Invitation to 2013 Kuhn-Weber Family Reunion

I am pleased to announce that the 2013 Kuhn-Weber Reunion will take place on August 24.  Recently my sister, Martha, put together the following flyer that she is distributing.  So, I thought I would help get the word out by way of our family history website.  The names and phone numbers of the cousins on the Planning Committee are excluded from the piece that I scanned below.  If you need any further information, send me an email and I will be happy to ask the right person or forward your question.  We had so much fun with our silent auction and family photos exhibit last year, that we’ll be doing that again.  Also, Aunt Peg is working on a beautiful family memories quilt with all the squares that the attendees completed at the last reunion.   We hope to have an even bigger group for this year’s gathering. See you there.

Happy Anniversary Tillie and Harry Weber

One hundred years ago today Otillia Catherine Kuhn and Harry Lawrence Weber married in Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Indianapolis, Indiana.  Little did they know the paths they would take together, some happy, some sad.  They became the parents of six children, the grandparents and further great grandparents of many.  Tillie and Harry started quite a story on June 4, 1913.  Today, I am celebrating their 100th anniversary with a few photo remembrances:

 

First, here’s one of their studio photos of the wedding party.  The group included Tillie’s sister, Clara, and her niece Dot Hinz.  Also, participating in the wedding were Harry’s brother, Walter, his little sister, Catherine, and two of his cousins, Leonard Paetz and Albert Keen. 

 

They lived in Indianapolis, Indiana, their entire lives.  In the photo below, the family is posing on Tillie and Harry’s 25th anniversary in 1938.  Their children are, seated on her father’s right - Dolores “Dolly;” behind her - Rosemary “Rose;” Robert “Bob;” Margaret “Peg;” Virginia “Gin” and Harry Joseph.  

 

The party took place at the home of Tillie’s sister, Julia (Kuhn) Hinz, at 1514 South Talbott Street, Indianapolis.  My Aunt Peg has a keen remembrance of the yard and the home in these photos, so I am sure of the location. 

In the next photo below, we have a grouping of the Kuhn cousins, dressed up for the wedding anniversary celebration.  They are named on the photo.  There is one of the male cousins missing, but overall I’d say the girls are predominating in the Kuhns. Wouldn’t you?

 

My final photo in this anniversary remembrance, captures a portion of Harry Lawrence Weber’s siblings and their children.  There were a few missing, but these are fine representatives.  This get-together was at the home of Jack and May (Weber, Harry’s sister) Lieland.  May must be taking the picture, since the rest of her family appears. The names are printed at the bottom as well as I am able to identify them at this time.  

Obviously, Harry and Tillie felt it was important to be with family.  I know their children enjoyed many good times with their Kuhn and Weber cousins.

 

I wonder! Are there Hinz, Kuhn, Sauer, Lieland, Ditlinger, Cordell or Weber cousins who have a short story or two about Tillie and Harry’s family?!#$%

I am always open to family history chatting.  Leave your memories in the comment box below or send an email to nancyhurley1 at gmail dot com.  Also,  if you’d like to take a look back, I have posted a pedigree chart at this link that outlines the Kuhn and Weber ancestry.    

Thanks for visiting and helping me celebrate Harry and Tillie’s Anniversary!

 

Copyright Nancy Hurley 2013

In Memoriam -- Michael Joseph Risch, A Hero

Today is our traditional Memorial Day, the last Monday in May.  We take moments to ponder, and be thankful for, the impact of family, friends and strangers on our lives.  May they Rest In Peace.
The ancestor I chose for this year’s Memorial Day story is Michael Joseph Risch, my first cousin twice removed, the cousin of my grandmother, Tillie Kuhn Weber and the nephew of Mary Anna Risch Kuhn, my great grandmother.  Michael was born 30 Nov 1888 in New Alsace, Indiana and died 31 July 1921, in Connersville, Indiana.  I don’t have confirmation yet that he was a veteran of World War I.  Although this photo on the left shows him in uniform, along side his wife and father.  Rather than as a war hero, I am writing his memorial today featuring his bravery in a matter that was completely unanticipated.  He gave his life in an attempt to rescue a drowning friend. 
Michael’s birthplace was in New Alsace, Dearborn County, Indiana, where his Risch grandparents settled upon immigrating from Baden, Germany in the late 1820s.  At about 20 years of age he moved to the second county north, Fayette.  There he married Clara Ariens.  Within the next seven years, Michael and Clara  had four children. 
Clara and these small children lost Michael when he was 32 years of age.  He drowned on July 31, 1921, in the feeder dam of the Whitewater River near his home in Connersville, Indiana.  Michael was out for a Sunday afternoon of fishing when his friend became distressed in the water.  He reacted quickly, as described well in the local newspaper:
“A Brave Effort”
“Risch fought courageously to reach the side of the drowning man.  Burdened by heavy clothing, Risch was almost exhausted when he reached the struggling form of Daniels.  But despite his state of exhaustion, he continued to try to quiet and calm the drowning man and, unconscious of his own perilous position and rapidly waning strength, he gripped Daniels hand or some portion of his clothing.  As it is told, during the struggle in the deep water, Daniels was partly revived and after Risch sank beneath the surface the other managed to reach a place of safety.  Men were soon on the scene, but they were too late.  When the body of Risch was placed upon the bank of the river, those attempting to revive him soon realized that the spark of life was extinct.”  
In honor of Michael’s heroism, The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission of Pittsburgh, PA, awarded a bronze medal and death benefits at the rate of $80 a month until his children were 16 years of age. 
I am sure this tragedy echoed within the family and friends of Michael Joseph Risch, from Fayette County to Dearborn County to Marion County, Indiana to Hamilton County, Ohio.  I don’t know how well, if at all, my grandmother knew this cousin who would have been one year older, living approximately 60 miles away.  Perhaps I’ll meet a direct descendant soon who will fill in more details.  If you are interested in the family information I have  so far surrounding Michael Risch, I would be happy to share.  
The decisions we make in a split second can effect not only our own lives, but those of many surrounding us.  In this case, due to his courage and loyalty, Michael’s life stopped early and abruptly and his friend’s continued.
Thanks for spending some  time at Indiana Ties! 

Surname Saturday: Weiss Hermann

I hesitated to make this Surname Saturday post.  Since I don’t yet have very much family history for these fourth great grandparents, I thought I might skip over them. But wait! That’s exactly the opposite of what I should do. Right?!  Many other genealogists blogging online have mentioned that just writing about their research sometimes awakens other ideas or results in discoveries. So that’s where I’m going with this one…..

This Surname Saturday looks at Mathias Weiss ( b. mid 1700s, d. approx. 1810) and Maria Hermann (b. mid 1700s, d. unknown). 

The records I have for the Weiss and Hermann families as I start this post are mostly from the research of Mary Cathryn Zimmer Hoffman in her 1994 book, Louis M. Risch Family and Ancestors. I praised her book in my last Surname Saturday post. Until I am able to complete my original documentation, I’m using the Zimmer book’s reporting for these Weiss/Hermann records. I am so grateful for the head start that Mary Cathryn’s work gave me.

Ms. Zimmer followed her ancestors backwards from the Catholic church records in New Alsace, Indiana to Hugstetten, Baden, Germany. She then studied the microfilm from the Family History Library for the German Catholic church records of Hugstetten, Baden, Germany to extract the few records available there for Mathias Weiss and Maria Hermann.  These Catholic Church records contain information beginning in the 1770s. Mathias and Maria’s births are estimated to be in the mid 1700s, based on their marriage and birth of their children.

Mathias Weiss was from the village of Buchen in Baden.  And just a short distance away, in the town of Holzhausen, lived Maria Hermann. Both Buchen and Holzhausen are in the district of Odenwald in what is now the state of Baden-Wurttemberg in southwestern Germany.  These villages were close to Hugstetten, Baden, where the church records were kept for the area.

Neither Mathias Weiss’ parents nor Maria Hermann’s parents are known at this time.  The record that starts this line is of their marriage on 26 November 1778 in the village of Buchen, recorded in the Catholic Church register in the town of Hugstetten. (Click my report here for the timeline.)

These records also tell us that Mathias and Maria Weiss made their home together in Hugstetten.  Maria gives birth to five children between 1779 and 1786.  The baptisms are recorded in the Catholic church in Hugstetten, Baden.  Their third child, Maria Weiss, becomes my third great grandmother when she marries Mathias Risch in 1811. 

But wait just a second….here’s my aha! moment for this post. The “writing it down” theory proved fruitful. While putting together this post, I decided to try a couple of Googles just because I might pick up a new tidbit to add interest.   Aha!!  Without belaboring this story, I came upon a discussion of Hugstetten that included a link to a site I didn’t know anything about.  Low and behold, this archive of Baden-Wurttemberg records contains the actual images of Hugstetten baptisms, marriages and deaths from 1810 to 1869.  Yay! My research documentation went up one level when I located the actual record images for the Maria Weiss Risch marriage and baptisms of the children, from 1813 through 1824.  My Evernote was humming away as I saved page after page from this site’s archive.

There are many more surnames to uncover in this microfilm depository for Baden-Wurttemberg.  For instance: Denzlinger, Graner, Hess, Disch, Friedrich, Metzger, Nick, Oberrieder, Siegel, Weibel and Willman are a few of the additional surnames I found repeating as I sifted through for Hermann, Risch and Weiss.  

I want to pass along this link for fellow researchers or just curious family readers.   (Warning: The script in these record books can give you a headache. ;)

The webpage with the Hugstetten church records is at this link: Landesarchiv: Baden-Wurttemberg. Also, the homepage of this site contains loads of historical information about the “unique and irretrievable documents of the past.”  

If you have a tie to these Hermann or Weiss families or if I can provide assistance, please let me know. Now, it's on to more family hunting.  I will be updating as the family history keeps revealing itself.  Thanks for visiting Indiana Ties.

Our Hometown - Indianapolis: Garfield Park

Many times I’ve thought about the ties I have to Indianapolis.  When I travel to other cities or hear a story about someone’s experiences growing up….I might have a flashback of times gone by in my hometown.

Those kinds of connections to  surroundings and pieces of real estate are difficult to explain.  They just happen! Whether it’s a school, a street or a sound, everyone has their own particular feelings that are imbedded as personal history. So, I am thinking that these pieces of history belong on our Indiana Ties site.  This new blog series, Our Hometown: Indianapolis, will be a place we can put those flashbacks.  I’ll record not just my own experiences, but whatever I can gather from family.  For instance, I know that my sisters sometimes remember happenings differently than me. And some of my memories are second-hand, from the photos taken by my mother or Uncle Bob, or a story from an aunt.   Cousins’, aunts’, uncles’ stories….it all counts. Where did you work, or go to school or play? I hope to put all of these stories here.

I’m beginning my blog series with Garfield Park.  This is a south side Indianapolis location overflowing with family memories! There’s the interesting conservatory and sunken gardens, the rolling hills with Pleasant Run Parkway running through, the Pagoda for large gatherings, situated high on a hill, etc., etc.  I am sure that most of my family members have some events or places popping into their heads right now. 

I’ll start with my favorite: Tickle Belly Hill.  I recall that my mom and dad would take us for a ride through the park.  When we came to the stone bridge over Pleasant Run, Dad would tell us to hold on for “tickle belly hill.”  What’s funny about this memory is that I had naively thought that my parents, or maybe just our family, were the only people using that nickname.  Only a few years ago I became aware that many “south-siders” who frequented Garfield Park had  also called it “tickle belly hill.” Maybe this memory is faded into how I wanted it do be.  Oh well, it was definitely a lot of fun and did cause that tickling in your stomach when Dad would speed up going over the hill. Although, the hill (above photo) doesn’t look nearly as steep as it felt when I was six years old.

I know that my mom and her siblings, Harry and Tillie Weber’s family, who lived just a few blocks north of the park on Singleton Street, had many enjoyable times in Garfield Park in the 1920s-40s. 

Mom mentioned the fountains and sunken gardens in spring as a favorite place. I’ve included at the left a 1938 photo of Rose in the gardens, taken by her brother, Bob Weber. Then, notice how beautiful the gardens remain in my 2003 photo that I posted at the beginning of this blog.

Mom’s club friends, girls from Sacred Heart School, often had their spring gathering in Garfield Park. One of those May Breakfast photos from Mom’s photo albums from the 1930s is below also.

Another fond memory for me of Garfield Park is of swimming in the community pool. We had swimming lessons there in the 1950s.  There’s an upgraded facility now for the continued enjoyment of Hoosiers on those hot summer days. 

And I have to mention the great picnicking. The park seemed so huge growing up in the 1950s and 60s. My memories are of picnic tables galore, spread around the park so that you could choose your own private spot.  I’ve learned the park area is 128 acres. So maybe that part of my recollections is close-to-reality.

Another reason to enjoy the park was family reunions. The Niehaus family held the first reunion at Garfield Park in 1939, the year before my parents were married.   And those traditions were passed down as well.  Although the family members who remember planning those early reunions tell me that the reason they were eventually moved elsewhere is that it was decided that no beer was allowed in the park.  This wasn’t the best location any more.

Although I don’t get to spend much time in Garfield Park now, I can say that it is a very nice place for residents of Indianapolis to enjoy a peaceful afternoon, or maybe a more uproarious gathering.   A few years ago, my sister, Linda, and I had fun with her daughter, Nikki, and son, Patrick, hanging out in the park, walking and talking and roaming through the gardens. 

Passing along these pleasant family history remembrances, I’m posting my beautiful niece at the fountains. (Photo on left.)

I feel fortunate to have this hometown memory. (Here’s my sister, Linda, with two of her children, Nikki and Patrick, saying “So long”  in the park. What’s your flavor of Garfield Park story?  Thanks for reminiscing with me.

I’m including a few links below for further online information.  Also, click on my photo album below if you would like to see more scenes from Garfield Park.

YouTube video of the Conservatory.                                     

History of Garfield Park.

Garfield Park Memories VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Surname Saturday: Risch Oberieder

Can I play? I would like to be a part of the long-standing Geneabloggers blog prompt called “Surname Saturday.”  This is my first time, so I might need a turn or two before I have a good handle on the best way to take part.  But, there’s only one way to learn. Just do it!

I’m beginning with my fifth great grandparents on my mother’s side, Joseph Risch and Barbara Oberreider.  Both the Risch and the Oberreider surnames have alternate spellings.  Risch could be Rush, Rusch, Rish, Rich, Roesch and probably others.  And Barbara’s name might have been: Obereider, Oberreider, Oberictor or Oberreither.  This family line as far back as we know, in the early 1700s,  flows from Hugstetten, Baden, Germany.

I want to first say that I’ve been fortunate to have assistance in my Risch family research.  Thanks to my cousin, Becky Holzer Smith who passed along her mother’s, Aunt Dolly’s, genealogy work.  And from there I found my second cousin once removed, Mary Cathryn Zimmer Hoffman, whose thorough research for the book, Louis M. Risch Family and Ancestors (1), answers a family historian’s prayer.  She not only provides the facts, but documentation and interesting photos. I have learned a lot thanks to these ladies.

An example of Mary Cathryn’s Risch family book is this chart that she put together back in 1994 when publishing a family tree wasn’t as easy as now.

Another area she assists in is  understanding the background of the family names. For Risch, she references Dr. George F. Jones book, German-American Names:  “the family name Risch derives from a word meaning swamp.” Then, if one looks for “rusch” in the Cassell’s German Dictionary you find that it means rush or reed.  Mary Cathryn notes that historians in describing the German land say that it is wetter on the side that faces Gaul, the land from which the Risch family came.  In my family wonderings with this name I recall encountering several related spellings, such as Risch, Rish, Rush and Roesch. 

To try to determine the meaning of the Oberrieder name, I’ll use the spelling from later records.  The prefix “Ober” means upper or beyond.  “Rieder” means marsh dweller.  Mary Cathryn’s analysis is: “Hence, an Oberrieder may have been one who lived on land beyond marshes, which were characteristics of the part of Baden in which these people lived.”  I can’t imagine there could be a more reasoned conclusion.

The parish records for the Catholic Church in Hugstetten are brimming with the records of these families.  The record of Joseph Rush and Barbara Oberrieder’s marriage is on 14 September 1710: …”young man Joseph Rush to chaste virgin Barbara Oberieter, both of Hugstetten“   Further study of these church microfilms at the Family History Library is a future research plan of mine: Kirchenbuch, 1708-1907, Authors: Katholische Kirche Hugstetten (A. Freiburg).

Also, maybe someday I’ll have the opportunity to visit Hugstetten that is situated in Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, Freiburg, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. Many describe this area of southwest Germany as picturesque. 

The background on this family in my database to this point includes the lineage from the Zimmer book mentioned above and subsequent census research in the U.S. For my Descendant Report of Joseph and Barbara (Oberrieder) Risch, CLICK HERE.

This was fun kicking off my Surname Saturday lineup with the Risch and Oberreider family history.   Please let me know if we are family or if you know, or think you know, anything that I don’t. 

Best wishes on your family hunt.

1. Zimmer, Mary Cathryn, Louis M. Risch Family and Ancestors, Hugstetten, Baden, Germany, 1708-1828, Dearborn County, Indiana, 1828-1934, 1994, Columbia, MD.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Kleinsmith and Niehaus Families on a Sunday Drive

The photograph below begins my (Almost) Wordless Wednesday blog series.  I’m happy to be joining this Geneabloggers’ blogging prompt with those who already post their family photographs without words.  But I must blur that description slightly.  As one of my favorite geneabloggers, Randy Seaver at Genea Musings, says: “I am incapable of having a wordless post.”  I know a picture does speak for itself in many ways, but not enough for me, I guess.

Our memory depicted in the photo below represents family taking care of each other.  Looking first at the lady on the left in the back seat, Josephine “Feenie” Niehaus Stull is holding her child, possibly Jane? And barely visible behind the children is Lena Niehaus Kleinsmith, Feenie’s sister.  The two other children in the back seat are Charlotte Niehaus and her brother, Frank Niehaus, my father.  In the front seat:  Fred Kleinsmith, presumably the car owner, is on the left. My grandfather, John Niehaus, with his son, Robert, is behind the wheel. 

It appears that this photo was taken in their “Sunday best.” So maybe they were  dressed up for Sunday Mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Indianapolis.  In 1920 the three families lived on Habig Road on Indianapolis’ south side.  My grandfather and his children were temporarily living with the Kleinsmiths after the death of my grandmother, Louise Albers Niehaus and her son, six-month-old Walter, in the flu epidemic in 1919. 

We can’t be positive of the occasion, but it is definitely a family event.

Does anyone in the family have more information on this family photo? Let me know!!