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
Yesterday, I highlighted some people from the same family tree that spelled their surnames differently…Hadler and Hatler. Today, I will tell the story of a man who began his life with the surname Winter but other later documents and his gravestone give his surname as Winters. I have to wonder what inspired him to change … More Winters and Summers
I normally do not use a baptism birthday for a starting point on this blog, but that is the case today. It actually is a case of me making a mistake, but I found the story interesting and worthy off telling, so I made the choice of writing it anyway. A baby girl was born … More Collinsville Coal Miner
Martin Johann Heise is today’s birthday boy, and he would be celebrating one of those special birthdays if he was still alive. Martin was born on February 27, 1873, making today his 150th birthday. He was the son of Andreas and Anna (Keyl) Heise. Martin was baptized at Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna, where his … More Martin Heise – Illinois Coal Miner
Today’s birthday girl can be described using so many names, as indicated in the title of this post. That list is not even complete, as you will later read. This girl’s family could trace their ancestry back to the Gesellschaft in 1839, but by the time of her birth, her parents were living across the … More Brewer’s Daughter; Coal Miner’s Wife; Baker; Laundress
