The setting for today’s story will be in Illinois from beginning to end. It begins with birth of a baby boy on January 16, 1895. That was that birthday of Rudolph George Arbeiter, who would be 130 years old if he was still alive today. Rudolph was the son of Ernst Wilhelm and Engel (Bellmann) … More Rudolph Arbeiter and the Coal Miner’s Daughter
Today’s couple has already been discussed in a previous post titled, An Angel’s Sad Pilgrimage. That post mainly told the story of one of their sons, Theodore. This time, I will highlight the parents. I will begin with the husband. Ernst William Arbeiter was born either on November 4th or November 5th in 1864. That … More William and Engel – The Arbeiter’s
A new surname had to be added to our digital images collection for today’s post. That name is Holcumbrink. This is the first time that name has shown up on this blog after almost 8 years of posts. This surname is spelled in a variety of ways on Ancestry.com, but I am settling on the spelling to be … More Laborer’s Son Marries Worker’s Daughter
St. John’s Lutheran Church in Ruma, Illinois is celebrating their 175th anniversary this year. It is not often that a story on this blog takes us to that little church in Randolph County, Illinois. Today will be one of those posts. The baptism record for today’s birthday girl is likely to be found in the … More A Rathjen-Rowold Romance
The birthday girl for today’s post is Wilhelmine Magdalena Arbeiter, who was born on October 10, 1896. Almost all of her life, she went by the name of Minnie, and even has that name engraved on her tombstone. Minnie was the daughter of Henry and Caroline (Rowold) Arbeiter. She was born in the Fountain Bluff … More Clarence and Minnie – The Goldstein’s
Flora Rosine Pauline Engert was born on June 1, 1898, so today would be her special 125th birthday. Flora was the daughter of August and Liberta (Palisch) Engert. A previous post was written about Flora’s parents titled, A Troubling Topic. As that title implies, Flora’s family life was one full of troubles. I will readdress … More Flora’s Murphysboro Machinist
The birthday girl for today is one of those persons who hops back and forth across the Mississippi on several occasions during her life. As I write this post, the Mississippi River is so low that people are able to walk out to Tower Rock, and it’s drawing quite a crowd to this area. However, … More Hopping Across the Mississippi River
A man with a surname that has yet to appear on this blog will be the central character in today’s story. The woman who would become his wife also has a new surname for this blog, but once you discover what her name was, I am sure you will conclude that she does not have … More The Bunselmeyer-Bradley Cora Couple
Today’s birthday boy, Herman Johann Arbeiter, was born on June 8, 1894, so, if he was alive today, he would be turning 128 years old. You will be reading another story in which the husband spent his whole life in Jackson County, Illinois, but his wife had her beginnings in Perry County, Missouri. Herman was … More Herman the German Slugger
I think most of you would recognize from the title that today’s tale will take place in Illinois. The story begins with the birth of a baby girl in Jacob, Illinois 130 years ago. Sophia Maria Johanna Arbeiter was born on February 7, 1892, the daughter of Henry and Caroline (Rowold) Arbeiter. Several other previous … More From Jacob to Prairie du Rocher to Red Bud
