Strong Roots, Beautiful Leaves

 It has been a while since I have posted! I have been working many hours to help cover the affects of COVID in our hospital. This story affects me because of the misuse of medical facilities in our country at this time. First, here is a little background to understand how this individual falls into the family tree. My great grandma's (Evelyn Kuhlenschmidt Stewart) mother was Bertha Wiggers Kuhlenschmidt. Her mother was Emma Thube Wiggers. Her mother was Johanna Tzschoppe Thube. Johanna's brother was August Julius Tzschoppe. August was born April 5, 1842. He married Mary M. Wiggers. August and Mary are who Emma came to visit when she first arrived to America in 1884. August served in the Civil War. He almost starved to death at a Union Camp for his service. After the end of the war, Julius Sr. was a well honored and decorated hero. He died August 2, 1932 at 90 years old. One of Julius and Mary's children was Julius Jr. Julius was born November 18, 1870. Julius was an educate...

Friederich "Fritz" Simon Kuhlenschmidt definitely lived an eventful life. Fritz was born April 29, 1820 in Langenholzhausen, Lippe, Germany (actually Prussia at the time). He was baptized May 7, 1820 at Evangelisch, Langenholzhausen, Lippe, Germany. His wife, Amalia Wilhelmina Bodemeier, was also born here on March 7, 1819. The couple married August 13, 1843. Their first two children, Friederich Charles and Friederich Ernst, were also born in Germany. Fritz trained as a brew master in Berlin, Germany. By 1848, the family decided to move to America. During this time period, more than a million German citizens came to America to escape economic hardships and political unrest, riots, rebellions, and a revolution that broke out in 1848.  This must have been a hard decision to move across the world to an unfamiliar land with two small children while Amalia was also pregnant. It must have been heartbreaking for the family to see the outbreak of the Civil War so close to their arriv...

The next ancestor I have chosen is from Evan's family history. His stories are a little factual, probably a little bit of tall tale, but definitely entertaining! Either way, he was a well respected man who can be found in several books today. In Evan's direct lineage, there are three Henry Rhoads in succession, grandfather, father, and son. To distinguish the Henry's, we call the middle one "badass Henry Rhoads". Henry Rhoads is known as the 'godfather of Muhlenberg County'. This is referring to Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. He was born January 5, 1739 in Berks County, Pennsylvania. He married Elizabeth Stoner on October 19, 1760 in Frederick County, Maryland. After marriage, Henry served as Captain in the Pennsylvania militia during the Revolutionary War. He was a delegate to the Pennsylvania State Constitutional Convention of 1776. The document that was created at this convention became the first state constitution in direct response to the Declaration of...

This ancestor is close to me, not because of her achievements or great stories, but because of the hard work and different detecting skills it took to uncover even a part of her story. My fascination is held by the unknown, the what-ifs, and what could have been. "Brick walls" is a term used for road blocks in genealogy research. My first serious road block came early in my research and tree. My great grandpa, Papa Andy, died early in my life. Although we lived with him in his final months, I do not remember him at all. I knew very little about his life other than he served in the Navy. When starting my research, I asked my paternal grandpa about his dad's parents, as I had never heard their names before. Papa Ronnie knew a few details about James McDaniel, but it baffled me how little was known about Papa Andy's mom. Papa Ronnie told me he knew she died when Papa Andy was little and that her name was either Goldie or Golda and surname either Fletcher or Fetcher. That...

My great grandpa, Glenn Robb, passed away in January of 2007. I remember his as a gentle man with a heart of gold. He always had a smile on his face, especially around us great grandkids. I wish I could remember more of him before his Parkinson's disease was severe, but I cherish the memories I have. At his funeral, my great aunt Carol read an origin story of how the Robb family came to America. I have always had a heart for family and a love for history, and this story grabbed a hold of me like nothing I had ever felt before. This story is what started my passion for knowing each and every branch of my family tree, every origin story I could find, and everything in between. My passion and hard work in combination with a soon to be mother-in-law was all I needed to begin my journey. So here is my research of Captain James Robb, or as my family likes to now call him, "The Pirate Guy". Captain James Robb was born in Newtonards, County Down, Northern Ireland in circa 1745. H...