Our Family’s First Christmas Gift in America
The further we go back in time, the more difficult it is to tell the story of our Hagenbuch family. Precious little information remains from early 1700s when our ancestor, Andreas Hagenbuch (b. 1715),...
Author: Andrew Hagenbuch
Hagenbuch’s Meat Market of Bowmanstown
I’m always amazed by the family-related ephemera that appears on eBay: an old family photo, a receipt printer, and a Fraktur to name a few. Recently I found another curious item—a small, promotional screwdriver....
Family Thanksgiving News of Yore
With Thanksgiving almost upon us, I began to wonder about what news I might find about Hagenbuchs celebrating the holiday during earlier times. What I found did not disappoint and even led to the...
Nine Years On
Each year, when I sit down to write a retrospective on the previous 12 months of Hagenbuch.org, I find myself surprised by the number of fascinating pieces that have been published. Occasionally, I have...
An Alarming History: Children and the Dangers of Fire
“Don’t play with fire!” What child hasn’t heard this phrase? Growing up, I know I did—especially when staying at the family cabin or on a Boy Scout camping trip. Back then, I didn’t really...
Deitschy Humor: Professor Herman F. Schnitzel
Who doesn’t enjoy a good laugh? I believe most everyone does, and in this way the Pennsylvania Dutch (also known as the Pennsylvania Deitsch) are no exception. They even have humorists whom they call...
When the Wolf Sisters Met the Hagenbuch Brothers
In his 1886 family history, Descendants of Andrew Hagenbuch, Enoch Hagenbuch (b. 1814) wrote the following: [Jacob Hagenbuch] married Magdalena Wolf, a sister of his brother Henry’s wife. Jacob’s wife was born April 29,...
Family Connections: The Siegfrieds and the Hagenbuchs
The story of our family includes more than just Hagenbuchs. When a couple marries, a new family is connected to ours. Close friends, baptism sponsors, and business partners form other types of alliances too....
John Hagenbuch (b. 1776) and Lehighton’s First Tavern
Take a quick look at the family tree of Andreas Hagenbuch (b. 1715), and you will see many John Hagenbuchs. My father, Mark, and I have been diligently working to untangle them and their...
Saving Recipes: Harold Sechler and the Chef Boyardee Story
Harold F. Sechler (b. 1923, d. 2018), my first cousin twice removed, saved recipes. He cut them from newspapers, wrote them on scraps of paper, and held onto promotional recipe booklets. His collection of...
