52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Success Karl Emil Edwin Alexander Lorenz Hermann Rogalla von Bieberstein was born on March 12, 1823, in Brieg, a town in the province of Silesia in Prussia (present-day Poland). He was the son of Royal Prussian Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Rogalla von Bieberstein and Auguste Lorenz. Bieberstein studied law, finance, and …
Category: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Loss
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Loss Louis Lane Teague was born in Eagle Lake Texas on December 9, 1952 to Willie Vester and Rita Fern Teague. Little Louis was the great-great-great grandson of Carl and Marie Louise Hagedorn and his lineage is as follows: Carl + Marie Louise (née Knipping) Hagedorn Anna Marie (née Hagedorn) …
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Transportation
Transportation My mom drove a 1977 sky blue Pinto. The dents and scratches gave it the unfortunate shape of a worn out June Bug. Since the car had no air conditioning and we live in Houston, all four windows had to be down if we were to tolerate a drive. And heaven forbid we had …
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Small
Ferdinand Hagedorn was the third child of Carl and Marie Louise Hagedorn. He was born on September 23, 1833 in Hannover, Germany. Ferdinand sailed on the Neptune to America, along with his older sister and brother in law Anna Marie and Victor Witte, and their children Marie Lissette and baby Helene. They left Bremen, Germany …
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: William and Marie
William Henry Brandt was born October 4, 1853 in Shelby, Texas, to Henry Brandt and Bertha Brandt (née Giesecke). William had an older brother named Rudolph, a younger brother named Edward, and three younger sisters, Marie, Pauline, and Elise. His father was a farmer from Hessen and his mother was from Hannover. The 1860 …
Continue reading 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: William and Marie
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Unforgettable
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7 As I started getting interested in my family’s history, I began searching for ways to fill in the gaps. I contacted my mom’s cousin, Joyce Schkade, who had just turned 90, and we met one afternoon …
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Music
The Glasschrank Piano Jeanette can recall the time in 1943 when she, Delores, and Bernhardt were outside their house in Port Arthur watching some furniture being delivered. She saw some chairs unloaded, then a table, and then something that would change her life. “Hey! We got a piano! Look, we got a piano!” she shouted …
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Family Legend
This story first appeared in our June 2018 newsletter and is one of my favorites. Have you heard about the legendary Blue Rock, located on the Jaeger homestead? In 1955, Henry Jaeger’s eldest sons were growing up and moving to Houston to seek employment opportunities and Lillie was pregnant with Lanis. Henry was growing increasingly …
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Valentine
On this Valentine's Day, I'd like to talk about the love my grandparents shared for each other. Popo and Granny loved one another very much. They worked through difficult times early on, including frequent moves and financial insecurity, and eventually became one of those sweet older couples that so many younger couples hope to be. …
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Solo
One of my favorite headstones is that of Walter Brandt. At nearly six feet tall, his impressive Woodmen of the World headstone stands above all others in the Jaeger Witte Cemetery. But who was he? What made his life notable? And what led to his death less than two months before his 24th birthday? Unfortunately, …