52 Ancestors - Week 5: Surprises in the Census

Fritz Hintz (1827-1907) was my paternal great-great grandfather, Karl’s Dad.

He also went by Fred, while his birth name was Johann Friederich Heinrich. His son, Karl (aka Charles, birth name Karl Heinrich Johann) was born to Minnie Hintz, the former Wilhelmina Ernestine Kroll (1844-1921). The Wisconsin State marriage records from 1873 confirm this information.

The 1880 census (Freedom, Outagamie County, WI) also supports this information. Although there is an entry for a woman named Maria Brun listed as Fritz’ mother-in-law that is confusing – Minnie’s Mom? But the last names don’t match. And then there is 14-year-old son, William Hintz. Who is he?

1880 US Census, Freedom, Outagamie, Wisconsin

Imagine my surprise, when I discovered Fred with an entirely different family in the 1870 census (Greenville, Outagamie County, WI).

1870 US Census, Greenville, Outagamie, Wisconsin

In this family, 42-year-old Fred Hintz has a wife Sophie and children Fred, Sophia, John, Mary and William. Ah, William – right age in both census documents. And before the marriage in 1873 to Minnie Kroll. There’s a second family! Things are starting to make sense now. William is from his first marriage which happened in Mecklenburg, Germany where all these children were born. Minnie’s birth in Prussia, now makes more sense. They met in the US. And the new family are all born in Wisconsin.

Many questions, of course, remain. What happened to Sophie? I haven't yet uncovered any death records for her. Where are the rest of Fritz' children from this first marriage? How did Fritz end up in Greenville?

One day out of the blue, I got a phone call from Jeanette Hintz of Warren, Ohio. She had seen my online family tree. As a descendant of Fritz’ first family, she was able to fill in some of the missing pieces. Long story short, she sent me a photo of Fritz (posted at the beginning of this article) and of his family at his funeral (below). Clearly, the children all knew each other. That discovery more than doubled the number of ancestors in this one branch of the family. Whew!

Further research uncovered the family’s ship manifest (1867) and Maria Brun’s name as a traveling companion when the family emigrated from Mecklenburg. And LDS microfilm has allowed me to trace the family to its German roots in Domsuehl, Mecklenburg, Germany.

Ship manifest listing Fritz Hintz family, 1867

 

Census documents are notoriously inaccurate and leave many questions unanswered and many people missed. But they often provide clues that can help us stitch together the lives of our ancestors. This is one case where the clues helped solve a family mystery, although generating as many questions as they answered. Isn't that the way it goes in genealogical research?

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2018: Week 2: Favorite Photo

Week 2: Favorite Photo

This writing prompt is impossible. I can think of dozens of favorite photos. How do I pick one? The photo below jumped out of the files at me. Why?

This photo was taken Christmas Eve, 1962. Santa always came when we were in church on Christmas Eve. It took till about 1960 for me to figure out how this feat was accomplished, even though Nancy and I had often climbed into the attic where the presents were hidden to sneak a peak at the year’s gifts. (The ruse was horribly simple as it turns out. We would all be sitting in the car in the garage, waiting for Mom, who was always so slow. Dad would go in to find her while we waited impatiently in the car and somehow, none of us ever suspected who the Christmas elves were.)

1968 after decorating the tree - Sharon Dale and Yvonne

So first we went to church at St. Paul Ev Lutheran, our family church. I loved these services. We would be dropped off at the school to be walked over to the church as a class. (There was a cool underground tunnel from the school to the church so we didn’t have to go outside.) We would walk down the main aisle to our assigned pews, youngest to oldest classes, where we would fidget excitedly until the service began. Each class had part of the service, a recitation and a song. The congregation sang a carol in between each class recitation. The church was, and still is, beautiful. Soaring German gothic inside, two immense decorated Christmas trees on either side of the chancel, dimmed lighting and a creche at the front of the altar.

This photo is before my time - the church had been repainted and modernized since this photo, but it's still pretty close to our Christmas experience.

The whole service was awe-inspiring about God’s love for us in the form of a small baby. I still get teary-eyed at Christmas Eve services. And I can still sing most of the carols, all verses, by heart.

At the end of the service, we filed to the front of the church to be handed a paper sack full of goodies. Not too much candy, but nuts and tangerines and of course a candy cane. We filed through the chancel doors on either side and followed our teachers back to our classrooms where parents would meet us and pick us up.

By now the anticipation was practically unbearable as we knew that when we got home, we could open our presents. Of course, we tore into the house and directly to the tree, shedding coats as we went. We had to wait for my parents to get organized, for the camera to be brought out – although we never took a family photo, a great loss.

Hanson Christmas Tree 1989

Around the time of this photo, I started to notice that my Dad was not happily engaged with the gift opening. He seemed downright grumpy and morose. He sat in one of our swivel chairs and frowned the whole time. I never knew why. Worried about the cost of the gifts? Upset he didn’t get something he would like? Just worn out and cranky from trying to support us all? I never dared to ask.

At any rate, the photo at the top of this post was taken right after attacking the presents in 1962. I was in 9^th grade (14) and for the first time sat with the adults in the back of the church for the service. The suit I’m wearing was purchased for a 9^th grade dance I went to at Roosevelt Junior High School. (Everyone went without dates, I don’t remember it being much fun)

Nancy would have been in 7^th grade (12), Carl in 3^rd (8), Sharon in Kindergarten (5) and Dale would have been 3. At least I’m pretty close. The 3 littles each have one of their toys in front of them. Dad captured Dale’s crafty look perfectly. He always was and always will be a little imp.

2302 N. McDonald St. Appleton WI

The 1962 photo was taken in our dining room (kitchen behind and notice the wall mounted phone – the latest technology) in our house at 2302 North McDonald Street in Appleton. (By the way, the door heading out to the garage is on the right side of the photo behind me.)

Pat Hanson, 2012, Christmas is still a big deal

Christmas was a big deal at our house as it was for some of our Hanson cousins in town. I wonder how it was for others of my cousins or perhaps for Aunt Toots?

Sister Augustine aka Aunt Toots

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2018: Week 1 Start

Í'm going to start this 2018 Challenge to respond to 52 weekly writing prompts about my ancestors. I don't usually do this because I never complete challenges in any part of my life. (Stubbornness?) But my cousin Carin has nagged and encouraged me to start. So starting I am with the aptly named first challenge.

Week 1: Start

Dave and Lynn Dosch family with Katie, Michael and Christie

Who am I? Where do I come from? The older I get, the more I’m intrigued by these questions. I want answers for myself but I want my kids to have this information about who they are as well. I think I see this as my gift, my legacy to leave them when I am gone.

I am lucky. I grew up in close proximity to my extended family and never thought twice about it. I thought everyone had Sunday dinners with their grandparents, spent Thanksgiving with hoards of uncles, aunts and cousins, visited 5 families on Christmas day to wish them a Merry Christmas (and play with their new toys!) But by my teen years, in spite of having this swirl of relatives around me, I was mostly interested in escaping the “smallness” of my world to explore places far away. Looking back 70 years later, I regret the time I lost with close relatives. Hintz family reunions in Alicia Park were so much fun!

Oshkosh City Museum

Running around the Oshkosh Public Museum with Miller and Beutler cousins, playing cards, and (yuk!) gathering black walnuts from Grandma Sullivan’s tree was all part of the fun of being on High Street.

747 High Street, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Grandma Sullivan's home; Pat Hanson talking to a renter in 2010. The house is owned by the University and is rented out as rooms.

It’s funny, I discovered an interest in my heritage when I was farthest away from home, living in Germany. My Dad knew he was from somewhere in Germany, but he thought the town no longer existed and didn’t seem interested in his German roots when he came to visit us in Germany. Husband Dave’s family, on the other hand, had a single clue – the name of a Swedish parish – and were very interested to find Lorna’s family. So when they visited, we traveled for a week to Norway and Sweden and, miracle of miracles, came face to face with family records in the church and then in government archives back to the 1600s.

Anderson family departure from Hassjo parish church

Not only that, but we found a living relative in a nearby town. I was blown away by the idea that you could actually trace your ancestors. The seeds of genealogy research were sown at that time, but only much later, when we finally moved back to the Midwest in 1992, did I begin to seriously consider the heritage of my children.

I dabbled at first, joining Ancestry and putting what I knew on that site. Lorna’s information was easiest to access. Her brother had done family group sheets (a list of a married couple and their children with birth, marriage and death dates). And Lorna is a great story-teller with a huge store of family history. Like my family, the Wilsons (Lorna) and Dosch’s had large extended families who gathered for birthdays, anniversaries, and homecomings. These families mostly stayed within close geographical distance of each other, so I came to know many of them over the years.

As I approached retirement, I had more time to explore. And by some lucky star, we decided to retire to Wisconsin and moved back to the state where I grew up and felt most at home. This hobby of genealogy suddenly became a passion.

Lots of things started to fall into place. I found Greg Sutherland online at Ancestry. I was 18 the last time I saw him. The Sulli Cuzzins got back together thanks to Facebook and plans for a Chicago reunion in 2011. Stories and photos continue on that family site to this day. I began to explore the Sullivan ancestry for my Mom who was beginning to show signs of dementia. I knew we were Polish and Irish, but not much more. Neither did my Mom to my great sadness. But bringing together my Mom, Aunt Monica, and Uncle Gerry at the reunion gave them all so much happiness and animation. And I met cousins I had only known by name. I re-met cousins I hadn’t seen since my teen years.

Sulli Cuzzins reunion in Chicago, July 2011. Siblings Gerry, Patricia and Monica seated in front row. Gerry's grandkids in front and assorted Sulli Cuzzins behind.

I found a place where I definitely belong, with people who make me smile and feel comfortable. And I began to accept that I am who I am because of the genetics, the history, and the nurture of these families. And that’s OK!

We made a trip to Williamsburg with my Mom in 2012 and stopped in Jamestown Tennessee on the way back for a fabulous visit with Greg, Susan, and best of all, Mom's sister, Bernice Sutherland.

Sullivan sisters: Bernice Sutherland and Pat Hanson, 2012

My Mom was so excited. And I realized how genealogy had led me back to my family. What a cool thing.

When my Mom died in 2013 (and Bernice just 3 weeks earlier), I coped with my mourning by diving into the Sullivan family history. For 3 months, I spent all day, every day doing Sullivan genealogy. It let me think about my Mom and not about her death. It created a legacy of family that I could hold on to even in her absence.

The web of family I have uncovered, both living and deceased, sustain me, define me and provide solid footing for me as I accept a new role as a family elder. I do not stand alone, but am supported by my cousins and my family whose nurturing is now part of my soul. I hope I live long enough to do justice to their stories.

Hintz Family Reunion

On Sunday, September 8, 2013, the weather was perfect for the Hintz Family Reunion.  Held at Plamann Park in Appleton Wisconsin, there were 89 people and I forget the number of families present.  

Clearly the reunion is about eating and talking as there were almost as many tables of food as there were tables for eating the food.  As you can imagine, the food covered the spectrum of comfort picnic food from hot dishes, salads, desserts and watermelon.  

This is the first Hintz reunion I've been to since I was in high school eons ago.  I explained in a previous blog post how I finally re-connected with this group of cousins, uncles and aunts.  Now I know that the reunion is always the same weekend in Sept and none of my first cousins have been coming.  A task for next year will be to track them down and twist their arms into coming.

After lunch there's a short "business" meeting where the information on database updates for this year and a financial statement are shared. (We all chip in $2 to pay for coffee and sundries.) And the organization is passed to the next Hintz sibling family to organize the following year's event.  End of meeting - except to say that WE are now the older generation and if we want to keep the Hintz connections alive, it is up to us to do that.  Both scary and challenging - how do we keep this custom alive in today's world where we are so spread out and so overwhelmed with daily life?  A problem well worth noodling over to see how to give the essence of family as we knew it to our children and grandchildren.  Ideas, anyone?

I was able to catch up with some second cousins who were in school with me, met and heard stories from my Dad's cousins who remember my Grandma and could confirm some of what my Dad told me.  They were also able to correct the names on a couple of photos I brought. I got names and contact information from a couple distant cousins who are also doing genealogy.  And I was able to share some information with a couple of my Dad's cousins who were thrilled to see a paper copy of the Hintz and Uhlenbrauck families.

There are photos (where'd I put them?) and connections to be studied and shared.  There are new people to collect stories from.  This genealogy stuff just keeps getting bigger and more fun.  

Things to remember for next year - 

• Bring an audio recording device to capture stories.
• Be more deliberate (and less shy) about taking photos of the people there to be sure to get a photo collage of all who attended
• Make and bring scrapbook pages of this year's reunion
• Have genealogy info better prepared, and bring photos, stories and family trees to share

Hintz Family revisited - Melvin Hanson's story

When I posted earlier on the Hintz family, I had a careless error in my narrative, caught luckily by my cousin, Carol.  So here's the post that should clear up that problem:

Ancestors of Melvin Hanson

Melvin was one of 5 children of Mabel Hintz and Harvey Hanson to survive out of 11 births.

Melvin Hanson, high school

Mabel and Harvey produced children from 1920-1932.  The 6 children who died, died at birth or before age 2. One curious piece of data is that first-born Maynard (b. 1920) and one of the twins (John, b. 1921) both died on the same day (Feb 10, 1922).  I would suspect illness, like the flu, perhaps.  Mabel had two sets of twins, and only William (Bill, b. 1921) survived to adulthood and old age.

My Dad (Mel) told me those early years were brutal.  Mabel divorced Harvey in 1934. He claims they were essentially living in a tar paper shack, all the kids in one bed.  Often cold and hungry.  He always said that Harvey was a mean drunk and hit his Mom.  He remembered her being hit in the stomach when she was pregnant. He also told a story of his grandma and grandpa Hintz (Karl and Anna) coming in the middle of the night to take the whole family to their house and away from Harvey and the tar paper shack.  My Dad was always bitter about those years, about not having a father, and about "coming from the wrong side of the tracks". He carried that hurt all his life and struggled with it while raising his own children.  It was only after his kids were all grown and out of  the house that I could see Dad mellow and accept to some degree his childhood hurt.  He would have been about 8 years old and so he saw his family through his 8 year-old eyes. I wish I could have heard the stories from other adults in his family, but I never asked and we never talked about it.  Was it really as bad as he remembered? Whatever the truth, he carried his version of reality throughout his life.

I wish I had pressed him more for stories about his childhood.  I do know he lived for a time at his Grandma and Grandpa Hintz' house.  And I know Mabel married Walter Palmbach in 1938, when Mel was 12, so it is likely that it is the years 1934-1938 that Mabel and family lived with Karl and Anna Hintz.  He always loved his grandparents dearly.  In fact, when he married Patricia Sullivan in 1947, the wedding reception was at Karl and Anna's house.

Walter Palmbach & Mabel Hintz Hanson
Wedding Photo, Oct. 25, 1938

Walter was 40 years old when he married 38-year-old Mabel.  They didn't have any children together, but did manage to own a house on Harriman Street that I remember well.  In fact, we lived there with Grandma and Grandpa Palmbach for several months while our house in Appleton was completed.  That was in 1957 from late August till December.

April 1959 Mel Hanson Family
Lynn, Pat, Carl, Nancy, Mel (holding baby Dale), Sharon

There were 6 of us in our family then: Mom, Dad (Mel and Pat Hanson), me, Nancy, Carl and baby Sharon.  I'm not sure how Grandma put up with us and I know my Mom was a bit crazy with the arrangements.

Meet the Hintz family

Mabel Hintz married Harvey Hanson
November 12, 1919

I mentioned my Hintz family reunion in an earlier post.  My father's mother was Mabel Hintz (b July 29, 1900 d September 26, 1978). She was the oldest daughter of Karl Hintz and Minnie Groll (or perhaps Krull or Kroll). 

[update: 8/30/2013 - Thanks to cousin Carol who caught a major error here. Karl Hintz was married to Anna Uhlenbrauck.  His father Frederick Hintz was married to Minnie Groll. Holy cow, budding genealogist, get the details right! Look for the 8/30/2013 post for a family tree chart with the right info in it. Thanks a million Carol.]


There are hundreds of descendants for Karl and Minnie and after my conversation yesterday with my newly-found Ohio Hintz cousin I expect there are many more we haven't yet discovered.

One of the recent serendipitous events in my life happened just an hour after my Mom passed.  My sister and I stopped at Mom's apartment to see if she had any funeral instructions among her papers.  While there, her phone rang, a surprise since very few people knew her new phone number.  The caller was my cousin Carol who wanted to stop by with forms for my Mom to update for the upcoming Hintz family reunion.  The timing seemed strange, but was strangely comforting.  I met with Carol that afternoon and was overwhelmed by the information she brought to share.

Mom had told me that there was family information shared at the Hintz reunions, but she never remembered to find her copies for me.  She couldn't remember who was collecting the information and didn't have a contact.  Turns out Carol made that happen for Mom.  (Thank you Carol!)  

The information Carol shared with me was overwhelming.  The Hintzes have been keeping a database of all the descendants of Karl and Minnie and updating it annually by having family members revise their own information, adding birth, marriage, divorce and death names and dates to reflect changes in their families. Carol adds this all to the database and prints out family spreadsheets for each family which are distributed at the family reunion in September.  I updated our family's information (forgetting to add a death date after my Mom's name - guess that was too new yet) and will attend the family reunion in a couple of weeks.  

Today I finally looked through the data provided by Carol.  Most of these folks are collateral families, but near and dear to my heart as these were the cousins I played with growing up and the uncles and aunts (actually my Dad's uncles and aunts) who always took an interest in our activities.  I've created a citation for this data collection and I've begun to enter the data for my grandmother's descendants - 140 names so far and 35 more to do.  

Grandpa & Grandma Palmbach (Mabel Hintz)
holding my brother Dale with cousin Daryl
Did you ever think you'd have almost 200 descendants by 2010?

There are 12 other Hintz families, luckily only one that is larger than my grandmother's and the rest half or less the size of my family.  

This data collection is a treasure trove and I'm hoping to have it added to Legacy before the reunion so I can print off family group sheets and or pedigrees for the families.  I'm fascinated to learn about the families of cousins whom I haven't been in contact with for 40 years.  I'm looking forward to the family reunion to gather stories that will help flesh out what is currently just a huge list of names and dates.  Adding color to this data will take a long time, but the connections are now there to make that happen.

Someone is watching out for me, making sure I continue to document our family history.  For that I am grateful.  And now I know when the family reunion is.  Hoping lots of Hintzes come.