From the late 1890s to the late 1960s a newspaper called the Kentucky Irish-American was published in Louisville Kentucky. This is in the town that my grandmother was born in and that her parents and her parent’s parents lived in going back to the 1850s. This newspaper catered primarily to the Irish Catholic community and through association, German Catholics and people who were loyal Democratic … Continue reading Kentucky Irish American
A little while ago, I made the discovery that the family of one of my great, great-grandmothers lived for a time in a New York City neighborhood that was then known as Little Germany. The family of Sophia B. Spiegel (AKA Sophia Schmidt, Sophia Precht, Sophia Brecht, Sophia B. Spiegel, Sophia Von Spiegel) lived, from the mid to late 19th century, in a neighborhood found … Continue reading Christmas Eve 1874 in Manhattan’s Little Germany
I made another pass at searching for my Dobbs ancestors in 19th century newspaper archives at NewspaperArchive.com, specifically David Dobbs, a 3rd great-grandfather and his son, David Judson (D.J.) Dobbs, my great, great-grandfather, both of whom were born and raised in antebellum Georgia. What I found was little bits and pieces of the puzzle… David Dobbs (1791-1871) was an attorney-at-law and a military leader in … Continue reading Bits and Pieces
I have made yet another discovery about an ancestor of mine. This time I found a photograph and possible evidence of the commission of a felony, but first a little background is in order… When I was a kid the only tangible ancestral artifacts that we had around the house was a very old flintlock pistol and a set of walking sticks. These were items … Continue reading International Man of Mystery-Pt. 1
So, this is about the author’s great-granddad, James M. Dobbs, Sr., who was appointed consul general to Chile in 1893. He returned home in 1897 with his family, but sadly, both his wife and child died shortly after. The author digs into old newspapers, uncovering stories about him and family connections. Continue reading Where the Hell is Valparaiso, Dobbs?
On July 4, 1864, the day that my great-grandfather turned five years old, the town that he lived in, Marietta Georgia, fell to Union forces following a nearly two month-long series of battles and skirmishes in the vicinity of the town. The war was literally at their doorstep but from my perspective this is where the story ended for James Monroe Dobbs and his family … Continue reading The Third Man
As I continue to scrounge through the newspaper archives I am finding all sorts interesting little tidbits about my 19th century ancestors. Specifically, my Southern ancestors on the side of my maternal grandfather, Jimmy Dobbs. One of my most recent finds regards my great, great, great-grandfather David Dobbs, a colonel in the Georgia militia and plantation owner in Cobb County Georgia. It appears that he … Continue reading Chairman David Dobbs, a Never Van Buren-er
This post was first published about ten years ago. It is pretty amazing when you think about how we keep in touch with friends and family today. It is equally amazing when you think that social networking sites have only been around for a few short years. The “Internet” came about in the early seventies, but was not until the mid-nineties when most of us … Continue reading Before Facebook, There was the Cigar Maker’s Journal
My father, David DeBacker, was a hospital administrator and both he and his father, a doctor, were proponents of what some folks would call “socialized medicine.” In the 1972, he gave a speech at a conference in San Antonio Texas in which he essentially predicted that we would have something like Obamacare by the year 1980. I found the following article, dated February 4, 1972, … Continue reading My Dad Predicted Obamacare in 1972
This is really strange, but the other day, I received a letter from my sister-in-law. In the envelope was the photograph shown below and a letter saying that Susanne’s aunt in Korea wanted me to have the photograph. I do not recall but Suzanne seems to think that I gave the photograph to her father after we were married in Korea in 1979. The photograph … Continue reading Mom and Dad 1967
Gathering Leaves 