A Smörgåsbord of Stories
This week, I would like to tell you a story about my great grandfather, Horace “H.S.” Lydick, a man of many legends! There are stories of H.S. being arrested, fighting the charges, acting as his own attorney and having the charges dropped. Then, there are … read more
Magdalena Sophia Christina Schultz was my great, great, great grandmother. Why am I drawn to her story? What is it about this woman that makes we want to know more? Rostock, 2017 In June of 2017, Patrick and I vacationed across Germany as guests … read more
It’s my day, so I’m writing about myself. Buckle up as we go back to 2014 for one of my favorite, genealogy-trip stories. Adair County, Kentucky My family has lived in Adair County, Kentucky since the early 1800s. Naturally, I wanted to visit their … read more
Patrick and I entertained several couples for a backyard barbeque last week. We had a wonderful evening: good food, great friends, lots of laughs and plenty of yard games. The next day, one of our guests tested positive for COVID-19. According to the current Centers … read more
For 35 years, I sought to discover Gentzkow family history. Because it is a very unusual name, it is simple to lookup. I used to say that every Gentzkow in any phone book was one of my cousins. With Internet searching, cousins were found in … read more
All Gentzkow cousins in America trace their lineage to a couple that lived in Minneiska, Minnesota from 1865 until the end of their lives. That couple was George Edward Gentzkow (182?-1904) and his wife Magdalena Sophia Schultz (1830-1897). The 1826 baptism of Julius August Emil, … read more
Cornelia “Conny” Schneider Diederichs is an avid family researcher in Germany. She loves the hobby so much that she hunts for clues for our Gentzkow family even though it is part of her husband’s lineage. On a cold, rainy day in March of 2016, Conny … read more
Every journey needs a first step. In family history, start by talking to all living ancestors and writing down what they say. Travel back in time through their old photos and listen to the stories that spill out. Tour cemeteries and former neighborhoods where memories … read more
Horace S. “H.S.” Lydick (1880-1956) claimed a homestead in 1911, commuted it and lost it in a Sheriff Sale. Finding an opportunity, he filed a second homestead claim for land in Beltrami County, Minnesota under the provisions of the 1862 Homestead Act. The Act granted … read more
Horace S. “H.S.” Lydick, his wife Susan (Roy) and their growing family settled on 159 acres in Beltrami County in May of 1911. At the Cass Lake Land Office, he filed a communtation claim to obtain the title to the property in 1913. Commuting a … read more