New Year’s “Back in the Day”
New Year’s Day is celebrated in many ways. In our family on the Montour County farm, it was a day of traditional foods: pork and sauerkraut accompanied by fresh baked bread smothered in butter...
Tagged: Barbara “Hagenbuch” Huffman
Exploring Hagenbuch Country
Over a year ago, my Aunt Barb—Barbara (Hagenbuch) Huffman—and I were chatting on the phone about the Hagenbuch homestead in Albany Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. Being an avid birder, she mentioned how wonderful it...
Treat or Treat
A usual statement out of my mouth every other week is, “I have to start an article.” And, I continue by telling my wife Linda what I’m going to write about for my next...
Scraps of Paper: Recipe for Bean Chow-Chow
Over the years, this site has featured a number of articles detailing family artifacts and letters. Of particular interest to me are the scraps of paper containing the thoughts and scribbles of our ancestors....
Powwowing: A Pennsylvania Deitsch Tradition
Those who are not from a Deitsch background rarely understand the term powwowing as it is used among Pennsylvanians. When confronted with the term, most people will quip “Sure, I’ve seen American Indian dancers”,...
The Family Bible: Part 1
Family Bibles are interesting pieces of memorabilia. They often have other pieces of memorabilia stuck between their pages, such as dried plants, braided hair, noted verses, and funeral cards. My mother’s Bible always lay...
Oak Grove Church Memories
As mentioned in other articles, family stories and genealogical nostalgia are just as important as recording names, dates, and places. Memories of growing up have brought me to the realization that there really are...
What’s in a Name?
The recent birth of our first grandchild (a sweet, little girl named Hadley Faye Emig; parents – Nelson and Katie “Hagenbuch” Emig) reminded my wife Linda and me how important the naming process of...
Brother and Sister Day
Preceding Mother’s Day is a little known celebration entitled Brother and Sister Day which is held on May 2nd. The following are photos from the past of Hagenbuch brothers and sisters. These photos were...
Stories My Father Told Me
As stated in previous articles, family history is more than names and dates. Most interesting can be the family stories that have been passed on from one generation to another. Oral traditions are often...
