A Belated Valentine to my Grandmother
I have no recollection of ever giving my grandmother, Irene Mae (Faus) Hagenbuch (b. 1920), a Valentine’s Day card. Perhaps, I did as a child and have forgotten it. But, more likely than not,...
Tagged: Pennsylvania
Ode to the Glorious Groundhog
Groundhog, woodchuck, whistle pig, or land beaver—whatever you call it—this animal is an important part of American culture. The most obvious example of that is its role in Groundhog Day, which was celebrated yesterday....
If These Walls Could Talk
If these walls could talk, what stories would they tell? This question keeps running through my mind as I decorate the house that my wife, Sara, and I bought a few months ago. The...
Homestead Cemetery Cleanup Day, 2025
Last weekend a new generation of Hagenbuchs visited the family homestead for the first time. Getting there, however, was a perfect example of Murphy’s Law. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong! We...
Christian Hagenbuch’s Last Will and Testament
Christian Hagenbuch (b. 1747) was the third son of Andreas Hagenbuch (b. 1715), who immigrated to America in 1737. He was born December 17, 1747 in Albany Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania to Andreas and...
Dog Guards Fallen Boy From Death on Tracks
Searching for one thing can occasionally lead a person to encounter something unexpected and yet equally as fascinating. This has happened to me when researching families, and most recently occurred while looking for the...
Good Things Come in Threes
They say good things come in threes: three wishes, three gifts of the Magi, and for my wife, Sara, and I, three children. In August, we welcomed a third child to our family—a daughter—Rosanna...
Stories Left Untold
In 2014, my father, Mark, and I founded this site to share the stories and genealogy of our Hagenbuch family. It’s been almost five months since Dad died, and you may have noticed that...
Childcare in the 1930s: Irene (Faus) Hagenbuch’s School Project
Raising children isn’t easy—especially during an economic downturn. In the 1930s, the Great Depression put renewed focus on America’s children and how they were being taught. In 1933, Congress tasked the Works Progress Administration...
JoAnn (Hagenbuch) Dake: a Legacy of Love & Wisdom
I keep an eye on family obituaries as they are published, so if you have any to share, please send them along. At a minimum, an obituary tells us who a person was and...
