I’d like to introduce you to my mother. Long before she was a great-grandmother, she was a grandmother and before that a mother and before that, a beautiful young woman with aspirations. She was beautiful, both in body and soul, … Continue reading
It’s Mother’s Day, of course. Mother’s Day falls within a week or so of the anniversary of mother’s passing. The year she passed away, I spent Mother’s Day cleaning out her apartment and moving the furniture I was keeping, along … Continue reading
Hiram B. (probably Bauke, “Baker” in English) Ferverda (1854-1925) married Evaline Louise Miller (1857-1939) on March 10, 1876 in Goshen. Indiana. At least, that’s where their marriage license was filed. Beyond that, and knowing that they were both Brethren, until … Continue reading
John David Miller was born April 6, 1812 in Montgomery County, Ohio to David Miller and Catharina Schaeffer. Catharina, his mother, was a widow with two children when she married David Miller on December 13, 1805. Between their marriage and … Continue reading
The holidays always make me think of my mother. My father died when I was 7 years old in a car accident, so I was always close to my mother, although I believe I am probably singularly responsible for every … Continue reading
Edith was my grandmother, my mother’s mother. I knew her as a buxom, heavy-set woman who always wore dresses, usually dark, that buttoned up the front, an apron, and black lace-up shoes. With her grey hair, she was the consummate … Continue reading
It was early spring in 2002, March the 2nd to be exact. There was still snow on the ground in places where there had been drifts, but the first spring flowers were shyly peeking their heads out into the warm … Continue reading
The beastly heat radiated off of the pavement in waves as we drove the back roads of Indiana in the last week of July. Summer heat is always brutal, but the blazing sun in the summer of 2023 ratcheted the … Continue reading
Are you searching for an unknown relative or trying to unravel and understand unexpected results? Maybe you discovered that one or both of your parents is not your biological parent. Maybe one of your siblings might be a half-sibling instead. … Continue reading
Back in September 2022, I ordered a Social Security lifetime earnings record for my mother by filing form SSA-7050, available here. In addition to wages, it also lists employers which would tell me where she was working. This form is … Continue reading
