The Mystery of John, John, John, and John
When researching family history, one is bound to encounter mysteries. The quest to answer these is actually one of the reasons I began working with my father, Mark Hagenbuch, on Hagenbuch.org in 2014. Our...
Author: Andrew Hagenbuch
More Family Icons & Their Stories
A little over a year ago my father and site co-founder, Mark Hagenbuch, wrote an article examining the importance of “family icons.” These are objects that are prized by families for the stories attached...
Two Years On
It’s been two years since my father, Mark Hagenbuch, and I founded Hagenbuch.org. Since then, the site has amassed a collection of over 100 articles containing family stories, genealogy, and culture. Around this time...
Discovery: Fraktur of Anna Elizabeth Hagenbuch
Recently, an artifact of Hagenbuch history was discovered and returned to the family. This was the birth and baptismal Fraktur of Anna Elizabeth Hagenbuch (b. 1754, d. 1825). More accurately termed a Taufschein, only...
Deitsch Cooking: Red Cabbage with Quince or Apples
Cabbage was one of the staples of the Hagenbuchs and other Pennsylvania Deitsch families. Most notably, it was fermented in order to make sauerkraut. However, there are other ways our Deitsch ancestors used cabbage...
Special Edition: Ode to a Hagenbuch Father
Today is Father’s Day, which is celebrated in the United States on the third Sunday in June. It also happens to be the birthday of one special father, Mark Odis Hagenbuch (b. 1953). Noting...
Do Our Ancestors Matter Today?
Do our ancestors matter today? And, if they really do, why? This was the question I asked myself after a conversation with my maternal grandmother, Ethel “Brandt” Gutshall. Ethel, whom I call “Oma” (German...
Interpreting Documents: Michael Hagenbuch’s Inventory
One of the joys and sometimes the frustration of genealogy is interpreting historic documents. Wills, inventories, letters, and deeds present opportunities to better understand the past. Of course, this is only possible if we...
Making Sauerkraut: A Pennsylvania Deitsch Tradition
It was hardly a surprise when, this past summer, my parents told me that they were going to start making their own sauerkraut. My family does, after all, have a reputation for tackling some...
One Year On
In October of 2014, Hagenbuch.org was born. Since then my father, Mark Hagenbuch, and I have filled the site with over 50 articles on topics related to the Hagenbuch family, history, and genealogy. It’s...
