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New changes are coming to Tree Detective. New logo, new layout, change up in products and prices. Please feel free to let me know how you like it or if you have any suggestions!
My quest to find Johann Heinrich Kortkamp and his wife Frederica Bernadina Harte:
This quest began some years ago when I pulled out the album my grandmother had made each of her children. In it were multiple family group sheets (all hand typed or written) and several photos. This had been something I always had growing up and loved looking at. So I began by researching how to put all this information into my computer. From there I spent most of my time researching on free sites or through already posted family trees. I had a Frieda Alma Sand, who appears to be a twin of my sister, I knew who her father was and the first name of her mother Elizabeth. I pulled up her Ohio Marriage Record at familysearch. This gave me the maiden name Burkamp and for years I assumed this was correct. After much failed research I went back and began to search through Alma's siblings marriage records to find out that the maiden name was Kortkamp. I already had dates and places of birth and death for Elizabeth through census records at Ancestry and findagrave. I used the birth information and the new name to find her on a census with a Henry and Dina Kortkamp. From there I was able to also find them on findagrave with birth and death information. I knew they were from Germany so I searched through German Marriage Records at familysearch. I found them married Sep 4 1857 along with place, parents and full names. But thier story doesn't end there. I was able to find them on immigration records (via Ancestry). From there I went to the naturalization records at the University of Cincinnati and found Johann Heinrich. They left Sep 15 1857, eleven days after their wedding. They settled in Cincinnati. Elizabeth was their only child to grow to adulthood. I now had my 4th great grandparents, a small part of their life and end to my 10 year search. It takes time, patience and multiple resources to find your ancestors. Don't ever just use one website and when your stuck go back over things! Emilie Bengel, a single mother back in a time where it was socially unheard of. It took me years to realize Lawrence was born nine years before she married her husband, John Young, and it appears John completely adopted Lawrence and raised him as his own. It wasn't until I was going through birth and death cards that I found this little gem revealing something no one in the family had ever realized. I even got lucky enough to find the name of the father. I wish I knew the whole story here but I can only imagine how much hardship she faced during this time period. There is one word I think of when I talk about this story and it's Brave.
Sebastian Felix was a German immigrant born Jun 11 1833. He immigrated with his parents and siblings as a teenager and they settled in Cincinnati. He went on serve in the Civil War twice. He was injured during combat by being shot in the chest. The bullet struck a metal therefore saving his life. After recovering he had an encounter with General Sherman in which he said to Sebastian "Felix, I didn't think I would see you back again." After the war he married Margaret Hoff on Sep 21 1865. They had twelve children, unfortunately only three grew up, married and had children of their own. He died Apr 19 1913 and is buried in St. Mary's Cemetery.
Joseph Michael Stigler was born to German immigrants Michael Stigler and Therese Gerner on Mar 11 1863 in Cincinnati. He had fourteen siblings and his father died when he was just fifteen years old. He married Josephine Anna Ruhl who was also a daughter of German immigrants whose father died while she was young. They were married Jun 19 1889 at St. Boniface Church. This church was the family church and the one he went to for the rest of his life. Joseph and Josephine had six children and the home his family eventually settled in is still within the family today, currently being lived in by his grandchildren. He was a hard working man having worked as a contractor building several brick streets throughout Cincinnati. He went on to own a café, two groceries stores and a bowling alley all on Kirby Road. He became a member of St. Boniface Men's Society, the Director of Aloysius Orphanage and a member of the Catholic Order of Foresters. He died Apr 16 1945 and is buried in St. Mary's Cemetery.
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JannaGenealogist and mother of three who spends her free time being a detective. Archives
March 2018
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