Salome Sturm.... A Mysterious Grandmother...

As far as mysterious female ancestors go – Salome Sturm is no exception. In 20 years of researching her, I have little to show for it... Though I certainly have tried!

Salome Sturm was born 20 June 1841 in Alsace Lorraine, the daughter of Mathias Sturm & his unknown wife. Family lore is she married a Sturm, the son of Johannes & Catherine (Rudolph) Sturm, and that they had a son Jacob. Her husband died and she and her small son came to the United States, settling in Lake County, Illinois… this area was full of Sturm’s at that time… On 15 November 1866 she married Johann Sturm, the son of Johannes & Catherine… they had 5 children: John, Henry & David (twins), Michael, and Emma.  Johann died in 1875, and Salome went on to marry his younger brother George Sturm; and they went on to have a son George as well.

So what I think I have is a Sturm female, who went on to marry 3 Sturm brothers…. Though there were some family members who questioned whether her first husband was actually a Sturm…  I can’t find anything on a first husband, though she has this son Jacob Sturm… whether his Sturm surname was for his Father, his Step-Father/Uncle, or even his Mother’s maiden name – I do not know.

 

Salome died at her rural Long Grove, IL farm on 12 October 1906, she was 65 years old. She is buried nearby at the Long Grove Cemetery.

I’d love to know more about the life of Salome – who her parents were and her first husband. Maybe someone knows something of her and her life… and even has a photograph of this elusive, mysterious Grandma.

Lost Document... Aloisius Plutowski & Nettie Ebertowski

Marriage Record... found in an antique shop.....

Just this week I stumbled upon this nicely frame marriage record in an antique shop... at $29, it's a little over the amount that I'm willing to pay to "rescue" unknown genealogy gems.... But I thought if I publicized it here, perhaps I'd be able to find a relative... and in the least, the photos are retained here. 

According to the certificate, Nettie Ebertowski was, at the time, a resident of Oslo, Minnesota... which is a tiny hamlet in Marshall County. Though the wedding took place in North Dakota.

If you are connected to this family, and are interested in actually owning this certificate, I'm happy to assist you in getting it and shipping it to you.

For an 84 year old document, it is in lovely condition... and it's so sad that this family heirloom has been separated from family members who may cherish it.


[update- as of 05/10/2014 this certificate is still for sale]

Elizabeth Davids Park.... Who Were You?

As mysterious female ancestors go, Elizabeth Davids is certainly a prime example. Even though she married into the well documented Park(e) family, she remains an unknown.

Elizabeth Davids was born 2 September 1785, though I can’t find where I go this date from! So I can’t vouch for the accuracy of it. I have no idea who her parents could be.....

She married Ephraim Park on 2 September 1804, he was a young widower with a couple of children… Elizabeth would go on to have a number of children of her own including: Ephraim, Sidney, Charles, Eliza, Margaret Snyder Burgett, and Lucy Bacon. 

By the 1810s they were living in Chenango County, New York and in 1816 Ephraim died in Ontario County, New York, leaving Elizabeth a young widow with a large family to care for…Whether this is where the family was living at the time is unclear.

Also unclear is what happened to Elizabeth after this point! I don’t know if she remarried (she was only 31 years old) or died young herself.  In fact, I don’t even know for sure that she outlived her husband! She could have died prior to 1816.  Many of her children remained in the area and their families are fairly well documented.

I’d love to have some answers on the life of Elizabeth! Does anyone have her in their family tree?!

 

Mystery Photo Sunday... Blue Earth, Minnesota

Mystery Photo Sunday

I have such a large photo archive... of both relative & non-relative photos... that I've decided to do a weekly spotlight of one the 'mystery photos' in my possession.

 

 

This unknown lady/girl (age?) was photographed in Blue Earth, Faribault County, Minnesota.... Her identity is a complete mystery.....

It is possible that this unknown lady is related to the Nelson - Grinolds - or Schoonover families...

Pope County Musuem.... Minnesota Research Resource

As a genealogist from Minnesota, I take great pride in the many resources our state has in place to aide researchers! Many, like the death index, are very well known, but many many others are not.

So I've decided to spotlight a few of the lesser known greats here, in hopes that I can connect someone with a tool they can use! Since Saturdays are good days to do genealogy (at least for us workingfolks), I decided to post these links then.

 

While you won't find much in the way of actual data (transcribed records, etc.), the Pope County Museum appears to be a very well organized and put together place! The website if full of information and will certain show you much of what they have to offer... And the blog is a fun, interactive way to be part of their local history and on goings!  I don't even have roots from that area, and I spent a lot time reading and clicking through their links! 

 

Pope County Museum

http://www.popecountyhistory.com/index.html

 

Pope County Museum -- Museum Musings

http://popecountymuseum.wordpress.com/

 

If you have any connection to Pope County, I suggest taking a look at both of these sites... You'll be happy you did!

 

Happy Hunting

Lost Bible... Amund Olesen Flo of Rapidan, Minnesota

I purchased this Norwegian[?] bible at an auction recently.

There was so much writing in the front & back covers that I had to rescue this book, since it went for only $15.00.

**According to a response from Cliff posted below, this appears to be a bible belonging to the family of Amund Olesen Flo, who was from the Stryn Parish in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway.  By 1900 they were residing near Rapidan, in Blue Earth County, MN. See the below comment section for the rest of what Cliff had to say.

Of course, I don't understand Norwegian... so I can't really make out any of the information that's written... I'd love to reunite this book with a family member!

Or if anyone out there can read the pages... it'd be great to have a translation of what is written

 [update- It would appear that this is actually in Norwegian, not Danish, as I originally thought... or was told at the auction. I have made a few updates to this post to reflect the information I received from Cliff, below]

***Update- 2014, this bible was reunited with a Flo descendant living near the original Flo home in Norway***

Early Indexes- Sherburne Co, Minnesota

As a genealogist from Minnesota, I take great pride in the many resources our state has in place to aide researchers! Many, like the death index, are very well known, but many many others are not.

So I've decided to spotlight a few of the lesser known greats here, in hopes that I can connect someone with a tool they can use! Since Saturdays are good days to do genealogy (at least for us working folks), I decided to post these links then.

Sherburne County

Birth
http://www.sherburnehistorycenter.org/birtha.html

Marriage
http://www.sherburnehistorycenter.org/marr.html

Death
http://www.sherburnehistorycenter.org/death.html


These early indexes area  great online resource! And while here, I'd follow some other links and check out the holdings that the History Center has to offer... it looks like a well organized & put together place!