The Ancester Approved Award

Welcome back, I am so tickled to be given the Ancestor Award again. I must be doing something write.


I am surprised/honored/humbled/pleased to be the recipient of the Ancestor Approved Award from Laura Ann, my fellow Genea Blogger

My thanks goes to her and the group for designing and sharing this award with me.

The Ancestor Approved Award asks that the recipient list ten things you have learned about any of your ancestors that has surprised, humbled, or enlightened you and pass the award along to ten other bloggers who you feel are doing their ancestors proud.
Here are the 10 things I have learned from my ancestors.


1.
Surprising that somehow all this life with a long military career changed Juergen Heinrich Wilhlem Meyer from being a Lutheran to being a Christian Scientist, when he lived in Reading twp. he barely had anything to do with the church, but allowed the rest of his family the privilege to attend. Still though, He is shown to be a god parent in some of the early years to a few children along with his wife. I humbly feel that he had to endure some strong opposition which surely affected his descendants and friends. I have decided that if he can do all he has, I can get past some lowly problems.

2.
It is humbling to think of his wife Maria Heins Meyer still staying a member of the church and holding the family together and keeping her children in the church despite this fathers religious opinions. A lady who was looking up information for me at the church had told me that that some of the people who were Christian Scientists were not allowed to be members. I am not sure where I will find info that asked him to leave, if they did. And after all had they not come to America for freedom of religion. I support his choice. I am sure it was not easy for his descendants to support his reasons. My grandfather and his brother liked to attend church together in Minnesota. Perhaps they too realized it was a privilege given to them by their Mother.

3.
It was surprising to me that I lived on the same land and did not know that entire time that August Seil and his wife had lived there together. Nor did I know that his daughters children needed to live with him. I didn't know why. What a awesome man August Seil must have been. How fulfilled he must have felt nearing the end of his life, knowing what he had given of himself for the good of the others. Maybe it had been hard for him to accept at times, since he had walked away or left his family in Germany when Lizzie was young. I guess I also learned that life situations has a twisted humorous side.

4.
I was enlightened to learn from a mentor genealogist of the family that August was a grape grower. It was a delight to learn of his skills and knowledge of grape plants. I cannot help but wonder how he knew so much and why. Was it for the wine brewing. I also wonder if it is inherited this ability and desire to make wine and beer because my son with out any knowledge or prompting from me now has the hobby of homemade brews.

5.
I was surprised to learn that the neighbors next to Sunnyslope Farm, the Mosels, (my god parents), and the Borcherts, (my brother's god parents), came from Farnhamville.

6.
It was humbling to find what a trouper Herman Meyer and his wife were to help with that all together in the one house and the farmland. Especially at the very beginning of their marriage. Unlike Gustav Jaeschke and Lizzie, they had agreed to a houseful of people. What sacrifices it must have been to be so together all of the time, even though they had separate wings. And still they tried to be active committee members in their township.

7.
It was enlightening and humbling to learn that Dorothy Schlaphoff, a descendant of a sister of my great great grandmother Catharina Margarethea Luhmann Meyer and her friend came across the ocean as a mail order bride. On meeting her husband to be, she had the courage to exclaim. 'Your too old, I can' t marry you'.
But she still found a desirable man to marry instead. And they all lived nicely in the town of Murdock, Cass county Nebraska. [All this I learned after finding a tombstone. Thank you grave finders, keep up the good work.]

8.
It was exciting to go on my first and only trip as an adult, through Mallard Iowa (home of my Grandmother Lodes's family ) to Pochohontos, then travel on further on with a Jaeschke descendant Berniece. When us two genealogists were chatting and talking all the way through Greene and Calhoun county, Iowa the time just flew by. We went through places my ancestors walked and through the cemeteries where they were buried. The whole trip was a wonderful experience . Especially to compare hereditary notes with Berniece. She told some family stories. She clued me in on the locations. As an experienced Genie in that location, I guess she taught me 'the ropes' . It was humbling to walk the same grounds, and the whole trip was so very memorable. The enlightenment was that I need to do my homework before I go on trips like this. And I did learn many little details.

9.
It was exciting to meet on the Internet Joc. Knackstedt, who had found me through my blog and told me that he had lived with my Luhmann family descendants at Nahrendorf area. He enlightened me that yes some lived there at Nahrendaorf and still looked just like those pictures. My ancestors looks are still in the running.

10.
I was enlightened to details of family history of my maternal grandmother Josephine Lodes on mothers side. I was to learn more details of her L.A. California life, her life coming from Iowa. A Californian genealogist J. Gouchenour had been in touch with me and did further research and made contact with more of our relatives. He has just gone beyond a few facts. From him, I humbly now have a picture of her in her youth. I also find his family story tidbits to be my most personally meaningful enlightenment. It was said that young Josie seemed to have a mind of her own and did have some problems or strong disagreements with her mother. She left home at seventeen or eighteen to marry. I feel that little tidbit of information explains in a personal tiny way my grandmothers, and my mothers same disposition.Enlighteningly Insightful! That should be a special blog somewhere, someday.


Here are my ten picks of bloggers who would make Ancestor approved Award blogs. [If you receive it twice, I am sure you may still have other ten comments you didn't get to say the last time.] Just right click the award to get going and copy more or less my description as I gave it.

1. GENEALOGY STAR :
http://genealogysstar.blogspot.com/

2. TRAVEL WITH BOOKS :
http://elizabethsaunders.blogspot.com/
/http://savethepictures.blogspot.com/

3. Lori's - STORY OF MY ANCESTORS :
http://storiesofmyancestors.blogspot.com/

4. ELYSE'S GENEALOGY BLOG :
http://elysesgenealogyblog.com/

5. TUCKER FAMILY GENEALOGY :
http://tuckergenealogy.blogspot.com/

6. BITS OF YESTERDAY :
http://patty-knight.blogspot.com/

7. ALL MY ANCESTORS :
http://allmyancestors.com/blog/

8. ANCESTRAL NOTES :
http://ancestralnotes.ebradt.org/

9. MY HERITAGE :
http://www.myheritage.com/blogs/genealogyblog/2009/08/

10.iPentimento | Genealogy and History :
http://ipentimento.com/


Anyone with an interest in preserving their family heritage and goes to the trouble of blogging and getting it out there is well deserving of this Ancestor Award. I do hope I got in touch with you all properly. I will visit again this evening to be sure. Sorry if I made you double tagged. [Well that's my story today, and I think I am sticking to it. ]



Note: In some of my enlightenment's, I had a hint of some of it, but nothing was outright stated such as August and his Annie lived there nearly the entire time from the time of Herman and Annies marriage. Although mom had said once they lived in some house by St. James and that they had had a house fire there too. The one at the Meyer place was not the only house fire. So that would double the probable ancestral heritage items lost.


I Edited errors - evening of 7.4.2010. SORRY, I was in such a hurry to get ahead of anyone after my people for the award, that I anxiously published, when I should have edited. I tried to post fast, so you all may be saved from having to do two. Though, It's easy enough to find ten more things under the categories. [It's finding people left that is hard].