Monthly Archives: April 2024

For today’s prompt, I’m opting to write about unusual family names–or, as we told my sister when she was pregnant with my oldest niece, some family names she could choose instead of Heather. Matilda: Middle name for my paternal grandmother … Continue reading →

The death of the Mamie Miller Yeager The family story: My paternal great-grandmother Clara Miller Guenther was one of five/six sisters (Ida, Alma, Phoebe, Clara, and Stella (surviving twin, one died shortly after birth—twins were named Tamie and Amie, and … Continue reading →

Today’s post will focus on the impact of the Civil War on both sides of my family. My paternal 3rd great-grandfather Jonathan Davidson, father of Mary Matilda Davidson Loucks Ruckstool and husband of Caroline Carl Davidson Leaver Walker, served in … Continue reading →

The event: The death of Annie Vesta Weidenhammer Bechtel (1880-1915) My maternal great-grandmother Annie Bechtel died September 4, 1915 “of complications” according to her obituary in the Reading Times.  She was survived by her husband and eight children ranging in … Continue reading →

Diabetes is common among members of my family for several generations. “Diabetes mellitus” is listed as a cause of death for 2nd great-grandmother Mary Matilda Davidson Loucks Ruckstool (my paternal grandmother’s grandmother), who died in 1946. Clara Miller Guenther also … Continue reading →

This story is about the relocation of my immediate family. My father worked for Continental Can Company (later Continental Fiber Drum, then Sonoco) in Reading. He began a training program in the early 1960s for management/accountant training. In February 1966 … Continue reading →

Today’s story focuses on my paternal great-grandmother Amelia Homestead Loucks Wheeler Kilhefner. Born October 2, 1882 in Shenandoah, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of George and Mary Davidson Loucks. She married Edgar Wheeler in Reading in January 1901 … Continue reading →

World Event: World War II My father was too young to serve in World War II, graduating from high school in 1947. He did, however, serve overseas during the Korean Conflict—but he was stationed with the U.S. Air Force in … Continue reading →

There aren’t many that I am aware of…just the love between my maternal great-grandmother Annie Louise Manwiller Spohn and her husband, William Henry Spohn. She carried a rocker with her for him to sit on while she was working in … Continue reading →

For as long as I can remember, family traditions revolve around food: ham for Christmas and Easter, pork and sauerkraut for New Year’s Day, and fastnachts on Shrove Tuesday.  We used to have turkey on Thanksgiving (if only to annoy … Continue reading →