Letters From Nana, Part 3
The first part and second part in this series examined letters and postcards that Nana, Irene (Faus) Hagenbuch (b. 1920, d. 2011), sent to me between 1999 and 2001. This article—the final in the...
Tagged: Homer Hagenbuch
Letters From Nana, Part 1
A few months ago while rummaging through a box of old papers, I found a number of letters and postcards sent to me from my grandmother, Irene (Faus) Hagenbuch. “Nana,” as she was known...
Oh, The People We Don’t Know! Part 2
The Hagenbuch Family Archives have a large number of unidentified photos, and many of these could be featured in future articles. Numerous ones are portraits—people with identities lost to time. Some are interesting to...
Exploring Hagenbuch Country
Over a year ago, my Aunt Barb—Barbara (Hagenbuch) Huffman—and I were chatting on the phone about the Hagenbuch homestead in Albany Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. Being an avid birder, she mentioned how wonderful it...
Treat or Treat
A usual statement out of my mouth every other week is, “I have to start an article.” And, I continue by telling my wife Linda what I’m going to write about for my next...
Carrying on Traditions
In the movie Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye is faced with changing times and sings about tradition—the importance of the Papa being the head of the household. His wife, Golde, sings of the Mama...
Powwowing: A Pennsylvania Deitsch Tradition
Those who are not from a Deitsch background rarely understand the term powwowing as it is used among Pennsylvanians. When confronted with the term, most people will quip “Sure, I’ve seen American Indian dancers”,...
A Trip Across America: Many Lands, Many Peoples
The United States is a country of varied landscapes populated by many different peoples. The first article in this series explored how migration has been an important part of the American experience, including that...
The Family Bible: Part 2
In addition to the Andrew Snyder Bible detailed in part 1 of The Family Bible, I have in my possession eleven other Bibles of which brief descriptions were given previously. All of these are...
Pets on the Family Tree
Most people become attached to their pets and treat them as part of the family. Several years ago when I had some graveyard experts to the family plot in Berks County, the one fellow...
