Today I will start with the birthday of a girl in New Wells, Missouri. Her father was named Joseph, and she would later marry a Joseph. Here is that story with several side trips to other people. Bertha Perr was born on April 9, 1898. Just like Jesus, her parents were Mary and Joseph. Her … More Joseph’s Son-in-Law Joseph
Occasionally, I run across a man or woman who had two spouses who just so happened to have the same first name. That, in itself, is a pretty unusual thing. Today’s story takes this circumstance up another level. Joseph Henry Lorenz had two wives during his lifetime, and both of them were named Frieda Bachmann. … More Did Joe Really Marry Two Frieda Bachmanns?
One does not have to spend too much time studying the family histories of people on The Ridge before realizing that the folks living there were not shy about loving their neighbors. Over and over you find stories about Ridge residents finding their spouses at farm places not far away from their own homes. I … More Love Thy Neighbor
Dorothea Schlimpert was born on this day, March 9, in 1889 in Jacob, Illinois. She was the adopted daughter of Joseph and Carolina (Schuerenberg) Schlimpert. Actually, it is recorded in the church records that Dorothea was an illegitimate child of Zacharias Menard and Carolina. After Joseph and Carolina were married in 1892, Dorothea was adopted … More Seelitz to Jacob
One of the great things about writing on this blog is the fact that I am learning new things on a daily basis. For the most part, when I start looking into a story, I am working from square one. I have no idea where the story will lead. There are also those stories which … More Getting the Lead Out
Back when the Schirmer twins were born on December 5th, their Uncle Joe may have been snapping his fingers, saying, “Oh, so close. If they would have waited one more day, they would have shared my birthday.” The story of the twins was told yesterday….The Roller Mills of Rudy, Reinhold, and Martin. Joseph Holt was … More Uncle Joe
On September 2, 1891, Joseph and Hulda Josephine (Palisch) Strubinger became the proud parents of their first child, Josephine Strubinger. Josephine was born in Sacramento, California and lived her entire life there. So the first thing that we notice is that since Hulda Josephine apparently went by the name Josephine, we have a Joseph marrying … More The Wonder Man
The starting point for today’s blog is the marriage between Joseph Wagner and Fredericka Estel. They were married on August 26th in 1896 in Altenburg. Once I started looking into these characters, it led me to the Wagner Hotel shown below. Joseph Wagner was son of Gustav and Theresa (Palisch) Wagner. Early on, Gustav was … More Just What Went on at the Wagner Hotel?
I just returned from taking my wife to her family reunion in Minnesota. When her brothers and sisters get together, it has become customary for those of us who are married to them to call ourselves the outlaws in the family (as opposed to in-laws). Well, it just so happens that there is an interesting … More The Mueller Outlaws
Not long after the beginning of the 20th century, major changes were being made in transportation. Model A’s and Model T’s were rolling off the assembly lines in automobile factories in Michigan. Eventually such vehicles arrived in East Perry County. And like with other machines, there came the time when they would need someone to … More Altenburg Needs a Mechanic
