they chose to settle down in Cass Lake, Minnesota. Why did they select this small town in the north woods? As with many genealogy questions, the FAN Principle was critical in discovering why my family chose Cass Lake. … read more
Konstantin “Charlie” Nörenberg departed Hamburg on 9 January 1909 and arrived in New York seventeen days later. Yes, he passed through Ellis Island and saw the Statue of Liberty. Leaving his home country, he traveled to Hamburg and embarked on the voyage with three other … read more
Family surnames 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, names are often written by a government clerk or a member of the clergy; they spelled … read more
My journey into genealogy began before my children were born; I was twenty-six. At that time, I worked as a Music Therapist in the Activity Department of a St. Paul nursing home where one of my daily duties was to read aloud from the Pioneer … read more