First Gifts
As I have mentioned over and over, I remember starting into genealogy as a boy and looking at lists of Hagenbuch names, dates, and places from various sources. Back then, one could buy a...
Tagged: Sara “Mowery” Hagenbuch
How It Begins
The other day my eldest son, William, pointed to a photograph hanging on the wall and asked, “Daddy, what is this picture of?” The photo he was referencing was taken during the summer of...
Six Years On
In the late 1970s, historian James Burke hosted a documentary television program called Connections. In each episode, he traced the history of a modern scientific marvel from its humble beginning to fruition. For instance,...
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 House That Hiram Hagenbuch Built
Ever since first seeing the house on the hill in June of 2015, I have been obsessed. Obsessed in wondering what it was like for my great grandparents and their passel of children to...
Christmas Ornaments
The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree during the Christmas season is believed to have started in Germany during the 1500s. Our early Hagenbuch ancestors certainly knew and practiced this custom before coming to...
Deitsch Foods: Turnip Casserole with Semmede
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Hagenbuch family was part of Pennsylvania’s Deitsch culture. Food was important to the Deitsch. So, with this in mind, my wife Sara and I set about to...
Family Recipes: Wintergreen Cake
In a previous article, I recounted visiting with my great aunt, Gloria (Felix) Faus (b. 1931), in southern California and discovering a family recipe for bean chow-chow. The recipe had been given to her...
Holiday Baking, A Family Tradition
Every year, as we approach Christmas and New Years, many families prepare for the time-honored tradition of holiday baking. Looking back, I can fondly remember platters stacked with pressed cookies, powdered snowballs, and sugar...
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...
