Hello dear ones! Ever since I was a little girl, I've been fascinated with treasures from the past. As I studied old sepia wedding photos of my great grandparents, examined the details in my third great-grandmother’s cross stitch sampler, and ran my fingers over the bronzed high button baby shoes that belonged to my great-grandmother, … Continue reading Let the Singing Begin
Julia Ann Foster
Julia Ann Foster was born on December 30, 1863, in Floyd County, Virginia, the last-born of my sixteen second great-grandparents. Julia was the daughter of William Foster and Orpha (pronounced Orpa) Jones, the third of four children. The first two Foster children were born in 1849 (Mary Jane) and 1851 (Asa). Julia was born twelve … Continue reading Julia Ann Foster
Sarah Jane Howell
Sarah Jane Howell was born September 16, 1860, the first child of James Howell and Hannah Poole. Sarah is the only one of my England-born great- and second-great-grandparents to be born outside the Forest of Dean. Her place of nativity lies north of the Forest, in the county of Stafford in the English Midlands, specifically, in … Continue reading Sarah Jane Howell
Frances Knoedler
Frances Knoedler (pronounced "Needler") was born May 27, 1858 in Hancock County, Illinois. Frances, who was known as Fannie her whole life, was the first of nine children born to Johann (John) Knoedler and Catherine (Kate) George. Her father was born in Germany, her mother in Augusta, Virginia, to German-born parents. The George family had immigrated … Continue reading Frances Knoedler
James William George
James William George was born on October 23, 1856 in Lydbrook, Gloucestershire, England. James William, who went by William, was the fourth of five children born to William George and Elizabeth Weaver George. He was their only son. Lydbrook occupies the steep-sided valley of the Great Hough (pronounced “How”) Brook which is a tributary of … Continue reading James William George
Esther Cooper
Esther Cooper was born August 26, 1856, in Lydbrook, Gloucestershire, England. Esther was the first child of Joseph Cooper and Esther Elliss, who had been married but a few months at the time of her birth. In a sad turn of events, Esther’s mother died eight days after Esther was born, from puerperal fever, sometimes called … Continue reading Esther Cooper
Nathaniel Asa Siepel
Nathaniel Asa Siepel was born February 25, 1856 on his family’s farm in Hancock County, Illinois. Nathaniel’s father, Philip Siepel, was born in Germany, his mother, Eliza Fawver, in Virginia. Philip and Eliza were married in Shenandoah County, Virginia in 1848. From there, they migrated to Illinois, pioneer fashion, in 1854, with three young children in … Continue reading Nathaniel Asa Siepel
Ernst Heinrich Tornedde
Ernst Heinrich Tornedde was born July 29, 1855, in the tiny village of Brunsen in the Braunschweig (Brunswick) region of Lower Saxony in present-day Germany. The identity of Ernst’s parents is unknown. However a DNA match points to Johann Heinrich Christoph Tornedde and Engel Hedwig Binnewies Tornedde, a married couple who lived their entire lives … Continue reading Ernst Heinrich Tornedde
Richard Yemm
Richard Yemm was born on June 13, 1853, in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England. He was the fifth of seven children born to Stephen Yemm and Ann Harper. His family lived in the village of Upper Lydbook, in an area called Worrall Hill, where Stephen and Ann had moved shortly after the birth … Continue reading Richard Yemm
Tazwell Howard Cannaday
Tazwell Howard Cannaday was born on September 10, 1852 in Floyd County, Virginia. Tazwell was the third of nine children born to Stephen H. Cannaday and Elizabeth Lemon, and their first son. Both of Tazwell’s parents came from large families—his mother was one of twelve children, and his father was one of twenty-four! (Stephen’s parents, … Continue reading Tazwell Howard Cannaday
Wilhelmina Bremer
Wilhelmine Caroline Amalie Bremer was born April 26, 1849, in Heinade, Germany. In the United States her given name of Wilhelmine became Wilhelmina and throughout her life was often shortened to Minna. Wilhelmina’s parents, both German-born, were Friedrich Wilhelm Bremer and Friederike Wilhelmine Müller. Heinade is located in the Holzminden district of Lower Saxony. Holzminden lies within the … Continue reading Wilhelmina Bremer
The Singing Oak 