Louis Goldner, Short Biography

One of a series of short biographies of individual ancestors. These are undertaken, from time-to-time, when enough information becomes available about an individual.

Louis Goldner, Chicago, Illinois

Louis Goldner, probably
in Oak Park, Illinois

Louis Goldner was born on October 28, 1861 in Chicago. He was the middle child of  three sons of Frederick Goldner and Louise Ebersold. His father Frederick had come to America from Wirtemburg (or possibly Bavaria). He came over sometime in the 1850's and may have been in eastern Michigan prior to coming to Chicago. Louise Ebersold came to America from Bavaria and is believed to be the sister of Frederick Ebersold and Peter Ebersold. Frederick and Peter where both civil war veterans and Chicago police officers. Frederick rose to the rank of Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department in 1885. Louise's arrival date is also uncertain but probably was in the middle of the 1850's.

Alfred Peterson, Short Biography

One of a series of short biographies of individual ancestors. These are undertaken, from time-to-time, when enough information becomes available about an individual.

Alfred Peterson of Mount Horeb, Wisconsin

A young Alfred Petersen

Alfred Peterson (who also shows up in some records as Albert) was born on March 29, 1882 in the Town of Blue Mounds, Wisconsin. His parents were Ole Peterson and Martha Breisnes. Ole had come to America in 1862 and settled in Blue Mounds where he first farmed 80 acres on section 10 and then over 200 acres on section 11 at the western edge of the fledgling community of Mount Horeb. About a year after Alfred’s birth, his mother would die from complications of childbirth. This would leave Ole to care for a large family, including a number of young children. It is likely that Alfred, his brother Olaus and perhaps some other children went to live with a women named Betsy Peterson. She was a widow and had a farm near the Ole Peterson farm.

Frederick Roth II - Short Biography

One of a series of short biographies of individual ancestors. These are undertaken, from time-to-time, when enough information becomes available about an individual.

Frederick Roth - Monroe and Chicago

Frederick Roth II was born on October 20, 1885. He was the oldest child and only son of Frederick Roth I and Mary Zweifel of Monroe, Wisconsin. His father had immigrated from Switzerland around 1880 and settled in Monroe where he operated the Monroe House and later a tavern near the Illinois Central train station. Mary (or Maria) Zweifel was the daughter of Fridolin Zweifel and Regula Oswald (or Oswalt). Fridolin, along with five brothers, came to New Glarus form “old” Glarus, Switzerland in the 1850’s. He settled just south of New Glarus where he farmed 200 acres on sections 4, 8 and 9 in the Town of Washington.

You can read more about the Zweifel family in a three part report here.

The Roth family of Monroe, Wisconsin around 1900, Federick I,
daughter Rose, son Frederick II and Maria Zweifel

Wilderman Family (3) - Colonists and Pioneers

Part 3 - From Frontier to Settled Territory
Find Part 2 of the Story Here . . .
Find Part 1 of the Story Here . . .

Note, this post has been revised. The original 2-Part Wilderman Family series has been updated and more information has been added. The series has been expanded to 3 Parts with most of the new information in this part.

Jacob Wilderman and Johann Meyer left their small village in Baden, Germany and came to Colonial America in 1751. Jacob would marry Elizabetha Meyer and make his home in Maryland. There he would raise a family, farm, fight in the revolution and live out his live. After the Revolution, his son George would marry and head to western Pennsylvania to live in the company of other Pennsylvania Dutch settlers. Later he would pick-up once more and venture into the frontier of the Northwest Territory and settle just east of the Mississippi in what is now Illinois.

The Wilderman family would thrive in Saint Clair County. A number of sons would operate large farms of their own. Later generations would continue to farm but some family members would seek other callings including one of George's grandsons, Alonzo, who would become a Circuit Court Judge. Many descendants still live in the area and the family history is well documented.

The Wilderman Cemetery in the countryside on Section 8 in the Town of Freeburg.
James Wilderman, Sarah Jarvis and a number of their children are buried here.

Two Years of Blogging about Genealogy

Before I started leaning about
my Genealogy, I had never
heard of Granby, Connecticut.
Now I know that it played an
important role in my own
family history.

“My Other Blog - Family History and Genealogy" celebrated its 2nd anniversary, yesterday September 30, 2012. On that same day in 2010, the very first post, just under 400 words and titled “Yet Another Blog” was published.

At the time, I wasn’t sure exactly what this blog was going to focus on but writing about my ancestry was certainly one of the options I was entertaining. The decision to move in that direction didn't take long, however. The next two posts, both in October of 2010 were about my family history quest and once I started down the road toward genealogy, I never looked back.

With a total of 36 posts (including this one) the website has grown at a slow but steady pace. In addition to the output that comes out of this blog (writing and posting), there has also been some worthwhile input. I have received more than a handful of connections to distant cousins. Prior to being contacted, I did not know any of them and they have contributed a lot of great information about my family history. Hopefully, I have also been able to provide them with some good information as well.

9/30/10 - 9/30/12: Two Years of Blogging About My Family History - 36 posts, 10,000 visitors and some great new connections.

In addition to the two year anniversary, another milestone . . . 10,000 visitors . . . was also reached in September. This is a small blog, very focused and with no marketing or advertising so I do not expect much traffic. I now receive anywhere from 600 - 900 visitors per month which has far exceeded my expectations. Here are some highlights of the first two years:

• September 2010 - First Post: Yet Another Blog
• February 2011 - First Family Post: The Goldners of Chicago - Finding a Lost Family
• May 2011 - First Full Family Biography: David Herman - Arrived 1862
• June 2011 - First Contact with Other Researchers - Peterson/Moe Family
• August 2011 - First Short Biography: Lars P. Moe - Short Biography
• April 2012 - Accessed 1940 U.S. Census
• May 2012 - History Page Added
• September 2012 - 10,000 Visitor Mark

Right now, I am in the middle of writing about the Holcombe Family, the ancestry that first got me really excited about my own genealogy. I have two articles published with a couple more to go. I look forward to continuing with the blog and sharing my information with others for some time to come.

The Holcombe Family - Colonial Generations (2)

Part 2 - Nathaniel Holcombe of Salmon Brook
If you missed Part 1 of the story, go here . . .

Thomas Holcombe would arrive in New England sometime between 1630 and 1633. A few short years later, he would be living on the outskirts of Connecticut's first settlement, Windsor. There, he and his wife, Elizabeth would raise a large family and prosper. Their youngest son, Nathaniel would be only nine years old when Thomas died. After that time, Nathaniel's stepfather, James Enno and his older brothers would probably have a great influence on him as he grew to manhood in the wilderness at Poquonock.



The original settlers at the remote outpost at Poquonock, circa 1640. 

The Holcombe Family - Colonial Generations (1)

Note: Thomas Holcombe of Windsor, Connecticut and his descendants are well documented in both written text and on the Internet. This report presents a narrative of the early generations in my personal family line and is not meant to be a full and complete history of Thomas Holcombe or the Holcombe family.

Part 1 - Thomas Holcombe in the New World

It is unclear exactly when Thomas Holcombe arrived in New England. It could have been as early as 1630 on the Ship Mary & John or as late as 1633 on the Ship Thunder. As passenger lists for many of the Puritan voyages did not exist, the actual date that he first stepped foot on New England soil will probably never be known. Regardless, his arrive about 20 years after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth puts him in the company of the first few hundred or few thousand white men to live in North America.

Drawing of the Mary and John. While it is unclear if Thomas Holcombe came
to the New World on this particular ship, it represents the type of vessel that
was plying the Atlantic Ocean between England and America in the 1630's.