In a previous post, I discussed the challenges one can encounter when translating a document. Translation becomes more difficult when the document is more than 100 years old.
I really like to cook, but I have to admit that I am not the safest in the kitchen when it comes to hot objects. I have bumped my hands and arms more times that I would care to admit when I am taking things out of the oven.
I had been looking for a set of longer oven mitts for a long time, and everything I found had really large hands, so much so that I was having trouble grasping things. It was like putting on a pair of oversized mittens and trying to pick small things up. So I decided to make my own.
I had a fun botanical print that went well with my kitchen decor. I purchased some insulated batting called Insul-Bright©. It is a polyester and mylar batting that can be sewn on a regular sewing machine. I have since used it in other projects.
There was a message on our voicemail from a gentleman who went to school in West Point. It was delightful to talk with him. I wasn’t aware that there was a West Point Iowa Facebook Group, and I have enjoyed reading bits of the West Point Bee and seeing pictures posted on the group.
I thought that a glimpse of the school picnic from 1934, taken at the Fairgrounds would be fun pictures to share this week.
Today we’re going to take a look at my engine lathe. It’s down in my basement shop, and it’s one of the most important tools I own. Let’s get to know its parts and what they do.
Every year for Walt’s birthday I make German Chocolate Cake. The recipe comes from the Iowa State Fair Cookbook from 1985.
My Grandma James was born on July 4, 1912. We always enjoyed celebrating her birthday, and as many of us as possible came to Watertown, South Dakota, every year.
Irene Belle Hodge was born to Clyde and Bessie May Trevettt Hodge in Emerson. Nebraska. She married Claude James and they had 7 children. She was a nurse in Watertown for many years.
Chuck, Paul, Lynda, Mardell, Claudette, Sherrey, Grandma and Delores
I dislike sitting idly and doing nothing, so I often take small sewing projects along with me when I have appointments or I am traveling. It might be knitting, cross-stitch, a beading project, or a hand-pieced or appliqued quilting project.
I used to just toss the tools in a bag and go, but found myself hunting for the various things I needed. So I spent some time thinking about what I needed for my projects and sat down with pencil and paper to design a kit (or two) for travel. Stick on hook and loop tape keeps the kits closed.
Sometimes the challenge in genealogy is sorting out language differences, both in translation and in writing styles. In his post about the Bruegenhemke place, Walt mentioned high and low German. We will look at that and then look at writing patterns.
Dialects
Low German, High German
German language has several dialects, just like many other languages. High German is the official written language of Germany. It is based on the spoken languages of the highlands of southern Germany and is spoken in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Low German is based in old Saxon language and is not spoken much these days except in certain areas in northern Germany. It does not have an extensive amount of literature like high German does.