FROMKE, Germany, LENTZ, North Dakota, South Dakota

Herman, Pauline & Family

August 26, 2015 aaronjhill 3 Comments

It really is amazing what you can find online. My latest discovery is pics of family from my Mother’s side of the family, specifically my great-great aunt and uncle, Herman Lentz and Pauline Fromke. Someone added them to a family tree on Ancestry. My Mom has talked in the past about being double cousins with … Continue reading Herman, Pauline & Family →

CONNER, FROMKE, Iowa, LENTZ, Ohio, Virginia

Last Resorts

August 19, 2015 aaronjhill Leave a comment

One of the best ways for finding out more information on a person — the names of parents, birthplaces, etc. — is to send away for a copy of the death certificate. I try not to do it too often, since it can cost a bit of money, but every once in awhile a branch on … Continue reading Last Resorts →

FROMKE, Germany, LENTZ, Pomerania, South Dakota

April of 1873

August 8, 2013 aaronjhill Leave a comment

So Great Grandma Fromke was baptized at the Evangelical Lutheran church in Bütow and confirmed there in April of 1873. Hmmm. I wonder what else I can glean from these assorted records. She was 14 years old at the time of her confirmation. Geo-politically, it was an interesting period. Bismarck, imperial chancellor, had apparently been … Continue reading April of 1873 →

FROMKE, LENTZ, South Dakota

The Dairy

June 23, 2013 aaronjhill Leave a comment

On Saturday I stopped by to visit my grandfather’s niece who has an apartment a block or two away from the church where my parents married. Her name is Delores. Earlier, before I left the house where I am staying, my host, Mike, knocked on the guest room and asked if I wanted to tour … Continue reading The Dairy →

FROMKE, LENTZ, North Dakota, RADDE, SCHARNOFSKE, South Dakota

Herman & Pauline

July 18, 2011 aaronjhill Leave a comment

Here’s what I found on Saturday while researching at the public library using Ancestry.com. I decided to delve into the lives of Herman Lentz and Pauline Fromke. Information from the 1930 census has that Herman immigrated in 1883, but I am having a hard time finding him in any of the databases. There should be … Continue reading Herman & Pauline →

Personal

What better time to picnic in sunny California?

Image May 2, 2020 aaronjhill Leave a comment

IN THE DEAD OF WINTER

Saturday_News_Thu__Feb_12__1914 January 31st, 1914 January 31st, 1914

When the sun wanes and the northern winds turn the prairies of South Dakota into a frozen tundra, many would head for southern California, some temporarily and others permanently.

Among these transplants were some of my relatives:

Walter Darling, younger brother of my great grandmother

Dr. Jerome Harvey (J. H.) Darling, father of Walter and my great grandmother

Blanche Boal, sister-in-law of Jerome Darling and aunt of my great grandmother

Albert Lentz, brother of another great grandmother, Augusta Fromke

Fred George, brother of my great grandmother Nora Goodell

Their brother, Emby Preston George

ajh

Personal

So who is Anne (or Ann)?

January 30, 2018 aaronjhill Leave a comment

I am trying to sort out the various people with the surname Schanofski and its numerous variations — Szanowski, Scharnofski, Scharnowski, Czarnowski — who lived in the same vicinity as my ancestors. Is the Anne mentioned in the birth record of my great-great grandmother, Marie Schanofski, the Anna who married Johann Scharnofski? Anna, maiden name … Continue reading So who is Anne (or Ann)? →

Germany

I’ve been wondering about the name August, the Germanic form of Augustus. It is prominent among my maternal grandfather’s family.

August 7, 2017 aaronjhill Leave a comment

My great grandfather was Albert August Fromke. His younger brother was August L. Fromke. Albert’s wife was Augusta Wilhelmina Lentz. I am hoping to learn about why this was such a strong tradition in Germany. There is many a German prince with the name and a few princesses too. There’s Augustus the Strong, born in … Continue reading I’ve been wondering about the name August, the Germanic form of Augustus. It is prominent among my maternal grandfather’s family. →

FROMKE, Germany, LENTZ, South Dakota

More on Brother Albert

August 16, 2015 aaronjhill Leave a comment

For a few years now I’ve made a point of trying to piece together my great-grandmother’s family by tracking down potential siblings. One possible brother was Albert Lentz. I am convinced, after seeing an image of him online and the brief family pedigree someone added to Ancestry, that he is indeed an older sibling of … Continue reading More on Brother Albert →

California, FROMKE, Germany, LENTZ, South Dakota

From Prussia To Los Angeles

August 13, 2015 aaronjhill 2 Comments

I was pleasantly surprised to learn, after someone sent me a response to a query I made, that someone had uploaded an image of a man I thought likely to be a brother of my great-grandmother. Unfortunately, the pic didn’t make it as a PDF attachment via email, only the very left portion of it. So, I … Continue reading From Prussia To Los Angeles →