Where There’s a Will

Where There’s a Will  From 1820 to 1870, a second wave of German immigrants landed on the shores of Galveston Bay, seeking a new life. The collapse of the old agricultural society and the dawn of the industrial age displaced peasants, and artisans found themselves jobless. Improvements in medical care led to a reduced death …

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52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Courting

Henry C. Jaeger & Lillie Neumann's Wedding My grandparents, Henry and Lillie, were married on September 18, 1929, one day after Grandpa’s 19th birthday. Granny was 16. They were married, in Shelby, Texas at the home of Granny’s father and step-mother, Theodore and Selma. Because Granny spoke only German, Pastor Henry Brunotte of Martin Luther …

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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. …

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52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Gratitude

Gratitude If you want to see an example of gratitude, look at a dog. You give them food and shelter and they thank you with love and loyalty. Dogs are everywhere on farms and ranches. Any farmer knows the importance of having a good dog. But they serve a much greater purpose than just being …

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52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Close to Home

There is a place that all Jaegers of a certain generation remember well. Warmth, holidays, loose tiles, Popo and Granny, flowers, dogs, and family. Those are just a few of the things I think of when I remember the house at 5900 Jaeger Rd. Some of the cousins had the opportunity to live there long …

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Rest in Peace, or, The Funeral That Never Was

Henry and his sister Mede, circa 1912 Life on a farm allows one to share completely in the fullness of life. Crops grow, animals are born, and families increase. But along with life comes loss. Crops wither, animals die, and family members pass away. Children, along with their parents, attend funerals and witness the rites …

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Buxtehude, where the dog barks with its tail

Buxtehude, wo der Hund mit dem Schwanz bellt Buxtehude, where the dog barks with its tail by Jerry W. Jaeger Buxtehude is world-famous not only for the fairy tale of the race between the rabbit and the hedgehog, but also for the proverbial saying that Buxtehude is the town "where the dogs bark with their …

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