A few years ago, a friend approached me to ask if I could help him with a book project he was working on with a colleague at the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum, one of my family's favorite museums in D.C. I agreed and spent several weeks getting to know the Walters family of Indiana who … Continue reading Between Home and the Front
On a recent trip to the National Archives, I was able to look at the widow and minors' pension applications filed by my 2nd great-grandmother, her siblings, and their mother. Augusta Roth Eigenmann was only two years old when her father, Johann Adam Roth, died. This left Augusta's mother, Eleanora Wissig Roth, a widow with … Continue reading Application Denied
As a descendant of people who spent generations in South Carolina and Alabama, I grew up knowing that many of my ancestors fought for or sympathized with the South during the American Civil War. While I think I would have made different choices if I had lived then, I enjoy finding ancestors who fought for … Continue reading A German in the Civil War
December marks the anniversary of the death of both my paternal grandparents: this week brought the 11th year since my grandmother's passing and next week brings the 34th year since my grandfather's passing. I don't have any memories of my grandfather, but I knew my grandmother pretty well and sometimes her absence pains my heart. … Continue reading Grandma Wasn’t at Antietam
The prompt for week 26 of 52 ancestors is Black Sheep. By the early 1800, most of my ancestors had settled in South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. My maternal ancestors were farmers living in the hills of Northern Alabama. When the American Civil War started, there was a meeting in Winston County, Alabama, to determine … Continue reading Nickajack
Heart Genealogy 