These are great-great-grandparents on my paternal side, Jacob Pape and his wife Elizabeth Gierse. This appears to have been taken somewhere later in their lives, probably well after my great-grandfather, John Pape, was born in 1851. Perhaps John brought the photograph with him when he emigrated from Bodefeld in Westphalia, Germany, to the United States in 1880. Or perhaps Jacob and Elizabeth mailed it to him in America sometime after that.*Right now I don't know anything more about Jacob and Elizabeth, other than their names, and the fact that they lived their lives in Germany. Notice that they are holding hands in the picture. I do like that.
This picture was e-mailed to me by my second cousin Bill. Bill discovered me through Ancestry.com, when he was trying to learn about his father's family. Bill's father, Jack Bleidt, died when Bill was six, and his paternal grandmother, Martha Pape Bleidt, died when Bill was 14.
While I never met Jack, he and my dad, Fred Pape, were close. They were first cousins born only nine days apart, and they were even in first grade together. Today, Dad in Texas and Bill in Illinois are talking, and Dad is sharing some memories of the father Bill did not get much of a chance to know.
I did meet "Aunt Martha," who (sadly) outlived her spouse and both her children, as well as her parents and all six of her siblings. I remember after my grandfather Paul Pape, her brother, passed away in 1970, Aunt Martha and Dad went through some photographs Grandpa had, and she was able to identify many of the people in them. My parents have many of those photographs framed and hanging on their walls today.
Aunt Martha was a saver (like me), and so far Bill has shared 473 images of photographs and other items Aunt Martha (and perhaps Jack) saved over the years. There are some wonderful pictures in this collection that I've never seen before. Thanks to Bill, I'll be sharing them in future posts. This connection has made the Ancestry.com membership fee totally worthwhile.
[*ETA: Bill tells me that "Great Grandfather and Great Grandmother Pape" and "From Emma Pape Childs" are written on the back of this photo. Who is Emma Pape Childs? So far, I've found her, husband August S. Childs, and five children in the 1930 census in a Chicago suburb, and I know she was born around 1883. I don't know who her parents are or how she is related yet.]
© Amanda Pape - 2010
The hand holding is precious -- and all the more so as it appears so natural. Twangs my heart strings and gives me heart happiness.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I too have found a number of "cousins" through Ancestry.com.
Great photo. How great that you met Bill through Ancestry. I'm always amazed at how many of our cousins are *out there* somewhere and we never even know it. I look forward to more photos!
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI stumbled across your blog looking for Emma Pape Childs, married to August S. Childs! Emma Pape is my Great Grandmother :)
Emma's Mother was Katherine Pape. That's all I know right now, but I'm still digging!
-Carole Schwarz
Carole, contact me at chick_a_deedd at yahoo dot com. I'm wondering if your Catherine is the same as the Kate who was the second wife of Anton Pape, one of the sons of Jacob and Elizabeth.
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda my name is Susan m childs Emma is my grandmother my father is John Pape Childs
DeleteHi Susan! Would love to hear more from you - for years I have been trying to find out exactly when and where Emma died. I have another separate post on her in this blog. Katherine was Emma's stepmother and Anton Pape's third wife. She raised Emma and her half-brother Hugo. Emma's mother Regina Allers (or Albers) died in 1887, along with Emman's sister Eva Dorothy. Anton's first wife (and Hugo's mother) was Elisabeth Allers/Albers, likely Regina's sister.
DeleteJacob and Elizabeth are my great great great grandparents. Their son Lorencz is my great great grandpa.
ReplyDeleteMichael, please contact me at chick_a_deedd at yahoo dot com. I've heard from some other descendants of Lorenz and I'd love to know how you are descended from him.
DeleteI think I may have found Elizabeth Gierse's christening date and parent's names. There are a few Elizabeth Gierses that came up when I conducted my search. Here are the possibilities from familysearch.org
DeleteMaria Elisabeth Gierse, "Germany, Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898"
Name: Maria Elisabeth Gierse Family Tree
Gender: Female
Christening Date: 06 Oct 1826
Christening Place: KATHOLISCH,BOEDEFELD,WESTFALEN,PRUSSIA
Birth Date:
Birthplace:
Death Date:
Name Note:
Race:
Father's Name: Mathias Gierse
Father's Birthplace:
Father's Age:
Mother's Name: Gertrudis Schnier
Name: Maria Elisabeth Gierse Family Tree
Gender: Female
Christening Date: 25 Mar 1826
Christening Place: KATHOLISCH,BOEDEFELD,WESTFALEN,PRUSSIA
Birth Date:
Birthplace:
Death Date:
Name Note:
Race:
Father's Name: Johann Laurenz Gierse
Father's Birthplace:
Father's Age:
Mother's Name: Anna Maria Burmann
Michael, there are a couple more possibilities as well. I'll e-mail you privately.
DeleteHello.
ReplyDeletea german engineer. His name is Max Gierse.rings a bell ?
Might very well be related, but I don't have that name in my tree....yet!
Delete