Carrying on Traditions
In the movie Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye is faced with changing times and sings about tradition—the importance of the Papa being the head of the household. His wife, Golde, sings of the Mama...
Author: Mark Hagenbuch
Letters From the Past: Part 1
A few weeks ago I was in our barn looking for something. The upstairs of the building is storage, and we have a lot of “stuff” stored there. Most of the boxes are marked...
The Next Morning, A Conversation with Andreas Hagenbuch: Part 3
Months ago an imaginary visit and conversation with Andreas Hagenbuch was written about in two articles: Part 1 and Part 2. The visitor who interviewed Andreas one night in 1784 was John Smith, a...
Powwowing: A Pennsylvania Deitsch Tradition
Those who are not from a Deitsch background rarely understand the term powwowing as it is used among Pennsylvanians. When confronted with the term, most people will quip “Sure, I’ve seen American Indian dancers”,...
September, 1893 or Why Genealogy Can Be So Frustrating!
This morning (Monday, Aug. 14) I was awake and up by 4 AM. I had several emails to send out, some regular mail to go through for an elderly lady for whom I serve...
Joseph Hagenbuch, Liberty Township Farmer: Part 2
There are four areas of information that make up what we know about family members: personal details (names, dates, places), photos, ephemera (birth certificates, marriage licenses, letters, diaries, etc.), and family stories. One is...
The Last Reunions – End of an Era?
Two articles, published in September and October of 2016, detailed information about the Hagenbuch Reunion which began in 1938. Over the years attendance dwindled with the aging and death of relatives and the movement...
The Mysterious Religiosity of Andreas Hagenbuch
Ever since I was a young man and first became acquainted with my great great great great great grandfather, Andreas Hagenbuch through the research of William Hagenbaugh in California, I have been extremely curious...
The Beech Grove: September 1982
In a December 2014 article, The Beech Grove newsletter was described. The newsletter was my first effort to communicate with the hundreds, even thousands, of descendants of Andreas Hagenbuch. Over the years that it...
The Family Bible: Part 3
A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education. – Theodore Roosevelt There are six Bibles remaining in the collection of my family Bibles. However, at the end of this...
