Favorite Photo Everyone has a favorite photo. Sometimes it’s a recent family portrait and other times it’s a snapshot of your new car. For my mother, Jeanette (Jaeger) Zemanek, one of her favorites is that of her grandfather, Henry Jaeger Sr., sitting with his grandchildren on the front porch of the Jaeger home in Port …
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Tombstones
Tombstones For nearly 20 years I had been watching several tombstones in the lower section of the Jaeger Witte Cemetery become overgrown with lichens and moss. After hearing cemetery conservationist Lowell Herzog speak at a meeting of the Washington County Genealogical Society in October 2018, I decided to do something about it. I began with …
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: The Long Line
The Long Line Some of you may know that Henry C. Jaeger Jr. ("Popo" to those of us in a certain generation) was a genealogy and history enthusiast. In addition to collecting and cataloging photographs and obituaries, he published two books which are available on this website as well as the Clayton Genealogy Library …
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Same Name
Until about twenty years ago the gravel roads in Burton had simple names. The Jaegers lived on County Road 12. The Mayers lived on County Road 12. The Dubes did as well. But everyone knew where everyone else lived. My mother Jeanette Zemanek shared how she and a friend would write letters during the summer …
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: New Beginnings
One of my resolutions this year is to participate in 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. This activity, instituted by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow, is designed to give amateur genealogists like myself a way to share their research. Each week, participants are provided with a prompt to guide them in writing a biography or short story …
Christmas 2019
George and Jeanette decorated the cemetery for Christmas. This is something the two of them do right after Thanksgiving. You'll notice that Oscar Schlick's headstone continues to brighten up as time goes on!!
Annual Genealogy Lock In
Hi friends, I attended this event last year and loved it! If you like genealogy, make plans to attend! --George The Nancy Carol Roberts Memorial Library in Brenham will be hosting the annual Genealogy Lock In on Friday, October 18th. This is one of the best genealogy events in the state. We have eight live-streamed …
September Cleanup Success!
On September 29th, Jeff, David, Kay, Debbie, Jeanette, and I gathered at the cemetery to clean. Steven came up on Friday to mow, which was awesome because the grass had gotten pretty high. David and I spent the morning and early afternoon priming the cattle guard while the rest of the group swept, weeded, trimmed …
September Cleanup Day
Our next cleanup day will be on Sept. 28th, starting around 8am until noon.
Jumping Spiders
Argiope aurantia is a carnivorous spider that can be found along the eaves of houses or outbuildings or in any tall vegetation where they can securely stretch a web. They are homebodies, staying near one area their entire lives, unless their web is frequently disturbed. This type of spider is sometimes called a "writing spider" on …