O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
You may be reading this the day after Christmas. Most people are still surrounded by some wrapping paper scraps, gifts sticking out of boxes, and the many, many decorations that adorn most houses at...
You may be reading this the day after Christmas. Most people are still surrounded by some wrapping paper scraps, gifts sticking out of boxes, and the many, many decorations that adorn most houses at...
The further we go back in time, the more difficult it is to tell the story of our Hagenbuch family. Precious little information remains from early 1700s when our ancestor, Andreas Hagenbuch (b. 1715),...
As a warning to our readers, this article describes a suicide in the early 20th century. While writing my last article about November dates, I was looking through the photo archives for images of...
I’m always amazed by the family-related ephemera that appears on eBay: an old family photo, a receipt printer, and a Fraktur to name a few. Recently I found another curious item—a small, promotional screwdriver....
Recently, Linda and I attended a birthday party for our four-year-old grandson, William. Not long after this, we were treated to a birthday meal for my nephew, Tom Huffman, who was born on November...
With Thanksgiving almost upon us, I began to wonder about what news I might find about Hagenbuchs celebrating the holiday during earlier times. What I found did not disappoint and even led to the...
Four generations before me, my great great grandfather William Hagenbuch (b. 1807) had a first cousin named Michael (b. 1815) who changed his last name to “Hagenbaugh.” William and Michael had fathers who were...
Each year, when I sit down to write a retrospective on the previous 12 months of Hagenbuch.org, I find myself surprised by the number of fascinating pieces that have been published. Occasionally, I have...
I have taken some liberty with an oft-used phrase about birds in hands and bushes. If it caught your eye, then it did its job! We know that our last name is pronounced and...
“Don’t play with fire!” What child hasn’t heard this phrase? Growing up, I know I did—especially when staying at the family cabin or on a Boy Scout camping trip. Back then, I didn’t really...