Geiszler Genealogy

For the next few Amanuensis Monday entries, I'm going to include the transcriptions of naturalization records that I found while searching Franklin County, Ohio. Records. When I know the individual's biographical sketch, I'll include them. Many of these entries will be collateral lines, but I hope someone might find their relative amongst my research. Jacob Fladt is not a relative of mine. He's the grandfather of Magdalena Emma Fladt (1887 - 1976). Emma married the son (Conrad Christan Grener) of my 2nd great-grand aunt Mary Elisabeth Geisler Grener. I don't know more about Jacob but I know that others are working on this line. Now, before you think I go off on major tangents all the time, let me say this. The last name Fladt is memorable to me for some reason. Whenever I'm searching records, I keep coming across this name. I don't know why. Since it keeps jumping out to me, though it's not really 'my family', I keep the make note of the r...

WHEW! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read my Journey to the Past series. Now that that is finished, I have to slow down in the posts a bit as I start sorting through all the materials I brought back from Ohio. I'll continue posting Tombstone Tuesdays about the gravestones that I found interesting. I'll also continue to Photo Friday series that focuses on taking photos of the artifacts in our family and personal history collection. The rest of my blogging efforts will share the stories I've learned and the connections I've made with the research I've acquired. BUT, I wanted to share the final tally from all those photos I took in the cemeteries I visited in May. Here it goes: 6 Volunteer Photos 600 Photos Added 231 Memorials Added And I manage an additional 31 that are family I took in the range of 50-100 photos that I had to throw out because they were unusable or photos were already posted online. Now, some people may say that was wasted effo...

Photo by Devon Lee Ellen S Hemler Green Lawn Cemetery Find A Grave Memorial #  70003900 I think this stone is rather fascinating for several reasons. First, I wonder what the top graphic is above Ellen's name. Is it a letter T or a letter I? It is something completely different. Why would this be there? I love that there is a death date given and the age at the time of death is given in years and days. If you need a calculator to determine the birth date from the death date, try this Birth Date Calculator . However, what I really like about this stone is the painful lesson it taught me. Slow down enough to write down the inscriptions that are on the tombstones. You won't always be able to read the inscription on your photograph when you get back to your computer. Point taken and hopefully, lesson learned.

Saturday afternoon/evening I finished scanning all remaining documents and photos. I then took out my portable studio and took photos of small objects belonging to my Grannie. I even took a picture of a coin collection that belongs to my aunt Shelley. Money stories seem to run through my family. I'll have to put this all in a story format at some point. It was a fun thing to see in Shelley's home. I finally was able to turn off the computer and scanner around 5 pm. I had accomplished more than I ever thought possible. I had more leads and more mysteries. I had photos that I've never seen and stories I didn't know. I had bonded with my aunt Shelley, connected with Geiszler cousins, and met some amazing strangers. I found help nearly everywhere I went. I also found heartache and disappointment. I found frustrating moments. The research trip was more of a roller-coaster than I had expected. My Journey to the Past was over. I think I seek after genealogy becaus...

On Saturday, my dear aunt drove me to the various houses she knew about in Columbus, Ohio. We drove past the house on Gates Street. I fondly remember this house from the times I visited my Grannie. The house isn't as pink as I remember it being on the outside; however, the home is in good shape. The neighborhood around it, not so much. We drove by what should have been Long's Pharmacy, it is no longer. We drove past what was once Sherman Lewis Brown's auto shop at 1888 Parson's Avenue. It is no longer. We drove past the house on Reeb Avenue. The area of Reeb, is in terrible condition. So sad. When my family lived there in the 1920s, I believe it was a small suburb of Columbus but that people cared about these houses. Since that time, the area has gone into great decline and the houses look awful. My aunt looked up Medill Street, but it no longer exists.  We drove past the house on Stewart Avenue in German Village. What a nice surprise. The entire neighborhood ...

Photo by Devon Lee Samuel Ross Green Lawn Cemetery Find A Grave Memorial # 46968571 Do you ever come across a stone and wonder, is this the missing person I've been looking for? Well, I was taking pictures in Green Lawn Cemetery and I came across Samuel Ross (1817-1904) and I had this thought. I have a Samuel J Ross who married Anna Margaretha Hoppe in 1889 (Franklin County, Ohio). I do not know the birth date or place for Samuel. Anna (also known as Annie) was born in Columbus 22 Jan 1869  and died 11 Jul 1896. But that's all I know. So when I passed this stone, in the same cemetery where Anna was buried, I just wondered, "Could this be him?" Probably not. Samuel Ross is a fairly common name. Without any further information to go off about my Samuel Ross, this stone is just an interesting stone with a similar name.

When Betty said she had a few things for me, she wasn't kidding. She had done some digging and had found funeral cards, obituaries, a family history printing, photos, wedding certificates, and more. Another gold mine! Would I get it all scanned before I had to leave? Betty was so excited to share what she had. She had more stories to share. I learned about more spotted sheep in the family. Very tragic stuff.  A sampling of the information Cousin Betty found for me about her family. The funniest thing was the story of her mother. Arlene had pancreatic cancer. Generally this disease is uncommon in women and a result of heavy drinking and smoking. Betty said her mother never smoked or drank. When Arlene had insisted that she had done neither, the doctor had wouldn't believe her. Arlene was so fed up that the doctor didn't believe her that she had some fun. Apparently Arlene wasn't the happiest sort of soul, so the comical element was greatly heightened. Arlen...