Martin and Anna Waldvogel

My third great grandfather, Johann Martin Waldvogel was from the small town of Stetten, Switzerland. He was born November 29, 1830.

Anna Waldvogel was born July 30, 1830. She grew up in the same small town.

When I say small town, I mean pretty tiny. If you're from the Monroe area, I'd say it's comparable to Ida, MI. Stetten is right on the border of Switzerland and Germany. When I was in Europe around 2008, we stopped there just to see it. As we trace our family history on this line, we see the same three names pop up. In Stetten, there are only about 4 family names that populate the area.

I think it's safe to say that this was the highlight of the trip for my mom. I've mentioned it before, but there's something amazing about traveling to the places you know your ancestors once were. And then to see Ehrat, Bucher and Waldvogel over and over on the headstones in the local cemetery...so cool. (Anna's mother's maiden name was Ehrat. Martin's mother's maiden name was Bucher. If you were wondering about that connection.)

Anna and Martin were probably cousins. They didn't come to America until 1872. They would have been about 42 then. Here's where I have to do some supposing. Why would they come to America?

From what records we've found, it looks like they lost quite a few children to sickness in Switzerland. Not just babies, but older children as well. I'm going to suppose that they figured they didn't have anything else to loose. Why not come to America? Thank goodness they did, or Rose might never have been born and then where would I be?

They came over on a steamer ship called the "City of Limerick". It left from France October 9, 1872. It belonged to the Inman Line, one of the three largest British passenger ship lines of the 19th century. (Cunard and White Star where the other two. Fun Fact: White Star Lines were the owners of the Titanic.)

I can't find a record of Martin on that ship, though I do find Anna and number of her children. It was always told that Martin came over ahead of the rest of the family to find a job and a place for them to live. Entirely possible.

They settled in the Toledo, OH. My great great grandmother, Rose, was their youngest child. She was born in Toledo.

Martin is listed in the Toledo city directory in 1879 as working in a saloon. I wonder if he was a bar tender?

We know he farmed some too. Most likely he took a job where he could find one. He passed away of chronic pneumonia, March 5, 1898.

Anna lived with Rose and her family until her death, January 12, 1915. She was 84. It makes me think about Rose and her life again. When I look at the dates, I realize that not only was she a widow with 5 small children, but she had her elderly mother living with them as well. Wow!

Both Martin and Anna are buried at Hitchcock Cemetery in Temperance, MI.

Border Town

 I grew up in Monroe, MI. It's about Twenty minutes from Toledo, OH. Growing up in this area, you never thought it was strange to venture into Ohio for any number of things. That's one of the cool things about growing up on a border.

Of course, for a genealogist, this can complicate things a bit. My family lived most of their lives in the Monroe County, particularly the townships of Bedford and LaSalle. From the map, you can see how close that is to Ohio.

Did you know that vital records (birth, marriage, and death records) stay in the county that the event happened? I think I knew that, but it was confirmed after I stopped at the Monroe County Courthouse the other day. I had gone looking for the death records of a few specific people, plus anyone else I happened to run across.

I stumbled on Henry Meinhardt Sr. He died in 1906. His son, Henry Jr. died just a few months before in a fire. But I couldn't find him in the records anywhere. The County Clerk's office had some very helpful people, including one guy who agreed that Henry Jr had probably been taken to Toledo for treatment of his burns. Which means his records would be down there instead. Oh well, guess I'll just have to make a trip down there sometime. At least it isn't clear across the country.

While I was doing research on a few pictures, I found some other interesting things about Monroe County. Do you see that little house symbol on the map? There's an arrow pointing to it that says Michigan Welcome Center and under that, Toledo Beach.

Toledo Beach opened in the early 1900's and didn't close until the 1950's. People from Detroit, Toledo, and Monroe flocked there in the summers. It was a place to swim (and slide), dance (there was a pavilion), and eat. Apparently there was a restaurant that specialized in seafood and chicken.

 The bathhouse featured 300 rooms and you could rent bathing attire to go swimming for the day. You can see the dock that stretched out into Lake Erie in this postcard. Swimming for women at this time usually involved holding onto a rope tied to a buoy farther out and being able to jump in the waves. Of course their suits were more like dresses then. They were usually made out of wool and used 9 yards of fabric or more.                                                                

Toledo Beach also featured a wooden slide. I couldn't find any information telling how high it was, but from this picture, I'd say it was pretty good size.

You're probably wondering why I'm telling you all about this place. Part of the reason I love searching for my ancestors is because I want to know what life was like for them. I want to know where they went, what they did, and how they met people.    

My great grandpa, Ernest Meinhardt grew up in the Bedford Township area of Monroe County. My great grandma Etta Luebben grew up in the city of Toledo. I have stories of their courtship, but I've never found out how they initially met. Could they have met here? It's entirely possible.

On the right is a picture of Etta's family. (Left to Right: Fredricka, Lena, Irma, and Louise) You can see clearly that they were at Toledo Beach in 1914. Though Etta isn't pictured here, she would have been 17 that year. 

The picture on the left is Ernest Meinhardt in his first pair of long pants It's more difficult to see, but in the upper right hand corner it says, Toledo Beach 1913. He was 17 here.

How many other memories did Etta, Ernest and their families have of this place? It makes me wonder. 

Daughters of the American Revolution

Have you seen Who Do You Think You Are? It's on TLC now. I love that show. It's one thing to search for information on the internet. It's something totally different to take a road trip and follow your ancestors across the country. I got a chance to do that over Spring Break last April.

See the guy in the middle of this group? That's General George Washington. No, I'm not related to him. At least I don't think so. However, I am related to one of the guys in the yellow pants. Those are his bodyguards and my 5th great grandfather, Joseph Moore, was one of them. Yup, I'm a Daughter of the American Revolution (even though I haven't actually applied for membership).

Joseph Moore (born Joseph Moor) was born in Southwick, Massachusetts around 1764.  When he was 17, he traveled to West Point, NY. He planned to enlist in the Continental Army and was assigned to Capt. Amos Cogswell's company, 3rd Massachusetts Regiment.From there, he was assigned to be a bodyguard for General Washington. I found this when I was researching the position...

"A portion of Washington's general order from March 11, 1776, details his expectations for the men who would serve in his life-guard. 'Being desirous of selecting a particular number of men, as a Guard for himself, and baggage,...depends upon the Colonels for good Men, such as they can recommend for their sobriety, honesty, and good behavior; he wishes them to be from five feet, eight Inches high, to five feet, ten Inches; and good behavior; handsomely and well made, and as there is nothing in his eyes more desirable than Cleanliness in a Soldier, he desires that particular attention may be made, in the choice of such men, as are neat, and spruce.'"


That has to be one of the strangest things I've ever read.

Joseph was discharged from service December 17, 1783. He was 22 when he married Hannah Miller (October 28, 1784 in Granville, MA). Their oldest, Theron, was born in 1786, They had 12 children. That's a dozen! Theron, Hannah, Norman, Joseph Jr, Abigail (my 4th great grandmother), Sophia, Seth, John Henry, Ransom, Levi, Tirza (or possibly Theresa), and Macena.

After the war, America wasn't this shiny and bright utopia. They were actually in rough shape. Not only had they lost men to the fighting, but now they were a new country with new responsibilities. The economy was in a slump, there wasn't enough hard cash circulating, and the state governments were imposing taxes to get themselves back together. Did they really think the people who fought "no taxation without representation" were going to accept that? Not so much.

So, in 1786, Daniel Shays, along with other military veterans started an armed uprising and it became known as Shays' Rebellion. And guess what? Joseph Moore got involved in this too. The majority of the men were pardoned, including Joseph, and this rebellion led to some of the changes that were made to the Constitution.

Theron and Norman, Joseph's oldest sons, decided to head west into Ohio. At some point, Joseph packed up his family and followed them. They settled in Avon, Ohio. This isn't very far from Cleveland and only about 2 and half hours from my hometown of Monroe. My mom found information on where Joseph and Hannah were buried and our plans of a road trip began.

We set out the Monday after Easter. Snacks, a full tank of gas, paper, dates, and cell phones. It was going to be a girl's only weekend filled with...research. (also thrift stores, Amish country, and the Smuckers Headquarters) We drove along Route 6, a twisty little road that follows Lake Erie with only a general idea where this cemetery was located. The cemetery was going to be our first stop.

It was only by God's grace that we found it. It's small and right on the lake. After we passed it we figured it wouldn't hurt to turn around and just check. This was the first of a million more turn-arounds. I eased over the curb and followed the path. Actually, I'm not sure I was really supposed to drive into the cemetery, but there wasn't anywhere else to park either, since the road was too narrow for parking. I almost think Joseph wanted to be found. We had barely gotten out of the car, when we saw his headstone.

I can't begin to explain the feeling you get from finding someone. Most people think of cemeteries as sad or spooky places, but they really aren't. At least I've never felt that way. These stones tell a story. If you're lucky enough to find your ancestor, then they tell a piece of your story too.

Joseph received a pension for serving in the American Revolution. This also means that he was a veteran and is still given that respect. The local veterans group has a special marker at his grave and keeps a flag flying there as well.

He passed away at the age of 84 on February 19, 1846. His wife, Hannah, is buried next to him. It was a beautiful spot for a cemetery, Lake Erie on one side and beautiful homes on the other.

 After we said farewell to 5th great Grandpa and Grandma, we went in search of the library. Most local libraries will have some records about the history of their area. It can be a genealogist's treasure trove. In this case, we found out more about his children and where he and the sons farmed. It always amazes me that records go back this far (and that someone cares enough to keep track of them). The Moore family is considered one of the founding settlers of Avon Lake and Lorain, Ohio. They even have a road named after them. (I think this might have been turn-around #267)

After finding some of the family, Mom and I made our way a little south into the Amish Country and stayed overnight a couple of nights. It was great, and just the kind of relaxation I needed at the time.

And on our way back, we found the Smuckers Headquarters! Which was just cool because I had no idea it was down there.


We've been thinking about a trip to Massachusetts, since we had family names crop up over there. I'm thinking Connecticut is a must. I want to find the Miller's, the Hubbard's, and anyone else that's in that area. If we happen to visit Boston or Salem or the many other sights? All the better. Right?

It just so happens that Hannah's father also served in the Revolutionary war. Since we would be off to find him we could be Daughters of the American Revolution on a Road Trip!

Techno Chick?

 I've been busy the last couple of days. I haven't had a chance to write even though the research is ongoing. I stopped at the Ellis branch of the Monroe County Library. They have a wonderful research area and a huge collection available to genealogists.

For the past few weeks I've been on a hunt to learn more about my great-great aunt Meridia Palmer. I had only just found out through her sister's obituary that she was married. I still had no idea when or why she died.

I had followed her along the census route. In 1920 she was still living at home with her parents and sisters. The obituary said she was  married to someone by the last name of Southern. I eventually found him in 1930, widowed and living as a boarder in someone's home. I still didn't have all the information I needed.

So...off to the library and an amazing piece of technology known as the microfilm. Uh huh. You heard me right. Microfilm. It's the age of technology, people! Who uses this stuff anymore?

Apparently I do. The Monroe Evening News is our local paper. All...and I really do mean ALL of their archives up to...I'm not sure when...have been scanned and saved onto microfilm. (Their most current archives are online now. Did I scare you there for a minute? I nearly scared myself.)

The picture on the right is the machine I used to look through these archives. And look...and look...and look...and all of a sudden I saw it! Meridia Belle Southern (nee Palmer) had an obituary on October 14, 1927 with more details on the 15th.

I still don't know why she died. It only stated that she had passed away after an "illness of many months." One detail I was most excited about was finding out where she was buried. It's not everything I was hoping to find, but it's a start.


Another piece of slightly outdated technology is my new best friend, the flatbed scanner. It's an hp4700c. It's really old. In the great timeline of technology I suppose it really isn't that old. But it won't work on my lap top or my desk top. It only works with my dad's old computer. Or maybe it just doesn't like me?

Anyway...since my dad got it up and running, I've been scanning in photos like a crazy woman.

I had to be honest, I really didn't think the technology for affordable photography dated back that far. I finally looked up cameras of the 1900's and was surprised to find that Kodak's famous Brownie camera debuted in February of 1900. It was a cardboard case camera with a meniscus lens. It took 2 and a quarter inch square pictures.

This explains sooooo much! I was always wondering where all these smaller photos came from. And what's more, the first Brownie only cost $1.00. I know, a dollar was different back in those days...inflation...economy... It still doesn't change the fact that easily mobile photography had suddenly become affordable to the masses. Talk about some amazing technology!

And now I have the ability to scan all of these pictures. There are literally hundreds. And not just scan them, but clean them up. Make them clearer then they were before and fix up some of the wear and tear called time.

Just take a look at this before and after...

Whoa! There are distinguishable facial features. I can actually say for certain who two of these people are, even if I didn't have a note written on the back. (By the way, they are Left to Right: Rowland Kronbach, Rosannah Palmer, and Merrill Hunt Sr. Rosannah and Merrill were my great grandparents. Rowland was a great great uncle.) I've enjoyed using Picasa for the editing phase so far. It's not perfect and it doesn't have all the tools and effects other tools some of the other programs have. But it was free and it has tools enough for what I'm doing right now.

Working with all of these different things, it makes me wonder what they would think about all of the technology we have today.

Henry Meinhardt

Here is my 3rd great grandfather Henry. He's the furthest back along the Meinhardt family line that we've found so far.

He was born about 1828 in Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany. It's kind of near Frankfurt, in the middle of the country.

He came to America around 1852. He was about 24 years old. We know he came over with his mother and siblings and maybe his dad. According to his obituary, he only came over with his mother and other siblings. But on the 1860 census, it lists an H. Meinhardt, 50 years old. Was that his dad? Or maybe an uncle?

Also listed are C. Meinhardt (his brother, Conrad), M. Meinhardt (his mother, Magdalena), and Ernest, Philip, and Catherine.

We really only know of his mom and brother, Conrad. We know that they farmed together at the homestead off of Temperance Rd. in Bedford Township, MI. We've never found anyone else from that census beyond that record.

Below is a map of Germany. Hesse is that sort of heart-shaped state edged in light blue.  

Henry married Mary Schweitzer around 1860. They had at least 6 children, Lena, Henry Jr., Mary, Edward (my great-great grandpa), Charles, and Fred. They're all listed in the 1880 census.

Henry Jr. never married. He died the same year as his father, Henry, 1906. It says "cause of death: burned to death." Charles married Pearl and had a daughter, Ethel. Fred has a few more records that are easy to find. There's a WWI draft registration card on file. He married Alma and they had a daughter, Ruth.

Henry died of congestive heart failure, May 30, 1906, just a few weeks shy of his 78th birthday.

The death record lists his father as Henry and his mother as Mary Schweitzer. That's a huge mystery because Henry Jr.'s death certificate says the same thing. Charles filled out that one, but no one is listed as an informant on Henry Sr.'s. I think it was probably his wife and I wonder if she understood what the form was asking for. After all, they were from Germany and English would have been a second language. There's no guarantee that they spoke much English, let alone being able to read it fluently.

Henry and a number of other Meinhardt ancestors (including his wife, Henry Jr, and his mother Magdalena) are buried at Hitchcock Cemetery in Temperance, MI.

The George Hubbards of Connecticut

I hit a snag the other night as I was researching the Hubbard family. Going back along the Sheldon line, I found a great grandmother by the name of Thankfull. This family was all in the Middleton, CT area in the early 1700's.

I had followed the Miller line back as far as I could through the male relatives, so I thought I'd look for the Hubbard family. I'd already seen their name pop up in a number of the same records so it didn't look like it was going to be overly difficult.

You would think that record keeping from this time would be missing or poorly kept. It happens that way sometimes, but I seem to find more vital (birth, marriage, and death) records for these people than I do for people of the 20th century. I untangled Thankfull from the rest of the group right away. I even found her father, Nathaniel Hubbard.

And that's where everything fell apart. There were two George Hubbards. Both were born within a few years of each other in England. Both immigrated around the same time. Both settled in Connecticut by way of Massachusetts. They even lived in a few of the same towns and both had a son, Daniel about 1645. Possibly even knew each other.

You see the problem here? Which one was my George? How was I going to get all these records straight when people already had the two of them tangled up in their own trees?

Ancestry.com gives you this great option of making your tree public to other members. It makes it super easy to connect other family members that other people have researched. The problem with it, is that some people just add records and names to their trees because someone else did. They don't look as closely at the dates or vital information as maybe they should. I've fallen into this sticky situation before too. (Remind me to tell you of the Joseph Moore/Blue Jacket fiasco sometime.)

So how can I untangle this crazy web? Well...I know that my George must be the George that died in Middleton. Why? Because the rest of the family settled there. It wouldn't make sense for him to have died in Guilford.

George of Guilford was also a little older. He married and had two children in England before he came to America.

 My George married Elizabeth Watts in Hartford, CT in 1640. I know I'm looking for an Elizabeth because I found records of Nathaniel's birth. And that's the final proof. George and Elizabeth Hubbard had a son, Nathaniel in 1652. They other George didn't have a Nathaniel. And Nathaniel is really important to me because he had a daughter, Thankfull who married a Miller who...ok, you see where I'm going.

I suppose they could be the same person. Elizabeth could be a second wife and they could have had these 15 or 16 children, but it's unlikely. And if you look closely at the dates, you realize that it's easier to see them as two different people with the same name. (Not all that uncommon actually.)

So, now that I've untangled the snag in my mind, I need to get all my ducks in a row on ancestry.com. Never fear 9th great grandpa George. I'll sort this all out in the end. (Here's a fun fact: You have 2,048 9th great grandparents. The number doubles with every generation.)

By the way...the picture above is from Middleton, CT. It has the names of my family on the plaques. How awesome is that!

Rose Waldvogel

 I should title this: Rose and the Magic of Picasa. I've been scanning old photos and then cleaning them up using the editing tools on Picasa. It was free and it's worked out pretty well. I've even been able to touch up photos that have been written on. And the ones with tape all over them? Most of the time I can get it to fade into the background.

But what can I tell you about Rose? Well, Rose was my great-great grandmother. She was born in Toledo, Ohio on January 4, 1874 to Anna and Johann Waldvogel. She was the youngest of a very large group of children. We're thinking 13 (of course not all of them survived childhood). Here's the really cool part. She was the only one of her family born in the U.S. The rest of them were born in Switzerland.

She grew up in Toledo and married Edward Meinhardt on her 20th birthday. (Jan. 4, 1894). I have lots of sources telling where they lived. There was a family farm off of Temperance Rd in Bedford, MI. This picture shows her at the old homestead...

It was in terrible condition before I took the editor to it.  Writing on the women's aprons and across the top, tape, cracks and tears...Now it doesn't look so bad, even if it is a little out of focus.

No one's quite sure who the woman on the far left is. Maybe a relative, maybe just a neighbor. Next to her is Grandma Weltie (I know Rose Weltie was my great-grandpa's cousin, so this is probably her mom. Of course I have no idea what her name is and I haven't looked into it yet) Then in the middle is Magdalena Meinhardt. This is Edward's mother. And hooray! We have a name! (Even if it was written in pen over the top of her apron.) See the tall lady on the far right? Yup, that's my great-great grandma Rose. She was tall, even by today's standards. The little girl with them is Rose's daughter, my great-great aunt Laura.

Rose and Edward had 5 children; Edward, Ernest (my great grandpa), Laura, Aaron, and Alvin. Edward died May 8, 1905. She was now a widow with 5 young children. Edward Jr wasn't quite 10 and Alvin was only six months old. She never remarried (which was common in those days) but they managed. In later census records is shows that she took in boarders.

As she got older, Rose continued living with Alvin, his wife Virginia, and their daughter Arlene. They owned a little store on the corner of Samaria Rd and Lewis Ave. Rose lived in a small house behind the store. My grandma was 13 when Rose passed away in 1946. My grandma remembers her and still talks fondly of the "garage" house and how she always had a jar of cookies, usually oatmeal or sugar.

I can't imagine how things must have changed for her when Edward died. She must have been a strong woman to face raising 5 children on her own in a time when there weren't a lot of jobs available (or acceptable) to women. Rose was 72 when she died. She's buried next to her husband in Hitchcock Cemetery in Temperance, MI

"I seek dead people."

 I seek dead people because I'm a genealogist. Get it? Ok, ok. I know. I'm a dork. Anyway...

This is Rosannah Sheldon Palmer with her sisters, Meridia, Helen, and Freida. Rosannah was my great grandmother. I didn't really know her. She passed away when I was just a year old, but I always heard stories of "Nanny" and I wanted to know more.

When I was 8, I decided I wanted to be an archaeologist. Ok, let's be honest. I wanted to be Indiana Jones. I imagined adventure...excitement...exotic places... Yes, I grew up and realized it wasn't the most realistic career choice, but something from those aspirations did stick with me. I'm a researcher at heart. I love digging into the past, whether that be searching through mounds of pictures at home or documents on ancestry.com.

There's something satisfying about piecing together a family history. Who were these people? Where did they live? What was it like? Why did they... you fill in the blank. I have to do a lot of supposing. Sometimes that includes checking out the history of an area or just looking deeper into what life was like in a certain decade or century. Sometimes I find a picture and I have no idea who or how old anyone is.

And then sometimes I get something like this...

This was written on the back of the picture of those four adorable girls. Dec. 1, 1913. Clara Palmer (nee Nebel), my great-great grandmother was sending a picture to her mother (my great-great-great grandmother) Anna Louisa Nebel. Everyone called her Lucy. This one little scrap of paper tells me so many things. I know the ages of the girls. Where they lived and where their grandmother lived. I know that Meridia was usually called Mina and even where her sister Helen got her middle name, Lucy. Suddenly my world has expanded and I need to find out more.

Thanks to sites like ancestry.com, so many people can connect their trees, pictures, and even stories of family. With summer break in full swing, this is where I've been ending up after a day of working on stuff for next school year. I share a subscription with my mom and she's been great about letting me go off connecting the people she does know of with the millions of sources out there. It isn't always easy. Sometimes the ancestors aren't so awesome. Sometimes I have a headache from trying every possible spelling I can think of for first and last names, especially when it comes to the census records.

And then there are the moments I get lucky and I find a record that gives me multiple generations worth of names and dates, like last night's foray into the Miller family line. (Oh man! That is one crazy story I will be telling later.) It's like hitting the lottery. Ok, maybe not that awesome, but pretty close.

So...here's my journey. Seeking the dead.