This Week's Article From the Beech Grove

Mark Hagenbuch Hog Butchering 1959 1

A Picture’s Worth: Butchering Day Redux

“A picture is worth a thousand words” is an oft-heard phrase first coined in 1911 by newspaper editor Arthur Brisbane. In the article Butchering Day Memories From the Farm, Part 1, I mentioned a...

Hagenbuch Family Flag 1737 4

Hagenbuch Coat of Arms

The Hagenbuch family has a unique coat of arms that, even now, is still used by the town of Hagenbuch in Switzerland. The coat of arms depicts a single beech tree surrounded by a...

Hagenbuch Siblings Percy Julia Kathryn Clarence 4

A Boy Becomes a Genealogist

Most of my immediate family have heard the story of how I became interested in Hagenbuch genealogy and subsequently collected thousands of names, dates, and artifacts. One certainly has to be interested in history...

Barn Fire 4

Hagenbuchs Face Danger on Pennsylvania’s Frontier

It’s difficult to imagine the hardships faced by Andreas Hagenbuch and his family upon their arrival in Pennsylvania in 1737. Outside of cities like Philadelphia, there were few amenities or protections. Frontier areas such...

Sarah Foust Teacher 1902 Detail 0

Sarah Foust: School Teacher in the Early 1900s

On November 1, 1984 Ethel Lillian Bibby, aged 75 years old, died in a nursing home in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. She was unmarried and few of her immediate family were still living. Mark Hagenbuch—Ethel’s second...

Homer Hagenbuch Ice Cream 1956 3

Grape-Nut Ice Cream: a Hagenbuch Family Favorite

The Hagenbuch family in Pennsylvania has a reputation for making homemade ice cream. For several generations, it’s been a part of our family visits and gatherings. Out of all the possible flavors, one is...

Cracklins hog butchering detail 5

Butchering Day Memories from the Farm, Part 2

This article is a continuation of the first part in the series, Butchering Day Memories from the Farm. In it, we got started with the pig butchering process: killing the hog, sticking it to...

Hog Butchering 1969 0

Butchering Day Memories from the Farm, Part 1

This two-part article series by Mark O. Hagenbuch was originally published on February 24, 2015, just after Fastnacht Day. Last Tuesday was Fastnacht Day here in our part of Pennsylvania. In our Montour County...

Detail of an image of Michael and Abigail (Stapleton) Hagenbuch's names 2

Expanding the Hagenbuch Homestead

The Hagenbuch Homestead was established on November 4, 1741 when Andreas Hagenbuch (b. 1715) received a land warrant for 150.5 acres. The homestead parcel was situated in what is today Albany Township, Berks County,...