Tombstone Tuesday #1: Lula and John Bagby

Today, let's make a virtual cemetery visit.

Riverview Cemetery was initiated by the city of Richmond in 1887 and is immediately west of Hollywood Cemetery on the James River. Riverview was laid out in a curvilinear design, with six roundabouts amid winding avenues, all overlooking the picturesque falls of the river.

Name Day: Katherina - November 25

Katherina GOELLNER/GILLEN 

A name day is a tradition in many countries in Europe and America that consists of celebrating the day of the year associated with one's given name.

Katherina was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany in September, 1828, according to information provided in US census records.  Unfortunately, at this time I am unable to locate any records that indicate if she was born in the town of Darmstadt or in another town in the Hesse-Darmstadt German state.  Also, I'm not able to locate a document which gives us Katherina's maiden name.

Joseph William Davidson - Around the World in 1011 Days

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (2019-47)

On March 6, 1943 Joseph William Davidson was told to report for duty in the US Army Air Corps.

In Memoriam - Edward Louis Gillen

Edward Louis Gillen passed away on 50 years ago today on Saturday, November 15, 1969 in Freeport, Nassau, New York.

Frank Hillenbrand...The Long Road to Citizenship

Frank Joseph Hillenbrand was born September 17, 1885 in Ludwigshafen, Germany.

In 1885, Ludwigshafen is located on the Rhine River.  To the east across the river was the city of Mannheim.  In 1865 the chemical company BASF made the move across the Rhine from Mannheim to Ludwigshafen.  As a result, Ludwigshafen went undergoing a period of rapid growth as other chemical companies began to make Ludwigshafen home.

Rachel Ann Biddle Miller

Happy Birthday Rachel!  

This week it is Rachel's 200th birthday!   I have not been able to locate a birth certificate for Rachel or any other document that states her birthdate, so using the information on her tombstone I calculated her birth date as October 27, 1819. 1819!

Memorial for Rachel Ann Biddle Miller, photo by  Janet Allen-Barnes, downloaded 2019.10.17 from https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/68326184

What was Ohio like in 1819?  Let's travel back in time...

The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, at the close of the Revolutionary War, and transferred what was known as the Old Northwest from Great Britain to the newly formed United States.  The first colony in the Old Northwest was settled soon after in 1787 and called Marietta in the part of the territory that would later become Ohio.  Many of the early settlements in Ohio, like Marietta, were the result of settlers setting off from Pittsburg, PA and traveling on the Ohio River as it flows towards the mighty Mississippi River.  The Hocking River branches off of the Ohio River just south of Marietta.  Pioneers followed this river inland to settle in the river's basin, forming many early communities in Ohio.

Clifford Olsen in Germany during WWII

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (2019-43)

Clifford Olsen, scanned from an original photo in the personal collection of Virginia Summers Olsen.
© Edward R. Olsen 10.21.2019

Lately I've been looking at information and photos of my grandfather, Clifford Olsen (1922-1966), during his WWII tour.  I recently came across this photo of him in a jeep that I've had for a few years and felt that it worked perfectly for the "Transportation" prompt for this week.

World War II saw the creation of one of America’s most beloved vehicles, the Jeep...the Jeep was once a military workhorse designed to move troops, help the wounded and more. The story of the Jeep begins in the late 1930s, when the United States military was searching for a vehicle that was light, rugged and could travel over rough terrain. By the early 1940s, the Jeep’s design was complete..."^{1  "}The tough, simple, Jeep® ... became the GI's best friend—second only to his rifle."³

PFC Clifford Olsen was a soldier in the 414th Infantry Regiment of the 104th Infantry Division. He was part of the medical detachment and was a medical technician. The 104th Infantry entered the European Theatre of WWII on Sept. 7, 1944 when they landed in Cherbourg, France.  They began a quick march across France and into Belgium and later Germany.

The Beginning

I guess it makes sense to begin a blog with a beginning.

Image by Fathromi Ramdlon from Pixabay 

I have been interested in genealogy for many, many years.  Family history has always fascinated me.   Several years ago I embarked on a more thorough role in researching family history when I purchased a Family History computer program that linked up with online databases.  Since then I have dabbled and collected information, but the act of just collecting information and archiving it wasn't completely fulfilling.