A genealogist is born

Can you help me find out about my Grandfather?

The following story is true, but the names are changed to protect the living.

One night, I was at work, and it was slow, so I was doing some genealogy work on my pc (shhh don't tell the boss)

Well the boss (let's call him Leroy), walks by, and we start talking about genealogy, and how I found my birth family last year.  Well he starts telling me about his family, and how he has all this info on his mom's side, as he grew up knowing her family. Then we get to his father, and well his dad (Lucas), didn't really know his dad (my boss's grandfather).  He asked if I thought I could find out anything about his grandfather.

I was up- to the task, so I asked for his dad's name and date/place of birth and his grandmother's name (his dad's mom).  He wrote it down and away I went.

Within minutes, I had Leroy's dad's birth information, including Leroy's grandfather's name (Charlie). I found both Leroy's grandfather Charlie and his brother, Clifton (with same parents) had ww2 draft records. I then looked on the census records, and found Charlie and Clifton with their parents, Moses and Jane.

Marriage records were searched, more census records, and more names, Frank, Henry, Paul, Lewis, George and Peter.

Within a few hours, and of course between doing my work, I had my boss's family back 10 generations. His family owned property back then, and most all had served in some war, from WWII  back to the civil war and the revolutionary war.  

I took the info to my boss, and he was floored!!!  He asked "you got all that from my dad's name and date of birth?  I told him yes, and while I didn't create a tree for him, I only had my paper notes, I did share the documents I found with him.

Leroy is going to talk to his dad, to see if he is at all interested and may get me to help him further if he needs it.


  Below is the line from Leroy to his 7x great grandfather...

Leroy
Lucas
Charlie  ----- Clifton
Moses
Frank

Henry
Paul
Lewis
George
Peter



I hope Leroy continues the search, and not only shares it with his father, but also his children, so they can know their heritage and that they come from a long line of men, who fought for the country they call home.

True Friendship, with Honor and Integrity!

True Friendship, with Honor and Integrity!

 

       Imagine you alive back in 1840.  You were new to this country immigrating to a strange new land only 4 short years ago.  You don't speak the language very well, but thankfully you live in a community of others from your country, who may have even come over on the same ship you did.

courtesy of The Ohio Repository Feb 20, 1840, page 3

      These first few years are rough going, with illness and misfortune all around.  But you and many friends and neighbors survive!!!  You have a home, a church you are active in, and are making a go at life in this new land, until......

This story is about  Mr. George Henry Kornmann (also seen as Kormann), a neighbor and good friend of my 3X great grandfather, Jacob Dibi.   George was out cleaning out his well, it is unclear if he was digging a new well, or in the well doing repairs, but none the less, he was down in the well.  One of the planks that held the earth in place was damaged and George tried to fix it.  Unfortunately the wall collapsed in on George, and he was buried alive in his own well.  How scary would that have been to be doing a task and then "poof" you are being buried alive!!! What was he thinking at that exact moment?  Were his thoughts of his beloved wife and 2 children? his church? perhaps his family back in Germany that he would never see again?  We unfortunately will never know......

Now George could have remained in that horrible death trap, but he didn't...he lived in a community of people who cared about their neighbors...for 5 days --yes FIVE days, 100 men worked day and night, to dig George out of his well.  ON that last day even the most courageous of men wouldn't dig any further into the well, except one, my 3 X great grand father!!!!
The paper stated an "old German, an elder of the church, and intimate friend of the buried man named Jacob Dibi" decided not to stop until his friend had been taken out of the well. Jacob and an unnamed teen boy of 17  continued to dig Saturday into Sunday afternoon.  Around 2 pm George was pulled from his well.    He was buried the next day

German Evangelical Protestant church from 1839-1868

Two pastors spoke that day, a Reverend Warner from the Presbyterian church at George's home (spoken in English) and Reverend Dr. J. G. Buettner, pastor of the German Evangelical Protestant church, spoke in German.   George was an elder at the German Church along with  Jacob, who  actually helped build that church, which is still standing today.

George was 41 years old.

My heart fills with pride as I read this article about Jacob not giving up to recover his friend, but then it breaks knowing a man lost his life, a wife lost her husband, and 2 children lost their father that day....

When times are tough; it is my 3X great grandfather pushing me forward, telling me to keep going....