Category: Social Genealogy And Family History

10/2/2022

Celebrating Your German Ancestry during German-American Heritage Month!

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German Ancestry, German Heritage, German Genealogy, German-American Heritage Month, German-American

Celebrating Your German Ancestry during German-American Heritage Month!

Not only is the month of October National Family History Month, but it is also German-American Heritage Month! To celebrate my German ancestry and honor my German immigrant ancestors, I thought I’d embrace my German heritage and ancestry by sharing a little about it, my ancestors, and ways you can celebrate your own German heritage and family history. 😊

What is German-American Day:
German-American Day is a holiday in the United States, that is observed annually on October 6th. It celebrates German-American heritage and commemorates the founding of Germantown, Pennsylvania. It started off as German Day in 1883, to commemorate the 200 year anniversary of the landing of the first German families on October 6, 1683 in Philadelphia, but it died out during WWI. It was then brought back through proclamation in 1983, as German-American Day, by President Reagan. It was put into law by 1987.

About German-American Heritage Month:
German-American Heritage Month is observed in October. Stemming from German-American Day on October 6th, the month is also related to Germantown’s history and October 1683.

It’s a month-long observance of German-American Heritage!

German-Americans have contributed greatly to our society, ever since their families began settling in Pennsylvania in 1683. Did you know that 15% percent of Americans are of German descent and that they’re the largest ancestral group in the U.S.?! That’s a lot!

German Influences on American Society and Culture:
Did you know that kindergarten, graduate school, the social security system, and labor unions are all based on models that sprang from Germany? Did you know that the Christmas Tree, “gift-giving” Santa Claus, and the Easter Bunny also came from Germany? German-Americans also introduced P.E. and vocational education in public schools. Recreational facilities can also be attributed to the German-Americans that helped shaped our country, as well as the forming of social clubs and groups. Do you like the “Weekend”? You can thank German-Americans for that too! There are many, many, German contributions to our society, and this list is in no way exhaustive. 😉

My German Immigrant Ancestors:
My German immigrant ancestors were Johann Adam Steinman(n), Eva Elisabetha (Marquardt) Steinman(n), Peter Steinman, and Karl “Frank” Caesar “Smith”.

My 4th Great Grandfather, Johann Adam Steinman(n), ca. 1869- ©Diane Henriks

My 4th Great Grandmother, Eva Elisabetha (Marquart) Steinman(n), ca. 1865- ©Diane Henriks

My Great Grandparents, Karl "Frank" Caesar "Smith" and Estefana (Gutierres) Smith, ca. 1924- ©Diane Henriks

Johann Adam Steinman(n) and Eva Elisabetha (Marquardt) Steinman(n) were my 4th great grandparents, who left Erlenbach and emigrated to the U.S. on July 31, 1831 through the Port of Bremerhaven, arriving through the Port of Baltimore MD sometime between September 16-20, 1831. They emigrated together with their children, including my 3rd great grandfather, Peter Steinman, along with 2 of their nephews. They were part of the Oldenwald Emigration Group that included the Famous Dove shipwreck, which you can read about with the following links below. This group was a group of family, friends, and neighbors that got together to flee high taxes, military conscription of their sons, and expensive land, who were bound for Hancock County, Ohio. Most of them were farmers. My 3rd great grandfather lost his baby sibling during the journey, and he was “buried at sea”. They first settled in Pennsylvania, for the first 6 years or so, before reaching their original destination of Ohio. They had 2 more children here in the U.S. My 4th great grandparents were devout Lutherans and were members of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Hancock County, Ohio. Johann Adam was very well respected in his community and contributed greatly to it and the church.

St. Paul's Luthern Church Shipwreck History Memorial; HMdb.org, Photographed By Rev. Ronald Irick, October 28, 2020

Karl “Frank” Caesar “Smith” was my great grandfather who left Wiesbaden and emigrated to the U.S. through Rotterdam, arriving on April 7, 1893, through the Port of New York. The story told of why he immigrated was to flee his tyrant father and that his mother helped him to do so; although, the reason is still unknown. My great grandfather was said to not want to talk about Germany nor his family there. During my research, I'd come to learn that he had changed his name for some unknown reason, and that no one knew of his true name. We knew him as Frank Smith, and we were told that his name came from the German name Schmidt, which was untrue. He enrolled in the military right away, hearing that it would also help him to speed up his naturalization. It seemed that he left many of his German ties behind, and that the only thing left was his thick German accent, his love for Limburger Cheese, and his nostalgia of his homeland landscapes. He even built his home far back in the lot to have plenty of room to plant fruit trees and create a garden oasis in the remaining ¾ or so in the front of the house. Frank contributed to America by joining the military, by which he contracted T.B. and later died, leaving his wife and small children behind.

My 3rd and 4th great grandparents are farther down the tree, and I had never met my great grandfather, so I thought I would keep their memories alive in another way, by celebrating them during German-American Heritage month.

https://www.lutheranforum.com/blog/2017/8/3/lutherans-in-peril-on-the-sea
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=158918
https://jahcmft.blogspot.com/2017/09/coming-to-america-shipwreck.html
https://mahalodonna.com/schiffbruchs-gottesdienst/

How you can observe German-American Heritage Month and Embrace Your German Ancestry:
1) Research your German ancestors!
1) Give voice to one of your German ancestors, through video, with MyHeritage’s DeepStory photo tool
2) Blog about one of your German Ancestors
3) Write a short biography on one of your German ancestors
4) Make a German heritage scrapbook
5) Join a parade, like a Steuben Parade
6) Visit a museum, like the German–American Heritage Museum
7) Visit a German town, such as Alpine Bavarian village in Vail CO, “Little Bavaria” in Frankenmuth MI, Helen GA, Fredericksburg TX, Hermann MO, Leavenworth WA, Castroville TX, Amana Colonies IA
8) Listen to German music (don’t like German music, then listen to some Broadway musicals, influenced from the Germans!)
9) Make some German Food (Don’t like German Food, then eat a hamburger or hot dog to commemorate; they originated from Germany!)
10) Go to a German restaurant
11) Go to a German bakery
12) Read up on the contributions Germans made to American society and culture
13) Join a German-American Heritage Festival
14) Join an Oktoberfest Celebration- Top 15 Oktoberfest Celebrations in the U.S.
15) Read German literature or a book form a German-American author
16) Research famous Americans with German heritage and learn about their accomplishments
17) Learn how to speak German or learn some German words
18) Use the hashtag, #GermanAmericanDay on social media to celebrate your German heritage
19) Trace the U.S. Presidents’, Theodore Roosevelt; Dwight D. Eisenhower; Herbert Hoover; Richard Nixon; George W. Bush; Barack Obama; and Donald Trump, German ancestry back to Germany
20) And this list could go on forever! 😉

Questions:
Do you have German ancestors? If so, where did they come from and when did they immigrate? How did your German-American ancestors help shape America? What will you do to celebrate German-American Heritage Month and honor your German ancestry? Do you have something to add to this list?

Related Content:
The Best German Genealogy Research Resource!

Note:
All family photos are copyright protected and are owned by me and may not be downloaded, screenshot, or saved in any other way without my explicit permission

This post is a participant in the Genealogy Blog Party!

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7/17/2022

Family History and Genealogy Research: Have You Uncovered Secrets in Your Family Tree?

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Secrets in Your Family Tree, Family Secrets in Genealogy Research, Family History Secrets

Have You Uncovered Secrets in Your Family History and Genealogy Research?

Sometimes family secrets or surprises, throughout our family tree, are an inevitable find during our family history and genealogy research. I know I have found many surprises and secrets throughout my own family tree, either through genealogy records or DNA. Some are just fun surprises, some are heartbreaking, and sometimes there are shockers. Even though some surprises or secrets in your family history are not what you may have expected at all, they are nonetheless part of your family history, and EVERTHING in your genealogy research is a step into your ancestor’s lives. The good, the bad, and the ugly is also part of your family history and what makes your genealogy research come alive. Remember, genealogy is nothing without the family history and social history behind it. 😉

Have you uncovered secrets in your family tree? What have you found that surprised or shocked you?

I recently asked this question on social media and was surprised with how many responses I had to it and the responses themselves! Some are heartwarming, some are funny, some are quite interesting, some are heartbreaking, and some are shockers! There are quite a lot but well worth the read! 😉

Here are some of the responses I had to this question:

“Yes….that my paternal grandfather wasn’t my Dads bio Dad. I know my Dad never knew and I’m pretty sure my grandfather didn’t either.”
“Just learned that a son of husband's 3rd GGM was not a son of his 3rd GGF. It seems that the family knew, back then, but the info had not been passed down. There is more to the story, but I haven't learned it yet.”
“if you haven’t, you’re doing something wrong.”-Haha, I love this! It was my favorite answer!
“A Second cousin born “on the wrong side of the blanket.” A few other babies that came too soon after the wedding. A circus rider who gave her child away, and her sister, also a circus rider, who became addicted to painkillers. A great-great-grandfather who killed somebody in a fight.”
“A first cousin!”
“An illegitimate first cousin (found) father who was abandoned on a sidewalk (mine), and a host of crazies. Fun times!”
“Some of my dad's friends who we spent time with when I was a child are actually his cousins. My family was all around me but I didn't realize it. I just learned last week that a man I've gone to church with for years is another cousin of my dad's. At my dad's funeral many of the people I go to church with came to the visitation to support me. One of them walked in, stopped dead in her tracks, and asked how I knew "Jimmy". Awkwardly I said, "Umm, he's my dad". She was shocked --- another cousin!”
“After seeing so many unknown people as close DNA matches, and researching family over 40 years, I have a new maiden name - new great grandfather. I now have a new family and we all fit so well. My great grandfather, born in 1881 had children (my grandfather in 1910) through 1954. I have a new great aunt and great uncle, and a few very close cousins. All are very happy!”
“Lots of “early births”, 6 months after the wedding. And one gg uncle born before his parents wedding in 1910, later on birth records find his Mom giving birth in the local hospital married to another man with the baby listed as his. DNA shows he was really the son of a third. She was barely 17 and the BD in his 30’s so who knows what she went thru.”
“An unknown cousin - it turned out my great-uncle slept with his brother's wife and produced my cousin. Nobody ever knew until he and I did DNA testing.”
“Yes! I discovered my 3x great grandfather left his wife for a time, married another woman and had a child with her before going back to his first wife (who he was still married to) and moving the entire family to Canada. He had a cousin who had two bigamous marriages as well. But the cousin was charged (at least for the first one).”
“My Father and sister when tiny children grew up in a orphanage. When I did the research I found out my Grand Father had committed suicide when my Father was 2 weeks old. My Grandma went insane over the situation and was committed to a asylum.”
“I have Viking ancestors! Goes well with my Scot Irish and French ones.”
“Not new to the family, but new to me...gg grandfather abused gg grandma, fooled around on her and deserted wife and 5 kids in Dakota Territory. No surprised, he never worked as a minister again. So delighted to learn she sued him for divorce and won.”
“Yes I have and I am taking them to my grave.”- Love this!
“My grandfather had applied for a patent”
“more like what HAVEN'T I found!!!”-Haha, absolutely love this answer!
“Found out that I have African ancestry and I am related to President Obama, Sammy Davis Jr and Don Lemon”
“We found a new Half first cousin. His mother was half sister of my mother. Grandpa never knew about her.”
“Paternal Great grandfather’s second wife left him and disappeared (I got into genealogy to find out what happened to her. That is still a road block). He was arrested for abusing my grandfather (age 2) and his older half-brother (age 5) after she left. G-grandpa lost custody and grandpa went to his oldest half-sister. The older half-brother was adopted out to a farmer. Then Great grandfather’s third wife ran a house of ill repute. She also left him and married two more times without getting a divorce. She was tried for polygamy and sentenced to two years in prison. Also the same day she was sentenced he got his American Citizenship. There is a lot more…I discovered a half-brother (there were 9 half-brothers) went to insane asylum for trying to kill the family with an ax. Another half-brother tried to commit suicide. That guy was sent to the poor house because he was blind. Oh my great grandfather’s first and second wives were pregnant when they married. I made this long story short. There is so much scandal….Amazing how the family hid this info.”
“I discovered Loyalists that fought with the British during the Revolutionary war. They fled to Canada Niagara area after the war. During the 1812 War my 4X great grandfather’s (John Bloom DeCew) house was used as the British Head Quarters. The British used the first floor of the house and the family lived on the second floor. The house burned but the floor plan is still there in a Canadian Park. Also there is a City named for him, Decewville.”
“That my uncle had a short lived marriage when he was very young. No one left to tell me about it. Can’t find annulment or divorce record. Did find first wife—deceased.”
“My grandpa’s brother, Harry, was adopted. He was actually a first cousin. Harry’s mom and Grandpa’s mom were sisters. Harry’s mom died when he was 1 year old and his sister took him and raised him. That was the first surprise. The second was learning that Harry had an older sister who was 3 when their mom died and the dad kept her for a while and then she was raised by his mother (her paternal grandmother). So the mom died and the daughter stayed with the paternal family but the baby was given to the maternal family.”
“I…learned that a whole family of immigrants from Germany were jewelers and diamond brokers here in the US after they immigrated. That was a fun discovery because everybody else in our family tree have been poor or middle class.”
“We…learned about a great great grandmother who, around the age of 15, married a man for a few years and had children with him then married his brother and had children with him! The first man didn’t die either. He was still around.”
“Yes I discovered two both by 2 great grandmothers. Eloise Thibert Gervais b.1857 she said she was a widow. But I discovered on the 1900 Census in Cameron, Barron Co. Wisc. her so called dead husband was living at a neighbors and was a bartender, there is no doubt it was him, Napoleon Gervais. But she lived in King Co at LaFrenchie's house as his housekeeper till 1927 when she died. The second surprise is my 2 great grandmother on another side was institutionalized after her husband's death in1869 with a diagnosis of Syphilizes in the 1870 Censes. Nothing in her husbands life that states his having it but he must have.”
“Apparently I am part Jewish. Also discovered my husband's paternal great grandfather is not who we thought and his maternal grandfather was apparently adopted. So my husband's last name is LaPage but DNA wise he has no connection to that family. Neither do about 40 or so others (cousins and their children and our chidkren) who all carry that last name”
“Yes, after a few years of not being able to locate DNA matches on my maternal great grandfathers line, I figured out my grandmother was not his daughter! Took me two years but I figured out who my grandmother’s biological father was!!! This was a very shocking discovery! Apparently my great grandmother had my grandmother before she was married, and didn’t marry the father…. But when she did marry, they lied to their future children about their wedding date, basically hiding the truth about my grandmothers lineage…… until I began delving into my DNA matches. Quite a shock to many of us.”
“We never knew that my grandmother was full-on Italian, having been born in Gaeta, Italy. Well, when I say "we" I mean me, my siblings and my cousins. Her daughters knew, but they kept her secret. My mother and aunts all hid it, even to their dying days (which was, for all of them, into their late 90's). We think she was afraid of the ramifications of being identified as an enemy alien and being deported during the world wars. I'm sure none of them knew that someday there would be this thing called "Ancestry<.>com." “
“Interesting to realize my maternal grandma’s (and her nine sib’s) parents were first cousins.”
“Found my grandfather had 4 wives.”- Haha, loved someone’s reply to it, “hopefully not all at the same time”
“I am related to US President Herbert Hoover! His grandmother was the sister of my 2nd great-grandfather.”
“I found a good indication of why my great grandparents got divorced. Found a newspaper article about them driving with their 5 children and my great grandfather beating my great grandmother with a steel pipe. Although they were married for 27 years, so maybe another reason? My grandfather also told me his father moved to Pennsylvania and died there. He never left our town and my father remembers him ( my dad was born after the divorce).”
“Both my great grandmother and her mother (2x great grandmother) were divorced; however both said that they were widowed. Both grandfathers got remarried. I don’t believe any of the children ever saw their fathers following the divorces.”
“Just a sampling- I am a distant cousin of President Obama and a 6th great grandfather was killed in an Indian raid in VA now WV in 1778, multiple Revolutionary, 1812 and civil war veterans. My Ellis and Hughes ancestors founded a Quaker Meeting House with the Boone and Lincoln families in PA shown in an historical marker. My Fearnow line was originally Virnau came over conscripted into fighting with the British. Captured and stayed in America. Falkenstein ancestors lived in Philadelphia when the British invaded. Pickrell cousins part of the underground RR in southern OH even have an historical marker. Adoption of a son from the Orphan Train in IN. Many pioneers in NJ, MD, DC, VA, KY, PA, OH, IN and KS.”
“One of my 2x-ggm died in an asylum. Not quite sure why. They had a daughter die young about 3 years prior. Death cert said she died of cerebral congestion. My ggf was only 10 at the time.”
“In my husband's, I discovered his 4x-ggf at some point left his wife and 2 sons and remarried in 1860. Everything written about him only mentions this 2nd wife and their children.”
“Many, on the maternal and paternal sides: My g-grandparents were married to different people when my g-grandmother got pregnant with my grandfather's oldest sister. My mother's aunt committed suicide by drinking a corrosive substance. She was only 28. Mom says she was raped by my grandfather's brother. My g-g grandfather had children with two women. One woman was the mother of his oldest son, who was too old to be my g-g grandmother's child, so I figured out that he was not her child early on in my research. My g-g grandfather married her in 1854 and they had two children together (including my g-grandfather) by 1858. Then he had a daughter, born in 1860, with the mother of his oldest son. About a year ago I discovered a DNA match with the descendants of the daughter. Some of them still live in the county where the daughter was born. One of my cousins told me that he'd heard we had relatives with their surname. He didn't know the family connection, though.”- Stories that I thought took the cake!
“I’m related to the Giggling Ghost which haunts Universal Studios. Frank Stites was a stuntman who was killed in a poorly conceived stunt. I have a bigamist who, by the way, founded Columbia—the first settlement of Cincinnati. I have Jabez Osmon who was found guilty of attempted murder.”
“Maternal GG Gramps fought in our Civil War; Same GG Gramps was born in Bavaria; Paternal G Grand Uncle Patrick Sullivan fought in WWI in the Australian Army; Patrick lived to be 95, passing in Brisbane; Pop's 1st cousin Edward Sullivan enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and retired in 1975; Edward's niece Joan enlisted in the Army in 1977, and served until 2000; My Sullivan roots can be traced back to the mid 1700s in West Cork; I'm a distant cousin to Ed Sullivan, the entertainer - West Cork roots; I'm a distant cousin to Michael Collins the Astronaut - West Cork roots; The house Graham Norton lives in used to be a hotel. The above mentioned Patrick used to work there.”
“I was surprised when my maternal grandfather was of malungeon decent. European, African and Native American. Learning about appilation culture has been very interesting.”
“One of my discoveries is that Oliver Hazard Perry was a very distant cousin!”
“That my grandmother's aunt who lived next door was really her half sister. I didn't know this until long after they were both gone, even though as a child I know that I had commented several times that the "aunt" didn't look like the rest of the family. Apparently, the "aunt" had been made to feel ashamed about her birth by some of the extended family, and no one in our part of the family wanted to embarrass her by talking about it. My mother finally admitted it to me when I was given a copy of my 2nd great grandfather's will. Her grandparents had raised her, but I questioned it when her bequest in his will was smaller than that of their natural children.”
“That my paternal grandfather was married once before.”
“Not yet but ill keep trying”-Haha, another fantastically hilarious answer!
“On Mom’s side, famous (at the time) circus trick riders who gave away kids to others to be raised, then at older ages, went into theater. Also, my Grandpa was a rum runner for Remus, and we have a cousin “born on the wrong side of the blanket.” Lots of Mom’s ancestors worked the Underground Railroad in Clermont County. Oh, and a woman who shot and killed her husband after 62 years of marriage because she “had enough.” She died in the Lima State Mental Hospital. Thankfully, that was a collateral line, not direct!”
“On Dad’s side, two of my great-great-grandfathers killed a man in a bar fight. A great uncle accidentally killed a man with a single punch (the guy wouldn’t leave my great-aunt alone). In Pete Rose’s book, he credits another great-uncle with teaching him how to gamble. That Sedamsville crowd was tough.”
“Amazing how many kids were born out of wedlock in my parents generation& were adopted out. Found mom had a 1/2 brother the family never knew about.”
“My grandmother filed for divorce from my grandfather twice but never completed it.”
“mom's father was not whom most people thought, a surprise and yet, i knew he wasn’t”
“Many more suicides than known before.”

Interactive Questions:
What do you think of the surprises and/or secrets on this list? Have you found any of these in your own family tree? Have you uncovered secrets in your family tree? What have you found that surprised or shocked you? I’d love to read your questions or comments!

More Social Genealogy and Family History:
Come read more of my social genealogy questions and their results under the Social Genealogy and Family History category.

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2/13/2022

Your Grandparents Said What? Sayings Passed Down in Genealogy!

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Sayings in Genealogy, Social History and Genealogy, Old School Sayings, Social Genealogy, Grandparent Sayings

Sayings Handed Down in Social History and Genealogy

Your Grandparents Said What?! Sayings Passed Down in Genealogy!

Social history is a very important part of our genealogy and leaves us with more than just names and dates; it’s how our family lived and who they were. Our grandparents (or other ancestors) had sayings for anything and everything under the sun! There were sayings for advice, for protection, to show you were in a heap of trouble, for encouragement, just to gossip and many more! In a way, you could consider the old school sayings handed down through the generations of your family as sort of a family heirloom, haha!

Do you remember an old school saying from your grandparents that's still stuck in your head?

Have you ever thought of this social genealogy question and how old school sayings passed down through the generations help to shape us into who we are, or just give us special memories of our loved ones? Well, I did! That’s why I decided to ask this social genealogy question on social media! I wanted to see how many others remember the sayings their grandparents used so much, that they’re still stuck in their heads, haha! Of course, this is just a very small sample, with only about 150 comments, but still very fun and interesting!

Here are some of the responses I had to this question:

“For crying in two buckets...”
“The hurrieder you go, the behinder you get”
“Outen z lights”
“Remember who you are, what you are, and conduct yourself accordingly”
“Aye, Aye, Aye”
“Don't step on a crack, you’ll break your mothers back!”
“Straighten up and fly right!”
“Spit in one hand and wish in the other and see which one gets full first”
“If wishes were horses beggars could ride”
“Ach du liebe zeit! Niemand hat mehr fur die liebe zeit!” (Oh dear time! Nobody has time for love anymore!)
“My stars”
“Put the corn in the poke!”
“Waste not, want not”
“Something wrong somewhere”
“Can’t get blood from a turnip”
“Goodness gracious, sakes alive”
“Good night sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite!”
“Now you’re cooking with gas”
“The greener the winter the fuller the graveyard!”
“Best invention since sliced bread”
“By golly”
“That’s a humdinger”
“When children are small they tug on your apron strings and when grown they tug on your heart!”
“It'll feel better when it quits hurting” (Haha!)
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a ditch digger. Just be the best darned ditch digger you can be” (Love it!)
“See ya in the funny papers! "
"If ya can't drive it, put it in the barn!"
“Keep making that face, and it will stick that way”
“Waste not want not”
“6 to 1, 1/2 a dozen to the other”
"Got plenty of room to get glad"
“That's a time”
“If you don't know what to do, mildew” (Haha, love it!)
“If you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say it at all”
“Once on the lips, twice on the hips!”
“Must’ve gone down your Sunday throat”
“Make do with what you've got”
“If a task is once begun never leave it till it’s done. Be the labor great or small, do it right or not at all”
“Home again, home again jiggity jig. If you don't stop crying, I'll give you something to cry about! I'll just whip you both and then I'll know I got the right one !..........”
“Fair to middlin”
One person responded: “The first one I thought of is not suitable for public consumption!” (Haha!)
“You didn't have to run all around Katey's barn”
“Panty Waste” (Pantywaiste)
“I cried because I had no shoes, until I met a girl who had no feet”
“You get a sty in your eye from peeing in the road”
“If I swallowed a watermelon seed, it would grow in my stomach”
“My grandpa told me I was going to have a prune tree grow out of the top of my head when I accidentally swallowed a pit”
“A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush”
“Now sir”
“I see said the blind man that couldn’t speak”
“I see said the blind man to the man who couldn’t hear”
"What's that got to do with the price of eggs?"
"What's that have to do with the price of tea in China?"
"atall"-e.g., "Well, that won't do atall"
“The Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”
“It’s good for what ails you”
“Don't get into a pissing match with a skunk. You'll never win.”
“Don't go to a gun fight with a knife”
“Pretty is as Pretty does”
“Suck it up, buttercup”
“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”
“You’re a stave of the ol' barrel”
"..more than Carter has liver pills."
“What is all this who struck John?"
"Who do you think you are Lord and Lady Aster?”
“Pert near”
“Sick abed two chairs”
“A hat was always a ‘lid’”
"Slower than molasses in January!"
"Let's write it in the dust, and let the wind settle it!"
“Whatever blows your skirt up.”
"It don't take me long to waste an hour."
"Hotdog! Oh Corn."
"6 of 1, half a dozen of another"
"Crying over it won’t make it clean"
"From your mouth to Gods ears"
"Wish in one hand, $h!t in the other…"
"You don’t have the sense God (gave you)"
"Watch your penny’s and your dollars watch themselves"
"Shanks ponies"
(your feet) "Colder than a witches tit"
"Get off your high horse"
(They) "Don't even own a bucket to piss in"
"Don't have a cow"
"Party 'till the cows come home"
"May as well; (it's) too wet to plow"
"Are you a sheep? If everyone jumped off the bridge would you follow?"
"Don't be a queer duck"
“You’ll burn a hole in daylight!”
“ Pig knows better cow knows worse, stick your head in the coffee pot "

There were anywhere from the classic to the unheard of. Some of these were super old school, and many had been passed down through the generations, with some of the responders catching themselves using them with their own children now! What is with Katy’s Barn, haha! There were a couple of sayings using Katy’s Barn; must have been a popular barn, haha! It was a fun question to ask, and it was fun to see all the different old school sayings that people have heard from their grandparents and still use through the generations!

Interactive Questions:
What do you think of the sayings on this list? Have you heard any of these from your own grandparents or any other ancestors? Do you catch yourself using any of these in this day and age? What is (or was) an old school saying that you heard from your grandparents while growing up or that has been passed down through the generations of your family? Would you like to know some of the meanings behind these responses? I’d love to read your questions or comments!

More Social Genealogy and Family History:
Come read more of my social genealogy questions and their results under the Social Genealogy and Family History category.

This post is a participant in the Genealogy Blog Party: School Days (and September Holidays and Events), for Grandparent's Day!

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2/6/2022

Family Recipes in Genealogy, the Forgotten Family Heirloom

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Family Recipes in Genealogy, Social Genealogy, Social Family History, Ancestor Recipes, Family Heirlooms, Vintage Recipes, Heirloom Recipes

Family Recipes in Social Genealogy and Family History

Family Recipes in Genealogy, the Forgotten Family Heirloom

Family recipes and meals were, and still are, a huge part of our family history and genealogy! It brought families together through the generations and continues doing so with the recipes passed down to us. It brought and continues to bring families together, whether it be through the special moments of cooking with a parent, grandparent or maybe even a great grandparent to the joys of gathering around and enjoying the company of loved ones while preparing or consuming that meal! Handed down family recipes can bring back a nostalgic time from one’s past and is also a great family heirloom to pass down through the generations, while honoring your ancestors!

What is (or was) a family recipe that has been passed down through the generations of your family?

Have you ever thought of this social genealogy question and how photos and tangible items passed down through the generations are not the only family heirlooms one can inherit, but recipes are as well? Well, I did! That’s why I decided to ask this social genealogy question on social media! I wanted to see how many others are still using family recipes that have been passed down through the generations or have started their only family tradition of passing down a family recipe for future generations! Of course, this is just a very small sample, with only about 120 comments, but still very fun and interesting!

Here are some of the responses I had to this question:

Potato based turkey stuffing/dressing for the holidays- Irish
German Potato Salad and streudel
Dinner rolls; scalloped oyster casserole; Thanksgiving staples! - Virginia and New England ancestors ( at least 4 generations)
Ableskiver with jam and glogg - Traditional Danish dessert
German slaw and English walnut bars
Apple pie, stuffing, potato salad, funeral potatoes (at least 3 generations), chilli, and meatloaf (generations-forever haha!)
Potato pancakes (at least 6 generations), Chocolate gravy (Arkansas/Kentucky) and homemade bread
Dutch Pork Chops (5 generations)
Scalloped potatoes and ham every Christmas Eve (4 generations)
Homemade kraut & sausages all from the garden and from home grown pigs
One pot meal of cooked kale mashed into rough mashed potatoes or sauerkraut or carrots or French cut style green beans, Metwurst and the grease it was fried in
Stamp pot- Dutch (2 responses)
Homemade waffles and dumplings
Szarma- Hungarian
Meatloaf ,potato soup,chicken and dumplings,.chicken noodle soup,beef ,barley veggie soup and several more (4 or more generations)
Honey Pumpkin pie from 1943 (when sugar was rationed during the Depression)
Tourtière, a French-Canadian Meat Pie, with the loose meat served at Thanksgiving as a side dish (dressing) or the neck cavity stuffed with it (at least 4 generations)
Chili with diced potatoes in it and thick!!!! (5 generations and many friends!)
Chicken pot pie, PA Dutch-style (5 generations)
Potica (nut roll)- Slovenian (at least 4 generations)
Baked beans with heirloom marrowfat beans
Bean soup, cabbage soup, pickled beets and eggs, and potato salad (at least 4 generations)
"Aunt Helen's chocolate cake", a must for our family at every birthday celebration
German Chocolate cake (a new family recipe)
Suet pudding (at least 4 generations)
Vegetable soup with a little sauerkraut for flavor and Cranberry salad (at least 5 generations)
Vegetable soup (4 generations)
Suet pudding (9 generations or longer)
Mincemeat,cabbage rolls
Potato salad, real baked beans with Boetje’s Dutch Mustard, and meatloaf

There were handed down recipes (and a few new ones) anywhere from the common to some that were quite different! It was a fun question to ask, and it was fun to see all the different recipes that people have received from their ancestors and still use through the generations!

Interactive Questions:
What do you think of the recipes on this list? Do you use any of these? What is (or was) a family recipe that has been passed down through the generations of your family? I’d love to read your comments!

More Social Genealogy and Family History Questions:
Come read more of my social genealogy questions and their results under the Social Genealogy and Family History category. (More coming very soon)

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1/23/2022

Family Names in Social Genealogy and Family History: Grandparents

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Social Genealogy, Family History Research, Grandparents, Family History Naming, Grandparent Names,

Family Names in Social Genealogy and family History: Grandparents

Family Names in Social Genealogy and Family History: Grandparents

What do you (or did you) call your grandparents?

Have you ever thought of this social genealogy question and how interesting it is that so many people call their grandparents by different names, not to mention how interesting those names can be?

Well, I do; that’s why I decided to ask this social genealogy question on social media! I wanted to see just how many variations of grandmother and grandfather were floating around out there! Of course, this is just a small sample, with only about 225 comments, but still very interesting! 😉

Here are the responses I had to grandfather:

Grandpa
Grampa
Granpa
Gramps
Granddad
Grandad
Zedo (Slavic)
Pappy
Grandpap
Pop
Papa
Poppa
First Name
PawPaw
Poppy
Dadun
Pop Pop
Pop Pop with last name
Grandpa with last name
Papa with last name
Papaw
Papaw with first name
Grandpap with last name
Grampy
Pudgy
PapPap
Granddaddy
Big Daddy
Pap
Poppsy
Boompa (Finland)
Grand Dad
Poppo
Papa with first name
Gramp
Dziadzi (Polish)
Papap
Pampa
Gampy
Pipi
Pipaw
Crampa
Pepaw
Little Grandpa with last name
Grandpa with dog’s name (Haha!)

Here are the responses I had to grandmother:

Grandma
Gramma/Grama
Grandmother
Teelie (form of her last name)
Little Grandma
Grammy
Big Mama
Little Grandma with last name
MomMom
Mimi
Yia-Yia
Granny/Grannie
Gammie
Mimi
Mimaw
Grandma with last name
Noonie
Gramma Grape (always had grapes, haha!)
Big Granny
Grandma with first name
Grandma with dog’s name (haha!)
Nanny
Memere
Nana
Gram
Gramma
Gammie
Granmaw
Happy Grandma (because she was always happy…haha, love it!)
Grandma Mom (because her mom always called out, Mom!, When they went there…haha, love it!)
Mother
Biggie (short for Big Mama)
Mom
Gramps (haha!)
DeDe (even though her name was Anna 😉)
Oma

So, there were names anywhere from the standard to the unusual! It was a fun question to ask, and it was fun to see all the different names that people use to call their grandparents by!

Interactive Questions:
What do you think of the names on the list? Do you use any of these? What do you or (did you) call your grandparents? I’d love to read your comments below!

*I may try to update this list with the counts for each, later!

More Social Genealogy and Family History Questions:
Come read more of my social genealogy questions and their results under the Social Genealogy and Family History category. (More coming very shortly 😉)

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