While researching fraktur art and the creation of Taufscheine in Pennsylvania, the name of Daniel Schumacher appeared again and again. Though it was determined that he was likely not the designer of Anna Elizabeth...
Andreas Hagenbuch acted as an example for his sons by providing military service to early America. Not only did Andreas provide patriotic service during the Revolutionary War, he also had a history of providing...
Since its discovery in 2016, the Taufschein fraktur of Anna Elizabeth Hagenbuch has been a source of intrigue, raising questions and providing insights into the early Hagenbuch family. In three previous articles, various aspects...
Over the past 40 years I have presented many programs to historical groups such as the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) and Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). In fact, I am a...
Although this day was celebrated last week, the following article will give some insight into this very Pennsylvania Deitsch tradition. This article appeared in the March, 1984 Beech Grove newsletter. Literally translated from the German,...
Most people become attached to their pets and treat them as part of the family. Several years ago when I had some graveyard experts to the family plot in Berks County, the one fellow...
Dating historic documents can be challenging. Indeed, from the moment the Taufschein Fraktur of Anna Elizabeth Hagenbuch (b. 1754, d. 1825) was discovered, there were numerous questions about when it was created. On the...
In the summer of 1980, wife Linda, my nephew Tommy Huffman, and my niece Melanie Huffman traveled south from Pennsylvania to visit with my brother David Hagenbuch and his family in Georgia before we...
A little over a year ago my father and site co-founder, Mark Hagenbuch, wrote an article examining the importance of “family icons.” These are objects that are prized by families for the stories attached...
Along with letters, baptismal certificates, newspaper articles, old histories, and other ephemera, diaries can be a very important part of learning about past generations. Knowing this, when I retired in 2008 I purchased a...