Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Two Degrees of Separation

Randy has posted his latest Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge on GeneaMusings. This week's challenge is titled "Two Degrees of Separation." Here's the assignment:

1. Using your ancestral lines, how far back in time can you go with two degrees of separation? That means "you knew an ancestor, who knew another ancestor." When was that second ancestor born?
2. Tell us about it in a blog post of your own, in a comment to this blog post, in a status line on Facebook or a stream post on Google Plus.

Randy broke his down by line, so I thought I would, too.

1. My STEWART line: I met my grandfather, James Edward STEWART (1910-1972). He would've known his grandparents Augustus L MERRILL (1848-1920) & Sarah Jane (EASTWOOD) MERRILL (1848-1923) as they all lived in Pennsylvania.
2. My PETERS line: I knew my grandmother, Hazel Lucille (PETERS) STEWART (1910-1975). She lived in the same small town as her grandfather, Josiah Randolph COPPENBARGER (1844-1934).
3. My KAECHLE line: I knew my grandfather, Sherman Joseph KAECHLE (1907-1987). His great grandmother, Marya "Mary Ann" (REUTER) KARBACK (1825-1914) lived until he was about 7 years old. He lived in Detroit, Michigan while she lived in Huron, Ohio. They are only 120 miles apart so I am pretty sure they would have met.
4. My DICKSON line: I knew my grandmother, Ethel Evelyn (DICKSON) KAECHLE (1915-2004). She was raised by her grandmother, Sallie Harriet (DICKSON) WARD (1860-1960) who lived to be 99 years old. 

Mary Ann (Reuter) Koerbach/Karbach's death certificate from FamilySearch

So, my 'oldest' family member that I can connect to by two degrees of separation is: Marya "Mary Ann" (Reuter) Karback/Koerback who was born on the 4th of May 4th 1825 in Germany in about 1850. I wrote about Mary Ann in a post titled "Aged Woman Answers Summons."

What I find most interesting about this challenge is this: my grandmother only died in 2004 and probably at least knew about her great grandmother if she didn't actually know her. What could she have told me that I didn't know to ask? It's a great reminder to talk to the oldest living members of our families!

Do we share common ancestors? I'd love to talk! Please write me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net

"Aged Woman Answers Summons"

Lately, I've been having a lot of success in researching my Karbach/Koerbach family. They came from Germany around 1850 or 1853 and settled in Norwalk, Huron County, Ohio. One of the wonderful resources I have discovered is the Rutherford B Hayes Presidential Center which has an index of obituaries in several area newspapers. I've now ordered about 15 obituaries for only $3 each.

One of the obituaries I ordered was for my great, great, great grandmother, Mary Ann (Reuter) Koerbach. I received the 'obituary' with this wonderful title: "Aged Woman Answers Summons." In it, I found two clues: one saying that she was married in 1847 and "came to America three years later". And, the other saying she "was born in Koblentz, Prussia, May 4, 1825..." Here's the article:

Norwalk Reflector Herald -  May 22, 1914 - page 1, column 22

I did some research on Koblentz, Prussia mainly using Wikipedia. It is also spelled Coblenz (English), Koblenz (German) & Coblence (French). The word means "confluence" and it is at the confluence of two rivers: the Rhine and the Moselle. Koblenz, the preferred spelling today is located in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, which is one of 16 German states.

Remember: you can't always believe everything you read! For many years I thought my Eastwood ancestors had come from Leeds, England as I found that in an obituary. But, as I learned this year, they actually came from LEES!!! (No "d" and a very different place.) So, this is just a 'hint'. After all, we don't know who gave the information to the newspaper and Mary was 89 years old!

P.S. I have found out that they came from a smaller, nearby village of Ediger. You can read more about that on my "Translating Latin" post.

Do we share common ancestors? I'd love to talk! Please write me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net

An Attempt at Translating Latin: Any Help?

Last night I had a wonderful find: I found a family tree that a distant cousin had posted on My Heritage. On that tree was posted a marriage certificate for my third great grandparents in Germany! This gave me the actual village my ancestors were from! Also, he had posted PHOTOS of this couple with one of their children! I have asked permission to post these photos and hope to be able to do that soon!

In the meantime, I've been working on the marriage record. It is written in Latin and I used about five different websites to help me translate the document. Besides the fact that it is in Latin, the handwriting is also difficult to read. So, I'm not sure how the words are even spelled.

I'd love help if anyone has any ideas where I'm struggling!

My attempt at what the document actually says:

1847 Novembris vigesima querta - Faites sine opporitione proclamationis tribus legitimus Michailis Kehrbach et Elizabethae Barbz en conjugium ex Ediger et Maria Anna Reuter filia legitima Joannes Reuter et Anna Barbarae Andre conjugium ex Ediger sacromectaliter copulati suet. Festes averant Adolphus Seiters et Valentinas Veranz ex Ediger. (signed)
My attempt at a translation:


1847 November twenty-fourth- Was without convenience of banns. Clan(?) Anton (Anthony) Kehrbach the legitimate son of Michailis (Michael) Kehrbach and Elizabeth Barbz in marriage (a married couple?) from Ediger and Maria (Mary) Anna Reuter the legitimate daughter of Joannes (John) Reuter and Anna Barbara Andre in marriage (a married couple?) from Ediger the sacrament of marriage (?suet?). Wedding (?averant?) (note: I think this has to do with witnesses) Adolph Seiters and Valentine Veranz of Ediger. (unknown signature)

Do we share common ancestors? I'd love to talk! Please write me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net