Sentimental Sunday: The Wood Worker Sunday, June 20, 2010

My dad is an amazing craftsman and wood worker. One of his projects in recent years is a series of handcrafted boxes.

Each box is unique and has a story about the use of different rare woods that he collected.

Here is "Box Number Five" my dad created in 1996.

"This Arts and Crafts style box is of sassafras and walnut. The top, handles, catch and chamfered edges present a strong geometrics form. The intarsia design on the inside cover is an original, entitled Fading Dogwood. ... The woods in the intarsia design are dogwood, pink ivory, osage orange, cocobolo, and dyed (green) holly."

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Surname Saturday (1): Goetsch (Prussia > Michigan) Saturday, June 19, 2010

Note: 5/26/2016 See more recent post for some updates.

The formal spelling of this Germanic surname is "Go(umlaut)tsch". It is a name that is tough to trace since it is often misspelled or mis-transcribed.

The surname Goetsch first appears on the paternal branch of my family tree with Wilhelm R Goetsch, my 2nd great-grandfather. Wilhelm, a carpenter by trade, was born in "Prussia" in July 1842.

He married Albertine Radde in the old country circa 1868. Together, they sailed on the Columbus, presumably from Bremen, to New York arriving on 1 Sept 1868. From New York, they made their way to Detroit, Michigan.

They joined the Detroit Trinity Lutheran Church and all 13 of their children's births from 1869 - 1895 are found in the church book (on LDS film). Many open questions remain ....

Such as "From what village/region did they come?"
"In what year did Wilhelm die?"
"Where are other Goetsch descendants in the US?"
"How do other researchers work with the state of Michigan to obtain vital records, such as death certificates from the early 1900s?"

Snapshot of Goetsch ancestors

1. Karl Goetsch (b. Prussia 1810s?, d. ?)
i. Wilhelm R. Goetsch (b. Prussia 1842, d. Detroit, MI by 1930)(may have 6 siblings)
+ Albertine Radde (b. Prussia 1849, d. Detroit, MI by 1930)(may have 6 siblings)
a. Ernst Carl Rudolph
b. Rudolph Carl Hermann
c. Wilhelm Carl Christian
d. Eduard Gustav Carl
e. Franz Ferdinand Robert
f. Albertine Wilhelmine Auguste
g. Paul Ferdinand Julius
h. Robert Carl Albert
i. Carl Friedrich Wilhelm
j. Otto
k. Arthur
l. Laura
m. John

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ASPCA says: Animals Suffer from Allergies Saturday, April 10, 2010

This week the ASPCA published an article to raise awareness of the fact that animals suffer from allergies just like people do. I found it timely, partly because its Spring, and partly because we are having a Santa Ana condition here in SoCal this week. Each time the Wind blows, one of my cats' eyes gets watery. When I first adopted her, I was worried that she had an eye infection or other issue. Now I know that her condition correlates with the bad air quality. I try to keep the doors and windows shut until there is a change in weather. To read the ASPCA article ....click here.

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ASPCA Challenges Shelters to Save More Animals

This week, the ASPCA, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, launched a challenge to all shelters to save 300 more animals than last year during the period from August 1 to October 31, 2010. The award is ...$125,000 and a chance to exchange valuable information among shelters on how to increase effectiveness! If you are working with a shelter, please make sure to get signed up! More info can be found at ASPCA Challenge.

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Jamboree Conference Volunteer Thursday, April 8, 2010

Here's your chance to learn about genealogy research and give back at the same time.

Volunteer at the SCGS Jamboree June 10-13 in Burbank, California

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