Amalie Lina Haertling is today’s birthday girl. She was born on June 14, 1882, the daughter of Herman and Sophia (Koenig) Haertling. Here are photos of Lina’s parents. Lina was the 8th of 10 children in her family. She was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells, Missouri. Below is her baptism record. Because … More Fred, Lina, and Lydia
I start today with a family photo. It displays the family of Carl and Johanna (Hopfer) Bodenschatz. One of the main characters in today’s story is the man standing in the back on the left, Henry Bodenschatz. I chose him today because it was on this day that he married his wife, Louise Schmidt. They … More Constable Henry
Today was the wedding day for Oswald and Gustav. That may seem quite unusual, but for some reason not known to me, Augusta Pfeiffer became known as Gustav, a name almost exclusively associated with men. A family history on Ancestry.com refers to Augusta as “Gustav”. Today would have been the 123rd anniversary for Augusta and … More Oswald and Gustav Haertling
Over the years, I have witnessed a few special weddings in which either the bride or the groom was married by a pastor who was also part of the family. A wedding that took place on this day back in 1908 was such a marriage ceremony. I am going to begin by describing the beginnings … More Arno and Ida Tie the Knot
Today’s story begins with the birth of a girl that I will affectionately refer to as “Triple E”. Her name was Ella Euphemia Estel. She was born on February 22, 1892. Here is a portion of her baptism record that is found in the Christ Lutheran church books in Jacob, Illinois. As you can see … More A Serious Worker at His Hardware Store
Today’s story begins with a puzzle and has puzzles all along the way. I will attempt to find my way through this maze, but I am the first to admit that I may not get everything right. It starts with the birthday of Herman Haertling somewhere in Germany. According to the German Family Tree, his … More Navigating the Haertling-Koenig Labyrinth
