DNA, Genealogy, and Our Search for Identity
A few weeks ago, I read a story about a man who suspected that he was not the father of his daughter. The little girl had brown eyes, when both parents had blue eyes....
Category: Opinion
Genealogical Obsession: Nature or Nurture?
In March of 2015, I wrote an article tracing my journey of becoming a genealogist through my unique family experiences. Since then, Andrew and I have written hundreds of articles about not only our...
The Seven Year Itch
Not only is it good to know where we came from, but it is also good to know where we are going. I often think about those few days, seven years ago, when Andrew...
Remembering James H. Hagenbuch: Final Thoughts
In late 2018, I stumbled upon the Find-A-Grave page for Private James H. Hagenbuch (b. 1922). That evening I wrote to my father: Hey Dad, While working on my article I found what is...
Picnics in the Cemetery
Cemeteries are spooky places, right? After all, during Halloween, people set up plastic gravestones in their front yards to scare the trick-or-treaters. Shortly after arriving in California in 2008, the friend I was staying...
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...
A Trip Across America: History Around Every Corner
America is a land filled with history. From vast wilderness areas to the most modern cities, some connection to the past can be found – if one cares to look. The first part in...
A Trip Across America: Family Migrations
The story of the Hagenbuch family in America is one about migrations. From Andreas Hagenbuch leaving Europe for Pennsylvania in the 1700s to Enoch Hagenbuch traveling west in the 1800s, our family has been...
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...
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...
