Hagenbuchs and Sechlers Entwined
Back in about 1978, I first walked through the graveyard at New Bethel Union Church near the Hagenbuch homestead in Albany Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. I had been looking for the farm where Andreas...
Tagged: Grace “Sechler” Cromis
My Uncle Charles: Now I Know You Better
To begin this last in the series on my Uncle Charles, I want to thank my first cousin, Leon Hagenbuch, for looking through the attic-found box and realizing it’s importance. I suppose to many...
My Uncle Charles: Letters From Home to Chicago
My Uncle Charles was interested in furthering his education. He was not engrossed in farming as many of our Hagenbuch clan in the early 1900s. His story brings to mind the popular World War...
What Did They Read?
Books, magazines, newspapers, fiction, nonfiction, autobiographies, biographies, historical fiction, pure history, romance, poetry—the list could go on and on of what people read. What we read is a reflection of our pleasures, our beliefs,...
A Box Full of Goodies, Part 2
Readers may notice that Andrew and I attempt to write meaningful articles. It would be easy to scan a few photos or letters, describe them, and leave it at that. Instead, we strive to...
A Box Full of Goodies, Part 1
Several weeks ago my first cousin Kathleen (Robb) Shuler and her husband Gerald “Butch” Shuler were in the area so they stopped over to see Linda and me. It was a beautiful day so...
Lithographs: Decorating Homes in the 19th Century
It’s easy to take for granted the reasonably-priced, high-quality art prints available today. Prior to the 20th century, our ancestors had limited options for decorating the walls of their homes, especially with color artwork....
The Last of Their Generation
Harold Sechler and Ellen Hagenbuch were first cousins. Harold’s father, John Sechler, was a brother to Ellen’s mother, Hannah (Sechler) Hagenbuch, born 1889. Only a year apart in age Harold and Ellen died within...
New Year’s “Back in the Day”
New Year’s Day is celebrated in many ways. In our family on the Montour County farm, it was a day of traditional foods: pork and sauerkraut accompanied by fresh baked bread smothered in butter...
Parlour Games
Who remembers a time when there was no television, no computers, and folks would get together on a Saturday evening to play games? Some people still do this and have an evening once in...
