75th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The 75th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on "How I spent my summer vacation... a favorite summer memory from your youth. Tell us what summers were like when you were a wee tad pole. Did you vacation with family? Go to a youth camp? Hang out at the local park? Watch fireworks? Catch fireflies? Share those lazy, hazy, crazy, days of summers past with us! Deadline for submissions is July 14, 2009." Enjoy!

Happy Independence Day!

I just want to wish everyone a happy Independence Day! Enjoy!

More Records Have Come!

A week or two weeks ago, I ordered some more marriage records from the Cuyahoga County, Ohio archives, and the records came today. I've only looked at the records briefly, but they confirm some of my suspicions from other records. Now, I just have to make some time to enter the information into my genealogy database.

Justice and Independence: Ancestral Experiences ...

When I think about justice and independence, I usually think about July 4th and the United States even though U. S.'s history has a few stains. Of course, I do not know if I am descended from a Revolutionary War veteran because I haven't researched my American ancestors back that far. As for whether or not any of my American ancestors stood for justice, the closest I can come to is my Civil War ancestor, Adam Oswalt, when he served, but I'm not sure if that counts.

When it comes to my European ancestors, on the other hand, I can think of several examples. I've written briefly before about Adolph Kees and Amelia Cotta, but I haven't written very much about them or their children, other than to write about their daughter Emilia. Adolph and Amelia had several children, and among them was a son named Adolph Friedrich. Until I was contacted by my distant cousin, I did not know that Adolph Friedrich Kees was involved in the 1848 Revolution, nor did I know that his political beliefs were liberal. Since he mostly likely lived in Trippstadt, which is in the Palatinate, at that time, he probably took part in the revolt that occurred there and later put down by the Prussians. Many of the rebels were later put on trial and put to death, so I'm wondering how Adolph Friedrich Kees escaped execution. I guess I'll have to do more research to find that answer. Of course, I can't help but wonder if he was influenced by his maternal grandfather, Christoph Friedrich Cotta.

As you may or may not remember, I wrote about Christoph Friedrich Cotta last year. At that time, I wasn't completely sure if he was my ancestor, but further research has proven that he is an ancestor. Christoph, as I mentioned previously, played a minor role in the French Revolution primarily by being involved in the Mainz Republic, and by working as a government official in Strasbourg, France. While he was in Strasbourg, he became friends with Eulogius Schneider, an ex-priest. (He was another radical, and is quite interesting.) During the Reign of Terror, Eulogius married Maria Sara Stamm, but he was arrested shortly after the wedding. Christoph was also arrested in early 1794, but unlike Eulogius, Christoph survived the Reign of Terror. Two years later, Christoph would marry Eulogius' widow, and they would later have two children: Emil and Amelia Cotta.

As you can see from the previous paragraph, both Eulogius Schneider and Christoph Cotta suffered injustices during the Reign of Terror. They were both liberal in their political beliefs, and wanted to be free, and free others, from the injustices of the absolute monarchies. Earlier this year, I read a biography on the Marquis of Sade (a very disturbing person, by the way), and I learned that the monarch could have someone thrown into jail or imprisoned, and that the monarch had his own court system that was separate from the civil court justice, where nobles could be tried even more leniently than the average peasant would face. As you can imagine, this duel court system obviously angered the average person, and I can only guess that Eulogius and Christoph were angered by the double standard. Of course, I also wonder if Christoph's beliefs were influenced by the experiences of his maternal grandmother.

Christoph Friedrich Cotta's parents were Christoph Friedrich Cotta and Rosalia Pyrker. Rosalia's parents were Franz Josef Carl Pyrker (also spelled as Pirker, Pircker and Pürker) and Anna Maria or Marianne (I've seen her name listed both ways in secondary sources) von Geyerseck. Franz Pyrker was a violinist while Anna Maria was a famous opera singer in the eighteenth century. Anna Maria performed in several European capitals, until she was offered a position at the Duke of Würtemberg's court. While the Pyrkers lived at the court in Stuttgart, Anna Maria became friends with the Duchess of Würtemberg. When the Duke and Duchess began fighting, Anna Maria sided with the Duchess, and the Duke threw her into jail because of her stance. For the next eight years, Anna Maria spent her time in jail, and was only released after Maria Theresa and Catherine the Great petitioned the Duke to free her. Even though Anna Maria should not have gotten herself involved in the fight between the Duke and Duchess, I do not believe she deserved to be thrown into jail. Obviously, Anna Maria suffered an injustice.

So, as you can see, a couple of my ancestors experience injustices or worked at trying to make life better. Of course, the stories I presented are only what I know at the moment, and I still have more research to do. Hopefully, I'll be able to post more information on my Kees, Cotta and Pyrker ancestors in the future. Enjoy!
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Sources

1. E-mails from Silvana Geuna to Jessica Oswalt, between 8 June 2009 and 30 June 2009.
2. "Revolutions of 1848 in the German States." Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutions_of_1848_in_the_German_states. 30 June 2009.
3. "Palatinate." Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palatinate_(region). 30 June 2009.
4. "Death of Amelia Cotta." Tote 1840-1859. Zivilstandregister, 1803-1957 (Trippstadt, Germany). FHL Film INTL 489219.
5. Cotta Family Tree, printed ca. 1930s-1940s (according to family tradition. Family tradition also claims that only five copies were made.)
6. "Cotta, Christoph Friedrich." Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie. Band 3. (Leipzig, Germany: Berlang von Duncker & Humblot, 1876), 518-519.
7. "Eulogius Schneider." Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eulogius_Schneider. 30 June 2009.
8. Maurice Lever, Sade: A Biography, trans. Arthur Goldhammer (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1993), 156-160.
9. "Death of Christoph Friedrich Cotta." Tote 1806-1839. Zivilstandregister, 1803-1957 (Trippstadt, Germany). FHL Film INTL 489218.
10. "Pyrker, Anna Maria." Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie. Band 26. (Leipzig, Germany: Berlang von Duncker & Humblot, 1888), 787-790.
11. "Elisabeth Fredericka Sophie of Brandenburg-Bayreuth." Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_Fredericka_Sophie_of_Brandenburg-Bayreuth. 30 June 2009.
12. Württembergischer Geschichts- und Altertumsverein. Herzog Karl Eugen von Württemberg und seine Zeit. (Eklingen: Paul Neff Verlag, 1907), 509.

Google Analytics Report For June 2009

Another month has gone by, and that means it is time for another Google Analytics report. Here are the results for June 2009:

The top ten countries, in number of views, are:

1. United States - 335 visits
2. Canada - 36 visits
3. Netherlands - 14 visits
4. Argentina - 10 visits
5. United Kingdom - 8 visits
6. India - 3 visits
7. Australia - 3 visits
8. Germany - 3 visits
9. New Zealand - 3 visits
10. Norway - 2 visits

The top ten states in the United States, in number of visits, are:

1. Michigan - 80 visits
2. Illinois - 34 visits
3. California - 32 visits
4. Texas - 23 visits
5. Virginia - 18 visits
6. New York - 15 visits
7. Ohio - 15 visits
8. Indiana - 12 visits
9. Pennsylvania - 9 visits
10. Utah - 8 visits

The top ten articles, in number of views, are:

1. Wedding Belles: A Beautiful Wedding Picture - 51 views
2. Tombstone Maker Website - 16 views
3. A Summer Reading Challenge! - 15 views
4. 19th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy - 13 views
5. Google Analytics Report For May 2009 - 13 views
6. Summer Reading Challenge Book Review 1 - 11 views
7. 20th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy - 10 views
8. Family History Center Update - 10 views
9. Family History Center Visit 11 - 10 views
10. Summer Reading Challenge Book Review 3 - 10 views

Well, that is it for this report. To my readers, "Thank you for reading!" Stay tuned for next month's report! Enjoy!

Family History Center Visit 12

Earlier today, I visited the local Family History Center. I wanted to print out some copies of the baptisms in the Trippstadt church records because I was having difficulty transcribing the records, and so I printed out about 8 to 10 pages. After making copies, I printed out the World War One records of two of my great-grandfathers so that other family members could be able to have a copy and so that I had a master copy as well.

Hopefully, I won't need to print out any more copies of the baptismal records, and until the other microfilms come in, I should be busy transcribing and translating the German records I have at the moment. Stay tuned ...

Summer Reading Challenge Book Review 5

I have finished reading another book, and like the previous four books I read, this book was also on my reading list for my fall history class. This time, I read A Shopkeeper's Millennium: Society and Revivals in Rochester, New York, 1815-1837 by Paul E. Johnson (New York: Hill and Wang, 2004).

As you tell from the title, the book is about the social history of the early years of Rochester, New York and the Evangelical revivals that occurred in Rochester in the early 1830s. The author explores the formation of political parties in Rochester, and examines which classes made up the parties. He also explores the Temperance and Anti-Masonic movements, and how those movements and the political parties created a climate that made the Evangelical revivals successful in Rochester.

The book is fairly short - under 200 pages - so it is a quick read. I enjoyed reading the book, and I found the information to be quite interesting. Obviously, if a genealogist has an ancestor who lived in Rochester in this time, he or she would probably find this book useful in trying to understand the society of Rochester at this time. I would recommend this book to others. I hope someone enjoys this book as I did.

20th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy

Welcome to the 20th edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy! The topic for this edition was a carousel, and that means that submitted articles could be on anything as long as they related to Central or Eastern Europe and genealogy. Although this edition is a small one, there are interesting articles in this edition. Here are the articles for this edition:

First off, we have two articles from Al of Polish-American Genealogy Research. In Index of Indexes, he writes about a website that lists indexing projects that are occurring Poland, and in Indexing Project - Geneteka Part One, he writes about how one can use the Polish website mentioned to research your ancestors.

Next, we have an article from Jen Bawden of Hills Hollows Valleys Plains, a first-time submitter. In Germany is Germane to the Situation?, she writes about how she had difficulty researching her German ancestors until she discovered a notebook that was compiled by her mother.

Last, but not least, we have an article from Jessica Oswalt of Jessica's Genejournal. In Looking For My German Ancestors, Part 7, she continues to write about her research into Anna's family.

Well, that is it for this edition. The next edition will be hosted by Thomas of Destination: Austin Family. The topic for that edition, as suggested by Thomas, will be on "How did your ancestors celebrate the glorious season of summer both back home in Europe and here in America? Did they need to make adjustments once here in America since the weather was different? Or summer customs were different? Include memories, photos, recipes – anything that helps tell summertime stories." The deadline for that edition will be July 20th, and the edition will be published on July 25th. You can submit your articles here.

As a side note, I am still looking for hosts these future months:

• August
• October
• November
• December

If you are interested in hosting the August edition, please contact me at jess_history at yahoo dot com by July 18. Thanks!

Family History Center Visit 11

Earlier today, I visited the local Family History Center, and I took a look again at the microfilm of the church records for Trippstadt, Germany. On my previous visit, I couldn't find a burial record for one of my Kees' ancestor's children, so I decided to look again this time. And I found the record, and I printed out a copy of the record.

After I went through the Trippstadt microfilm, I ordered four microfilms, and I printed out of my great-grandfather's service records. One microfilm was of civil records, and the other three were microfilms of church records. Two of those church records were from Manchester, Lancashire, and the other was of church records from Bobenheim am Berg, Germany. The civil records microfilm was from Gelnhausen, Germany, and it contained marriage records for the city. Hopefully, the microfilms will come in soon, and I will be able to go back farther in my ancestry. Stay tuned ...

Looking For My German Ancestors, Part 7

In my previous post, I mentioned that Anna's siblings had moved back to Cleveland, and that Anna and her siblings had other relatives living in Cleveland, Ohio as well. I think I will write about those relatives, and how I found the marriage record of her parents.

As I mentioned before, Anna and her parents entered the United States through New York's Castle Garden in February of 1864. About a year or so later, Anna's uncle, William Kees, came to the U. S. as well. Of course, at the time that I did the search, I was uncertain to whether or not he was the brother of Emilia Kees, Anna's mother. I knew the maiden name of Emilia at this time only because I had jumped ahead, and obtained Friedrich Klippel and Emilia Kees' marriage record the summer before when I was in Salt Lake City. My grandparent's family tree listed Anna's parents as Friedrich Klippel and Emilia Kees and gave a marriage year of 1858, which turned out later to be incorrect. (Of course, I already knew who Anna's parents were from U. S. census records, family tradition and the ship manifest, but I still jumped ahead when I should not have done so. I should have tried to obtain Anna's birth record first, but I did not.)

Before I went to Salt Lake City, I looked for Friedrich and Emilia's marriage on the FamilySearch site, and I found it. The place of the marriage, which I knew to be Trippstadt, Germany, was the same as on the tree, but the year was different. FamilySearch's entry listed the year as 1857, and since I was already suspicious of the accuracy of the tree, I figured the entry was closer to being accurate. (Some other information on the tree was inaccurate.) So, while I was at the Family History Library, I took at look at the Trippstadt marriages for 1857, and Friedrich and Emilia's marriage record was the first marriage I saw on the film.

Once I got the marriage record transcribed, I began to research Emlia's family, and I came across records for a William H. Kees. Since I did not know if William was related to Emilia, I left a query on a rootsweb message board, and was contacted by a woman in Germany. She sent me some information on Emilia's parents that indicated that William was Emilia's younger brother. The information, though, was from secondary sources, but I was able to confirm the relationship when ancestry posted the passport applications. William Kees had applied for a passport several times for travel to Europe, and on one of his applications, he listed the name of his father, which confirmed the secondary information I had.

In my next post, I will write some more about Emilia's family and possible about some of my latest research on the Klippel and Kees family. Stay tuned ...

Working Hard: A Scene From the Early Days of the Automotive Industry

The photograph above includes my great-grandfather and some other men in a factory building. My great-grandfather is the man standing behind the body of an early car by himself. I believe the factory is Vauxhall Motors in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. I am unsure of when this picture was taken, but my guess is either in the early-1900s or after World War One. I do know, though that my great-grandfather worked for Vauxhall Motors, although I do not know when he began working for the company. The only thing written on the back of the picture was my great-grandfather's surname.

Summer Reading Challenge Book Review 4

I have finished reading another book, and like the previous three books I read, this book was also on my reading list for my fall history class. This time, I read Bleeding Kansas: Contested Liberty In The Civil War Era by Nicole Etcheson (Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas, 2004).

As you can tell from the book's title, this book is about Kansas' struggle to become a state before and during the American Civil War, and the civil war-like fighting that led to Kansas being called "Bleeding Kansas." The author argues that the fighting in Kansas was originally concerned with the rights of white people but that the fighting eventually resulted in concerns for the rights of African-Americans as well. She also argues that Kansas would led the way in the nation in granting rights to African-Americans during the Civil War. The author also ties in the fighting in Kansas with other events that occurred elsewhere in the United States during this time period.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, I would. The book was fairly easy to read, and I think the average person would be able to read and enjoy the book. Before I read this book, I only had a basic understanding of Bleeding Kansas from reading textbooks, but after reading this book, I have a better understanding of what occurred in Kansas in the mid-to-late-1850s. (I should note that although I will be working with the author in the fall, she did not ask me to read her book. I am reading this book ahead of time for my fall history class. I will be writing reviews of the other history books that I still have to read for the class.)

(As a side note, this post happens to be the 1,000th post since I started this blog!)

Reminder: Submissions Are Due Today!

I just want to remind everyone that submissions for this upcoming edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy are due today by midnight. The theme for this edition is a carousel.

Does anyone need more time? I am willing to extend the deadline if that is the case. Please let me know by either leaving a comment or sending me an e-mail at jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks.

Question About German Military Records

Has anyone done extensive research into German records? While looking through the transcription of my ancestor's marriage record, I came across a reference to military discharge papers. Apparently, when my ancestor got married, he had present his military discharge to the civil authorities when he got married. My ancestor married in 1857, and at the time, the city, Trippstadt, where he married was a part of the Kingdom of Bavaria. Does anyone know why he would have had to present his discharge papers at the time of his marriage?

Of course, I am also interested in the particulars of his military service. Does anyone know where I can obtain the records of his military service?

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

Days Library of Michigan Will Be Closed ...

I just happened to notice a post on Brenda's blog about a few days where the Library of Michigan will be closed. You can read more about it here.

Happy Father's Day!

I just want to wish everyone a happy Father's Day. Enjoy!

Don't Forget!

I just want to remind everyone that submissions for the next edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy are due on the 26th. The topic for the edition is a carousel, so submissions can be on anything related to genealogy or Central and Eastern Europe. You can submit your articles here.

Also, I am still looking for hosts for these months:

• October
• November
• December

I have not decided yet if I will host August, so that month is open too. If you are interested in hosting any of these months, please e-mail me at jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks!

Family History Center Visit 10

Earlier today, I visited the local Family History Center with my brother and grandma. My grandma helped me with my research by looking through the will index for Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, and she wrote down names from a list on surnames that I gave her. I looked at the grantee index for the same county, but most of the Oswalts listed in the index were for deeds recorded in the mid-Twentieth Century, so I did not have as much luck with that film.

After going through that film, I looked at the church records for Trippstadt, Germany, and I had more success with that film. I was able to find baptismal records for Adolph Kees and Amelia Cotta's children who were born before 1839, and I was able to find a couple of burial records for the Kees and Cotta family. I'll have to order the other microfilm to find the other baptismal, marriage and burial records for the Kees and Cotta family. Of course, I made copies of the images.

I did not order any microfilms this time because I spent the whole time doing research and making copies for what I found.

Why I Haven't Posted In Awhile ...

As you have probably noticed, I have not posted very much this week, and that is due to the fact that I have been busy with school work. I've had to work on a few projects for my classes this week, so I haven't had much time. Things are starting to slow down, so I'll be able to post more after my classes end next week.

On a happier note, I've just connected with a person who is also descended from the same Kees and Cotta ancestors, and I'm excited! I was finally able to e-mail her some of the information I have earlier this week. Of course, I haven't had very much time lately, so I hope to send more e-mail as soon as I'm done with school. Plus, I hope to go the local Family History Center soon as the microfilm for the protestant church records of Trippstadt, Germany came in last week. Hopefully, I'll be able to visit soon.

74th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The 74th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on

“Justice and Independence. Since our beginnings as a nation, the United States
of America has seen changes with every year, every decade, and every century.
Each generation adds growth to our lives, our communities, and our nation. One
thing that has never changed, however, is our desire for Justice for those who
wrong us and Independence from those who try to oppress us. This month’s COG
asks you to relate to these concepts of Justice and Independence in one or all
of three ways: 1). Tell a story of an ancestor(s) who fought for freedom. 2).
Tell a story about how Independence Day was celebrated by your ancestors. Did
any of their celebratory traditions get passed down for your own family to
continue? Or 3). Post the lyrics of a song that exemplifies how Justice and
Independence have worked in the lives of your ancestors and/or family. Include
photos! This edition of the COG will be hosted by Colleen at OMcHodoy (thanks Colleen!). Deadline for submissions is July 1."

Enjoy!