Ghost Stories from Childhood
My eldest son, William, is fascinated with ghosts, and not just because of Halloween. His ghoulish obsession actually began last year when he played with some old Ghostbusters toys, and grew after his great...
This Week's Article From the Beech Grove
Alphabet Soup: Abreu to Zisch
If you have been reading the articles that Andrew and I have written over the past eight years, you know that I often reference my “paper records”, as I call them. I wrote about...
Tax Collector, Andreas Hagenbuch, Appointed By Abraham Lincoln
If you are reading the title of this article and feeling a bit confused—good! That means you have realized Andreas Hagenbuch (b. 1715, d. 1785) could never have known, let alone been appointed as...
Russell Hagenbuch’s Michiganers
Once again, an obituary triggers research into a Hagenbuch clan that has long been known but not updated. Russell Hagenbuch died in April of 2022. When Andrew sent me the information from Russell’s obituary,...
Missing Person: Thomas H. Hagenbuch, Salesman & Telegraph Operator
On Friday, August 15, 1902, The Allentown Morning Call ran the following front page headline: MISSING FROM THEIR HOMES Mysterious Disappearance of T. H. Hagenbuch of This City MANAGER OF THE WESTERN UNION Left...
Preserving Family History Through Obituaries
Genealogists use a lot of resources to ply their craft. Andrew and I have written a lot about this—how we use the census, grave records, death certificates, oral histories, and many other sources. One...
Discovery: Bible Owned By Daniel Hagenbuch (b. 1803)
Recently, my father, Mark, and I received a message from Patrick Donmoyer notifying us of a German Bible from 1798 that was for sale on eBay. Patrick is the director of the Pennsylvania German...
Homer Hagenbuch’s Scrapbook, Part 2
In Part 1 of this series, details about the different types of ephemera found in the scrapbook of Homer Hagenbuch (b. 1916) were discussed. His mother, Hannah, and his sister, Ellen, were instrumental in...
1950s Summer Vacations at the Shore, Part 2
As with so many family experiences, vacations can create lasting memories that stick with us throughout a lifetime. In the first part of this series, Norma Kay (Penman) Hurter shared photographs from several trips...
Homer Hagenbuch’s Scrapbook, Part 1
Sometime before 2005 my father, Homer Hagenbuch’s (b. 1916), sister, Ellen Hagenbuch (b. 1926), presented him with a scrapbook filled with a few photos, lots of newspaper clippings, and several old postcards that their...
