Many of the stories on this blog include an event that is especially unusual and interesting. It may be a double wedding, a death on a Leap Day, a wedding on the day after Easter, etc. Today, the story has such an unusual occurrence, but it doesn’t show up until the very end. Adolph Weinrich … More Two Succumb to the Flu
German and Austrian surnames are not well-known for being short. Today’s main character is an exception. Today’s birthday boy, who would have been 150 years old today, was John Putz. He was born on April 29, 1870, the son of Joseph and Josepha (Reisenbichler) Putz. John’s father had arrived in America in 1858 with several … More Putz’s Pipe Dream Becomes Park
If the children in today’s family took the hyphenated form of their parents’ names, it would be the name shown in the title of this post. If they participated in a sport that displays the player’s name on the back of their uniform, it would be a challenge to get it all on there. Haberfellner … More Haberfellner-Schattauer
A brand new surname shows up on this blog today. Panning. This surname does show up in our German Family Tree somehow, even though there are no local entries for this name in any local church records. Mary Panning is today’s birthday girl. She was born on April 27, 1869, the daughter of Henry and … More Bergt & Panning Store – Altona, NE
We will begin with a birthday today, but the story will meander through many marriages before all is said and done. I just hope I can keep it all straight. The birthday boy for today is John Hadler. He was born in Hanover, Germany on April 26, 1861, the son of Diedrich and Maria (Dammann) … More A Marriage Maze
The year, 1944, had barely begun. Just outside New York Harbor, the ship, USS Turner, had arrived late during the evening of January 2nd and anchored near the Ambrose Light. The next morning, explosions were heard from the ship, and it began to list. The aerial photo below must have been taken at about that … More Trains, Ships, and Tragedy
Warren Schmidt’s blogs are a treasure for all of us. One of the many positive ripples from his writings are the relationships that sprout from the seeds he plants. I have had the honor of meeting-via telephone conversations-Lester & Annemarie Brockmann. Lester found us via the blogs, and reached out after Warren’s blog on Adolf … More A Love Note to Lester & Annemarie in Palmetto Bay
I often tell my wife that she is the best…and, in my opinion, she is. Today, you will be told the story of John Stueve, and you will discover how he got himself the Bess. But, first, let me remind you about the pronunciation of the surname, Stueve. Back in the old country, the name … More John Stueve Got Himself the Bess
If he was alive today, Otto Friedrich Tirmenstein would be celebrating his 150th birthday. He was born on April 23, 1870 in St. Louis, Missouri. Otto was the son of Samuel Martin and Dorothea (Doerries) Tirmenstein and baptized at Old Trinity Lutheran Church. I have a few photos of Otto’s parents. Otto can already be … More CPH – Their Company Rocks
I am writing the story of some characters that did not have very long lives today. Normally, I cannot find enough information on such people and end up picking a different story, but that is not the case today. This story contains two interesting characteristics. A person that died 100 years ago (not exactly on … More Never Getting to Know a Parent
lutheranmuseum.com 