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...

  APRIL 13, 2021 When I first became really interested in researching family history, my efforts were focused mainly on my own Foltz surname and its origins. At that point in time, we knew back to my 2nd great grandfather, Charles Edward Foltz. But I had no information on his parents. Week 15: Brick Wall Charles and Matilda (Stafford) Foltz tintype wedding portrait, 1872, Illinois. A lot of what we knew about the Foltzes started with Charles and his wife Matilda Stafford and their five sons. This family portrait, which had been distributed amongst all, or almost all, of the descending lines, really encapsulated what being a Foltz was all about. Black and white family portrait with Charles William “Bill,” John Edward “Ed,” George LeeRoy “Roy,” James Walter “Pap,” and Benjamin Harrison “Harry” standing (left to right) and their parents Charles “Chas” and Matilda “Mattie” (Stafford) Foltz seated, circa 1893, Kansas. This was the Foltz family unit, and it didn't seem like the Foltz his...