Tag: Family History
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Ruth Alta Wendt Meyn – a fortuitous life
Little was known of the wife of Fred Wendt Jr (1892-1957). All trees had her listed only as “Alta” with no maiden name and only a smattering of public information. I set about to see if I could find more details about her life. What I found was an extraordinary story.
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The Disappearance of Earl Tobias
On or about Dec 15, 1894 Earl Tobias deserted his wife and their two children in Kansas City, KS. He wrote his wife, stating: “…he had too many mouths to feed and was getting in debt.” Earl then disappeared from all public records. 125+ years later, we found Earl.
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Lot 39 of Hurck’s Subdivision of the Guinotte Farm
In 1858, to entice railroads to build into the East Bottoms of Kansas City, MO, Joseph Guinotte (1815-1867) platted his 1200 acre homestead farm, purchased abt. 1850 from founding French settler, Berenice Chouteau. In 1869. the 740 acre ‘Hurck’s Subdivision of the Guinotte Farm’ was platted and lots auctioned. Charles DeCarpenter bought Lot 39.
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Children of the Plantation – slaves in the family
Have you done a DNA Test? Do your ethnicity results show a small percentage (e.g., 1% to 3%) of Sub Saharan African ancestry, particularly, West Africa: Cameroon, Congo, Bantu, Ivory Coast, Ghana people? If so, you are not alone.
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Max and Fred Wendt and the Horse Thief – horse thievery and extrajudicial remedies in Kansas, 1850-1900
“He is caught in a barn under suspicious circumstances, shot at, chased down, drubbed, and tied to the hind wheel of a wagon.”
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Lucie Metzdorff and Dewey Baldwin – a whirlwind romance and short-lived marriage
Pvt. Dewey Baldwin and Nurse Lucie Metzdorff married June, 1919 in Luxembourg. They separated upon arrival in NYC in early Aug 1919. Dewey went home to Ironton, OH. Lucie stayed a year in NYC and then went home to Luxembourg. Here is their story.
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William A Bauswell – Fraud Uncovered! – 100+ year old alias with a fake family
I’m sure ‘Buck’ Bauswell never considered that his elaborate 1923 fraud would be unraveled and revealed 100 years after the fact.
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The Will of Caroline Tönebön-Konz – A ten year Probate battle
Probate on her Will lasted ten years with numerous challenges and court cases. The case book, 120+ pages in length, is noteworthy with several oddities.
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Henry T Zimmer – police chief, state senator, humanitarian, forgotten
Henry T Zimmer is long forgotten. Which is a shame, because for 40+ years in the early 20th century he was a prominent presence in the lives of Kansas City citizens.
Family Stories I've Found 