Every once in a while, I run across the story of a widower who marries a widow. When that happens, it puts me through the process of describing the lives of four people, not the ordinary story that focuses on just a husband and a wife. That is the case with today’s story. The one … More One of the Triple Trinity Baptisms
I have an amazing story to tell today. Before I tell it, let me describe how I found this story. I happened to be working as a docent at our museum yesterday, and it was one of those days that we had only 2 visitors all day long. So, I had plenty of time to … More Teacher Nennert – Mr. Wittenberg
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
Now that we have reached the year, 2025, I have to get used to searching for some different numbers. I get to search for years that are multiples of 5, which should be easier to remember. As a former math teacher, I know that my students found it easier to work with numbers that were … More Ernst and Louise – The Moeckel’s from Chester
I am going to begin today’s post with a sort-of debate. Here is the question. When does an old century end and a new one begin? Technically, the answer is that a century ends when a year that ends with a double-zero, like 1900, reaches its last day on December 31st. And the new century … More End-of-Century Births – Early Deaths
You are getting another old post today. Our family will not only be celebrating Thanksgiving Day, but our daughter’s birthday, so I am preoccupied. Back in 2021, I wrote the attached post about a couple who were married on November 28th. This year, since that couple was married in 1894, they would be celebrating their … More St. Louis Ice and Coal Man
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
Way back in 2017, I wrote the story of twin Seibel brothers, Martin and Otto, in the post, Selfsame Seibels. Today, I will return to that story to tell a bit more about Otto and the two women who he married. It begins with a birthday girl. Bertha Anna Louise Ziegler was born on October … More Twin Seibel and His Ziegler and Fuehler Brides
I am going to attempt to settle this. Our German Family Tree says the following about a pair of girls in the Luedemann family. As you can see, there is a question mark behind the word, twin, for these two girls. There is documentation for the date of birth of Engel Luedemann in her marriage … More Twin Sisters? Or Not?
I do not have time to write a full-fledged post today. What I will do in the short time I have is share some photos that were sent to me yesterday by Sherry Gibbar, a descendant of the characters in yesterday’s post. Sherry is the granddaughter of Alfred and Bertha Etzold. She reached out to … More Etzold Extras
