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...
This Week's Article From the Beech Grove
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...
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: 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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
Samuel and Susanna (Hess) Hagenbuch Family
The idea behind this site is to have a mix of genealogy, history, and family stories—and not just those related to the Hagenbuch family that came primarily from Montour County, Pennsylvania. That family, the...
Family We Will Never Forget
The other day I heard something that really struck a chord with me. I was listening to an interview with Kevin Kelly, a prolific writer and co-founder of Wired magazine. At the end of...
