where2look4ancestors

  • No Mention of the Children

    “The many friends of Mrs. Mary E. Schmitt will learn with regret of her death, which occurred at her home, on Calhoun street, early yesterday morning. Mrs. Schmitt was the daughter of the late John Kauffman, the brewer, who founded the Kauffman Brewing Company, and wife of Emil[e] Schmitt, general…

  • 1892 Obituaries: April 18

    The following names appeared in the “deaths” column of page 9 in the April 18, 1892 issue of the Chicago Daily News: Dagmar Anderson Josephine Albertz (nee Bond) Mary C. Becker Charles Blakeley Mary A. Carten Charles Cochrane Mary A. Carten Mary A. Carten Margaret Carroll Louisa Clemens G. Washington…

  • I’m Not Likin’ Lichen!

    According to Wikipedia, lichens “are among the first living things to grow on fresh rock…”. I’m accustomed to seeing headstones affected by lichen. But unruly amounts of lichen tend to be found only on older headstones. Or so I thought until I visited the Mauston City Cemetery operated by the Mauston…

  • Divorce 1883 Style

    We often think of our ancestors living in a “simpler time”. But in many ways that simpler time was pretty similar to life today. From page 1 of the June 9, 1883 issue of the Chicago Daily News; “The Bonds of Wedlock. Broken for a Large Number of Mismatched People…

  • Who Was Miriam?

    She lived just seventeen years. Miriam was laid to rest in the Mauston [Wisconsin] Cemetery. The monument marking her grave bears the sentiment of someone who must have loved her very much. Yet with no surname on her headstone, Miriam’s story feels incomplete. A guess has been made. But we…

  • More Clarke Reminders

    Those Clarkes of mine really liked interesting names. Names you won’t find in the personalized pencil display at Michael’s. I shared Zora here. Today another Clarke with a less-than-ordinary name appeared on my Family Tree Maker calendar. On this day in 1990 Lyman John Clake died in Jacksonville, Duval County,…

  • Just down the Street

    Literally. According to Google Maps, it was a three-minute walk from 655 W 61st Street to 538 W 61st Street in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. The other day I wondered about the possibility of my 2nd great-grandmother Elise Mueller and her brother John N. Schmitt attending the same church. I knew they…

  • Sawyer Biscuit Company

    In honor of Biscuit Day, I thought I’d share a tidbit about my great-grandfather Alfred Jacob Mueller who worked for a biscuit company. Ebay is a great source for many things genealogical. That’s where I found this item from the Sawyer Biscuit Company. Happy Biscuit Day!        

  • Carl and Anna Plum at Oak Woods Cemetery

    While I was drafting this post, I clicked on Anna’s Find A Grave memorial to re-read her obituary. What a lovely surprise it was to see a volunteer photographer had added a headstone photo for Anna and her husband Carl! Many thanks to Andy Gappa, a Find A Graver extraordinaire!

  • Remembering on this Memorial Day