Contagious Genealogy: A Pandemic

Thirty eight years of marriage doesn't make the list of the longest union in the family tree or the shortest, but it was a memorable length of time for my second great grandparents, Charles and Matilda Foltz. Matilda and Charles Foltz, circa 1888. Although Charles was raised in Hagerstown, Washington County, Maryland, the Civil War seemed to be the catalyst for his resettling further west. His half-brother John Henry Fultz put down roots in Livingston County, Illinois by 1868 and Charles must have arrived within a few years. There, he met Matilda Stafford, who had grown up in the area. Charles and Matilda Foltz, wedding portrait tintype, Illinois, 1872. On March 3rd, 1872, Charles (23 years old) and Matilda (16 years old) were wed in Eppards Point, Livingston County, Illinois by Reverend H. D. Ledgerwood of Weston (who had also officiated John Fultz's marriage to Harriet Switzer). Charles E. Foltz and Matilda K. Stafford marriage license, Livingston County, Illinois, 3 Mar 1872...

Westward migration along the Oregon Trail was booming throughout the mid 1800s. The initial footpath had been carved and planned out by fur traders and trappers, but was eventually widened to accommodate wagons, in which families, settlers, miners, and all sorts of wanderers could traverse with all their belongings in tow across nearly 2,000 miles of land, creeks, and mountain terrain. Stretching from Independence, Missouri all the way to Olympia, Washington, the trail and its many offshoots became the thoroughfare to the west coast, and even today, is utilized by car on major interstate highways built right through some of the same towns. "Line Of Original Emigration To The Pacific Northwest Commonly Known As The Old Oregon Trail," map, 1907; Ezra Meeker, The Ox Team or the Old Oregon Trail 1852-1906 (1907); database with images, Wikimedia (https://commons.wikimedia.org : accessed 10 Feb 2024); courtesy of the University of Texas Libraries, The University of Texas at Austi...

There’s nothing I love more than staring down a photograph of an ancestor, examining every minute detail, from the location of where it was taken to the era in which it was captured. But there’s one thing that captivates me the most about each one, and that’s the fashion! For the most part, my ancestral tree is filled with superbly, fine-dressed folks whom I share so much admiration for, for the sheer reason of getting all dolled up just to leave their house! In this day & age, you’ll hardly see me donning much more than joggers and a sweatshirt. So I have to tip my hat (pun intended) to all the generations that came before my lazy millennial crowd. John C. Eggenberger and his kids (left to right) Alta, Raymond, Louise, and Vera, Ottawa, Kansas, circa 1920, original photo in possession of Sandra Vallo. In fact, my grandmother, Alta (Eggenberger) Foltz, is one whom I’ve always thought extremely photographic. The camera took kindly to her on most all occasions.  Harry and Alta Fo...

  NOVEMBER 04, 2021 Middle names, also known as second given names, tend to be shrouded in mystery a lot of the time. This happens because they don’t really serve much purpose, at least in the United States, unless of course you’ve committed murder. In that event, as you might well be aware, a murderer’s full legal name is printed up in all the papers to help distinguish them from other persons who share the first and last names. It also comes in handy differentiating yourself from a terrorist who has found their name plastered on the “no fly” list. But aside from those rare and uncommon occurrences, middle names do not tend to be well known, even amongst close friends or family at times. Week 39: Steps Ethel (Hinman) Eggenberger, ca. 5 Feb 1930. This was certainly the case for Ethel Hinman, my paternal great grandmother. When I first began researching my family history, I had no sources that recorded her middle name. And both my father and aunt (her grandchildren) were not aware o...

  OCTOBER 31, 2021 In January of 1920, the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution went into effect. It established the era of Prohibition, which had been spurred on by the temperance movement; the thought being, that decreasing the sale of liquor would, in turn, decrease nationwide poverty. While the actual act of drinking was not illegal, store and bar owners were no longer allowed to sell and distribute liquor, wine, spirits, or beer. This change definitely impacted local businesses that had previously made a portion of their profits from the sale of alcohol. Making up for that potential lost income could result in other nefarious activities. Week 38: Fun and Games John C. Eggenberger photo, undated. My great grandfather, John C. Eggenberger, ran a small grocery and confection shop during this time in Ottawa, Kansas. And it would appear he took it upon himself to dabble in this type of illegal behavior. John C. Eggenberger in grocery store, Boone, Iowa, ca. 1905. It’s u...

  JULY 11, 2021 My great grandfather, George LeeRoy Foltz (1880 - 1923), was certainly his father’s son! The pair of them could not be tied down to a single location for very long; the proof being in the evidence of their movements left behind in photos and written documents. George LeeRoy Foltz, postcard to brother Walter in Kansas, 3 Oct 1912, Ft. Rock, Oregon. Week 28: Transportation After growing up and starting his family in Marshall County, Kansas, George filed a homestead application in Fort Rock, Lake County, Oregon with the federal government, intent on securing his own property out on the west coast of the United States. They left behind their home in Vliets, took up residence on the new piece of land in June of 1909, and finished building a home on the property by the 16th of that month. The Albany Citizen, “Fort Rock Country,” Albany, Oregon, 20 May 1910. But once George got his dry farming techniques up and running at home, he was already on to his next venture – which...

  JUNE 30, 2021 Did my 2nd great grandmother, Margaret (Miller) Hinman, die in 1936 or 1938? There appear to be sources that support the possibility of both! Furthermore, did she typically spell her name as Margaret or Margret? While spelling variations are quite common throughout history, nailing down a subject’s preferred spelling or pronunciation of their own name further rounds them out as a person. Week 26: Conflict Margaret Miller, circa 1870. Mrs. Margaret Hinman was born Margaret Miller on 11 Nov 1853 in Lisbon, St. Lawrence County, New York, to immigrant parents Charles and Agnes Miller of Ireland. In her teen years, the family moved south to Boone County, Iowa, where she met her husband, Frank Rymer Hinman. She married at the age of 21 and quickly began raising a brood of five. In the mid 1890s, the family temporarily homesteaded in Smith County, Kansas, but eventually returned to Boone, upon realizing their settlement in Kansas was not bearing fruit. She and Frank remain...