Intermountain Chapter AHSGR

Many Thanks

2012-01-29T20:26:00.000-08:00

I managed to forget my camera when I went to the January meeting, but Shawnette did a fantastic job decorating for it. The Valentine's theme was very festive. Shawnette always goes all out, so a giant THANK YOU to her for being such a welcoming and hospitable hostess!

Fan Pedigree

2012-01-29T20:17:00.000-08:00

For those of you who attended our January chapter meeting....here is the site to create your own nine generation fan pedigree: https://createfan.com. It will pull the names right out of family search for you. Even if you need to create a link or two, it goes very quickly. They are absolutely fantastic, and can be printed in several different sizes.

The Ultimate Family History Journey

2012-01-29T19:40:00.000-08:00

Ancestry.com is giving several lucky winners the chance to uncover their stories through The Ultimate Family History Journey™ Sweepstakes.Three Grand Prize winners win the trip of a lifetime to visit their home countries. If you're a winner, the trip will give you the opportunity to learn more about your ancestors and, as a result, more about yourself.In addition to the Grand Prize recipients, 20 First Prize winners will get an Ancestry.com World Explorer membership, which provides access to billions of historical records from all over the world, plus millions of family trees, a helpful community of members and lots of timesaving tools.Go to Ancestry.com/sweeps to enter today. Log in daily through May 18, 2012 for even more chances to win.

Put It on Your Calendar

2012-01-29T19:22:00.000-08:00

There will be no February chapter meeting. The next chapter meeting will be March 17, at the home of Shawnette Malan and Carol Harless, 10001 Hook Drive, South Jordan, at noon.

RootsTech 2012

2012-01-29T19:17:00.000-08:00

The RootsTech 2012 genealogy conference will be held at the Salt Palace on February 2 to 4. There are some free classes sent by live streaming on the computer of the sessions held in room 155. To find out more about the genealogy conference, you can go to: http://rootstech.org/schedule/sessions. If you attend the classes, there is a charge. You can check out the vendors for free.

Story Confirmed

2012-01-24T19:09:00.000-08:00

When I was growing up, my dad had lots of stories that I've spent years confirming. So you'll understand how thrilled I was with my latest find. He was the son of German Russian immigrants. His mother died when he was only two years old, and he spent his early years as a ward of St. Clara's Orphanage in Denver. He ran away from the orphanage at age 12, and one night dug into a farmer's haystack to keep warm. The next morning the farmer came out in the early morning to feed his animals and nearly ran him through with a pitchfork. It scared the farmer so badly that he took my dad in, and my dad lived with the farmer's family for some time. When I was going through the 1930's census I found my dad at age 14, listed as Edward Burkhardt, a lodger with a Hayer family. The name my father had given me was Hayes. Looking at the original record more carefully, I realized that whoever indexed the entry must have had trouble distinguishing that last letter, thus the Hayer instead of Hayes. The Hayes family lived in North Bijou, Colorado, but were originally from Missouri. The family consisted of Thomas Hayes, his wife Rose, son Thomas- age 18, and daughter Mary- age 10. So... another story confirmed.

Next Chapter Meeting

2012-01-04T19:20:00.000-08:00

Saturday, January 28th, is our Intermountain Chapter meeting. There will be another great basket raffle this month, so don't miss your chance to win! Hope to see you there at 10001 Hook Drive, South Jordan. We will start the meeting at 12:00 noon.

Cemetery in Dinkel, Russia

2012-01-04T19:09:00.000-08:00

(These are more of Sharon White's wonderful photos.)

A View of Warenburg, Russia

2012-01-02T17:58:00.000-08:00

I love these pictures shared by Sharon White. Just seeing some of the buildings gives me a feel for the village of my ancestors.

Some Interesting Stats

2012-01-02T17:21:00.000-08:00

For members of the Intermountain Chapter, here is a little info that might be of interest to you. We have now reached almost 5,000 hits on our chapter blog. We have had visits from the United States, Germany, Russia, United Kingdom, Latvia, and Ukraine. The posts that are of most interest seem to be those on particular villages in Russia and the ones that have been submitted by you concerning particular ancestors. So, what does this all mean? Well... people are looking and you just might have some success linking up with other people researching your line. If you haven't gone back in to check for comments on old posts that you have contributed, it would be worth your time. It's a new year, and it is certainly my goal to get more genealogical research done. I hope to make new contacts and hope you will too. Please, keep sending in items of interest about genealogy and your family research. This just might be the year it all pays off!

German Research Learning Opportunities

2012-01-02T12:17:00.000-08:00

www.familysearch.org under free courses has a German Online Learning library with episodes 5-60 minutes long and are very good on handwritting information. The Salt Lake Family History Library offers the following from January through March, 2012: "Handwritting in German Documents" Tues, February 7th, 10-11 A.M. (B1 floor); "Genealogy.net-a Great Resource for German Reseach" Mon, Feb. 27, 9-10a.m. (B1); "European Emigration:The Hamburg Passenger Lists" Tues, March 6th, 11-12 (B1); " GERMAN RESEARCH WORKSHOP" Saturday, January 28, 9am until noon. ***Must register for this one ..either 801-240-4950 or via email FHLClassReg@ldschurch.org ahead of time. No cost. This class would be held right before our January meeting. Harold B. Lee Library, 2nd and 4th Sunday presentations. Course outline can be found athttp://lib.byu.edu/fslab.com(Bottom floor of library) 2250 hbll. OTHER SITE: http://byusunday.blogspot.com/ Library open from 10am-7pm those Sundays. Sun., JAN 8, 1-4PM ; or Sun., JAN 22, 1-4PM; or Sun., FEB 12, 1-4PM; or Sun., FEB 26TH, 1-4PM; or Sun., MAR 11, 1-4PM; or Sun., MARCH 25, 1-4PM. BOTTOM FLOOR...PARKING NEARBY. WOLLENZIEN & DEMONJA WILL ASSIST WITH ANY GERMAN RESEARCH PROBLEM AND TRY TO HELP LOCATE RECORDS. Bring your pedigrees and the information you have available for resources.

Warenburg, Russia

2011-12-27T15:52:00.003-08:00

Water tower

Headstones in the cemetary

Contributed by Sharon White

The Legend of the Nutcracker

2011-12-15T17:32:00.000-08:00

Long ago, in the Ore Mountains of Germany, a little boy lived with his family. The boy and his father were very close, but the father worked long hours in the mines. He would leave very early in the morning for work and did not return until late at night. The boy missed his fagther and was afraid when he was away from home. To ease his son's fears, the father began to carve wooden nutcrackers to protect his son while he was away. He told the boy that the nutcrackers would watch over him and guard him from danger. The boy remained fearful and so the father began making more nutcrackers. He would return from his long hours in the mines and begin a new nutcracker every night. He would make each one unique; a soldier, an artist, a king and so on. The nutcrackers made the boy feel better. They kept him company, protected him and helped him pass the time while his father was away. When the son grew to be a man and had a son of his own, he continued the tradition his father started and began making nutcrackers for his own son. And so the tradition came to be passed from generation to generation. The collection of nutcrackers continued to grow and each generation added its own unique qualities to the nutcrackers.

Events of Interest

2011-12-02T17:22:00.001-08:00

The German Chorus Harmonie Christmas concert will be held: Sunday, Dec. 11, at the Wasatch Presbyterian Church, 1626 S. 1700 W., at7:00 P. M. (This is the group that sang at the SLC convention.) German Market(lunch and gifts): Saturday, December 3, at 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.,at St. John's Lutheran Church, 1030 S. 500 E.

Christmas Party

2011-11-28T20:26:00.000-08:00

The Christmas party will be December 10th from 2 to 4 P. M. at the Golden Corral, 665 E. 7200 S., Midvale.We will be in the private meeting room, and will exchange (wrapped) Christmas ornaments after we eat.Cost for the meal is $9.49. Hope to see you at our Christmas party. It's always lots of fun!

There will not be an Intermountain Chapter meeting in November.

2011-11-03T18:20:00.001-07:00

This Saturday

2011-11-03T18:06:00.000-07:00

November 5, the Family History Library has 5 German Research classes:9:00 A. M., Using German Church Records;10:20 A. M., New Internet Sources and Resources;11:40 A. M., Ask an Expert; Q & A 2:00 P. M., Online Gazeteers and Maps; 3:20 P. M., More Tools for Solving Research Problems.

From the Salt Lake Tribune

2011-10-30T20:04:00.000-07:00

Historians Seeking Utah Law Enforcement MemorabiliaState historians are launching an effort to collect law enforcement memorabilia Utahansmight have stored away.It’s important to save our law enforcement history because its something being lostevery second,” said Melissa Coy Ferguson, the manuscripts curator with the Utah StateHistorical Society.She said many law enforcement journals, booking documents or other old items ofinterest are often tossed because people or agencies don’t know what else to do with them.Some are tucked away in attics or garages.Several families do not understand what they have.Any items donated will be stored and protected for future generations. Everything willbe available to the public upon request to study or look at in the state archives.The Salt Lake City police and fire departments are also looking for any historical itemsinvolving people who served in either agency so they can be displayed in a museum to behoused in the new Public Safety Building slated to open in 2013.It is hard to part with your family’s memorabilia. Those with donations are asked to callthe Salt Lake City police at 801-799-3000 and ask for Mike Ross.Anyone with any other items to donate to the state are asked to call Melissa CoyFerguson at 801-533-3550. Remember to protect those items of historical value and consider donating to aworthy cause when the time comes. Ensure the items are protected properly atall times. What items are stored in your attic or garage that could be shared?Always be aware of what items are in your possession; ensure they are itemized.(Thanks to Dee Hert for sharing this article with us.)

Don't Forget

2011-10-19T20:29:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, October 22, is our Intermountain Chapter meeting. There's lots of great stuff in the basket raffle this month, so don't miss your chance to win! Hope to see you there at 10001 Hook Drive, South Jordan. We will start the meeting at 12:00 noon.

Russia, 2003

2011-10-16T18:53:00.000-07:00

The top picture is Sharon White on her cruise on the Volga River. The second photo was taken in front of the home of Sharon's Kisling ancestors in Warenburg.

Additional Resources Available for Chapter Member Use

2011-10-15T21:38:00.000-07:00

Dee Hert has the following new resources:

Maps: 1-70, (exceptions are the color maps)

Books:

A Century of Russian Mennonite History in America, Harley J. Stucky

The Heritage of the Swiss Volhynia Mennonites, Solomon Stucky

The Pioneer Hymnal

Dorf Buch, Landes- und Kulturgeschichte, Sudkicher Vogelsberg

The German Research Companian, Riemer, Minert, and Anderson

(Just for your information, Dee has agreed to be the village coordinator for Alexanderdorf.)

Annette Reynolds has the following new resources:

Census:

1857 of Warenburg

Books:

German Food & Folkways, R M H Gueldner

Paradise on the Steppe, Joseph S. Height

The Czar's Germans, Hattie Plum Williams

Deciphering Gothic Records, Fay S. Dearden

The German Research Companion, Riemer, Minert, Anderson

Finding Your German Ancestors, Kevan M. Hansen

Memories of Kazakhstan, Berta Bachman

from Catherine to Khrushchev, Giesinger

Handbook for Researching Family Roots, Diane J. Wandler

Map Guide to German Parish Registers, Kevan M. Hansen, for the following areas:
Sachsen III,Bavaria I, Hessen, Hessen- Nassau I, Hessen- Nassau II

Both Dee and Annette are willing to bring their resources to Chapter meetings.

October Meeting

2011-10-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

This is just a reminder that the next Intermountain chapter meeting will be October 22nd. It will be held at the home of Shawnette Malan and Carol Harless, 10001 Hook Drive, South Jordan. We will start the meeting at 12:00 noon. Everyone will bring food to share. We will eat during the meeting.

Shawnette Malan will be the hostess. Annette Reynolds won the raffle basket at the last meeting and will provide the basket for this meeting. Bill and Karen will be attending the National Board meeting in Lincoln next week and will give us more information about the convention. Sharon White will give a presentation about her trip to Russia in 2003. She was in Moscow, Saratov, the Engels Archive, and five of her Volga Villages: Laub, Kukkus, Warenburg, Straub and Dinkel.

September Plans

2011-08-31T17:24:00.000-07:00

In September we will go to the Oktoberfest at Snowbird for our chapter meeting. We enjoyed this last year. We will go as a group on September 17. If you want to carpool, we will meet at the home of Sharon White, 3285 E. Ruskin Court, Sandy, at 12noon. If you are not able to join us, Oktoberfest will start the weekend of August 20 and end October 9. The Alphorns perform at Hidden Peak each weekend at 3:15 P. M. The last tram is at 3:00 P. M. Entering Oktoberfest is free, but you have to pay to ride the tram.

Hope to see everyone!

AHSGR Convention Youth Activities

2011-08-18T17:50:00.000-07:00

August Meeting

2011-08-13T16:50:00.000-07:00

The next AHSGR Intermountain Chapter meeting will be August 27th. We will meet at 1:00 P.M. at the home of Shawnette Malan and Carol Harless, 10001 Hook Drive, South Jordan. Everyone will bring food to share and we will eat during the meeting. Shawnette will be the hostess.

Sausage Demonstration

2011-08-11T18:30:00.000-07:00

Brett Reynolds instructed participants on the art of sausage making. His demonstration was both informative and delicious as he had many samples there for people to enjoy. All of the cooking demonstrations were held at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Other cooking classes were given on making kuchen and German noodles.

Polka Time and Dance

2011-08-11T18:22:00.000-07:00

All who attended enjoyed themselves either listening to the music or dancing to the Polkatonics on Friday night. There was a large youth group there as well as other attendees, and they enjoyed learning some of the dances from those who knew them. What a great evening!

Welcome Night

2011-08-04T10:13:00.000-07:00

The Lt. Governor of Utah welcomed everyone to Utah with his introduction in our German language. He shared his feelings on the importance of remembering our heritage and how great a sacrifice our ancestors made to ensure we could enjoy the blessings of being in the best country in the world. Mark Seely and Mel Bashore shared the historical significance of the handcart and other means of transportation in Utah's history. They shared stories about the challenges and the rewards of perseverance of reaching our goals. The last half of the welcome night entertainment was offered by Kerry Christensen who shared his talents on the accordion and Zither. His world-class singing and yodeling voice richly blessed us in a lot of our favorite songs. His talents covered many of our favorite songs of past and present.

Joe Gertge

AHSGR Convention in SLC

2011-08-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

Wow! It is day three of the convention and great things are happening. The Intermountain Chapter is working hard along with many other great volunteers. Browse through the pictures and see how things are going with registration, book store, library, vendors, and Heritage Hall. There is a raffle for the beautiful quilts. There's still time, so buy some tickets!

Mystery Solved

2011-07-30T20:49:00.000-07:00

Of course there is still much I'd like to know, but my brother had an amazing find this week. For years we've both been trying to find out more about the event that lead to our uncle's death. My uncle, Albert Burghardt, died in San Diego, California, piloting an aircraft in 1933. He was a first generation American, born to German Russian immigrants. I knew that he was in the Navy and what his injuries were, but that was all. While searching on the Internet, my brother finally solved the mystery.

Keep in mind that in 1933, an enlisted man who learned to fly could become a pilot, regardless of his original M.O.S. Also, wrecks were were so common from failures, that dying in a plane crash really spoke little to a pilot's competence.

James Herman Banning was the first licensed African American male pilot in the nation. He and another African American pilot, Thomas C. Allen, became the first African American pilots to fly coast-to-coast from Los Angeles to Long Island, NY, in 1932. Using a plane pieced together from junkyard parts, they made the 3,300 mile trip. The pilots had to raise money each time they stopped.

Banning was refused the use of an airplane by the Airtech Flying school in San Diego because he was an African American man and not believed to be a capable pilot. My uncle, who was a Navy pilot, took the plane up with Banning as a passenger in the biplane. Banning was sitting in the front open cockpit during a San Diego air show at Camp Kearney. The plane stalled and fell into a fatal spin in front of 2,000 people who witnessed the plane hurtle to the earth and crackup. Banning died an hour after the crash, and was hailed as a martyr who made the supreme sacrifice.

My uncle died three days later. I feel sad that the newspaper article I read maligned him as an incompetent and gave him no credit for his contribution considering that time in history. Banning was significant in early aviation, but as a family, we are proud of my uncle and the his determination as well.

Footsteps From the Past To the Future

2011-07-26T17:55:00.000-07:00

Don't forget the International AHSGR Convention being held August 1- August 7 at Little America in Salt Lake City. There will be many genealogy workshops and great speakers. Along with that, there's the bookstore, youth activities, vendors, village displays, and more! Hope to see you there.

Post Convention Classes

2011-07-14T20:08:00.000-07:00

Monday, August 8

7:30 AM - Meet Shawnette Malan in the Little America Hotel lobby for a guided tour (via TRAX) to the Family History Library.

8:00-9:00 AM - Library Orientation (meet in the main floor classroom of the Family History Library). The library staff will welcome us and give us a multi-media presentation/orientation of the library. German-Russian research helps (specific to the library) will be given.

12:00-1:00 PM - Free Class "What's New in German Research on the Internet" (Baerbel Johnson, instructor. Meet in the B-1 classroom)

Tuesday, August 9

12:00-1:30 PM - Free Class "Reading and Evaluating German Documents" (Barbara Bell, CG, AG, instructor. Meet in the B-1 classroom)

Wednesday, August 10

12:00-1:00 PM - Free Class "German Jurisdictions" (Barbara Bell, CG, AG, instructor. Meet in the B-1 classroom)

Saturday, July 9th

2011-07-04T15:42:00.000-07:00

The chapter meeting will be at 12:00 noon at the home of Shawnette Malan and Carol Harless, 10001 Hook Drive, South Jordan. Bring an appetizer to share. The basket raffle will be provided by Gwen Oryall. Suzanne Heinitz-Dodge will be the hostess.

Happy Birthday

2011-06-26T08:23:00.001-07:00

Our fabulous and energetic Suzanne Heinitz-Dodge is celebrating her 70th birthday this week. She is an active member of the Intermountain Chapter AHSGR, and does so much to serve our chapter. Just wanted to let you all know that we love Suzanne and appreciate all her hard work! Wishing you a fantastic birthday Suzanne.

June Chapter Meeting

2011-05-30T18:16:00.000-07:00

The next Intermountain chapter AHSGR meeting will be June 18, at the home of Shawnette Malan and Carol Harless, 10001 Hook Drive, South Jordan. The time of the meeting will be different--we will meet at 2:00 P. M. Everyone will bring appetizers and we will eat during or before the chapter meeting. Sharon White and Dee Hert will be the hostesses.

We will have a work meeting starting at 10:30 P.M. We will work on things to be done for the convention.

Benzel Reunion

2011-05-30T18:02:00.000-07:00

Calling all Benzel descendants to join the festivities being planned for a gathering the summer of 2012.

Our most senior Benzel to date is Valentin Benzel, born Engheim Germany and died
1798 in Kautz, Russia. Valentin married Anna Elizabeth Koch. The family also lived in
Kolb, Russia.

Known children are - Jacob, Anna K., Johann U, Phillip, Maria E, Maria M, Adam, Anna
M, and Georg A.

Please feel free to contact Dee Hert at 801-967-5915 for further details.

Worth Watching

2011-05-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

On Guy Fieri’s Food Network TV show, “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives,” one of the eating spots featured will be “Lauer Krauts” in Brighton, Colorado. This is a German-Russian restaurant (now about five years old) that serves up “Krautburgers” (Volga German-style “Bierocks”), “Riwwel Kuga” (Coffee Cake), and other Old Country delicacies. The Lauers are of Volga German background and trace their ancestry to the colony of Rothammel [Pamyatnaya] in Russia.

The show that features “Lauer Krauts” will air on Monday evening, May 16. Check your TV listings as it will air at different times in different parts of the country (7 PM MST; 8 PM CST; etc.). The episode is titled “From Kraut to Cous Cous” and will be on the Food Network.

For more information about the restaurant itself, check out this site:

http://lauer-krauts.com/default.aspx

May Meeting

2011-05-13T19:35:00.000-07:00

The next meeting is Saturday, May 21st, at the home of Shawnette Malan and Carol Harless, 10001 Hook Drive, South Jordan. We will meet at 12:00 noon and everyone will bring appetizers. We will eat during the meeting. Sharon White will provide the May raffle basket and will do the May "Bits and Pieces." Shawnette Malan will be the hostess.

Things That Are Precious

2011-05-02T20:12:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's because I really don't have any family heirlooms from my father's side of the family that I am attracted to items discarded by other families who don't seem to know what treasures they have. Case in point is this chalk portrait I picked up for just $6.00 as a bid item at Deseret Industries years ago. I look at that little face and think, "Gee, someone ought to love you." So, I do. It is obviously old; even the little square nails in the frame attest to that.

Then there is this old quilt top that I found just last weekend in an antique shop in Colorado for just $20.00. It is unquilted and hand stitched- no sewing machine stitches at all. The fabric is vintage, and a little stained like someone left it in the sun and spilled something on it. Since I'm a quilter myself, I know how much love goes into a quilt top, and again, someone ought to love it.

Last but not least, is this little toy china cabinet made from a crate. I first saw it thrown in a heap with a bunch of junk. When I asked my neighbor about it, she told me it was made by her brother-in-law before World War II. He served in the Navy and died when his ship was sunk during the war. Several weeks later my youngest son pulled it out of the dumpster and brought it to me because he loved old things, just like me.

So, where am I going with all of this? I guess I'm saying take care of your family treasures. Collect everything you've got, be it documents, photos, letters, or objects. Assess and archive those items as to purpose, for research or as part of your story. Then write the story, so that your treasures don't end up at my house.

May 21st

2011-04-29T20:24:00.000-07:00

The next meeting is Saturday, May 21st, at the home of Shawnette Malan and Carol Harless, at 10001 Hook Drive, South Jordan. We will meet at 12:00 noon and everyone will bring appetizers. Sharon White will provide the May raffle basket and will do the May "Bits and Pieces." Shawnette will be the hostess.

FOOTSTEPS From the Past To the Future

2011-04-29T18:28:00.000-07:00

To register for the AHSGR 2011 Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah, call 1-800-437-5288. It will be held July 31- August 7, at the Little America Hotel.

April Meeting

2011-04-09T14:13:00.000-07:00

The April 16 chapter meeting will be held at the home of Shawnette Malan and Carol Harless: 10001 Hook Drive, South Jordan. We will meet at 12:00 noon. Everyone will bring appetizers and we will eat during the meeting. The host and hostess will be Pat and Shirley Ansley. The April raffle basket will be provided by Joe Gertge. Joe will also do the April Bits and Pieces.

Be sure to bring things for Gwen to sell at her yard sale if you have anything. She is trying to raise money to fund the youth activities at the convention.

2011-04-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

Globeville, Colorado Rocky Mountain News, May 13, 1901

The mysterious shooting of Mrs. Anna Wiederspahn, at the home of Louis Loos, in Globeville, early Sunday morning has roused the town to excitement and speculation.

One minute before the tragedy she was kneeling at the bedside of Loos' wife, ministering in love and kindness to the woman who was passing through the critical period of motherhood, and the next she passed into the kitchen where a shot was fired. A light was struck and she was found lying in a pool of blood with a
bullet wound in her left temple. This was at 2:00 Sunday morning and since then the authorities have vainly endeavored to solve the puzzle of her death. Close by her side lay a .38 caliber revolver, but there were no signs that she had committed suicide. Her face bore no marls of powder buns and her family says she could never be induced to handle a weapon.

Many believe the shooting, while probably accidental, was the act of Loos, the husband of the woman Mrs. Weiderspahn, as she was known by her neighbors, went to wait. Loos is in a desperate mood over the shooting and has, according to several citizens of Globeville, told conflicting stories.

Ex-Marshall Johnson says Loos came to him a few minutes after the shooting and said he had killed Mrs. Weiderspahn. The family of the dead woman say that Mr. Loos appeared at their home in great excitement saying his brother had killed the woman. Mr. Loos yesterday said the death was accidental and offers no satisfactory account of the tragedy. He has not been arrested, as his protestations of innocence are taken in good faith, and the two families have been on very intimate terms.

Important light is thrown on the mystery by William Wheeler of 1723 Thirty-fifth street, and Dan Corkey of Globeville. They were coming from a dance at Argo, and passed the Loos house about 2:00 in the morning. They say they distinctly heard four shots fired. Joseph Heim, town magistrate, examined the weapon and found it contained five empty shells.

Mrs. Weiderspahn was a prominent member of the Lutheran church of Globeville. As an intimate friend of the Loos family, she was called to their home about midnight of Saturday to render services to Mrs. Loos. Mr. Loos says she came, and went at once into the little bedroom off the kitchen. There she kneeled down by Mrs. Loos' bedside and prayed silently for a few minutes. Earlier in the evening, he says, he moved his revolver and other articles from the bedroom out onto the kitchen table. He says the gun was covered by some children's clothes.

After praying, he says, Mrs. Weiderspahn stepped into the kitchen. At that time he claims to have been in the front room sitting on the bed. He heard a shot and the light in the kitchen suddenly went out. When he struck a match he saw Mrs. Weiderspan lying on the floor, a stream of blood flowing from her left temple,
and the gun about three feet from her head. He roused the neighbors and went at once for his pastor and other citizens.

This is the story of the husband, told yesterday. On the night of the shooting he appeared greatly excited, and first told that his brother had done the shooting and next that he was "fooling" with the gun and accidentally shot Mrs. Weiderspahn.

A large crowd gathered at the Loos home, but the body was not disturbed until the coroner came. A close examination of Mrs. Weiderspahn's face did not reveal any powder marks and the weapon lay at some distance from her head. Her daughter, Miss Anna, says that she had a horror of firearms and the day before had refused to pick up a book that lay near one. It is not believed she would find the gun under the clothes on the table and handle it in a way to shoot herself.

T. F. Johnson was the first to examine the body and the kitchen closely. He found no signs of struggle and no signs indicating suicide. All talk of suicide is ridiculed by Mrs. Weidersphan's family and her pastor. She attended prayer meeting on the night of her death and made an unusually strong testimony, full of faith and hope, and is said to have been a model woman.

When the body was found it lay in the southeast corner of the kitchen in a diagonal position with the head near the wall, in the corner. The revolver was not near her hands.

Mrs. Weiderspahn was the wife of George Wiederspahn. She had six children, Anna, Amelia, Pauline, Jacob, and George. The family was grief stricken and the husband was almost crazed. The family home is at 377 North Logan Avenue, Globeville, and the husband is a laborer on the tramway. The Loos and Weiderspahn families lived in Russia together some twenty years ago. Their homes stood side by side, and the two families have always been intimate. Both families have lived in Globeville for about six years.

Loos is said to have been a somewhat unsavory reputation since coming to Globeville. He has been mixed up in several brawls and is said to have made the statement that nothing was ever said of a killing in Russia.

He was much perturbed throughout yesterday. It is stated by some of the neighbors that he had been drinking on Saturday. Loos' wife gave birth to a baby girl an hour after the shooting.

The Loos home is an unpretentious little dwelling on East Second Street, in the extreme western part of Globeville, not far from the Argo smelter. The kitchen in which Mrs. Weiderspahn met her death is small. No windows were up at the time of the shooting, and no shot could have entered from the outside.

The bullet wound does not bear the statement regarding suicide. While it is believed that someone else held the revolver from which the fatal shot was fired, it is not held that the killing was malicious. It is considered entirely accidental. There are no powder marks on the head about the wound. The bullet went straight in over the left ear and caused instant death. Statements of witnesses, as well as the facts concerning the condition of the body, will be submitted to the corner's jury.

The coroner was informed that Loos has been in trouble before. Justice of the Peace Heim said last night that Loos had a fight with Carl Goertz in a saloon on North Logan Avenue in February, assault to kill, said the justice, and was withdrawn.

Loos' statement to the officers is as follows: "About 12:00 Saturday night my wife told me to go over to Mrs. Weiderspahn's house and bring her to her. Mrs. Weiderspahn had acted as a mid-wife in the neighborhood, so she was the one my wife called for. I went directly, woke her up and told her my wife wanted her. She got up and I waited for her until she was ready to go.

"We then started out for my house. I had a 38-caliber revolver in my hip pocket. When we got to my house, I took the revolver out of my pocket and placed it on the table. I took a linen rag that was hanging on a chair and rubbed it over the barrel of the gun and then turned around and put it down again, and told Mrs. Weiderspahn that I was going to bed. She said all right. I went into the adjoining room and lay down on the bed, and was not awakened until I heard the discharge of the revolver.

"I jumped up and ran into the kitchen where she was and saw her lying on the floor with her head toward the window, dead. I picked her up in my arms and said Oh, Mrs. Weiderspahn, for God's sake are you dead? I could not stop any longer so I ran over to find the marshal to tell him but I could not get him. Then the neighbors came in"

Anna Margaret Schoessler-Weiderspahn was born 19 July 1873 in Walter Russia. Her parents were George and Anna Margaret Alles also of Walter.

Enjoying the 2010 Lincoln Convention

2011-03-29T20:19:00.000-07:00

Bill and Karen Dellos with Sharon White at the Saturday night banquet.

From Suzanne Heinitz- Dodge...

2011-03-21T18:30:00.000-07:00

Wm Staerkel did indeed move on from the pastorship at Eckheim to Norka. Staerkel was a huge influence on the development of the Brotherhood in Russia and how it set its course in the U.S., Canada, and Argentina.

Ginko Biloba

2011-03-19T18:36:00.000-07:00

This tree's leaf that from the East
To my garden's been intrusted
Holds a secret sense, and grist
To a man intent on knowledge.

Is it one, this thing alive,
By and in itself divided,
Or two beings who connive
That as one the world shall see them?

Fitly now I can reveal
What the pondered question taught me;
In my songs do you not feel
That at once I'm one and double?

Johann Wofgang von Goethe

Conrad Hert’s Lost Granddaughter

2011-03-12T21:26:00.000-08:00

By Dee Hert

(This is a continuation of an earlier blog post on Conrad Hert's family.)

In 1910 the family immigrated to the US aboard the US Burma, landing at the port in New York
City. They traveled west to the state of Montana. More and more immigrants from Russia were settling in the area, the customs of the old country were being preserved.

Conrad’s youngest daughters began dating 2 young men of Philippine heritage of which Conrad
did not approve. Lillian married Marsh Romias and Pauline married Martin Ujano and moved
to California. The families did not stay in contact with each other due to Conrad’s disapproval. Years passed and Lillian and Pauline had children of their own. As the children grew older they questioned their parents about other family members.

Where were Conrad’s lost grandchildren?

I decided it was time to locate Conrad’s grandchildren. I knew after talking to family members that Pauline had married Martin Ujano and were last reported to be living in California. I searched for all Ujano mailing addresses in California and sent a letter explaining who I was and the purpose of the letter. Months past with no response. Then I received a phone call from Christine Ujano Carper, Conrad’s lost granddaughter. One of the letters had been received by her cousin in California and forwarded to Chris in Alaska.

After many conversations and a Hert reunion in Montana we have become close friends; I value
her friendship. Chris and I have worked together on the family research. She has introduced
me to her family members and family members of her Aunt Lillian.

Chris and her husband live in Alaska and love to go salmon fishing, now and then she surprises us with a box of delicious salmon.

Schmeckfes

2011-03-02T18:25:00.000-08:00

A German Festival of Tasting
Friday, March 25th, 2011

Lustre Christian High School
Luster, Montana

Serving Time: 5:00-7:00 p.m.
$12 Adults ~ $6 Age 5- Grade 8 ~ Preschool Free

*Arts & Crafts Display*Bake Sale*Benefit Auction*
*Local Entertainment*

A night for the whole family to enjoy! For directions and information call LCHS at 392-5735 or go to our website Schmeckt
www.lustrechristian.org

Advance Tickets Available

Baker’s Jewelry in Glasgow
Sonlight Christian Bookstore &
Gysler’s Ace Hardware in Wolf Point

Gut!

March Meeting

2011-02-27T07:24:00.000-08:00

Our next chapter meeting will be Saturday, March 19, 2011 at noon. Everyone will bring appetizers to eat during the meeting. We will meet at the American Heritage Retirement Community Clubhouse, 3040 Homecrest Street, West Valley City. The hostess will be Gwen Oryall. Bill and Karen Dellos will provide the raffle basket.

Conrad and Lydia Hert Family

2011-02-23T20:26:00.000-08:00

Conrad was born 1 January 1868, in Alexanderdorf, Russia. He died 10 May 1943, in Hardin, Big Horn, Montana. His death certificate states that his father was Georg Hert and mother was Katherine Marie Gable.

Lydia was born 20 December 1874, in Alexanderdorf, Russia. She died 10 October 1952, in Toppenish,Yakima, Washington; she was buried beside her husband in Hardin, Montana, at the Fairview Cemetery. Lydia’s parents are unknown at this time.

Known children:
Susanna, born in 1898 in Russia. She died in 1961 in Yakima, Washington. She married Georg Herdt and Russell Lessard.

Gottlieb born in 1899 in Alexanderdorf, Russia. He died in 1964 in Hardin, Montana. He married Pauline Weidersphan.

Katherine was born in 1902 in Russia. She died in 1970 in Missoula, Montana. She married George Fellows.

Jacob was born in 1904 in Russia. He died in 1962 in Portland, Oregon. He married Tina Wiebert.

Georg John was born in 1907 in Alexanderdorf, Russia. He died in 1974 in Billings, Montana. He married Edith Dumler and Ruby Devous.

Carl was born in 1909 in Alexanderdorf, Russia. He died in 1983 in Yakima, Washington. He married Eva Dumler.

Alexander Hert was born in 1911 in Huntley, Montana. He died in 1972 in Hardin, Montana. He married Sarah Schilreff.

Samuel Hert was born in 1913 in Custer, Montana,and died in 1988, in Billings, Montana. He married Leah Steinmetz.

Lillian Hert was born in 1916 in Custer, Montana,and died in 1944 in Eureka, California. She married Marsh Romias and Ted Edelman.

William Hert was born in 1918 in Hardin, Montana,and died in 1972 in Hardin, Montana. He married Pauline Sharpe.

Pauline Hert was born in 1920 in Hardin, Montana, and died in 1939 in Hardin, Montana. She married Marin Ujano.

Conrad and wife Lydia (Stark) immigrated in 1910,and arrived New York.

Ellis Island records note the following:
Hert, Konrad, ethnicity-Russian, German, Place of residence- Alexanderthal, Russia, Date of arrival-July 20, 1910, Age on arrival-38 years, Male-Married, Ship-"Burma", Port of departure was Libau, Posen, Prussia, Germany. Passengers are listed as, Conrad and Lidia,
children Gottlieb, Jacob, George, Carl, Susan and Catherine.

In 1912, Conrad is noted as witness at the area wedding of Henry Reichert and Mary E. Zier.

1920 Census, Montana, Big Horn county:
Conrad and Lydia, Gottlieb, Katherine, George, Carl, Alex, Sam, Lillie and William

1930 Census, Montana, Big Horn county.

May 10,1943,Conrad died. The death certificate lists Mrs. Lydia Hert as informant. Conrad is listed as 75 years, 4 months, and 9 days, birthplace Russia. He lived in the area for 28 years.

Aunt Delilah states that the land Conrad farmed was unplowed sod.

Conrad finalized the payment on his property in Big Horn county Montana; the county informed him that annual tax payments would be expected. Conrad became angry and walked away from his home. His poor command of the English language probably explains this action. He purchased another piece of property nearby and resumed farming.

(Contributed by Dee Hert)

February Meeting

2011-02-02T16:04:00.000-08:00

The next chapter meeting will be held on February 19, 2011, at 12:00 noon. It will be at the American Heritage Retirement Community Clubhouse, 3040 Homecrest Street, West Valley City. Everyone will meet at noon. Bring an appetizer to share, and we'll eat during the meeting. Mike and Debbie Beier will provide the raffle basket. Dee Hert will be the hostess.

Anna Margaret Schoessler Wiederspahn

2011-01-27T19:23:00.000-08:00

Anna was born 19 July 1873 in Walter, Russia. She was the daughter of Georg Schoessler and Anna Margaret Alles. Anna married George Wiedershpahn in 1893. She lived most of her adult life at the Lincoln sanitarium. She died 6 December 1960 in Lincoln, Nebraska, and is buried at the Wyuka cemetery.

Annie spent 50 years, 3 months, and 9 days of her life as a patient at the Lincoln State Hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska. Her death certificate indicates she suffered from manic depressive psychosis. Annie would have been a young woman, approximately 37 years old with seven young children at the time of her admital to the hospital.

Adult children did not speak of Annie, her grandchildren were not aware that she was living at the hospital. Grandchildren grew up assuming their grandmother was deceased.

Family members later heard stories of Annie attempting throw a baby from the window of a moving train; to date we have no way to prove or disprove the accuracy of this information.

Known children of Anna Margaret Schoessler and Geroge John Wiedersphan are:

George, 1894-1899; Jacob, 1896-1986; Conrad, 1898-1986; George, 1901-1967; Amelia, 1903-1995; Pauline, 1906-1958; and Benjamin, 1908-1979. Pauline would later marry Gottlieb Hert and lived in Montana.

Mr. Georg Wiederspahn was born 21 October 1870 in Walter, Russia, and died 30 April 1945 in Marysville, California. George later remarried and had two additional children.

Contributed by Dee Hert

January Elections

2011-01-22T20:04:00.000-08:00

Today was our first chapter meeting of the new year. Elections were held for this year's officers. Many thanks go out to our past president, Carol Harless. Also, big thanks to Shirley Ansley, who served as treasurer, and Suzanne Heinitz-Dodge who published the chapter newsletter. These are the changes:

President: Bill Dellos
President Elect: Dee Hert
Treasurer: Darrell Weber
Chapter Newsletter: Pat and Shirley Ansley

All other officers will remain the same. We are off and running. AHSGR Convention 2011 (Salt Lake City), here we come!

January Meeting

2011-01-13T18:03:00.000-08:00

You are invited to the Intermountain Chapter meeting, January 22, 2011. We will meet at 1:00 P. M. The meeting will be at the American Heritage Retirement Community Clubhouse, 3040 Homecrest Street, West Valley City.

Bill Dellos will take over the chapter president's job.
We will have the election of our chapter officers at this meeting.
Bill would like all of the Convention Committee Chairmen to attend the chapter meeting.

Everyone is to bring appetizers. We will eat during the meeting. Another group will meet later so we will need to leave the clubhouse by 4:30 P. M.

Gwen Oryall won the raffle drawing in Dec. and will furnish the basket for the January meeting.

More Yummy Recipes

2010-12-28T11:51:00.000-08:00

Zimtsteme

(Cinnamon Stars)
A Christmas Cookie

Re-roll dough scraps, cut and glaze as
needed.

Removed before glaze starts to brown.

Cool on wire racks. Store in covered
cookie tins for two weeks.

------------------------

2-3 cups ground unblanched almonds
1-2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
4 egg whites
dash of salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Combine 2 cups of the ground almonds
with cinnamon in mixing bowl, set aside.

In a separate bowl, use a mixer to beat
egg whites and salt until frothy.

Gradually add powdered sugar while
beating; beat mixture 5 more minutes.

Blend remaining egg white batter into
almond mixture; add lemon juice and
lemon zest.

Knead dough by hand and let dough rest
at least 10 minutes.

Dust a pastry board with powdered
sugar.

Gently press dough onto pastry board
with your :fingers until 1/3 inch thick.
(Dough will be sticky, add more ground
almonds as needed.)

Carefully cut the dough with a 3 inch
star shaped cookie cutter and place on
baking sheet.

Brush each star with egg white glaze.

In a preheated oven at 275 degrees F,
bake 20 minutes on greased cookie
sheet.

Bratlpfel

(Baked Apples)

4 tart green apples (Granny Smith)
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup honey
4 Tablespoons butter

Hollow out the apples by removing the
core, making a well, but not removing
the bottom.

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl to
create the filling.

Place the apples in a shallow baking pan.

. Stuff the apples with the filling.

Bake apples at 350 degrees F for 30 to
40 minutes, until apples are tender.

Serve hot with vanilla ice cream.

(I borrowed these recipes from Sharon White's Warenburg Newsletter. They just looked too good to pass up!)

Kuchen

2010-12-25T20:07:00.000-08:00

I hate to admit that this was my first ever attempt at baking kuchen, but it turned out beautifully. I used one of the recipes in our Intermountain Chapter Cookbook. Here you can see my handsome grandson holding the pan of kuchen that I made for our Christmas Eve dinner and party. Wishing you all a merry and blessed Christmas!

Weigant History

2010-12-25T19:50:00.000-08:00

My grandparents, the Weigants and Spahns, came from a Volga town called Pfeifer. They lived only a few blocks away from each other. Casper Weigant and Susanna Spahn were married in Pfeifer and were among the late Russian German immigrants to the USA. They departed Pfeifer March 12, 1914, by train to Bremen, Germany, and then onto the Steamship SS Breslau. They arrived in Boston Harbor, having spent $32 for the third-class passage.
Susie and Casper were married in Russia and saved up enough money to come to America with the help of John, Casper's brother. John told them there was plenty of work in America. They left Russia with only $33 on them. Their passage across the Atlantic took three weeks. Susie said she saw mermaids in the water, but it was probably seaweed. The journey from the German colonies to an area along the Russian Volga River, and then to North America, was not an easy one. It involved numerous modes of transportation, including trains and ships. The trans-Atlantic portion could take as little as two weeks or as long as a couple of months, depending upon the weather conditions, the age of the ship, the time of year, and many other factors. The reason for such a long trips was that in the north sea, the ships did not travel at night because of the risk of hitting an ice burg. So they would stay motionless while waiting for the morning light. Susie was pregnant with son Casper, my dad, during the trip to the U.S. She gave birth to my dad in Minnesota on October 3, 1914. Soon after that they moved to Oregon with my Great Uncle John.

(Contributed by Robert Weigant.)

More on Pfeifer, Russia

2010-12-23T20:45:00.000-08:00

Today the village of Pfeifer is an unpopulated city of ruins, except for a small store. At one time the city had 89 families. Surely everyone knew each other in this small town. In 1888 there were no more then 1500 people there. The land was divided among the families according to the number of males.

After 1881, Russian Germans were required to study Russian in school and lost all their remaining special privileges. Many Germans remained in Russia, particularly those who had done well as Russia began to industrialise in the late 19th century.

Many of these Germans hoped to find an escape from political repression. They also desired to preserve their old way of life. As nationalism grew in central Europe, the Russian government could no longer justify the special status of its German colonists. In 1870 they announced a Russification plan that would end all special privileges by 1880.

Mennonites were particularly alarmed at the possibility of losing their exemption from military service and their right for schools to use the German language, which they believed was necessary to maintain their cultural and religious life. A number of delegates journied to Petersburg after meeting with the czar and returned with positive reports of good land available in Manitoba, Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. Many of their descendants are living in these places today.

(Contributed by Robert Weigant.)

History of Fredrich and Marie Kathryn Schmidt Benzel

2010-12-21T18:42:00.000-08:00

Fred was born 14 June 1885, in Kolb, (Peskovatka) Russia and died 1973, in Hardin, Big Horn, Montana.

Kathryn was born 2 August 1889, in Neu Messer, Russia and died 29 June 1965, Hardin, Montana. Kathryn never learned to speak English, her parents and other members of her family remaining in Russia starved to death during the famine.

Fred and Marie Kathryn were married in Kolb, Russia, January 2, 1911, and immigrated to the United States aboard the ship, “Bruntenburg”, arriving at Baltimore, Maryland. Tragedy struck the young family as their infant son Fredrick died at sea.

Fred and Kathryn traveled to Ritzville, Washington where they rented a farm from 1912 through 1917. Sons Fred and Arthur were born in Tacoma and Ritzville. Fred Sr. decided to leave Washington in 1917 and relocated the family to Rifle, Colorado; joining his brother John. Four children were born in Rifle; Edward, Carl, Mary, and Hilda.

Another move took the growing family to Hardin, Big Horn, Montana to begin farming sugar beets for Great Western Sugar Beet Company. Children John, Harold, and Lora were born in Hardin.

 Lora Benzel married Charles Raymond Hert in Hardin, Montana
 John Benzel remained on the family homestead and farms sugar beets with his sons and grandsons.
 Benzel family reunion is scheduled for July 2012 in Hardin, Montana

Fred and Kathryn lived the remainder of their lives in Hardin. Fred was described as fair haired with blue eyes. Kathryn was olive skinned, dark hair with brown eyes. Fred was very strong willed, insisting that the men eat first at family functions, children next and women last. His word was law. Kathryn was described as warm and loving. While the men sat in the living room the women gathered in the kitchen to chat. Children learned at a young age to remain seated and quiet around grandpa.

Fred’s family:
Father- Georg Heinrich (1848 Kolb –1920 Kolb)
Mother- Maria Katrina Schmidt (1848 Neu Messer – 1920 Kolb)

Grandfather – Johannes (1809 Kolb – unk Kolb)
Grandmother-Barbara, surname unknown (born 1807 – unk Kolb)

G Grandfather –Johann Uhlich (1773 Kautz – 1847 Kolb)
G Grandmother- Maria Dorothea Achziger (1775 Kolb – 1850 Kolb)

GG Grandfather-Valentine (1747 Engheim, Germany – 1798 Kautz)
GG Grandmother- Anna E. Koch (Germany – Kautz)

Marie’s family:
Father – Henry (1866 Neu Messer death date unknown)
Mother – Katrina Scheibel (1868 – 1921 Neu Messer)

Grandfather – Peter Schmidt (1833 – death date unknown)
Grandmother – unknown.

(Contributed by Dee Hert.)

The Winch

2010-12-16T15:44:00.000-08:00

I thought you might like to have the winch, spoken of in the previous post, in a more complete form. So here it is:

The Winch (“Wunsch” or “Wuensch”)
“Ich wuensch eich ein Gluckseliges Neujahr, langes Leben, Gesundheit, Frieden und Einigheit, nach eirem Tod die ewige Gluckseligkeit.”
Translation: I wish you a Happy New Year, long life, health, peace and harmony, and after your death eternal happiness.
(This first small section above is about all that most of my generation ever knew, but if you knew more you might add…)
“Und das Liebe Jesulein im Grublein soll eir nei Jahr sein.”
The translation? Perhaps something like this: And may the dear Jesus meditate for all of you in the New Year.
The host would reply---
Des wuensche mir eich ach!
Translation: Wish you the same.

Wunschen

2010-12-15T20:18:00.000-08:00

"Wunschen" (wish) is a tradition which has been passed down through generations of Germans from Russia and is still in existence and practiced today. This tradition is a somewhat common event among those descendants of Germans who came to the United States
from Russia during the middle of the 19th century, and later.

It is a practice which takes place on New Year's Day and involves relatives and friends visiting each other throughout the day. These visits are still made today to the homes of those who have the desire to participate.

When I was a youngster in the thirties, we lived in the 100 block of South Quincy. It was common practice to start immediately after eight o'clock Mass at St. Joseph's Catholic Church on New Years Day visiting grandparents, godparents, uncles/aunts and
friends for the purpose of "wunschen". Practically all of these relatives and friends lived within walking distance of church, an area bounded by Harrison, Jefferson, First, and Fourth Streets. Therefore, one didn't have to travel very far to "make the rounds".

This visit entailed a greeting by each visitor, including the children, to the host(s) "wishing" them a Happy New Year. The normal greeting, always spoken in German, went something like this: "Ich wunschen euch ein Gluckliches Neues Jahr, lange leben, gesundheit, friede und einigheit, nach euer tod die ewige glueckseligkeit". For the pure German, the spelling may not be correct, but this is as we knew it. Translation (as we knew it): I wish you a Happy New Year, long life, health, peace and harmony, and
after your death - eternal happiness.

The host's kitchen, dining room table, or both, were filled with eats of all sorts. This included ham and home-baked breads, but mostly home-made goodies such as "galreih" or "zitter" (a type of headcheese), "blut wurst" (blood sausage), and grebble (the original funnel cake). In all of this the "wunschers" participated.
The adults were each offered "ein bissa schnapps" (a little schnapps), which was usually illegal, hard liquor cooked by anyone who had a still, or access to a still, or knew a bootlegger. The polite thing to do was to ask the host to take the first
drink "stech in ihr hand" (keep in your hand). Of course, if the host stayed home the entire day, he/she might possibly be a little tipsy by mid-afternoon or evening.

I remember many an early morning of New Years, (usually about 12:20AM), when one of our uncles would come "wunschen", breaking the early morning silence with a shotgun blast in the air. My folks' home was his second stop — he first visited the home of his mother and father immediately after midnight, which was just a block away.By daybreak, our uncle had already "made the rounds" and wasn't really ready or able to receive any visitors at his house. What a way to start the new year!

One of the things we children really looked forward to was the anticipation of "wie viel gelt" (how much money) one would accumulate by the end of the day. A nickel or dime, in those days, was hard to come by, and how we so cherished the "gelt" from each
family we visited.

(Thanks to Mike Beier for sharing his family's tradition with us.)

Stollen

2010-12-13T19:30:00.000-08:00

Dating from the 12th century, and symbolizing the Holy Child wrapped in cloth, this traditional German Christmas cake is made from a rich yeast dough with dried fruits.

The recipe that I found for stollen has the dough wrapped around marzipan. I wonder if anyone reading this blog might have a recipe without the marzipan. I'd love to have you share a recipe for stollen if you have a good one.

Traditional Christmas Tree Ornaments

2010-12-12T13:36:00.000-08:00

During the cold winter months in Germany, glassblowers often kept birds in cages to offer them shelter and to enjoy their melodies. These birds gave craftsmen companionship and inspiration for creating new ornament moulds. Birds are symbols for joy and happiness. They are said to be messengers from God and the embodiment of souls.

Long ago in Germany, the famous pickle legend came to be a fun game for the entire family. No one knows who, what, or why, but it's a Christmas tradition to be enjoyed even by the most shy. Hidden in the branches of every Christmas tree, children of all ages hunt for the pickle in green. The younger the child the bigger the pickle is. As we grow, the pickle size gets smaller and presents big challenges. Hunt for the pickle; search for it, but your hands must be behind. Do not touch the tree, or you'll lose the prize in mind. If you find that hidden gurken, you are the lucky one, as there is a special present waiting for you.

German Christmas Party

2010-12-11T22:08:00.000-08:00

The Intermountain Chapter AHSGR had a fabulous Christmas party! We enjoyed a meal of German foods and deserts while we visited with each other and shared Christmas traditions and memories. (Hopefully I can share some of those with you in posts that will follow.) The decorations and holiday spirit was wonderful as well. We had a game exchanging tree ornaments which was lots of fun. We closed our December party singing beautiful Christmas carols in German. It was a memorable event that left me feeling grateful for my heritage, friends, and family.

Christmas Party

2010-12-01T18:56:00.000-08:00

Our Intermountain Chapter Christmas party will be held on December 11 at the home of Carol Harless and Shawnette Malan, 10001 Hook Drive, South Jordan. We will meet at 12:00 noon. Everyone should bring a Christmas ornament to exchange. German food will be served. There will be German brats, two sides, and a dessert. Cost for dinner is $10.00. Please RSVP with Dee by December 4th.

Future Chapter Member

2010-12-01T18:47:00.000-08:00

Zachary White, grandson of Intermountain Chapter member Sharon White, is in his German lederhosen costume ready for next year's Oktoberfest.

Try These Out

2010-11-29T20:17:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of sites that might be helpful in your research:

https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Portal:Russia (It has a German link which lists resources at the LDS library.)

http://feefhs.org (An umbrella organization that has some good links. It provides a forum focused on a single country or group of people to exchange information.)

And, did you know that AHSGR is on Facebook? Check it out. Who knows, maybe you can connect with someone there that might help you in your research.

Thanksgiving Greetings

2010-11-28T12:37:00.000-08:00

I want to take this chance to tell all of my genealogy friends just how thankful I am for you! It is such a blessing to have others of the same heart and mind to help and encourage me in the research that is so important to me. I am thankful for the heritage my ancestors gave me and hope to repay them by finding them and their story.

I found this quote and thought you might enjoy it as much as I do:
"In all of us there is a huger, bone-marrow deep, to know our heritage- to know who we are and where we have come from. Without this enriching knowledge, there is a hollow yearning. No matter what our attainments in life, there is still a vacuum, an emptiness, and the most disquieting loneliness."
Alex Haley
Author of Roots

November Meeting

2010-11-13T09:27:00.001-08:00

The next meeting for the Intermountain Chapter AHSGR will be held Saturday, November 20, at the home of Shawnette Malan and Carol Harless, 10001 Hook Drive, South Jordan. This planning meeting will start at 1:00 P.M.

Pat and Shirley Ansley will provide the raffle drawing basket.

Food assignment: everyone is to bring appetizers. We will eat the appetizers during the meeting to try to not have it last so long.

Bring the surnames of your ancestors and the villages they came from.

Hope to see you there!

From Generation to Generation

2010-11-12T21:59:00.000-08:00

I really wish that I could size these pictures the same so you could make a better comparison, but I was amazed when I saw them together. The smaller picture is my grandmother, and the larger is my daughter. I don't know all the factors that determine what is passed on genetically, but the genes were strong in this case. At nearly the same age, the resemblance is incredible. Since this is my grandmother's birthday month, I thought I'd share this personal connection. Maybe you have had the same experience. If not, pull out those old pictures. You might be surprised!

Wonders of the Web

2010-11-06T15:37:00.000-07:00

It's sad but true that families are not always connected. I loved the idea of having a big brother, but had no real memories of him. When I was in high school I had been told he might serving in Vietnam, but that was about it. My first real encounter with him came shortly after this. He came for a short visit and bought each of us older girls a record album. I thought he was all that. This is my one and only interaction with him. He went back to his life in the northwest, and I went on with mine. Years later he died, and I have always felt sad that we had no real history together. In fact, I didn't even have a picture of him. Then one day while fiddling on the internet, my younger brother came across a high school web page that had this picture of him. Wow! Imagine how thrilled I was to finally have a picture. He had already changed a lot from this picture when I was in high school, being much stouter and very tough looking. But, I treasure this gift from the web that allows me to finally have his picture. Keep looking for whatever it is... maybe you'll find it too.

Intermountain Chapter Attends Oktoberfest

2010-09-25T21:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday, September 25,the Intermountain Chapter of AHSGR attended the Oktoberfest held at Snowbird. We had a terrific time listening to polka music and eating German food. The highlight of the day for us was riding the tram to the top of Hidden Peak to hear the Alphorns echo through the peaks. Some of us took the opportunity to hike and ride the Peruvian Chair lift as well. We had a wonderful time celebrating together as a chapter and appreciating our German heritage. The weather was perfect, and we all went home with great memories.

2010-09-10T15:52:00.000-07:00

Members of the Intermountain Chapter of AHSGR are invited to Suzanne H. Dodge's house on Sept 18, at 1:00 to silk-screen print your tee shirt(s). All you will need to bring is a white tee shirt (or shirts), and we will silk-screen print them with the AHSGR logo, to wear to the Oktober Fest on the 25th. If you are unable to come on the 18th, you may mail your shirt(s) to her. They will be done for you, and be at the Sept 25th meeting, where you can get them.

Her mailing address:
Suzanne H. Dodge
3029 Constitution Dr.
West Valley City, UT 84119-3009

Put This on Your Calendar

2010-08-31T15:58:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendar for the next chapter meeting. It will be September 25th.

Bill Dellos, 2011 SLC convention chairman, got some updates from Patti Sellenrick that he wants to share with everyone. We will have a convention meeting at 12:00 noon. Instead of having a regular chapter meeting, we are planning to go to the Oktoberfest at Snowbird. We will check out the vendors and eat German food there. We will leave after the convention meeting at 1:00 P. M. and carpool or caravan there. The entry to the Oktoberfest is free, but the tram cost is $12. The Alpenhorn players will be performing in the afternoon and you need to take the tram to hear them.

The meeting will be at the home of Sharon White, 3285 E. Ruskin Court, Sandy.

Report for August

2010-08-21T20:41:00.000-07:00

The August meeting for the Intermountain Chapter of AHSGR was well attended. We would love to have even more, so please come. As you can see, we always have a great spread of food! We are busy and gearing up for the 2011 AHSGR Convention to be held in Salt Lake City. We had a report from those who just attended this year's convention in Lincoln, Nebraska. The theme for 2011 is 'Footsteps From the Past To the Future', and will be held July 31st to August 7th. We will be having lots of fun for our meeting next month, so be sure and watch for information on what is coming up.

August Meeting

2010-08-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

The next Intermountain Chapter AHSGR meeting will be August 21st at the home of Shawnette Malan and Carol Harless, 10001 Hook Drive, South Jordan. The board will meet at 12:00 noon, and the general meeting will start at 1:00 P.M.

Food assignments:
Salad: S-Z
Entree: A-Ha
Dessert: He-R

We will have the "Favorite Intermountain Chapter Recipes" that Shawnette Malan typed and printed that we sold in Lincoln. They are $7.00 each. Sharon can also mail these. (Postage and mailer will cost extra.) Come ready to buy some--we need to make more for the 2011 SLC convention.

Another View From Pfeifer

2010-07-23T18:44:00.000-07:00

This window is in the Burghardt home that stands across the street from the church.

This is the garden spot of the Burghardt home.

This is a little further out, but can also be seen from the area of the Burghardt home.

Forging Ahead to 2011 Convention

2010-07-19T19:46:00.000-07:00

The 2010 AHSGR Convention is being held in Lincoln, Nebraska, the first week in August. That means that we are really focusing on preparations for next year's convention to be held in Salt Lake City. What a great place to do genealogy! During our July meeting, members put together items to announce and encourage attendance at the Salt Lake City convention next year. We are small in numbers, but enthusiastic about the challenge. If anyone out there is interested in giving us a hand, we'd love to have your help. Please watch this blog for information concerning our August meeting.

DNA Surname Study

2010-07-10T10:06:00.000-07:00

I don't claim to be an expert on DNA studies; I'm just learning. I have no personal experience with this, but have been considering its use. Maybe you'll decide that you've come to a dead end (no pun intended) and need to try something different. If so, this might be just the thing for you.

Here is a very simplified version of how it works. A long piece of DNA in males is passed down virtually unchanged from father to son. Surnames are generally passed down in the same fashion. So, a male should have the same Y chromosome as his father, grand-father, great-grandfather, and on and on... Amazing, isn't it! This means that two males with the same surname and same or similar Y chromosomes are often related through their paternal line.

That Y-DNA occasionally accumulates a harmless mutation before it is passed down to a son. These rare changes occur at a known rate, acting as a clock that can measure time. When testing reveals a relationship through the paternal line, this clock can be used to estimate the amount of time since their most recent common paternal ancestor. In this way, the men may be able to determine who that most recent common ancestor was and how their family branches diverged.

Surname studies can take advantage of this information and connect you with other members who might be closely or distantly related. These connections can also be important to adoptees. Because of nonexistent or missing paper records or confusing oral traditions, DNA testing can help fill in some gaps.

For more complete information on this, read Making Matches in the September 2010 family tree magazine. Also, check out the website for Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation at: www.smgf.org

July Meeting

2010-07-08T13:24:00.001-07:00

The next Intermountain AHSGR Chapter meeting is July 17th. It will be at the home of Shawnette Malan and Carol Harless: 10001 Hook Drive, South Jordan. The board will meet at 12:00 noon and the work meeting will start at 1:00 P. M. We are going to get ready for the Lincoln convention so we will not have our usual meeting. We will have the luncheon after the work session.
Food assignments are:
Salad: A-Ha
Entree: He-R
Dessert: S-Z

Getting Started on That Missing Line

2010-07-07T18:28:00.000-07:00

A while back I talked to a woman with German-Russian roots. She knew that was her heritage from family tradition, but hadn't yet linked into any ancestors. If you are in the same spot, here are some tips from my own experience. I realize that many of you are way past that point, but hopefully this will be of benefit to someone who is just getting started.

When I began looking for ancestors in my late teenage years, no one even knew my grandmother's given name. I did know my grandfather's name and my grandmother's maiden name. That was my starting place. Luckily, she died in the states so I was able to locate my grandmother's death certificate with the information I had. That's when I realized that a death certificate can give you a great bit of information to get a good start on your research. To make it easy, I'll list some of the things you can learn from a death certificate. (Keep in mind that only the death information will be a primary source, but the secondary sources can give great clues.)

1. A place of residence is listed. This can help in locating obituaries, probate records, etc. When I found my great-grandfather's probate record it helped fill in his story a little, since I knew virtually nothing about him.

2. The person's parents are often listed. In my case, that meant I had another family name to start checking out. Before that time I didn't know my great-grandmother's given or maiden name.

3.If the person served in the military, it is sometimes listed. In the case of an uncle, also a stranger to me, I began to find many service related records that amazed me. He really excelled, and I would never have known that unless I had found out about his military service.

4. You can find out names of other people who are related to the deceased because someone, usually a family member, provides information for the death certificate. In my experience, I knew so little about my uncle that it was great to get his wife's name.

5. If you get the spouse's name from the death certificate, then you have a clue to begin looking for marriage records.

6. You gain information on the person's employment. I loved finding out that my great-grandfather was a carpenter.

7. Birthplace is important. Even though the death certificate is not a primary source for birth information, it sure helps to know where to start looking for it.

8. You can gain valuable medical information for your family's health history.

I know that this list is not complete, but it's some of the information that has been valuable to me in my family research. Even though my dad's generation was the first in my family born in America, I could get a start from his parents' death certificates, which eventually got me back into Russia. If you comb over a death certificate carefully, you will find many clues to get a good start on your search.

Burghardt Family Photo

2010-05-22T16:46:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of my grandfather's (Joseph George Burghardt) family. My grandfather arrived in the USA in 1900, and was 24 years old at the time. I wonder if any of you know about the approximate date of this picture, using the clothing as a clue. I know it was taken in Russia, but I'm not sure if he brought it with him, or if it was sent to him later. With a date, I might have a better idea if he was one of the children or not. If you have the expertise to date this picture, I would appreciate your help.

Buttermilk Salad

2010-05-22T16:19:00.000-07:00

This was one of my dad's (Edward Lewis Burghardt) favorite German family recipes.

1/2 small cabbage, chopped
3 large cucumbers cubed
3 bunches sliced green onions
2-3 bunches of cubed radishes

Mix together, and pour 4 Tbsp. vinegar and 1 tsp. salad oil (heated to boiling) over the top. Add 1 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper. (Add more to your taste.) Add:
6- 8 chopped hard boiled eggs
1 large carton cottage cheese
2 quarts buttermilk

This lasts for quite a while in the fridge, and gets better the next day.

May Meeting

2010-05-06T21:28:00.000-07:00

The next Intermountain Chapter AHSGR meeting will be Saturday, May 15, 2010, at the American Heritage Retirement Community Clubhouse, 3040 Homecrest Street, West Valley. The board will meet at 12:00 noon, and the general meeting will start at 1:00 P.M.

Food assignments are:
Salad: He-R
Entree: S-Z
Dessert: A-Ha

Darrell Weber will do the Bits and Pieces.
The basket for the raffle will be furnished by Leslie Hannay who won it at the April meeting.
Hope to see all of you there.

BERROKS

2010-05-02T14:54:00.000-07:00

Recipe from Margurite M Bopp, about 1950
(Leslie Hannay’s grandmother)

Filling
3 lbs beef boiled or roasted (roast beef is best and I buy cheap cuts, but good meat)
1 large can of kraut, chopped (I use a knife to chop the kraut)
1 large onion
Salt and Pepper to taste

Grind meat and onions together in a hand grinder. In a large bowl, mix together ground meat, onions and chopped kraut and the juice from the kraut. I also add about ¼ cup water to the mix. Cover and refrigerate overnight. You will need all this juice as the meat takes it up. If the juice is omitted the berroks will be too dry.

Dough
In a bowl mix 4 cups flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder, 2 beaten eggs, and ½ teaspoon salt. Add enough water to make a stiff dough. Roll out (not to thin). Using a saucer, cut out dough. Put about a tablespoon full of filling in the center, wet the edge, and fold over like you are making turnovers. Crimp close the edge with a fork.
Fry in hot bacon drippings, lard, or oil untill golden brown. The berroks will probably need to be turned to cook fully. When cooked, set on a cooling rack to drain the oil. Makes about 10-12 berroks.

NOTE: Today it is April 2010 and food is prepared a little differently. Making berroks is like making “pasties” for the coal miners, which is a meat pastry filled with meat and potatoes. The berrok filling is to be a soft chewy filling. The dough can be made of your favorite recipe and cooked in hot canola oil. If you want baked berroks, first mix 1 egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of water and brush egg mix on the tops of the berroks. Bake them at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.
CAUTION: When baking, watch burning which means they are starting to overcooked.

Reminder

2010-04-12T19:28:00.000-07:00

The next meeting of the Intermountain Chapter of AHSGR will be held Saturday, April 17, 2010, at the American Heritage Retirement Community Clubhouse, 3040 Homecrest Street, West Valley City, Utah. The board will meet at 12:00 noon, with the general meeting to follow at 1:00 P.M.

Check It Out

2010-04-08T19:41:00.001-07:00

Visit the Warenburg, Russia post from February of this year. It has been edited to include more information I just recieved.

Warenburg Church

2010-04-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

Sharon White contributed these two pictures of the Warenburg Church. The bottom one was taken in August 2003 by Sharon. It was the pride of the village when it was built. The roof has collapsed. There is no longer a floor, and animals now wander through it. The bricks were once white washed or painted. The first Warenburg Church was a wooden structure. It was replaced by this brick building that was built in 1902 or 1904, and seated 1200 people. It was built in the Kontor style which was chosen by the Saratov Kontor, the Office for Administrating the Colonies which dictated the style and plans.

Natural Disasters and Geneology

2010-04-01T18:29:00.000-07:00

I recently read an article in Family Chronicle that talked about the natural disasters that left well-remembered landmarks in the lives of many of our ancestors. It got me thinking about a significant disaster that is part of my family story. My grandfather, Joseph George Burghardt, traveled to the U.S.A. from Russia via Germany. His arrival in Galveston was shortly after the Galveston Hurricane of 1900. His first introduction to this country was helping clean up the bodies from that disaster. Over 8,000 people died in that hurricane which destroyed most of the Texas port city. It has definitely been a landmark for me. Because so many records were destroyed, I've never found any record of his arrival on a particular ship. (I'm still looking.) I believe that many of our family stories are related to some sort of natural disaster. Below I've listed some sites that might be helpful in filling in details of our ancestors' stories.

www.tornadohistoryproject.com
This site has 52,000 tornado maps of storms dating from 1950 to 2008. Search by date, state,and county.

www.erh.noaa.gov/aly/Past/WINTER.htm
This site lists major winter blizzards beginning in 1888.

www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/doctor.htm
This is the site map for Weather Doctor, and its Weather Diary lists notable snowfalls and extreme temperatures over the past centuries in the US, Canada, and the world. It is arranged chronologically and sorted by month.

www3.gendisasters.com
This site gives an overall listing of disasters. Browse for reports by date, type of disaster, and state or Canadian province.

www.cyndislist.com/disasters.htm
This site has a collection of links regarding natural and man-made disasters.

March Meeting

2010-03-28T15:21:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at our last meeting held on March 20th. Suzanne Heinitz-Dodge entertained us with Bits and Pieces of her family history. Planning continued for the 2011 AHSGR Convention to be held in Salt Lake City, and several new members were welcomed to the chapter. The basket raffle was won by Gwenn Oryall. We had a wonderful luncheon and invite any and all interested people to attend our next meeting to be held on April 17th.

More of Shirley Ansley's Family Pictures

2010-03-22T17:19:00.000-07:00

Back row, left to right: Mary (Laffery), Anna (Cullip), Henry, John
Front row, left to right: Dorothy (Walchle), Esther (Knight), Lydia (Hastings), Emma (Knoche)
Not pictured: Louise (Grat), Pauline (Norris), Donald

Back row, left to right: Emma, Dorothy, Mary, Anna
Middle row, left to right: Esther, Pauline, Lydia, Louise
Front row, left to right: Conrad, Helena, John

Anna is Shirley's mother.

Wedding Picture

2010-03-21T12:37:00.000-07:00

Here is the first of three family pictures submitted by Shirley Ansley. This picture is of her maternal grandparents.
What a treasure!

Who Do You Think You Are?

2010-03-06T11:14:00.000-08:00

You've probably already heard about the new television series called Who Do You Think You Are?, but if not, I wanted to tell you about it. The series is on KSL at 7:00 P.M. on Fridays. I watched it and was so impressed. The series spotlights different actresses, actors, etc., as they trace their family tree. I don't care so much about their fame, but any search for ancestors is interesting to me. This week it was Sarah Jessica Parker's search. I loved the things she said because they were just what we feel when we find another piece to our family puzzle. She commented that,"These are my people," and, "It changes everything about who I thought I was." It also made me realize how one pivotal day in a family's history can change generations. If you haven't watched it, you'll definitely want to!

Next Meeting

2010-03-05T17:25:00.000-08:00

The next chapter meeting will be March 20, 2010, at:

American Heritage Retirement Community Clubhouse
3040 Homecrest Street
West Valley City, Utah

The board will meet at 12:00 noon,and the general meeting will start at 1:00 P.M.

Food assignments are:
Salad: A-Ha
Entrée: He-R
Dessert: S-W

Pfeifer, Russia

2010-02-28T16:17:00.000-08:00

Pfeifer is located in the Saratov gubernia, on the hilly side of the Volga River, along the Ilavlya River and Gnilushka Creek. It was originally inhabited entirely by those of the Roman Catholic faith. Small children were taught reading, writing, and religion by a schoolmaster under the supervision of a priest in a special building. The land of Pfeifer is sand, clay, and saline. Because of that, in even the most fruitful years, there were no harvests of any sort of grain. As a result, they farmed on state owned steppe lands adjacent to the colony. The hay lands were in abandoned wasteland. They pastured livestock on their own lands. There were no forests, so they used mostly dung for fuel. Because of inadequate hay for livestock, they sometimes purchased it. All of the colonists engaged in farming and were favorably disposed toward work. The buildings for the most part were old, but repaired. Their yards were fenced with wattle, and their kitchen gardens were close to the banks of the Ilavlya River. They had no orchards or aviaries, but they did have two flour mills. Their harvests were only mediocre, and every year a large quantity of the harvest was consumed by gophers. The only means they had for destroying the gophers was by flooding. Pfeifer was founded in 1767 by 328 persons. The Russian name for the colony is Gnilushka, meaning "dead tree stump."

The house shown on the top was my Grandpa Burghardt's family home.

Warenburg, Russia

2010-02-28T12:33:00.000-08:00

These pictures were taken by my son while he lived in Russia, about ten years ago. He was able to visit our ancestral villages. In the top photo he is visiting with Leongadnya Peterson from the village of Warenburg, who knew the Constanz and Miller families (two of my family names.) She has Bier and Lehman ancestors on her mother's side. Her father came from Riga, Latvia. He came to help build the church and stayed. Because of her father's nationality, her family was not deported with the others. She had written the date of their exile to Kazakstan in her bible, September 17, 1941. She corresponded with them for a long time after they were shipped off. The next picture is a view of Warenburg with her house in the front of the picture. In the bottom picture my son is standing along the shore of the Volga River.

If you would like to spotlight your ancestral villages, please send me the information, and I will add it to the blog.

February Meeting

2010-02-21T16:18:00.000-08:00

Saturday, February 20th, was the monthly meeting for the Intermountain Chapter of AHSGR. Both the conversation and food were great! Plans continue for the AHSGR Convention to be held in Salt Lake City in 2011. Gwen Oryall gave the "Bits 'n Pieces" on the tradition of bread and salt, and showed a beautiful cross stitched bread linen from the Ukraine. Other valuable and interesting information was shared by members. Three new positions were filled by appointment:

Corresponding Secretary- Shawnette Malan
Publicity and Membership- Dee Hert
Chaplain- Darrell Weber

My Grandfather

2010-02-15T15:35:00.000-08:00

I need your help. I have been able to go back many generations on my grandmother's German Russian line, but I am stuck on my grandfather's line. I feel confident that if I could get back a couple more generations on his line, that I could easily link into several more generations. If anyone that visits this blog comes across anything on him, I'd greatly appreciate any clues you might have for me. The information that I have on him is as follows:

Joseph George Burghardt
Born: 17 May 1876, in Pfeifer, Saratov, Russia
I believe his parents to be George Burghardt and Mary Kisner, but have no other information on them. He had brothers and sisters, one who immigrated to Argentina. My grandfather came to the United States in October of 1900, and had relatives in Pfeifer, Kansas. My grandmother was Catharina Elisabeth Klamm (aka Mary.)

If you have any information for me, please comment on this blog so I can give you contact information.

Reminder

2010-02-15T15:13:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder of the next AHSGR Intermountain Chapter meeting. It will be Saturday, February 20--weather permitting. It will be at the home of Carol Harless and Shawnette Malan--10001 Hook Drive, South Jordan. The officers will meet at 12:00 noon and the general meeting will start at 1:00 P.M.
Food assignments:
A-Ha--Dessert
He-R--Salad
S-Z--Entree

We have added $78 to the Chapter treasury thanks to the November, December and January raffle drawings. Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5.
Gwen Oryall won the raffle in January and will bring the February raffle surprise.

If you are visiting this blog but have never attended one of our meetings, please come and join us!

Family Picture

2010-01-12T07:37:00.000-08:00

Here is a wonderful family group picture shared by Sharon White. It is of the Johann Conrad Kisling, Jr. family, her great grandparents. Thanks! Remember, I'd love to spotlight pictures from your family.