Category Archives: 19th century history

Coming this summer – two worthy international conferences

Posted on April 7, 2021 | 2 comments

Historical Novel Society North America 2021 conference

I’ll be presenting at the June 21-27 Historical Novel Society North America Conference, a full week of online activities where attendees can learn, share, connect, and inspire. Over 80 panels, presentations, and cozy chats, plus master classes, author spotlights, book clubs, conversation rooms, and social events. You can also sign up for agent pitches, query critiques, and the Blue Pencil Cafe. My topic is “All Is Not Lost: Making the Most of your Research.” Click here for the full program of events and offerings. Registration is now open.

2021 International German Genealogy Conference

Coming in July: International German Genealogy Partnership (IGGP) conference. I be presenting two talks: one on “Explore the Rhineland Palatinate,” the other — “Following the Trail: Emigrant letters of the 19th Century” with my German colleague Angela Weber. Held online in real time July 17-24, presentations will also be available to watch at home at your convenience for the next six months, through December. This conference is the third one offered by the IGGP. They’re well organized and have a great line up of offerings. Don’t miss out! Registration deadline May 1.

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Posted in 19th century history, Freinsheim and Palatinate history, General, On writing

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We think we’re so smart

Posted on January 7, 2021 | Leave a comment

When researching for history details in pre-photography days, I’m always on the look out for paintings. Take the Husking Bee, Island of Nantucket, by Eastman Johnson, which I came across when browsing around the Art Institute of Chicago.

Husking Bee, Island of Nantucket, 1876 by Eastman Johnson

The picture offers great details of community farming life in the 19th century, and also a bit of folk history. I had permission to snap this photo, without flash, and I also photographed the interpretive sign next to it, which has this cool detail. “[The artist] carefully included a woman discovering a red ear of corn, which, according to folk tradition, would allow her to kiss the person of her choice.”

I thought of this painting and its colorful glimpse of life in former days recently when reading Letters from America by James Flint. The book gives a first person account of the author’s walk from the East Coast to the U.S. interior in 1818, the things he observed along the way, the people, the climate, the farming methods, the terrain. On September 28, 1818 while passing through Ohio, James Flint writes: “The Indian Corn is nearly ripe, and is a great crop this year. The stalks are generally about eight feet high. The people have been picking the leaves off this sort of crop, and setting them up between the rows in conical bunches, to be preserved as winter food for the cattle.” (Flint, Letters from America, pp. 41-42.)

Instantly, I pictured our modern use of bundled cornstalks as Halloween decorations, and wondered if farmers also feed cornstalks to cattle. Apparently, it’s not standard practice. In our “modern” times, the winter diet of choice for cattle is generally hay. Only recently has the method of cornstalk grazing made a come back. About ten years ago, the website drovers.com published an article about it, Cornstalks for Cow Feed Is a No-Brainer. “University of Illinois researchers found that feeding co-products and cornstalk residue in the winter can save cow-calf producers up to $1 per day per cow compared to feeding hay. Grazing cornstalks is arguably the best cost-saving strategy Midwestern cattlemen can deploy.” And the practice not only saves money. When there’s a hay shortage like the one in 2012, it can also save the lives of horses who must have hay to survive.

These disconnects crop up (sorry) surprisingly often. It bemuses me, how researchers have gone to a lot of trouble to “discover” what cattle drovers knew centuries ago. And we think we’re so smart.

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Posted in 18th century history, 19th century history, Cleveland and Ohio history, General, Writing Family History

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What is a turnspit?

Posted on May 20, 2020 | Leave a comment

I can’t even remember where I read it — in my research of 18th century Highland home life, somewhere I came across a description of meat roasting over a fire with a dog turning the spit. Huh. A dog?

By this time I had developed an idea of the cooking fires in Highlander homes. Some were set in the middle of the room, the peat smoke rising up to a hole in the center of a conical roof. Alternatively, there would be a fire place at the end of a room, the smoke going up some kind of hood or chimney.

Living history exhibit at Highland Folk Museum, Newtonmore, UK
Photo by Claire Gebben

In either room arrangement, though, I couldn’t picture a dog turning a spit. How did they do it? By creating a hamster wheel contraption.

A turnspit dog at work in a wooden cooking wheel, Newcastle, Carmarthen, Wales, in 1869.
Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images

Can you even see it? Up there near the ceiling? Apparently the dog is so far from the fire to avoid overheating or fainting from exertion, but still, their lungs filled daily with smoke.

Turnspits were bred for this specific work, the breed canis vertigus. By all accounts, they’re now extinct. You can read more about the dogs and their centuries of toil here.

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Posted in 18th century history, 19th century history

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German immigrant names mentioned in 19th century letters

Posted on December 10, 2019 | 3 comments

Oh my! the book How We Survive Here has been out for a year now, and it’s been a wonderful ride. It’s always nice to hear from readers. Several people have commented to me, “It’s a great read. I was right there with you the whole way.”

The book is the story of my quest to trace and write about my ancestors, which culminated in the historical novel The Last of the Blacksmiths (2014). In addition to being a memoir, the book How We Survive Here also includes letter translations by my German cousin, Angela Weber, making the letters available for the first time to genealogists and scholars.

The letters were written in Old German Script, the cursive used in many German nation states up until the early 20th century.

Dating between 1841 and 1908, the letters are written from Cleveland to Freinsheim, Germany, by Philipp Henrich Handrich (1), Jakob Handrich (1), Michael Harm (23), Michael Höhn (1), and Johann Rapparlie (7). So many other surnames are mentioned. German immigration to Cleveland in the 19th century is a prime example of chain migration. After the first people came and got established, others from the same village followed.

In the back of How We Survive Here, I’ve included an index with page numbers noting where various names are mentioned. Below is the complete list of names.

Aul, Jacob / Aul, John / Aul, Philipp

Bender, Konrad
Beringer, Ana / Beringer, Georg and Jakob
Bletschers (see also, Pletschers)
Böhl, village of
Borner, Franz, Joseph and Ana
Butler, Ernst

Crolly, Adam / Crolly, Elizabeth (Harm) / Crolly, Gerhard / Crolly, Katherine

Dackenheim, village of
Dietz, Friedrich
Dürkheim/Bad Dürkheim, village of

Filius
Fischer, Ana
Försters
Francke
Freinsheim, village of
Frey
Fuhrmann, Johannes

Gonnheim, village of
Gros, Franz Wilhelm

Haenderich. See Handrich
Handrich, Philipp / Handrich, Jacob / Handrich, Jakob / Handrich, Johannes / Handrich, William
Handrich, Anna (Steinbrick)
Handrich, Katherina (Ohler)
Handrich, Katherina (Rapparlie)
Handrich, K. Elisabetha (Harm)
Handrich, K. Margaretha (Scheuermann)
Harm, Edna (Witte)
Harm, Elizabeth
Harm, Emma (Becker)
Harm, Henry / Harm, Johann Michael / Harm, Johann Philipp / Harm, Katherina (Kitsch)
Harm, Michael of Cleveland
Harm, Michael of New Jersey
Harm, Philipp
Häuser, Philipp
Hawer
Heinrich
Herr, Hans Philipp
Hischen. See Hisgen
Hisgen, Susannah Margaretha (Harm)
Hisgen, Gertraud (Hoehn)
Hoffman, Jacob
Höge, Jacob
Hoehn (see Höhn)
Höhn, Adam / Höhn, Frank / Höhn, Gretel / Höhn, Jacob / Höhn, Johannes / Höhn, Matthias / Höhn, Michael
Hoppensack, Henry F. and Maria Illsabein Hissenkemper
Hoppensack, Olga (Gressle)
Hoppensack, W. F.
Hucks, Jacob
Joh. Ehrhard

Kallstadt, village of
Kirchner, Philipp
Krehter
Kröther

Laises
Lebhard
Lederer, Heinrich and Kate
Leises. See Laises
Leycker

Martinger, Hans
Mäurer, Heinrich
Meckenheim, village of
Michel, Anna Maria (Selzer) 43
Michel, Jacob / Michel, Johann / Michel, Reichert

Oberholz
Obersülzen, village of
Ohler, Daniel / Ohler, Jacob
Ohler, Elisabetha Katherina (Handrich)

Parma, Ohio
Pletscher (see also Bleschers)

Rabalier. See Rapparlie, Johann
Räder, Nicholas
Rapparlie, Elizabeth
Rapparlie, Jacob / Rapparlie, Johann / Rapparlie, John / Rapparlie, Wilhelm
Reibold, Anna Elisabetha
Rheingönnheim, town of
Riethaler
Risser

Schäfer, Philipp
Schantz
Scherer, Martin
Scheuermann, George
Scheuermann, John
Schmidt Hannes
Schmidt, Paul
Schuster, Fred and Mary (Crolly)
Schuster, Karl
Schweizer, F. B.
Selzer, Jacob / Selzer, Jean / Selzer, Michael
Siringer, Jacob
Stein
Stenzel, Wilhelm
Steppler, Rev.
Stützel

Umbstädter
Umstader. See Umbstader

Wachenheim, village of
Weisenheim am Sand, village of
Wekerling, George
Wernz
Westfalia
Winter, Ludwig

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Posted in 19th century history, Cleveland and Ohio history, Freinsheim and Palatinate history

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The Ship of Gold: Fortune’s fool

Posted on April 4, 2019 | Leave a comment

In this morning’s paper, I sat down to an article in the Seattle Times that began “Few have heard of the SS Central America. But it has a place in history because of what happened over three days, beginning on Sept. 9, 1857.”

I’m one of the few. I first heard of the SS Central America, the “Ship of Gold” when researching the life trajectory of my German immigrant ancestor, Michael Harm for my historical novel The Last of the Blacksmiths. Michael Harm arrived in Cleveland, Ohio in July of 1857 to begin a blacksmith apprenticeship with his uncle, and two months later, due to the sinking of the SS Central America, which contained gold intended to back federal paper money, the economy went belly-up. The Panic of 1857 initiated a slump in the U.S. economy that lasted several years.

The sinking of the SS Central America, it turns out, ruined more lives than the 425 people who drowned, the failed businesses, etc. Today’s article is the story of how lives are still being ruined, even in 2019. The book Ship of Gold In the Deep Blue Sea (1998), by Gary Kinder, recounts the original sinking of the SS Central America in 1857 and its consequences, and also treasure-hunting efforts in the Atlantic that occurred from 1986-1988. But it’s not until this year, 2019, that those 13 treasure hunters, “most from the Seattle area,” have finally concluded lengthy court battles and earned a fraction of their find.

They were the engineers, technicians and owners of high-end sonar equipment who were promised a small share of the wreck’s bounty in return for their work, which found the Central America in 1988, some 160 miles off the South Carolina coast, 7,200 feet down on the ocean floor.

It took nearly 30 years of litigation and reams of legal documents before a court settlement got them at least a portion of what they were owed. The last of two payments arrived in February.

Full article in The Seattle Times.

The leader of the expedition apparently absconded with $50 million, suffered a failed marriage, and is now in federal prison.

Trouble in this tale includes the main visionary in the treasure hunt – a man named Tommy Thompson, now 66. He sits in an Ohio federal minimum security prison because he won’t divulge where 500 new gold coins struck from the Central America’s bounty have been hidden.

There’s a life lesson here. We seem bound to allow material things to wreck us. Even Ship of Gold author Gary Kinder, who took ten years to write his book, lost his father and his brother to death during those years, and his mother suffered a series of strokes and had to enter a nursing home. Kinder also mentions in his Acknowledgements that his “daughters have hardly known [him] when he was not working on ‘the book’.” Kinder sums up that these things were “all teachings of the bitter lesson that while we are tending relentlessly to one part of our lives, the other parts do not stand still.”

It strikes me as a reflection of how we survive here, a reminder to appreciate what we have, and just maybe, to focus less on material gain and more on quality time with loved ones.

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Posted in 19th century history, General, The Last of the Blacksmiths: A Novel

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The legend of Cash Valley

Posted on April 18, 2018 | Leave a comment

I have no doubt the homeowners along Cash Valley Road are mighty sick of people asking them how their road got its name. This sign stood right at the GAP Trail intersection, so of course Angela and I stopped to snap a few photos.

It appeared to be a fertile valley, so perhaps, I speculated, the people here had done very well with farming?

A little farther up the mountain, we happened upon a victim to ask, an elderly man out walking the trail. He paused and leaned against a fence, hands in his pockets like he had all day, presumably to let us pass.

Only we didn’t. We stepped down off our bikes, greeted him and exchanged pleasantries. When I said I was from Seattle, he said he’d been there a couple of times, the first time during the war when he’d shipped out of Bremerton. Quite a few people I’ve met know the Northwest via military service, via McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma, say, or the Naval Station at Bremerton.

“So, what’s the story behind Cash Valley?” I couldn’t resist asking.

“Oh, it’s a long one,” he said. “I can’t remember the specifics. There was a rumor someone buried cash here, and people kept returning to dig for it. I don’t know if they ever found it or not.”

Ah. This must have been a common story along the wilderness road. In the book The Old Pike: A History of The National Road with Incidents, Accidents, and Andecdotes Thereon (1894) by Thomas A. Searight, I came across the following:

It was reported in Ohio that there was a box of money hid on the old Gaddis farm, near the old pike, about two miles west of Uniontown, [PA] supposed to have been hid there by Gen. Braddock. It was sought for but never found.

General Braddock would have been in Uniontown circa 1755, so that money’s been hidden away for centuries. Angela and I expect to pass Uniontown in the next couple of days. Perhaps we should stop and buy a shovel?

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Posted in 18th century history, 19th century history, Travels

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Confluence at Harpers Ferry

Posted on April 10, 2018 | Leave a comment

I can’t say the chill weather has let up — little pellets of snow swirled around us for most of the bike ride Monday. But Angela and I did some sightseeing anyhow, pausing at historic Harpers Ferry for lunch. I didn’t expect museums to be open since it was a Monday, not a huge disappointment, as I’m focused on an earlier era than the John Brown slave uprising and Civil War-related history.

This interpretive sign, though, had just the kind of info I’m looking for:

“Oh,” said Angela. “We are here at the same time of year as Meriwether Lewis, only a month or so later.”

I looked around at the snow-flecked air and hoped Lewis had warmer weather during his stay. Never mind. Hot soup at the Coach House soon warmed me up.

Harpers Ferry sits on a point of land at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers, and we are getting very close to Cumberland, where the Old Baltimore Road meets up with the National Road.

More fun history trivia (and biking) ahead.

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Posted in 19th century history, General, Scottish immigration, Travels

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Cleveland’s immigration stories

Posted on December 30, 2017 | Leave a comment

I’ve long been a fan of the Cleveland Cultural Garden in Rockefeller Park. Started in the early 20th century, the lush, landscaped setting along Doan Brook features a collection of over thirty gardens representing distinct immigrant cultures: Irish, Hebrew, Lithuanian, Greek, Chinese, Armenian, German, and more. To further explore the truly diverse populations that make up the city, a good place to start is on-line, with the website “Cleveland and Its Neighborhoods.”

Or, if you’re living in the Cleveland area, I want to let you in on a series about Cleveland’s immigrant history starting this coming January. The Teaching Cleveland Institute (TCI), which offers sessions on “Cleveland history, economics, public policy, and youth engagement” is holding a series in the first quarter of 2018 called “Home Sweet Home: Cleveland’s Immigration Stories.” The course description is as follows: “This year’s TCI will focus on the immigrant experiences and how massive immigration shaped modern Cleveland. We will explore the history of ethnic communities that were created in Cleveland, their influences on the city, and connect the newcomers’ experiences to modern day immigration and migration issues in Northeast Ohio.” Sessions are held once a month in January, February, and March from 4:30pm-7:30pm. The cost to register is $100. For questions, email teachcleveland@gmail.com.

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Posted in 19th century history, Cleveland and Ohio history

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Phantasmic art insights

Posted on October 21, 2017 | Leave a comment

I love to visit art museums, especially when visitors are allowed to take photos. It’s a wonderful research-gathering tool, especially if you’re looking for glimpses of how people looked and lived before photography came along.

That said, paintings of some eras and peoples are easier to find than others. Lately I’ve discovered that European cultures like France, Italy, England, and Germany are better represented than places like Scotland. On a visit to the Boston Museum of Art earlier this year, I found not one single painting by a Scottish artist. I even inquired at the information desk just to be sure. No, nothing about Scotland or by Scottish artists, I was told.

Therefore, being able to visit the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh was a huge breakthrough. In honor of the October Hallowe’en month, I offer this example of one of my finds there, a painting called “The Spell.”

The brass plate beneath the painting reads:

Sir William Fettes Douglas (1822-1891)
THE SPELL
The superstition was common in many countries that it was possible, by word of power and magic, to force the dead to reveal the secrets of the unseen world. The Rosicrucians and Illuminati of the Middle Ages being especially accused of violating the tombs for this unholy purpose.

Beside the painting is a further explanation of the artwork (I also take photos of those so I can identify the paintings when I get back home):

The magician here is endeavoring to raise the spirit of a dead man. The mood of the painting is enhanced by the number of strange diagrams and mathematical calculations together with the glimpse of moonlit water and ancient standing stones.

It’s awesome to go to museums themselves for this type of elucidation about the art and artist, the time period, and more. The next best thing is exploring art images online. This week, for instance, I happened upon the Scottish artist Thomas Faed. His work is a wonderful glimpse into the life of Scots in the 19th century. Using Google search, type in “Thomas Faed artist” and then select images for a wonderful overview of his paintings.

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Posted in 18th century history, 19th century history, Genealogy tips, Travels in Scotland, Writing Family History

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In the footsteps of every visitor to Amsterdam and beyond

Posted on June 2, 2015 | Leave a comment

Our first day in Amsterdam, we made a beeline to the Van Gogh Museum, where we came within about 200 yards of the place, at the back of a long line of ticket purchasers.

Van Gogh Museum“Must be because it’s a Sunday,” I muttered after about five minutes of no forward movement. “Maybe we should try again tomorrow.”

The next morning found us no closer. This time, at least we’d purchased tickets for the voucher line.

“This must be the one thing in Amsterdam every tourist does,” Dave said.

The woman in front of us turned around and nodded. One hears many different languages in this city, but just about everyone, it seems, speaks English. In the end, we only waited half an hour. The line to the Anne Frank House is the other must-see, and a wait of 2-3 hours no matter when you go. With only two days here, we had to skip it.

Amsterdam City ArchivesInstead, we opted for a 75-minute canal open-boat tour. The driver took us by the Amsterdam City Archives. (If we had another day, I’d definitely be dragging Dave here.) But you don’t have to physically stop by to appreciate archives treasures–through their website, the digital collection is extensive and impressive.

Self-Portrait at Rijksmuseum, Vincent Van GoghBack to the Van Gogh Museum, and the current exhibit (“When I Give, I Give Myself: Artists and writers respond to letters from Van Gogh”), with displays about the multitude of artists Van Gogh has inspired these last few centuries based on his brief 10-year career as an artist (1880-1890). In one letter, which Vincent wrote to his brother Theo in 1883, I  especially resonated with these words, about the “intense struggle between ‘I’m a painter’ and ‘I’m not a painter.'”:

Sometimes a frightening struggle … If something in you says ‘you aren’t a painter’ — IT’S THEN THAT YOU SHOULD PAINT, old chap … one must take it up with assurance, with a conviction that one is doing something reasonable, like the peasant guiding his plough …

Imagine. What if Van Gogh had listened to his inner critic?

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Posted in 19th century history, Genealogy tips, General, Writing Family History

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