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

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

My mom’s paternal grandmother, Martha Maria Tornedde, was born in Steubenville, in Jefferson County, Ohio on April 6, 1884. Her German born parents, Ernst H. Tornedde and Wilhelmina Bremer, immigrated to the United States just a few years before Martha was born. By 1886, the Torneddes had moved to Peoria, Illinois, which would be Martha’s … Continue reading Martha Maria Tornedde