Great-Uncle Fred Herrmann

Sometimes, in genealogy research, a person can find anything - a happy event, a sad event, tragedy, or devastation. I recently came across something so devastating that it will never see the light of day from me.
But this was not from Uncle Fred. 
Uncle Fred's discovery was tragic, and sad.
I don't know much about Uncle Fred. Dad never talked about him. Only through research did I know basic information - married twice (at least) and six (at least) children. 
However, from his first marriage to Pauline, there was also three step-children. A boy and two little girls. 
There is conflict as to exactly when Fred and Pauline married. One California database gives a marriage record from 1930, but that conflicts with the birth years of the step-children. However, there is a small article from a Nevada paper that reports a marriage license issued to the couple in 1940. However, the oldest of their 3 children they had together was born in 1948. 
What is known about them comes from a news article in the Sacramento Bee from 1946. 
Fred, Pauline and her 3 children were living in a small 2 room cottage in back of her brother's home in Colonial Heights. In the article, Pauline mentions a housing shortage as reason for the living arrangement. 
Pauline went to work as a nurse at an Arcade Hospital, and Fred had taken the two girls to the theater. The boy was staying with family members for the night. 
Fred and the girls arrived home and the girls were put to bed. Fred left to pick up Pauline from work, and they stopped for a bite to eat before arriving home shortly after 1 am. 
Fred had left the gas heater on to keep the cottage warm, but did not open or crack any windows. 
Sadly, the girls died from asphyxiation. First responders from the fire department tried for over an hour to revive the little girls, but it was too late. They were 12 years old and 8 years old. 

 

Mitchell Slideshow

My first endeavor with my new slideshow program.

More Mitchell Photos and updates on the Krugers

There are moments in researching your family tree that is so exciting your heart leaps up out of your chest. It could be finding that one birth, death, or marriage record you've been searching for several years. It could be proving or disproving the long told family story. It could be finding out that one ancestor was a wee bit notorious. But nothing is better than to have someone to share in that research, or that discovery, with you.

I have been fortunate to have had that a few times with other family members. This is one of those times. 

Okay, granted, Mitch is, technically, my brothers relative. And we do research the Mitchell family for different reasons. His is in the pure sense - it is his family. For me, I have brothers, nieces and nephews, grand-nieces and nephews (and, even, great-grand) who may, one day, want to know more about their family history; and may, one day, find great benefit in what I have for their family tree. 

So, whether I am searching my own direct lineage, or that of a branch of that lineage, the excitement is still the same. Having someone to share in that discovery....that excitement.....is truly a wonderful thing.

Corresponding, and working, with Mitch on the Mitchell family has been a great, great blessing. It was his descendant chart that my brother passed on to me that was the foundation of the research in these past years. 

From the bottom of my heart to the top of my heart - Thank you Mitch.

Now, I do have an update on the Kruger family. A little mind refresher here - Jennie Agnes, daughter of Bartley Mitchell and Mary Gaffey, married Emil Kruger (also spelled Krueger). Emil had four children from his first marriage to Johanna Sachau. I had all of them accounted for save one - Ella. Well, thanks to Mitch, she is now complete.

Ella married Charles W Britt. They had four children - Mary Regina, Florence, Helen, and Jerry. Ella and Charles, both, passed away in Omaha, Nebraska.

The other child of Emil that was not accounted for was James Carl - one of four children with his second wife, Jennie Agnes Mitchell. 

Well, thanks to Mitch - again, James Carl is now accounted for, too. James became a Priest and with that, came a name change. He became Rev. Charles F Kruger - more than likely, probably Father Charles Francis. 

Father Charles passed away in 1980 in Colorado.

More photographs graciously shared by Mitch Pratt.

 This photo is of an unknown Mitchell at this time, but I love this photo. The young woman is very stylish. I love that hat.

Photo above left: Mary Regina and Florence Britt (daughters of Ella and Charles Britt) with their cousin, Leah Holland (daughter of Frank Holland and Agnes Mitchell)

Photo above right: left to right - unknown, Leah Holland and her sister, Maxine; and Frances Hickey (daughter of Michael Hickey and Katherine Mitchell)

Jennie Agnes Mitchell Kruger with her grand daughter, Mary Regina

 Claude Paine, William Baumer, Frank Holland, and Michael John Hickey.

 Above and Right:
The Baumers, Hickeys, and Krugers.

John Hickey, Father Charles, Jennie Kruger, Merle Hickey, Kate Hickey, Emma Mitchell, Melvin Hickey, Unknown, John Hickey, Unknown, Bart Kruger, Agnes Holland. The children in the front maybe the Britt and Holland Children.

Kate Hickey, Jennie Kruger, Agnes Holland, Emma Mitchell

John Hickey, Merle Hickey, Fr. Charles,

Bart Kruger, Melvin Hickey

From Fr. Charles Ordination

Above left is Fr Charles and Fr Bray. Above Right is a postcard sent from Fr Charles while in Belize. He labeled it, from left - Gym, Chapel, Main building.

Jennie Kruger, Agnes Holland, and Cathryne Mitchell Werner

Fabulous Photos of Mitchell Families

 Photo's courtesy of Mitch Pratt who was so kind to email me these of Rocky and his siblings. I had never before seen photographs of my brothers Aunts and Uncles except for Bud and, possibly, Rita Ann.  This is also the first time I've seen a photo of their grandfather, Bart


Left to Right: Bud, Mary Helen, Betty Lou, Rita Ann, and Wlech (Rocky). ca 1924

Photo on Right: Welch, Bart (their father), and Bud ca 1940
Photo Below: left to right - Mary Helen, Welch, Rita Ann,
Bud, and Betty Lou  2 Jul 1940

 Photo Above: Mary Helen Mitchell
Photo on the right: from left to right - Rita Ann, Bob Baumer, Bud, Regina Baumer, Welch, Marian Baumer, and Mary Helen.
The Baumer children parents are William Henry Baumer and Winifred Mitchell.

The Mitchell house in West Side, Crawford, Iowa

Update on the Mannions from the Mitchell Branch

Before I get into the Mannions (and if I can get this fly to stop buzzing my head and landing on the computer screen), I want to recap a bit on the Mitchells.
I'll start with Bernard Mitchell and Jane Mulrans. Yes, I have
changed her surname again. According to another Mitchell researcher, Jane was allegedly the sister of Catherine Mulrans.
Let me refresh your memory (that way you don't have to scroll back to a previous post), Catherine Mulrans married Edward Mannion in Ireland (some say in County Galway). Their children were: Patrick, Michael, Margaret, Bridget, and John.
Son Patrick married Catherine Ratican, and son Michael married Katherine/Catherine Mitchell - daughter of Bernard and Jane. That would make Michael and Katherine/Catherine first cousins.
Now, I have verified the following children of Bernard and Jane as: Mary, Katherine/Catherine, Bartholomew, James F., Margaret, and Bernard F. As I mentioned in my previous post, I eliminated Michael as his Illinois death record reports a different set of parents. So, now, I have just one more to verify - Bridget/Bid who married a Hawthorne (possibly William).
Now, back to Michael Mannion and Katherine/Catherine. They married in New Hampshire in 1859 (and, obviously, knew one another as they are allegedly first cousins). Their first child, Mary Ann, was born in New Hampshire before the family moved to Illinois. The rest of the children - Margaret, Bernard H, and Michael E. - were all born in Whiteside County, Illinois. All the children, except for Mary Ann, remained unmarried.
Mary Ann Mannion married Patrick Kenney. They had four children - John Thaddeus, Mary, Edward Michael, and Francis B aka Frank - and remained in Whiteside County until Mary Ann's death in 1900. 
Patrick, now a widower, moved his family to Crawford County, Iowa where his parents lived. He sent his youngest, Frank, to live with them. Frank, later, went to live with his father's brother, Ted, and his family in Nebraska. In fact, there is no indication that Frank ever went back to live with his family until 1940, when he shared a residence with his brother and sister, Mary and Edward.
Only John Thaddeus and Frank married. John married Blanche Harrington. They had 5 children - 4 boys and 1 girl. 
Frank also married and with this marriage created another connection to the Mitchell branch. Frank married Grace Elizabeth Mitchell, daughter of William Mitchell and Marie McCarthy. 
William was the son of James F. Mitchell (son of Bernard and Jane) and Mary Carroll.  This made Grace the great-grand daughter of Bernard and Jane. Frank was the great-grandson of Bernard and Jane. So, Frank and Grace were second cousins. They had no children.

The following photos are courtesy of Mitch Pratt from his family tree on Ancestry.com.

Bartley Mitchell and Mary Gaffey

Bartley Mitchell and Mary Gaffey

Upper left is Margaret Mitchell, daughter of Bartley and Mary. The upper right and bottom are of Winifred Mitchell, daughter of Bartley and Mary.

Update on the Mitchell Branch

In an earlier post on the Mitchell Branch, I wrote that I had not found any link between Michael Mitchell and the rest of the children of Bernard and Jane Mitchell. 
Well, I still haven't found a link - because there is none. I came across Michael's death record in the Illinois State Archives online and Michael died in Lee County, but his parents are reported as Partick Mitchell and Mary Lahan. So, I think it is safe to say that Michael is not related to the Mitchell Branch of this family.
As a result of this record find, I have deleted Michael and his descendants from the family tree. 

Ken Hardin 1946 -2015

 Ken Hardin, 68,  passed away June 25 in San Diego, CA. 
He worked for over 30 years as a machinist, including
a number of years at General Dynamics. He enjoyed
spending time with his family and friends.
Ken served in the Air Force during Vietnam, stationed
in Thailand. 
He was preceded in death by his parnets, Joseph and
Alma, and one brother, Joseph. He is survived by his brother, Herb, of Florida, his son, Tim, of San Diego, his daughter, Jena, of San Antonio, and two grandsons, Adam and Joe.