Doughnuts or Fastnachts?
In March of 2017, I wrote an article about Fastnachts, those holeless, wholesome doughnuts that appear every year in parts of Pennsylvania on Shrove Tuesday to usher in the Lenten season. So as not...
Category: Culture
Mangoes and Molasses, Or Maybe Not!
Here is a riddle: When is a mango not a mango and a bottle of molasses something else entirely? Earlier this month, I was on a video call with my good friend, Clint Shearer,...
Lithographs: Decorating Homes in the 19th Century
It’s easy to take for granted the reasonably-priced, high-quality art prints available today. Prior to the 20th century, our ancestors had limited options for decorating the walls of their homes, especially with color artwork....
Making a Hagenbuch Grave Ornament and Finishing Forty-Nine Beans
Along with being an important genealogy resource, cemeteries enable us to remember and connect with those who those from previous generations. In my family, we enjoy visiting the graves of loved ones and picnicking...
My Dinner With: Andreas Hagenbuch
In 1981, a movie was released entitled My Dinner With Andre. The story line is about two friends who have not seen each other for five years. They sit down to dinner in a...
Poetry in Enoch’s Written History
In February 2020, I examined Enoch Hagenbuch’s (b. 1814) written history and celebrated the addition of his family information to Beechroots (Revisiting Enoch Hagenbuch’s Written History). Enoch writes of names and personal details, yet...
A Winter’s Day in Hagenbuch Country
On a cold January day, my father, Mark Hagenbuch, and I ventured into Hagenbuch country—Albany Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. We had three important stops planned for the day, all of significance to our family....
Handmade Christmas Cards
For the last decade, my wife Sara and I have made it part of our holiday traditions to handmake some of our own Christmas cards. The first year or two, I found the process...
The Bedding Connection
Several weeks ago, we visited friends of ours in Virginia. We stayed two nights. If you are like Linda and me, you never sleep well in a strange bed. In fact, Linda and I...
The Paintings of William L. Hagenbaugh
The Hagenbuch family tree is full of interesting characters—one of whom is William Louis Hagenbaugh (b. 1878, d. 1943). Several articles have been written about how William’s family migrated to northern California in the...
