The United States was not the only country that promised greener pastures to immigrants willing to risk the turbulent waters of the Atlantic to escape the turmoil of 19th century Germany. While my Duesenberg ancestor, Henry Simon Ludwig, headed west and eventually found his new home in Missouri, it appears another branch of the Duesenberg family tree headed south. Way south. I’ve come across the name “Otto Albert Duesenberg”… More →
Author: K Trantham
Cousins marrying cousins, the threequel
I had no intention of posting yet another tale of my cousins marrying each other so soon, if at all. But this was too rich to pass up. Plus, it ties the knot, so to speak, between my first two postings on the same topic. I introduced 1st cousins and star-crossed lovers William McCracken and Abigail Holladay in my second posting. They are… More →
Flight Plans
The life of Albert Ulysses Rupel came to an abrupt end five shorts days after a rusty nail penetrated his foot. Because of this unfortunate event, today, Albert’s name is little more than a footnote in the annals of aviation history. In 1903, news of the Wright brother’s successful flight at Kitty Hawk reached rural Jay County, Indiana where Albert lived and worked. A year later, inspired by… More →
Trentham Timeout
If you’ve any interest in the old “homestead”, then Trentham Through Time is worth the read. “Local” historian Alan Myatt has written the definitive historical guide to Trentham, which is a suburb of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. (My Trentham and Trantham ancestors presumably came to America from Staffordshire circa 1700.) In the book’s introduction, the author sums up the idyllic estate as follows: “Trentham has been home to… More →
Cousins marrying cousins, the sequel
In my first post on the topic of cousins marrying cousins, I presented a list of cousins of mine who’ve married other cousins of mine. Lest they be tempted to sue me, let me restate emphatically that they are related to ME and not to each other. That said, I have come across a few instances of my relatives who were 1st… More →
It’s Wathel, Not Walter
When I came across the name of my distant cousin “Wathel” Rogers recorded in the 1920 census, I thought surely it had been transcribed incorrectly and was meant to have been “Walter”. I checked the photograph of the actual census from Kit Carson County, Colorado and found that it was not a mistake. Sometimes the names can be difficult to decipher but this was not the case. In the1930 census “Wathel” became “Mathel”.… More →
Sophia’s Mutter und Vater
I came a step closer this week to knowing the names of all 32 of my 3rd great grandparents. It took a little digging but I’ve identified the names of #29 and #30. As far as I can tell, this is new information so I’ve accomplished my goal of picking up where my mother left off. (#31 and #32 may require a trip to Itawamba County,… More →
First Baseman, Once Removed
If the Kansas City Athletics had not traded my mother’s first cousin Norm Siebern to the Baltimore Orioles in 1963, then the conversation I had about a month ago with my friend and coworker, Jon, would have been much less interesting. Jon is a diehard Baltimore Orioles fan. His blood runs orange in the spring and summer and then Ravens purple when the leaves begin… More →
Fingerprints
I learned early on from author Marsha Hoffman Rising that there is a difference between searching and researching. Genealogists should always search for research that’s been done by someone else. So far that’s proven to be very good advice. If the other researcher did their homework and it’s well documented, it’s much easier to verify the same information and you’re not starting from scratch. I’ve grown… More →
Will Power: Joseph Clingman Trantham
Thy will be done. Joseph Clingman Trantham bequeathed large sums of cash and land to his children Elizabeth, Belinda, Minerva, Joshua, James, Thomas, David, Riley and Margaret. Proved in 1850, the will stipulated that the older children were to receive 50 acres of “mountain land” each. Upon their mother’s death, the younger children were to split the land set aside for her. Middle child “Jepthey” didn’t fare so well. To him,… More →