The Turner side of my family tree has been woefully absent from this blog. Time to correct that. My mother’s grandmother was Lula Lusty Turner. This post isn’t about her. I just happen to like her name. Perhaps the physician who delivered her was named Dr. Lusty. (That was a shout out to you, Uncle Sonny – you said you… More →
Month: January 2016
Close to Home
The City of Lake Lotawanna is located on the southeast side of Kansas City – practically due east of where I grew up. According to Lake Lotawanna’s official website, it is the “largest private lake in the Kansas City area”. In 2010, its population boasted not quite 2,000 residents. As my hometown and Lake Lotawanna are next to one another, many of my high school classmates… More →
Cousins marrying cousins, 10derized
The tenth instance of a (very distant) cousin on my mother’s side of the family marrying a (very distant) cousin on my father’s side revealed itself quite nicely thanks to the topnotch genealogical research of my DNA match “DianaH70”. Like me, she is a descendant of both Alexander and Sarah (Austin) Joyce, ancestors of my mother, and Edmond and Rachel (Ladd) Liptrot, ancestors of my… More →
Bad Case of the Liptrots
Of all the names that occupy a space on my family tree, Ursula Liptrot is perhaps my favorite. She is my 6th great grandmother according to multiple family trees posted across the Internet. Her granddaughter’s granddaughter was Isadora Sims who married Campbell Jackson Trantham, my 2nd great grandfather. Nothing much is known about Ursula beyond the names of her immediate family… More →
Cuban Mission Crisis
The Lopez Expedition of 1851 was not an event I had ever heard of until I came across it referenced in Ann Veazey Davis’ family history. Thomas Brockus Veazey, my 4th cousin, 5x removed, was a member of this ill-fated expedition. Unsanctioned by the America government, the expedition was lead by General Narciso Lopez who was determined to free Cuba from Spanish rule. Lopez, a native of Venezuela, needed an “army” to… More →
Y Me Revisited
The results of my latest DNA test are in. This is my fourth and probably final test unless they dream up something new. This test dived a bit deeper into my YDNA. That’s a scary place. The Y chromosome, which is carried only by men, is complex it seems. It is passed down from father to son and remains relatively unchanged for tens… More →
Mirror, Mirror
I’ve found a new way to reflect on my (Duesenberg) ancestors: a mirror. The man who sold me this behemoth of a mirror lives in California and I live in Maryland. When I responded to his ad on Craigslist, he was bit surprised that I’d be willing to pay to have it shipped across the United States given that he was… More →
Black and White and Read All Over
All over Wisconsin, that is. I realized looking back at my posts that I have sorely and unintentionally neglected my female relatives. And even though I said I’d be moving on from the Biesemeyers, this entry also hails from that branch of the family tree and deserves mention. Anita Biesemeyer, my 3rd cousin, 2x removed, is an award-winning journalist. Her nom de plume… More →
Biesemeiered in Success
Before I leave the Biesemeyer/Biesemeier tree branch for a bit, there are two other cousins worth mentioning. I’d like to think that whatever genes propelled them to success in life are flowing through my veins as well. Unfortunately, methinks the “likes to watch TV” gene became dominant years ago. Nevertheless… Harold Biesemeier, my 2nd cousin, 3x removed, achieved the rank of… More →
Renaissance Man
Lorenz Frederick Biesemeyer, my 1st cousin, 4x removed, was a man of many talents. A physician and surgeon, he received his medical training from the St. Louis College of Physicians and Surgeons. Before entering medical school, he had taught school in Lippstadt, near Warrenton, Missouri, for three years. In 1906, he published a self-help book of sorts entitled, The Monitor, a compendium of advice and… More →