A Smörgåsbord of Stories
For me, family history is a hobby; some may argue that it is an obsession. Many family stories are mundane, some are too good to be true. There is one particular vacation that is quite unique. Who paid for the trip? Why was this vacation … read more
Tales of the Old Home Town Cass Lake Times R. “Grant” Utley (1897-1985), editor of the Times wrote a weekly column called “Tales of the Old Home Town.” Using his newspaper, Mr. Utley jabbed at politicians and reminisced about days gone by. Fortunately for … read more
One of the fascinating tools of modern genealogical research is digitized newspapers. When seeking clues about Katherine Miller, I scanned newspapers to fill in the genealogical gaps. An important tip for newspaper research: always look for alternate spellings as well as members of the FAN … read more
Catharina Müller was baptized in the city of her ancestors: Temmels (German Empire). In 1921 she married Albert Blees in Mankato, Minnesota (U.S.A.). What do we know about her years between Germany and her marriage? Coming to America Catharina may have felt the push … read more
One of the first rules of family history research is to start with what you know and work back in time. What do I know about Katherine Miller who married Albert Blees? When I looked in my genealogy database yesterday, I was shocked to discover … read more
A relative on my husband’s side of the family passed away a few months ago. Because I am the “family historian,” I inherited her box of photos and papers. When pondering what to do, I remembered an Extreme Genes podcast in which Scott Fisher and … read more
Exactly one year ago, I wrote a blog post about the marriage of Albert Blees and Katherine Müller. After discussing why I chose the topic, I related my theory of how the couple met (through Katherine’s family). Then I looked at my two pieces of … read more
Family names connect us to our ancestors. In our modern thinking, we want our surname to be unique and to be consistently spelled the same way. In genealogical research, we need to be open-minded about how our surnames are historically spelled. My 3x great grandfather … read more
When pursuing the lives of my ancestors, I frequently find myself “down the rabbit hole.” Like Alice, I’m chasing a proverbial white rabbit. Today, this particular genealogical digging adventure led me to Oscar Pile. Karrie Blees – yet another Rabbit Hole Last week, I … read more
It’s snowing (again) in Minnesota. The beautiful flakes cover everything with a clean coat of crisp, sparkling delight. A handful of snow brings back memories of younger days, building impressive snowmen, sledding down steep hills or creating cavernous forts. Not everyone is enamored with snowfall … read more