Planning the ships research project

2012.04.28
The Dayton Public Library has about 75 shelf feet of published books that list immigrant passengers of ships that arrived in the New World. Each book lists from 50,000 to as many as 500,000 passengers' names, along with the date of arrival and the ship name. There are no indexes of the names,except for some of the books that index just that book. Some of the series are grouped chronologically, but not all. Some books list all immigrants in alphabetic order, some by the ship's arrival in port. I have yet to review all, but at least some list the original sources that the volume documents

Books that list immigrants to America, Dayton public library, main branch 

Since Robert Schuh's questions about when each of the Kohn brothers emigrated, what ships they took, and where they arrived in the U.S., I've been planning the research that's needed to answer the questions. Not that I didn't have the same questions, but I put it off because I knew the detailed work that the research entails. Because of the huge number of secondary resources and the lack of indexes, I want to go through the volumes only once, though there are many ancestors who made the crossing at various times.

I am now building a spreadsheet that lists each person who emigrated. Where possible, I'm including the last known date in Europe and the first known date in the U.S. I'm lucky for the Johann Reinert family and two of the Kohn brothers. (See the list in the report about Robert Schuh's visit.)

But I plan to include as many emigrées as possible, including these ancestors:

• Great-grandmother Maria Stephan left Königheim, in today's Main-Tauber-Kreis of Baden-Wurttemberg and was naturalized in 1872 or 1873. (She was born in 1849.)
• Great-grandfather Anton Deneke left Brakel, in today's Kreis Höxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen and apparently immigrated in 1872. He resided in Cincinnati, Ohio before 1876. (He was born in 1836.)
• Great-grandmother Leopoldina Salinger left Breisach-am-Rhein, in today's Kreis Breisach,  Baden-Wurttemberg, perhaps in 1872 with a sister Maria Anna Josepha Salinger and brother Anton Hermann Salinger. (They were born in 1839, 1838, and 1836.)
• Great-grandfather Robert Ohnsat left Grüben, in what was once Kreis Falkenberg, Schlesien, Ostpreußen, but now called Grabin, in Niemodlin county, Opole, Poland. He resided in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by 1872, as did his brother Joseph Ohnsat. It's possible that another brother Carl Anton Ohnsat emigrated and settled in the Detroit, Michigan area. (They were born in 1835, 1842, and 1844.)
• Second-great-grandparents John Butler and Mary Kennedy left Thomastown, County Kilkenny, Ireland with their four children to settle in or near Syracuse, New York by February 1837. (They were born in 1801 and 1797.)
• Second-great-grandparents Dennis Cummings and Margaret Walsh, who left Ireland, perhaps with their family of two daughters. They were recorded in the 1860 U.S. Federal Census in Dane County, Wisconsin. (They were born in 1806 and 1800.)
• Chuck's grandfather Giovanni (John) Iacano or Chuck's great grandparents Francesco Gacomo and Francesca Rovetto left Ragusa, Siracusa Province, Sicily. If it was his grandfather Giovanni, he arrived on his own—or perhaps with a brother Emanuel—on 20 March 1904. (They were born in 1882, about 1855, and about 1855.)
• Chuck's great grandparents Vincenzo Russo Femminella and Rosa Blogna (or Bologna) left Miltello Rosmarino, Messina Province, Sicily, arrived at Ellis Island on 29 June 1911 with their two children Angela, who is Chuck's grandmother, and her brother Biagio. (They were born in 1879 and about 1869.)
• Chuck's great grandfather Charles Derry, or Chuck's 2nd great grandfather, whose name is unknown so far, were in the United States before 1857. (He was born about 1820.)

I want to do this research only once, because the list of sources is so daunting. I encourage other family genealogists to add a comment if there's another immigrant I should research. In your comment, include all that you know about the arrival, such as

• Full name
• Likely date of arrival, or range of time
• Departure port
• Accompanying family members and their relationships

At least for now, I plan on focused work on arrivals at New York, but I can expand the search with other requests. I'll update this post as my plans reach the next stage, of actually going through the sources.

2012.06.02
I added the brothers to Robert Ohnsat and added birth years for each person.
2012.05.08
I added dates to the listed family who immigrated.
2012.05.01
A discussion of American immigration by ship refers to the National Archives holdings and essential secondary sources in multi-volume books. The Dayton and Montgomery County Public Library has some of these multi-volume books in its 75 shelf feet of materials.  They include:

• The famine immigrants : lists of Irish immigrants arriving at the port of New York, 1846-1851 Ira A. Glazier, editor ; Michael Tepper, associate editior. (7 v. : ill. ; 24 cm. Contents: v.1. January, 1846-June, 1847.--v.2. July 1847-June 1848.--v.3. July 1848-March 1849.--v.4. April 1849-September 1849.--v.5. October 1849-May 1850.--v.6. June 1850-March 1851.--v.7. April 1851-December 1851.) The Great Potato Famine, brought on by a blight that struck the potato crop, reduced nearly all of Ireland to poverty. Between 1846-1851 over a million men, women, and children emigrated to the U.S. and Canada, the majority of them entering through the port of New York. In essence, this work is a chronological listing of nearly 651,000 passengers with name, age, sex, occupation, date of arrival, port of embarkation, and vessel.
• Germans to America. series II : lists of passengers arriving at U.S. ports in the 1840s edited by Ira A. Glazier. (v. <1-7 > : ill., maps ; 24 cm. Contents: v. 1. January 1840-June 1843 -- v. 2. July 1843-December 1845 -- v. 3. January 1846-October 1846 -- v. 4. November 1846-July 1847 -- v.5. July 1847-March 1848 -- v.6. April 1848-October 1848 -- v.7. October 1848-December 1849.) Approximately 70,000 names in each volume. Lists are arranged chronologically by ship arrival. "Every passenger is identified by full name, age, sex, occupation, destination and when . . . available [the] country, province, or town of origin."
• Italians to America : lists of passengers arriving at U.S. ports edited by Ira A. Glazier and P. William Filby. (v. ; 24 cm. Contents: v. 1. January 1880-December 1884 -- v. 2. January 1885-June 1887 -- v. 3. July 1887-June 1889 -- v. 4. July 1889-Oct. 1890 -- v. 5. November 1890-December 1891 -- v.6. January 1892-December 1892 -- v.7. January 1893-September 1893 -- v.8. October 1893-May 1895 -- v.9.June 1895-June 1896 -- v.10. July 1896-June 1897 -- v.11. June 1897-May 1898 -- v.12. May 1898-April 1899 -- v.13. May 1899-November 1899 -- v.14. December 1899-May 1900 -- v.15. May 1900-November 1900 -- v.16. November 1900-April 1901 -- v. 17. April 1901-September 1901 -- v.18. October 1901-March 1902 -- v.19. April 1902-June 1902 -- v.20. June 1902-October 1902 - v.21. November 1902-March 1903 - v.22. March 1903-April 1903 - v.23. April 1903-June 1903 - v.24. June 1903-October 1903 - v.25. October 1903-March 1904 - v.26. March 1904-May 1904.. Includes indexes.)
• Emigrants from Baden and Württemberg in the eighteenth century by Brigitte Burkett.
• Nineteenth century emigrants from Baden : volume 2 : Graben, Linkenheim, Spöck & Staffort / by Brigitte Burkett.
• German immigrants, 1820-1920 / by Helen Frost. (32 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 21 cm. Contents: Early German immigrants -- Life in the old country -- The trip over -- Arriving in America -- Surviving in America -- Keeping traditions -- Timeline -- Famous German-Americans -- Words to know -- To learn more -- Places to write and visit -- Internet sites.)
• Passenger and immigration lists bibliography, 1538-1900: being a guide to published lists of arrivals in the United States and Canada / edited by P. William Filby. Gives "full bibliographic information for more than 2,550 published passenger and immigration lists." A revision of A Bibliography of Ship Passenger Lists, 1538-1825, compiled by Harold Lancour. 3rd ed., rev. and enl. by Richard J. Wolfe, 1963.
• Passenger and immigration lists index: a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries / edited by P. William Filby, with Mary K. Meyer. (3 v. (xxxv, 2339 p.) ; 29 cm.) Alphabetical listing of passengers who arrived in North America and the West Indies between 1538-1900, compiled from published sources: passenger lists and naturalization records. Entries include age; year of arrival or naturalization, with an abbreviation for the bibliographic citation with volume and page. Some 125,000 names are added annually in the published Supplements.
• Passenger and immigration lists index. Supplement. (v. ; 29 cm. Latest issue consulted: 2005. Issued in two pts. per year, 1998-<2004> Cumulates in: Passenger and immigration lists index. cumulated supplements.)
• The Immigration History Research Center : a guide to collections compiled and edited by Suzanna Moody and Joel Wurl ; production coordinated by Judith Rosenblatt and Anne Bjorkquist Ng ; foreword by Rudolph J. Vecoli.

2012.05.08

The website Immigrant Arrivals: A Guide To Published Sources includes these other relevant sources, which may be in the Dayton library.

• Hamburg (Germany). Auswanderungsamt. [Records, 1850-1873.] LC call number: Microfilm 10,897GA-43N-43P Listen Direkt, Manuscript Division; Microfilm 10,897GB-23N-23P Listen Indirekt, Manuscript Division LC control number: mm 83070243

Finding aid, Manuscript Division Reading Room. See also the vertical file, LH&G. Names east European emigrants from two lists covering the period 1850-1873: Direct Lists (indexed) are passengers who sailed directly from Hamburg, Germany, to their destination; Indirect Lists (indexed) names passengers who sailed from Hamburg, but who stopped at another European port before reaching their destination. Handwritten in German script, the names are arranged by first letter of the surname. Entries include name of the ship, master of the vessel, departure date, name of passenger, age, previous residence, occupation, and destination.

• Irish Passenger Lists, 1847-1871: List of Passengers Sailing from Londonderry to America on Ships of the J. & J. Cooke Line and the McCorkell Line. Compiled under the direction of Brian Mitchell. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1988. xvii, 333 p., ill., index. LC call number: E184 .I6I69 1988 LC control number: 87082306

For business reasons two Londonderry shipping firms kept passenger lists of their Atlantic crossings: J. & J. Cooke, 1847-1867, and William McCorkell & Co., 1863-1871. Cooke's include name of ship, year of embarkation, destination, Irish address of the passenger (usually town), and ages of children. The McCorkell lists provide name and address of passenger, month and year of embarkation, ages of children, month and year "engaged" at Philadelphia by the Robert Young and Co., name of the ship, month and year of embarkation.

• Kaminkow, Jack and Marion. A List of Emigrants from England to America, 1718-1759. Baltimore, Md.: Magna Carta Book Co., 1988. xxvii, 292 p. Includes 3,000 names. "Transcribed from microfilms of the original records at the Guildhall, London." LC call number: E187.5 .K3 1988 LH&G LC control number: 88083835

• Luxembourgers in the New World: A Reedition Based on the Work of Nicholas Gonner, "Die Luxemburger in der Neuen Welt," Dubuque, Iowa, 1889. Edited by Jean Ensch, Jean-Claude Muller, Robert E. Owen; original translations by Gerald L. Liebenau and Jean-Claude Muller. Esch-sur-Alzette, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg: Editions-Reliuers Schortgen, 1987. 2 vols. Ill. LC call number: E184 .L88L89 1987 LH&G LC control number: 87170772

Vol. 1, discussion of Luxembourger emigration, 1840-1890, with comments on settlements, occupations, and activities in the U.S. Vol. 2, principally an index to approximately 4,000 personal and place names cited in the Luxembourger Gazette (Dubuque, Iowa), 1872-1892.

• Schenk, Trudy, Ruth Froelke, and Inge Bork. The Wuerttemberg Emigration Index. Salt Lake City, Utah: Ancestry, Inc., 1986-92. LC call number: CS627 .W86S34 1986 LH&G LC control number: 85052453

Projected 8-volume work, each with approximately 12,000 names of individuals derived from 19th-century immigration registers of Wuerttemberg, Germany. Data include date and place of birth, date of emigration application, destination, home district of the applicant, and number of the microfilmed originals at the Genealogical Society of Utah.

Further reading may be necessary at these websites.

• PASSENGER LISTS: The Pitfalls - A Personal Experience
• Finding Passenger Lists & Immigration Records 1820-1940s

Certainly there are other references to look up.

Four ships came sailing

Ancestor chart, Robert Schuh

Recently some cousins from Germany visited Chuck and me in Palm Springs. Robert Schuh and his wife Annemarie from Wasserliesch and Barbara Schuh, the younger of their two daughters included Palm Springs as part of their tour of California, Nevada, and Arizona. They flew to San Francisco, rented an SUV, drove to Las Vegas, Brice Canyon, and the Grand Canyon, and then to Palm Springs before a few days in Los Angeles and their return to San Francisco. Yes, they were packing in as much American Southwest as possible for a three-week trip.

Robert and I are 3rd cousins. My great-grandfather John M. Kohn is a brother to Robert's great-grandmother Barbara Kohn-Schuh. Our first ancestor in common is our 2nd great-grandfather Johann Matthias Kohn V (1804-1877 in Wasserliesch). On the ancestor charts (at right), he is marked with a solid arrow.

The family arrived as the result of following their GPS directions to our home. Robert pulled their SUV into our driveway while Chuck and I were working in the front yard. I was burying irrigation tubes and Chuck was cleaning pine needles and stray weed-grasses out of the cactus.

Ancestor chart, Tom Kohn

We proudly showed them our garden and what we most recently finished, the path and patio underneath a towering pine tree. Annemarie and Barbara both tried Chuck's favorite relaxing spot, a hammock shaded by the pine tree.

We gave them directions to their hotel and made plans to meet them there for dinner nearby at The Cowboy Way, a favorite informal restau that serves the best western bar-b-que. Thanks to Barbara, who is a superbly conscientious interpreter, we had a spirited conversation at dinner. Robert and Annemarie told us about Wasserliesch, other members of our family who live there, the homes and locations that I've noted in my research through the Kirchenbücher and websites. Chuck talked about his writing, American politics and culture, and his family and early years in Cleveland. And from time to time, Robert and I spoke directly about family history and swapped American and German family stories.

The next morning, while Chuck was playing volleyball and Kazu was at the gym, the Schuhs picked me up to show them what I love about Palm Springs. We drove east along Highway 111, and I pointed out a few of my favorite areas for off-road biking, we drove to the top of the cove neighborhood at the south end of Cathedral City, and then we went to Indian Canyons directly south of Palm Springs. We hiked all of Andreas Canyon, which is about a mile of gentle hiking up the canyon along the stream. The return hike leads up to the top of the canyon's south wall, from where you see a great panorama of the entire canyon and many native cactus and ground covers. We drove on to the trading post, descended into Palm Canyon, and walked a little among the immense Washingtonian palms.

We topped the afternoon with a drive up to the tramway station. We decided against taking the cable car up, since we were dressed only for the valley floor. The temperature at the top station was around 35 degrees (F), much too cool for exploring the trails and lake up there.

Ancestor chart, Oskar Blasius

Robert and I left Annemarie and Barbara at the hotel for some late afternoon poolside relaxing, and he and I talked about our family history research. I printed the ancestor charts duplicated in this post, and we talked about the three Kohn brothers who emigrated from Wasserliesch, in 1855, 1865, and 1872. I told him of my guess that John M. Kohn and Susannah Reinert had met while they lived on opposite banks of the Mosel River, and Robert described how closely tied the two towns have been, despite the absence of a bridge between them. Robert told me of meeting Oskar Blasius and his interest in understanding the distant connection between them. I made another ancestor chart and printed it for Robert's next meeting with Oskar, whose 2nd great grandfather is my 3rd great grandfather. (So we are 3rd cousins, once removed.) Our first ancestor in common is Peter Blasius II (1789-1846 in Igel). Peter Blasius II is indicated with a dashed arrow in the ancestor charts.

Robert asked questions that set another research task: What ships brought the Kohn brothers and the Reinert family to America? Did these ancestors emigrate through Hamburg, Bremen, Ostende, or some other port? Did they all arrive in New York? There were other family emigrants also. These are the facts I know about each:

Entlassungsurkunde
Gertrude Blasius-Schmitz

• Matthias Kohn (1829-1888), the eldest of the Kohn brothers who emigrated, was confirmed in Wasserliesch on 25 April 1849 and bought land in La Crosse county, Wisconsin on 15 May 1856. (Section 23, Town 15, Range 5, SW 1/4 NE 1/4 S 23 T 15N R 5W, documented in the county deed books, volume 89. I believe he emigrated in 1855, before Prussia required applications for emigration. He married Josephine Becker in 1865, and they had 11 children and adopted 2 children. He operated a hotel-saloon in La Crosse from about 1866 through his death in 1888. Several of his descendants live in Minnesota.
• Several Blasius siblings emigrated from Igel before 1867 and resided in the Chicago area. These included the widowed Anna Catharina Blasius-Schmitz (1826-after 1869) and her daughter Gertrude, who emigrated April 1863; Nicolaus Blasius (1835-1912, emigrated 1863); and Johann Blasius (1833-1878, emigrated before 1864). All married in America, and several of their descendants still live in the Chicago area.
•  Johann Matthias Kohn (1839-1919) emigrated after applying to the local authorities on 30 June 1865. He stated he was 26 years old, and that the reason for emigrating was "that he has a brother already residing in America and imagines that he will have better prospects." He stated an intention to embark at Le Havre, France. In America he called himself John M. Kohn, lived near Tipton, Kansas, and married Susannah Reinert there in 1874. In 1880, he moved his family to La Crosse, Wisconsin, where he was a milk farmer and deliveryman. Susannah Reinert-Kohn died of heat stroke in 1887, and John M. moved his family back to Kansas and lived there with his mother-in-law for a time. He bought a farm nearby, raised cattle, and drove some cattle to market in Kansas City each year. He died on his farm southwest of Tipton, Kansas.
• Johann Reinert (1822-1871) emigrated after applying to the local authorities on 9 February 1867. In Amerika-Auswanderungen aus den Regierungsbezirken Bitburg und Trier im 19. Jahrhundert, Josef Mergen records the application, "851. Der Leinweber Johann Reinert, geb.12.6.1822 mit seiner Frau Katharine Blasius, ge.20.3.1824 und den Kindern Susanna 8.1.1848, Nikolaus 7.1.1851, Peter 7.5.1853, Maria 27.1.1860, Gertrud 10.12.1864. nach A. 'dass er daselbst Anverwandte habe, welche bereits fuer sein ferneres Fortkommen gesorgt haetten.' 9.2.1867" [...that he has relatives there who have already provided for his expected arrival]. Johann died of cancer of the neck on his farm near Caledonia, Minnesota in 1871, and his widow  Katherine  and the family moved with a dozen other families by wagon train to Kansas in 1872. Katherine died in 1891 on her farm near Tipton, Kansas.
• Michael Kohn (1844-after 1900) emigrated after applying to the local authorities on 17 June 1871.  In his application, he makes the sworn statements "... born in _Prussia_ on or about _1844_ ...[and] landed in the Port of _New_York_ on or about _July_1871_"  This date is corroborated in the Wasserliesch Kirchenbuch. He was naturalized 1 November 1872 in the Circuit Court of Wisconsin and married Theresa Loerscher in Wisconsin in 1874. He worked as a carpenter or furniture maker  in La Crosse for several years, but he lived in Beloit, Kansas about a year and was in the 1880 federal census there. He moved his family to Leavenworth, Kansas. Until recently, his whereabouts was unknown, and I have just uncovered the residence in Leavenworth. He had several children, whom I am researching now.

After a few hours of genealogy, we met again for dinner at  The Blue Coyote, a quiet southwestern restau on North Palm Canyon Drive. Chuck brought his recent book, Dark Dreams 2.0, to show Barbara and her parents, and we had a lively discussion of film that edged often into the arts, politics, and culture. Soon we said good-by, and wished the Schuhs well for their coming few days in Los Angeles and the return to San Francisco.

Move the ED download to a work location

These steps begin after you've downloaded one or more EDs that were canvassed in the 1940 U.S. Federal Census, as guided in a previous blog post. The EDs you downloaded from the National Archives (NARA) site are in zip files, each named by state and ED number. This post guides you in extracting the images from the zip file and placing them in a standard location on your computer.

1. In a directory window, find the files you downloaded in the previous blog post. This is your source directory. How you do this easily depends on your browser. My browser automatically saves files at
   C:\Documents and Settings\Tom\My Documents\Downloads 
   
   
   
   
2. In another directory window, make a directory to hold the census images in an organized group. This is your target directory. For example, I use
   C:\Documents and Settings\Tom\My Documents\Genealogy\Locations\USA\KS\MTCH\U.S. Federal Census 1940
   (that is, I have a separate directory for each state—KS for Kansas, county—MTCH for Mitchell county, and each census—U.S. Federal Census 1940).
   
   
   
   
3. In the source directly, double-click on one of the zip files. The zip directory opens.
   
   
4. Selectto open the extraction wizard.
   
   
5. In the extraction wizard, select.
6. In the top field, enter the name of your target directory. You can copy-paste the name from your source directory window or browse for the directory.
   
   
7. Select. The wizard indicates its progress with green bars.
   
   
8. When the extraction is complete, de-select
   and select .
   
   
9. In the directory that shows the contents of the zip file, selectto see other downloaded zip files.
10. Repeat steps 3 through 9 for each census file in the same county.
11. Repeat steps 2 through 10 for each census file in other counties and other states.

Save the census downloads on your computer

These steps begin after you've recorded the EDs for a state and county that was canvassed in the 1940 U.S. Federal Census, as guided in another blog post. Using those steps, you have just opened the Census Schedules view. Your working area should look like this.

You can review the actual pages written by the census enumerator in this view, but you can also copy the pages to your computer. (This is downloading the file.) I suggest downloading the file so you cam work without using the NARA computer resources and so you have your own copy of the census record.

1. Selectfor one of the EDs you've jotted down.
2. Place your pointer on, and a small window pops up.
3. Click on the Image box, and select All images.
4. Select , and you are asked to type the words in the security image.
5. Click in the answer box, and type the words. 
6. Selectagain. (If your answer is incorrect, you can use steps 4 and 5 several times until your answer is correct.)
7. If the download is successful, you may see the file listed by your browser window. (This depends on your browser and its settings.) For example: 
8. Repeat steps 1 through 7 for any other EDs you want to download.
9. Go to the next blog post, which guides you in placing the downloaded files on your computer.

Choosing the correct Enumeration District

These steps begin after you've selected a state and county that was canvassed in the 1940 U.S. Federal Census, as guided in another blog post. Your working area should look like this.

Working area—ED descriptions for state and county

You can choose one or more of these views.

• If you don't know a name for the area you want a census page for, use the map images to help you find the town, city, ward, or portion of the county (township) and its ED (enumeration district).
• If you have the name for the city, ward, town, or township, use the descriptions to find the ED. The working area shows the descriptions automatically.
• If you have the ED, use the ED list to go immediately to the pages you want.

Map view

Let's work from the Maps view, which lists all available maps that show the EDs for your county. Usually one map shows the full county and its EDs, and another map shows each city or town that has election wards. Some election wards may have more than one ED.

1. Selectfor the county or town.

2. Slide the view bars (at the bottom and right side) to show different parts of the map.
• The small black squares are houses.
• Houses in towns are usually not shown.
• State and U.S. Highways are identified.
• Railways and county roads are mapped but not always identified.
• Usually the boundaries of townships are also boundaries of EDs.
• The ED numbers are usually written in large but fainter numbers. 
• In the example (right), Cawker township has ED 62-11, and Cawker City has ED 62-10.
3. Jot down the EDs you want to view. 
4. Selectto view another page and find other EDs for the county or city.
5. Selectwhen you've reviewed all pages of the map.
6. If you want, repeat steps 1 through 5 for another map.
7. Go to Descriptions view or Census Schedules view, below.

Descriptions view

Let's work from the Descriptions view.

1. Scroll though the groups of descriptions to a group you want to view.
2. Selectto see all the EDs for the group.
3. Jot down the ED you want to view.
4. Repeat these steps for all EDs you're interested in.
5. When you've found all EDs, select(above the descriptions).

Census schedules view

Let's work from the Census schedules view. You can review the actual pages written by the census enumerator in this view, but you can also copy the pages to your computer. (This is downloading the file.) I suggest downloading the file so you cam work without using the NARA computer resources and so you have your own copy of the census record. Go to the next blog post.

How to access the 1940 Census

1940 Census welcome page

The National Archives released the 1940 U.S. Federal Census on schedule on 2 April 2012. Laws setting up the census—and protecting privacy of those indiiviluals who answered the questions—establish a period of 72 years before the census records can be released. All the previous census records were released on micorfilm, beginning in the 1940s. But now, 70 years later, the records are being released online in files that are easily downloaded for your research whenever you desire.

Here's the most efficient way to make a set of files from the 1940 census.

1. Go to the website for the 1940 census. To do this, select this link to the 1940 census. I have set the link to open the census in another window, so you can follow these steps while you find your first records. Just resize both windows and position them side-by-side.
2. Selectin the three-color bar across the top.
3. Make sure that the Browse tab and the Location circle are selected (as shown).
4. Under State, open the drop-down list and select the state you want.
5. Under County, open the drop-down list and select the county you want. 
6. Select  at the bottom of the block.

You're now ready to find the divisions that were assigned to each person who visited each residence and interviewed your family. These divisions are called enumeration districts (EDs), in the parlance of the U.S. Federal Census. Usually an ED is a township in a county or an electoral ward in a city.

In the next blog post, I guide you in choosing the correct EDs, and later posts guide downloading the whole ED and saving the downloads on your computer.

Happy searching!

The Familienbuch of Wasserliesch

For several years, I've been transcribing the Ortsfamilienbuch Wasserliesch into a PDF with linked entries. This includes all families documented in the parish registers from 1752 to 1899, plus supplementary information from the civil records.

The original Ortsfamilienbuch was prepared by Peter Kohns and completed around 1985. I've sought to maintain his information faithfully. He performed a valuable service to all researchers, and his work is much more conscientious than others who have prepared similar documents for other German towns.

My first work has focused on transcribing the full entries for my direct ancestors and the extended families that were formed by the siblings of my ancestors. The publication linked here is that state of the transcription.

I'm currently expanding the introductory material and also expanding the transcription to include the husband, wife, and children of each marriage listed in the original document. Unfortunately, I have not included much more than their names. I don't have a guess on when the expanded transcription will be available.

Please leave a comment if you would like to see a specific family in the next edition. (I moderate all comments, so am guaranteed to see what you need.)

Updated 2013.06.28. I just uploaded the 2nd edition of the Ortsfamilienbuch, which includes lots of new introductory material and a clearer format for the entries.

Provide a record for the next generation

You are the one with memories, with your memories. You are unique, your perspective is fresh. Write what you know, what you feel.

Here are a few questions that can prompt your personal history.

 

• Where did you grow up? What is the first thing you picture about that place? Who do you think of as closely connected to the place?
• What was your home like? How many rooms? Describe your picture of yourself there.
• Who were your neighbors? Describe what you did with your neighbors.
• How long did your family live in the area(s)? What do you remember about moving from one place to the next?
• How many siblings did you have? What were their names and when were they born? What do you remember about them when you were children?
• How are your siblings different now from their childhood?
• Who were other family members in the area? Describe where they lived.
• Did you live on a farm? What kind of crops were grown? What do you remember about working with the crops? 
• What kind of livestock or other animals did you keep? 
• Did you have any pets?
• Where did you go to school? Who were some of your classmates?

Your next assignment: use the questions to record the memories of your partner, your parents, your friends.

Maternal great grandparents

Anton Deneke (1836-1897)
Born on 23 April 1836 in Brakel, Kreis Höxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany and baptized as Franz Anton on 24 April by the priest of St. Michael-Kirche,with a single godparent Ludwig Zune [handwriting not clear for the family name]. His parents are Anton Deneke, a day laborer, and Maria Anna Franke of Brakel. Anton had a brother (Franz Joseph) and a sister (Sophia), who both died in 1843. He also had an older step-sister (Ferdinandine) and step-brother (Thomas) from his father's first marriage that ended with the death of his wife Anna Theodora Wiethase in 1832.

• Anton immigrated in 1872 to Ohio.
• He was enumerated in the city directories of Cincinnati Ohio at 355 Cutter in 1876 and 1877.
• He married Maria Anna Stephan on 15 February 1876 at St. Bonaventure church in Cincinnati. The church still is in use, at 1798 Queen City Avenue.
• Two children born in Cincinnati were baptized at St. Joseph church that was at the corner of Linn and Laurel Streets. The street designations are now Linn Street and Ezzard Charles Drive. The church was partially razed and rebuilt a small distance away to make way for freeway construction and urban renewal. The original stained glass windows are installed in the new church.
• The family moved in 1879 to a farm about two miles east of Beloit, Kansas.
• Seven children were born on the farm.
• An eleventh child was raised as their son, but was likely the son of the eldest daughter.
• Anton died on 5 March 1897 from asthma. He was almost 61 years old.

Maria Anna Stephan (1849-1924)
Born on 1 February 1849 and baptized the next day by the parish priest, as recorded in the Kirchenbuch Königheim. The handwriting is hard to decipher, but the names of her parents appear to be Franz Jakob Stephan and Maria Anna [Baur?], and her father was a forest ranger of the 16th region in [Glatten?] [Welmlingen or Welzheim?]. The witnesses of the baptism were Georg Joseph [Lanaur?] and Franz Xavier [Grinn?]. The identities of any brothers or sisters are not known.

• Maria emigrated in 1873 from Königheim.
• Perhaps identified as "434/8 Stephan Marie Königheim/Tauberb. Amerika 1873" in a summarized list of emigration cards from Baden-Württemberg. Possibly a relative is identified as "434/14 Stefan, Franz Anton Königheim/Tauberb. Amerika 1879."
• She married Anton Deneke on 15 February 1876 at St. Bonaventure church in Cincinnati. The church still is in use, at 1798 Queen City Avenue.
• Two children born in Cincinnati were baptized at St. Joseph church that was at the corner of Linn and Laurel Streets. The street designations are now Linn Street and Ezzard Charles Drive.
• The family moved in 1879 to a farm about two miles east of Beloit, Kansas.
• Seven children were born on the farm.
• She was active in celebrating the weddings of her children, and was featured as the hostess in local news reports of the 1912 wedding of Anthony Deneke and Minnie Stark and the 1917 wedding of Teresa Deneke and Francis Marksman.
• An eleventh child was raised as their son, but was likely the son of the eldest daughter.
• Maria died on 28 November 1924 from unknown cause. She was 75 years old.

Richard Butler (1836-1915)
Richard A. Butler was baptized on 7 December 1836 in Thomastown, county Kilkenny, Ireland. The baptismal record indicates his parents are "John Butler & Mary Kenedy" and his godparents are "Duiis Gorg & Betty Kenedy Newhouse," but it provides no additional information. Existing family information from other researchers shows that Richard had two older brothers (Martin and Thomas) and two sisters (Ann and Catherine).

• His parents immigrated to Syracuse, Onondaga county, New York by 7 February 1837. 
• The family moved to a farm near Waunakee, Dane county, Wisconsin after 7 December 1852. John and his sons built a limestone block home that is in use today.
• His father deeded a farm to Richard in 1857.
• Richard married Mary Ellen Cummings on 2 February 1863, likely at St. Mary of the Lake church that is about 8 miles southeast of Waunakee.
• Richard and Mary Ellen had four children between 1864 and 1869, of whom Mary Ann, Margaret, and John survived to 1870.
• The family was enumerated in the U.S. Census on 24 August 1870, and the household included Mary (age 26), Mary (4), Margaret (3), John (1), Flinn James (40) a farm laborer, and Commons Mary (59) a domestic servant. [It is possible that Mary Commons' family name was misspelled, and that she is related to Mary Ellen Cummings-Butler.]
• Six more children were born from 1870 to 1879, of whom Catherine B., Ellen Cecelia, Anastasia L.,Margaret, and Agnes survived to 1880. The child John died in 1875.
• The family moved to a farm near Glasco, Cloud county, Kansas after Richard sold his farm in 1878. Richard's brothers Martin and Thomas had moved to the Glasco area before 1878.
• Four more children were born from 1880 to 1885, of whom Sadie, James Thomas, and Elizabeth Gertrude survived.
• Richard continued to farm and raise cattle through 1913.
• He died at his home on 10 September 1915 of pneumonia with a possible hemorrhage into the abdominal cavity. He was 79 years old.

Mary E Cummings (1846-1921)
Mary Ellen Cummings was born in Ireland. Various sources give her birthplace as "Plaberstown" and "Cass" or "Kass." Only a community with a similar name—Pleberstown—exists in county Kilkenny, Ireland today. The community is near Thomastown. Towns with names similar to Cass or Kass are unlikely because of their locations distant from Thomastown. Her birthdate is in dispute, given as 30 October 1841, 31 October 1843, 1 October 1844, 31 October 1844, and 31 October 1846. Statements of age in the U.S. Censuses are not sufficiently reliable to select a likely date. Her parents are Dennis Cummings and Margaret Walsh. She had at least one sister, Margaret.

• She immigrated with her parents to Massachusetts in 1852.
• The family resided in Madison, Dane county, Wisconsin in 1854.
• The family was enumerated in the U.S. Census on 21 June 1860 in Westport township, Dane county, Wisconsin.
• Mary Ellen married Richard Butler on 2 February 1863, likely at St. Mary of the Lake church that is about 8 miles southeast of Waunakee.
• Richard and Mary Ellen had four children between 1864 and 1869, of whom Mary Ann, Margaret, and John survived to 1870.
  
• The family was enumerated in the U.S. Census on 24 August 1870, and the household included Mary (age 26), Mary (4), Margaret (3), John (1), Flinn James (40) a farm laborer, and Commons Mary (59) a domestic servant.
• Six more children were born from 1870 to 1879, of whom Catherine B., Ellen Cecelia, Anastasia L.,Margaret, and Agnes survived to 1880. The child John died in 1875.
• The family moved to a farm near Glasco, Cloud county, Kansas after Richard sold his farm in 1878. Richard's brothers Martin and Thomas had moved to the Glasco area before 1878.
  
• Four more children were born from 1880 to 1885, of whom Sadie, James Thomas, and Elizabeth Gertrude survived.
• Mary Ellen died on 17 December 1921 at her home near Glasco. She was 75 years old.

Summary of my 2nd great grandparents

My 2GGP are...

Kohn—Dahm
Johann Matthias Kohn V (1804-1877) †
married 1825 in Wasserliesch, Kreis Trier-Land, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany €
Katharina Dahm (1803-1868)

• Johann Matthias was the first child born to Peter Kohn and Eva Lorig, and he was baptized 8 January 1804 in Wasserliesch, the same day as his birth. 
• Katharina Dahm was the fifth child born to Johann Matthias Dahm and Maria Elisabeth Fischer, and she was baptized 7 November 1803 in Wasserliesch, the same day as her birth. 
• During their lives, the town name was written variously as Waßerliesch, Waßerliersch, and Waßerlirs.
• Johann Matthias and Katharina married on 12 January 1825 in Wasserliesch, witnessed by his brother Nicholas Kohn from the Albach mill and her maternal uncle Nicholas Fischer from Igel.
• Johann Matthias' mother and both of Katharina's parents were deceased by the time Johann Matthias and Katharina married.
• The couple had 10 children: 
• Peter (born 1825)
• Nicholas (born 1827)
• Matthias (born before 1829)
• Barbara (born 1831)
• Johann (born 1834)
• Maria (born 1836 and died 1839)
• Johann Matthias (John M., born 1839)
• Katharina (born 1841)
• Michael (born 1844)
• Matthias (born and died 1847)

• The baptismal records of their children note that Johann Matthias was a farmer. 
• Notable events for the family:

•  12 January 1825 in Wasserliesch: Johann Matthias Kohn V marries Katharina Dahm
• 9 December 1825: son Peter was born and baptized.
• 20 November 1827: son Nicholas was born and baptized the next day.
• 16 August 1829: son Matthias was baptized and born on this date or before.
• 21 April 1831: daughter Barbara was born and baptized.
• 1 June 1834: son Johann was born and baptized the next day.
• 10 July 1836: daughter Maria III was born and baptized the next day.
• 10 Jan 1839: son Johann Matthias VIII (John M.) was born and baptized.
• 5 July 1839: daughter Maria died and was buried on 9 July.
• 14 Sep 1841: daughter Katharina was born and baptized.
• 19 Jul 1844: son Michael was born and baptized two days later.
• 30 Apr 1847: the son Matthias was born, baptized, and died.
• 25 April 1849 in Wasserliesch:  the sons Matthias and John and daughter Barbara were confirmed.
• 4 August 1849:  Johann Matthias' father Peter died in Wasserliesch.
• before 1855: the son Matthias emigrated to America.
• 17 September 1855: the son Johann Matthias and the daughter Katharina were confirmed.
• 2 October 1860: the son Michael was confirmed.
• 3 February 1861: the son Nicholas married Maria Müller of Konz.
• 10 February 1863: the daughter Barbara married Johann Schuh of Wasserliesch.
• 31 July 1864: the son Peter was the godfather to his nephew Peter, the son of Nicholas Kohn and Maria Müller
• around 30 June 1865: the son Johann Matthias emigrated to America.
• 18 September 1865 in LaCrosse Wisconsin (USA): the son Matthias married Josephine Baker. 
• 19 Apr 1866: the son John applied for emigration to America. It is uncertain if he did indeed travel to America, since he married Anna Hild in Wasserliesch on 20 February 1873, and they had several children baptized there.
• 10 May 1868: Katharina died and was buried on 12 May in Wasserliesch.
• around 17 June 1871: the son Michael emigrated to America.
• 20 February 1873 in Wasserliesch: the son Johann married Anna Hild of Porz. 
• 21 April 1874 in LaCrosse Wisconsin (USA): the son Michael married Theresia Loarscher [spelling uncertain].
• 5 September 1874 in Waconda Kansas (USA): the son Johann Matthias married Susanna Reinert of Igel.
• 10 April 1877: Johann Matthias V died and was buried on 12 April in Wasserliesch.

Reinert—Blasius
Johann Reinert (1822-1871)
married 1847 in Igel, Kreis Trier-Land, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
Catharina Blasius III (1824-1891) †

• Johann was the sixth child born to Paul Reiner and Anna Maria Weis, and he was born 12 June 1822 in Wasserbillig, Luxembourg.
• Catharina was the third child born to Peter Blasius II and Susanna Giwer, and she was born 20 March 1824 and baptized the same day in Igel.
• Johann and Catharina married on 5 March 1847 in Igel. No sacramental register entry in Igel or any neighboring village documents the wedding, but the civil marriage registers (Standesamtsregister of Landkreis Trier) give the date and hour of 11 o'clock in the morning. 
• According to the marriage register, Johann was a linen weaver, which often meant a year-round business of flax growing, harvesting, and treating, after which a weaver would spin the flax into thread, and then manufacture rope and cloth.
• Catharina's father was deceased at the time of their marriage.
• The couple had five children:
• Susanna (born 1848)
• Nicholas Matthias (born 1851)
• Peter (born 1853)
• Maria (born 1860)
• Gertrude (born 1864)
• Notable events for the family:
• 8 January 1848: the daughter Susanna was born and baptized.
• 8 January 1851: the son Nicholas Matthias was born and baptized.
• 17 May 1853: the son Peter was born and baptized.
• 27 January 1860: the daughter Maria was born and baptized.
• 19 March 1864: Johann was the godfather of Elisabeth Blasius, his wife's niece.
• 9 December 1864: the daughter Gertrude was born and baptized the next day.
• 9 February 1867: Johann applied for emigration.
• 22 October 1867: Johann signed a letter of intent to naturalize in the United States.
• 7 June 1870: the family was enumerated in the U.S. Federal Census of Houston County (Caledonia) Minnesota (USA).
• 10 March 1871: Johann died of cancer of the neck near Caledonia Minnesota (USA).
• 1872: Catharina moved with her five children to Tipton Kansas (USA). The family was part of a group of 12 relocating families.
• 1872 in Bloom township, Osborne county Kansas (USA): Catharina purchased 160 acres of farmland.
• 5 September 1874 in Waconda Kansas (USA): the daughter Susanna married Johann Matthias Kohn from Wasserliesch.
• 8 September 1879 in Mitchell County Kansas: the son Nicholas Matthias married Maria Simeon.
• 8 September 1879 in Mitchell County Kansas: the son Peter married Catherine Schwinden from Caledonia Minnesota.
• 26 January 1887 in Mitchell County Kansas: the daughter Gertrude married Stephen Schandler from Luxembourg. 
• 24 April 1887 in Mitchell County Kansas: the daughter Maria married Michael Gillen from Kruchten, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.
• 4 August 1887 in LaCrosse Wisconsin: the daughter Susanna died of heatstroke.
• Late 1887: the widowed husband of Susanna, John M. Kohn, moved from LaCrosse Wisconsin with his five surviving children to live with his mother-in-law Catharina.
• 8 February 1891: Catharina died near Tipton Kansas.

Ohnsat—Scholz
Franz Ohnsat (calc 1803-est 1870) ¶
married 1831 in Grabin, Niemodlin, Opole, Poland
Catherina Scholz (calc 1806-est 1870) ¶

• Franz was one of at least three children born to Joseph Ohnsat and an unnamed mother, and he was born 15 January 1803 in Grüben, Kreis Falkenberg, Schlesien, Ostpreußen (as named at that time) or Grabin, Niemodlin, Opole, Poland (modern name).
• Catharina was one of at least three children born to Johann Scholtz and an unnamed mother, and she was born 15 August 1806 in Grüben, Kreis Falkenberg, Schlesien, Ostpreußen (as named at that time) or Grabin, Niemodlin, Opole, Poland (modern name).
• Franz and Catharina married on 15 November 1831 in  Grabin.
• According to the marriage register, Franz was a land owner.
• As of today, no further research has identified the parents' birth and death dates.
• The couple had seven children:
• Franz Joseph (born 1833)
• Johann Robert (born 1835)
• Franz Anton (born 1837)
• Maria Caroline (born 1840)
• Joseph August (born 1842)
• Carl Anton (born 1844)
• Johann Heinrich (born 1847)
• Notable events for the family:
• 13 March 1833: the son Franz Joseph was born and baptized the next day.
• 18 September 1835: the son Johann Robert was born and then baptized on 20 September.
• 10 December 1837: the son Franz Anton was born and then baptized on 12 December.
• 8 July 1840: the daughter Maria Caroline was born and then baptized on 14 July.
• 3 July 1842: the son Joseph August was born and baptized the next day.
• 13 October 1844: the son Carl Anton was born and then baptized on 17 October.
• 2 April 1847: the son Johann Heinrich was born and then baptized on 4 April.
• I estimate that the parents died around 1870, based on typical lifespans of that time.

Salinger—Vogel
Georgius Salinger (est 1800-est 1870) ¶
married 03 Dec 1829 in Durlach, Baden, Germany
Katherina Vogel (est 1815-est 1870) ¶

• Georgius (also Georg) was born around 1800, presumably in the Baden region of what is now Germany. His father was Leopold Sallinger; his mother's name is not known.
• Catharina was born around 1815, presumably in the Baden region of what is now Germany. Her mother was Katharina Vogel; her father's name is not known.
• The parents were cited in the 26 Nov 1872 marriage of Robert Ohnsat to Anna M. L. Salinger, as recorded by Father Fredericus of St. Michael parish in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
• As of today, no further research has identified birth and death dates for Georg Salinger and Katherina Vogel.
• The couple had four known children:
• Carl Julius (born 1833)
• Anton Hermann (born 1836)
• Maria Anna Josepha  (born 1838)
• Anna Maria Louisa (born 1839)
• Notable events for the family:
• 26 March 1833: the son Carl Julius was born and two days later baptized in the catholic parish of Breisach, Kreis Freiburg, Baden (today named Breisach am Rhein).
• 16 Apr 1833 : the son Carl Julius died.
• 20 June 1836: the son Anton Herrmann was born and one day later baptized in the catholic parish of Breisach, Kreis Freiburg, Baden (today named Breisach am Rhein).
• 21 March 1838: the daughter Maria Anna Josepha was baptized in the catholic parish of Breisach, Kreis Freiburg, Baden (today named Breisach am Rhein).
• 30 May 1839: the daughter Maria Anna Leopoldina was baptized in the catholic parish of Breisach, Kreis Freiburg, Baden (today named Breisach am Rhein).
• I estimate that the parents died around 1870, based on typical lifespans of that time.

Deneke—Wiethase 
Deneke—Franke
Franz Anton Deneke (calc 1793-abt 1875) ¶married 1823 in Brakel, Kreis Höxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Anna Theodora Wiethase (calc 1791-1832)
married 1833 in Brakel, Kreis Höxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Anna Maria Franke (calc 1798-est 1860) ¶

• Franz Anton was born around 1793, in Brakel, of what is now Kreis Höxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
• Anna Theodora was born around 1789, presumably in Brakel, of what is now Kreis Höxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. Her father's name was Ludwig.
• Franz Anton married Anna Theodora Wiethase on 11 Feb 1823 in the catholic St. Michael parish of Brakel, Kreis Höxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
• The couple had four known children:
• Anna Maria Elisabetha (born 1823)
• Ferdinandine (born 1825)
• Thomas  (born 1827)
• Friedrich Lorenz (born 1830)
• Anna Theodora Wiethase died 28 December 1832.
• Anna Maria was born around 1798, presumably in Brakel, of what is now Kreis Höxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
• Franz Anton married Anna Maria Franke on 19 February 1833 in the catholic St. Michael parish of Brakel, Kreis Höxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
• The couple had three known children:
• Anton (born 1836)
• Franz Joseph (born 1838)
• Sophia (born 1842)
• Notable events for the family:
• 28 Nov 1823: the daughter Anna Maria Elisabeth was born and two days later baptized.
• 5 June 1824: the daughter Anna Maria Elisabeth died.
• 11 Mar 1825: the son Ferdinandine was born and one day later baptized.
• 28 Jul 1827: the son Thomas was born and one day later baptized.
• 14 Mar 1830: the son Friedrich Lorenz was born and baptized.
• 2 Aug 1830: the son Friedrich Lorenz died.
• 28 December 1832: the mother Anna Theodora Wiethase died.
• 23 Apr 1836: the son Anton was born and baptized.
• 21 Dec 1838: the son Franz Joseph was born and three days later baptized.
• 30 Jan 1842: the daughter Sophia was born and three days later baptized.
• 18 Jan 1843: the daughter Sophia died.
• 15 Mar 1843: the son Franz Joseph died.
• 1872: the son Anton emigrates to America.

Stephan—Baur [spelling uncertain]
Franz Jakob Stephan (1812-1898) ¶
married bef 1849 in Königheim, Main-Tauber-Kreis, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Maria Anna [Baur? Rauch?] (est 1825-est 1885) ¶

Butler—Kennedy
John Butler (1801-abt 1875) ¶
married 1824 in Thomastown, county Kilkenny, Ireland
Mary Kennedy (1797-1893)

Cummings—Walsh
Dennis Cummings (1806-1888)
married abt 1840 in Ireland
Margaret Walsh (1800-1896)

† The appended Roman numerals specify individuals who share the same name with other members of the family. The numerals were applied by me and are not used by other researchers of the family history.

€ Modern designations are used for locations. Local names are used, except for the country.

¶ The abbreviations used in the list have these meanings.
abt—The date or year was estimated by using a known event. For example, a person's death occurred before the surviving family moved.
aft—The date or year establishes the first possible time for the event. For example, a person's baptism happens after a birth.
bef—The date or year establishes the last possible time for the event. For example, a person's birth  happens before a baptism.
calc—The date or year was calculated from a known date and age. For example, a stated age in a wedding document provides a calculation of that person's birth.
est—The date or year was estimated by using average longevity and average age for marriage. For example, average longevity ranges from 60 years in the 19th Century to 75 years in the 20th Century. The average age for marriage in 19th C. Germany is 22 for women and 26 for men.

...and here's yet another blog starting up

So I ask myself --and you the reader can ask at the same time-- what do I have to add to the Misthaufen of verbiage already on the internet? I plan to draw on my background, in which I grew up as a farm kid on the Kansas plains, moved with my family to a small town in Kansas, developed a love of music from the age of twelve, found that my youthful religious fervor had been supplanted by an inherent happiness by age twenty, realized by age 22 that maintaining a deception about my being would cause not only a loss of that happiness but also others' pain, discovered at age 25 that enlisting in the military was a path toward gaining independence and expanding opportunity, rekindled a love of the German language at 27 when I was stationed in the Hunsrück in western Germany, met at age 29 the partner who could encourage my self assurance and personal development, happened upon a fulfilling career at age 29, dabbled in painting with some success at age 35, and am now at age 54 exploring how my background is well suited for uncovering quite distant family history from my German forebears.

I expect that subsequent posts will share more detail than this summary of my background. Likely, if subsequent postings follow any order, the order will be reversed. The remainder of this first post will focus on my most recent enthusiasm, genealogy. I hope that the writing of all my posts may be of good quality and of some interest to you.

Recent Genealogical Work
In the last five years, I have been successfully researching my ancestors, with the most focus on several branches from my paternal line.

• The first branch--the Ohnsat family--leads from my father's mother, Louise Katherine Ohnsat-Kohn, to her father's origins in the Oberschlesien administrative district of Preußen and what is now the county of Niemodlin in south-central Poland. My great-grandfather John Robert Ohnsat and his brother emigrated from there around 1872. Some of his brother's Elliott, Magee and Rahnkamp descendants live in Pittsburgh PA, and I believe one male descendant lived in Detroit MI around 1900, whose daughters married into the Bargo and Priemer families. The name has very nearly disappeared in both America and Germany, although it may be that related branches with different spellings of the name (perhaps Ohnezeit, for example) still may be discovered.
  
• The second branch--the Reinert family--leads from my grandfather's mother, Susanna Reinert-Kohn, to her father's origins in the extreme eastern edge of Luxembourg and in the river towns along the Mosel and Saar Rivers in what is today the state of Rheinland-Pfalz in Germany. Susanna, then 19 years old, came to America in 1867, along with her parents John and Katherine (Blasius) Reinert and four younger siblings.
• I believe--without substantive information yet--that Susanna has the most romantic story of the family. Her family arrived in the U.S., settled soon thereafter in Houston county MN, and resettled near Tipton KS after her father had died in Minnesota. In Kansas she found and married John M. Kohn, who in 1865 at the age of 26 had emigrated from Wasserliesch Germany, which lay on the opposite bank of the Mosel from Susanna's hometown, Igel. I suspect that Susanna and John M. had met while they both still lived in Germany, and the Reinert family emigrated at Susanna's urging, after she had heard of John M.'s emigration. I surmise her desire to find John M. was so great that she urged the family's resettling to Kansas at the first opportunity, having heard that he was living there. --Of course, it could have been pure chance that they met in America, their common Mosel River background making a shared Weltanschauung.
• I have recently found that members of other branches of the Reinert family had also emigrated to America, and that several of their descendants live in Minnesota. Descendants of Susanna's brothers and sisters still live in north-central and north-western Kansas, including the family names of Arendt, Bach, Boberg, Boden, Deges, Feldt, Geerdes, Gillen, Holdforth, Neff, Rohlman, Schandler, Schuetz, Schwinden, and Thummel in the first generation of America-born members.
  
• The third branch--the Blasius family--leads from Susanna Reinert-Kohn's mother, Catharina Blasius, to her parents and grandparents who lived in Igel. Catharina was not the only member of the Blasius family to emigrate to America. Her brother Nicolaus settled in Winnetka IL in 1863, a married and subsequently widowed sister Anna Catharina settled nearby the same year, and a brother Johann settled in Chicago sometime between 1855 and 1867. Nicolaus was a farmer, and Johann was a tailor. A short history of the Kohn family includes a mention of Susanna's uncle John and his expertise as a tailor in Chicago. This Blasius family has dwindled to just two male descendants who carry the name in America, although the name still continues in greater numbers in Igel and along the Mosel River. Other Blasius family in America are not likely tied to the Igel Blasius, as the name was fairly common in Catholic Germany through the Nineteenth Century.
  

In the past two years, I have been developing a book of fairly broad scope, whose primary focus is the family of John Reinert and Katherine Blasius. At this point, the main text covers about 100 pages, and supporting appendices provide another 600 pages of material. It is far from complete, and in constant revision. I have told many family members to expect it at various points in 2004 and 2005, and I have lately stopped giving any expected completion date. Doubtless, some portions of the text may make their way into this weblog.

Perhaps in this weblog I will be guided often by a muse that will also be of interest to you, my reader. With some craft, I may make some powerful impression on you, but not so wonderful that you dash upon rocks in the Dämmerung, as Heine related in his poem.

Die Lorelei
Heinrich Heine, 1797-1856
Ich weiß nicht, was soll es bedeuten,
Daß ich so traurig bin;
Ein Märchen aus alten Zeiten,
Das kommt mir nicht aus dem Sinn.
Die Luft ist kühl, und es dunkelt,
Unruhig fließt der Rhein;
Der Gipfel des Berges funkelt
In Abendsonnenschein.
Die schönste Jungfrau sitzet
Dort oben wunderbar,
Ihr goldenes Geschmeide blitzet,
Sie kämmt ihr goldenes Haar.
Sie kämmt es mit goldenem Kamme
Und singt ein Leid dabei;
Das hat eine wundersame,
Gewaltige Melodei.
Den Schiffer im kleinen Schiffe
Ergreift es mit wildem Weh;
Er schaut nicht die Felsenriffe,
Er schaut nur hinauf in die Höh'.
Ich glaube, die Wellen verschlingen
Am Ende Schiffer uns Kahn;
Und das hat mit ihrem Singen
Die Lorelei getan.

See Brindin Press for a good translation by A.S. Kline.