f today’s tale was told in a previous post titled, Learning Latin from a Blacksmith’s Son. However that post highlighted a son of today’s couple. I am returning to this story to focus more on the parents. I even found another bride for the father. It seems like it is a daily occurrence that I … More A Disappearing Winter
Marie Fredericke Blanken was born on January 19, 1888, so she is today’s birthday girl. She would have to blow out 135 candles on her birthday cake if she was still alive. Marie was the daughter of Dietrich and Maria (Eisenberg) Blanken. Marie was the 4th of 10 children born to her mother and the … More To California from Frohna by Way of Colorado and Minnesota
You will read the story today of a man who certainly did not have an easy life. This man would also be celebrating his birthday today if he was still alive. Theodore Friedrich Blanken was born 149 years ago on January 4, 1874. Theodore was the son of Herman and Emilie (Pfau) Blanken. He was … More One-Armed Saw Miller
Julius Martin Tanz was born on August 27, 1885, making today his 137th birthday. Tanz is the German word for “dance”. Some descendants from the Perry County branch of the Tanz family even changed their surname to Danz which makes it look even more like “dance”. Julius was the 7th child out of 11 listed … More Julius Jitterbugs with Josephine
Heinrich Herman Luehrs was born on April 6, 1870, along with his twin brother, Johann. Herman, however, was the only one who survived infancy. According to our German Family Tree, these twins were the 6th and 7th of 9 children born to Heinrich and Katharina (Blanken) Luehrs. Heinrich and Katharina arrived in America in 1866 … More A Luehrs-Stueve Link – Herman and Sophia
I have mentioned in a few previous posts that have included individuals with the surname, Tanz, that their name means “dance” in German. Thus, the title of today’s post. This story will enable me to introduce you to a surname that has not shown up on this blog before. That name is Villhardt…sometimes spelled Villhard. … More Conrad and Katie – Dance Partners
There was once a general store located on what is now Highway C just north of the Apple Creek called the Walther Store. A post written about that place of business was titled, Merchant by the Mill. That store is shown in the photo below. Many of the stories I write for this blog are about … More Frieda and Friedrich
Theodore Eduard Berthold Tanz, if he was alive today, would have had to blow out 145 candles on his birthday cake. Theodore was born on February 1, 1876, the son of Herman and Margaretha (Blanken) Tanz. Theodore was the firstborn child in the Tanz family. Our German Family Tree lists 11 children all together in … More Theo and Anna Tanz
One of the things I have learned since moving to East Perry County is the fact that it is not exactly a hotbed for dancing. When I listen to people tell stories of their past, I rarely hear them telling stories that took place at a dance. There were even time periods when dancing was … More The Birth of a Dance Man
The surnames of Pfau, Blanken, and Wedig have previously led me to Wentzville, Missouri. Today we add the surnames of Koenig and Stelling to this list. In previous posts, we have mentioned the Koenig Lutheran Cemetery in Wentzville. The fact that these names which are connected to Perry County are also connected to this area … More Tornado Casualty Dies with Baby in Arms
lutheranmuseum.com 