Kissin’ Cousins
Well I’ve got a gal, she’s as cute as she can be. She’s a distant cousin but she’s not too distant with me. We’ll kiss all night. I’ll squeeze her tight. But we’re kissin’...
Hagenbuch Beech Grove
What Was In Christian Hagenbuch’s Lost Cask?
This treasure hunt began with a question: What was in Christian Hagenbuch’s lost cask? On December 11th, 1811, the following classified appeared in Relfs Philadelphia Gazette and Daily Advertiser: Cask of Goods Lost, Marked...
Seventh Cousins
In late December 2017, Linda and I drove to Freeport, Maine to visit with our daughter, Katie (Hagenbuch) Emig, her husband Nelson, and our granddaughter Hadley. North of there—in Bath, Maine—live Jim and Sally...
Dueling Frogs: R. D. Hagenbuch’s Trade Card
As discussed in a previous article about Dr. Jayne’s Sanative pills, trade cards were a popular form of advertising during the late 1800s. On the front side of a trade card was printed an...
Ellen Hagenbuch: Photographer
My Aunt Ellen died last February, 2018. The article Last of Their Generation described her life as a lover of family, flowers, and photography. After her death, her niece and nephew (my first cousins),...
Dying of Grief: Isaac W. Hagenbuch Sentenced to Prison
In 1884, family historian Enoch Hagenbuch (b. 1814) wrote: The Hagenbuchs are not among the distinguished men and women of our beloved land. They are, nevertheless, almost among our best citizens. I never have...
The Privy Bottle, Part 2
This article is the second part in a series. The first part may be read here. After purchasing the privy bottle on eBay, it was taken to a bottle expert—Harry M.—who has collected thousands...
Henry Hagenbuch’s Bridge Over The Lehigh River
So often in genealogy, researching one family or topic will lead to unintended discoveries. Such was the case when I stumbled upon a mention of Henry Hagenbuch’s venture to build a bridge over the...
The Privy Bottle, Part 1
This two-part article tells the fictional story and true facts about a bottle recently discovered in a privy in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania. The year was 1875. Mr. Smith, from Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, had taken the train...
Homemade Ginger Beer
Before the holidays, I was reading a non-fiction book entitled Life on Muskrat Creek which tells the story of a family homesteading in Wyoming during the early 1900s. One chapter describes a Christmas celebration...
