The Family Reunion

In a few weeks, I will be heading to the family reunion in a small town in Indiana. In the last few posts, I have been writing quite a bit about my great-great grandparents, Henry & Sophia Haessig, and Thomas & Anna Hillman.

Today, I am turning the spotlight onto their children...and the following generation that brings us together in October to share our linked heritage.

Henry came to Indiana in 1871, and settled into farm life on the eastern side of Ripley County.  Henry, and his wife, Sophia, would have five children together: Caroline, Henry George, George Phillip, Emile and Louise. Sophia also had a son from a previous marriage, George Jacob (Jake).

Everyday, I am learning new things. But, at this moment, I don’t know much about Caroline, Emile, Louise and Jake.

George Phillip Haessig

George was only a name I saw on a few records here and there, until a reunion several years ago. At that reunion, I was introduced to a whole side of the Haessig family that I am getting to know better all the time. At this reunion, one of George’s sons, Charlie, was able to visit for the first time in decades with his first cousin: my 90-something year-old grandma!

Two of George’s grandchildren have been filling me in on interesting stories and Haessig research recently. I will have to share with all of you some of what I have discovered in future posts. But, suffice it to say, if his granddaughter hadn’t been introduced to my blog, I might not have heard about George and Henry rafting on the Mississippi!

Which brings me to my great-grandfather, Henry George Haessig.

Henry George Haessig

Henry met a neighboring schoolteacher named Carrie Mae Hillman. Carrie was the oldest child of Thomas and Anna Hillman. They were married over a century ago, and we still honor their memory today.  

Carrie Mae Hillman

I wish I had been fortunate enough to meet Henry. I have heard many good things about him, but I am sad to say that I never had the pleasure to meet him.

I know that I was extremely blessed to be able to spend a good portion of my childhood getting to know my great-grandma, and most of her children, well. I have been quite fortunate in knowing these wonderful people, and I will not forget these memories I have of them.

The first reunion began as a birthday party for my great-grandmother, Carrie, when she was 95 years old. I may have been a young girl, but I still remember her being able to visit with her little sister, Maude, who was 90 at the time!!

At past reunions, I have learned that four of Henry and Carrie’s sons were in World War II at the same time. I have also discovered that one of my dad’s 1st cousins served on the same Army base as Elvis Presley back in the day!  

Most of Henry & Carrie's children (and spouses). Carrie, the
matriarch, is sitting near the middle of the back row.

So, let’s see if I can discover anything new this year!    

And...I would love to hear what you have learned about your family this year! Tell me all about it!

Those Darn County Lines!

Great-great Grandpa Thomas Hillman

Location, location, location!

They always tell us how important it is, but it takes on a whole new meaning to genealogists.

All my life, I knew that my great-grandmother, Carrie, grew up in Moores Hill, Indiana. It is a little town on the west side of Dearborn County.

But, It was very perplexing to me that it was hard to find Carrie, and her family, on census records.

So, I decided to put my sleigh cap on, and do some detective work.

I started with the most recent census records that I could find under her parents' names, Thomas and Anna Hillman. So, I began with the 1920 census. I found them almost immediately within the town of Moores Hill.

This was an excellent beginning, but I knew it was only the beginning.  Thomas and Anna were much older. Carrie and most of her siblings were married, or at the least, already adults. I still understood that she had grown up in Moores Hill.

So, onwards to 1910.

Nowhere to be found in Dearborn County. I then decided to leave the county off of the search filters.

Bingo!! Found them...But right over the county line in Ripley County. Not only that, but I also found him there in 1900, 1870 and 1860.

Which means...? The most exciting part for me...

Breaking through a brick wall that has been there forever. I had a first name with a question mark for his father's name. Now, I had mother, father and brothers.

Moral of this story...If you have a brick wall, you might want to look in the neighboring areas. In some places, just living across the road could mean that you live in a different county as your neighbor.