Category Archives: Family History

A Letter from my Grandma Ruby to my Grandma Elsa, 1954

Posted on April 24, 2026 by Ann Laemmlen Lewis

This week, I went through a box my Dad sent me years ago, filled with things from his parents after they died.  I hadn’t really inspected everything in that box (there were a lot of German books), I had just … Continue reading →

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Interesting Ancestral Family Names from my Bushman and Turley Lines

Posted on March 25, 2026 by Ann Laemmlen Lewis

The list below has names I’ve run across in my Bushman and Turley families.  I’ve sent this to my kids when they were searching for baby name ideas! Girls Asa Addie Adela LaRue Adelaide Adelia Agnes Alicia Alta Althalla Althea … Continue reading →

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Remembering Sÿbilla Herrmann, born in Grossgartach in 1802.

Posted on February 23, 2026 by Ann Laemmlen Lewis

This morning as I’ve been working in my German records, I came to the family of Johann Carl Rieker who married Sÿbilla Herrmann on 12 November 1823 in Grossgartach.  Sÿbilla is my 2nd cousin, 5 times removed.  She was the … Continue reading →

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My work in the Grossgartach Civil Registry Records

Posted on February 22, 2026 by Ann Laemmlen Lewis

I spend anywhere from 4-6 hours a day working with the records I digitized while visiting the Rathaus in Grossgartach last fall.  I am THRILLED to have these records.  They contain the birth, marriage and death information for a whole … Continue reading →

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The Stonewood Writing Group 2025

Posted on December 30, 2025 by Ann Laemmlen Lewis

Last June I was invited to teach a class to my neighbors and friends on Journal Writing.  It was really fun and by the end of the evening, several of the ladies expressed interest in starting a writing group.  I … Continue reading →

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My Mother’s Purse — A Time Capsule

Posted on October 31, 2025 by Ann Laemmlen Lewis

My mother died quickly and unexpectedly on Halloween afternoon in 1998.  She was alone in her home when my sis-in-law, Leslie found her, still warm, as if she were just resting on her bed.  Leslie had taken her 3 little … Continue reading →

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Starting a New Writing Group

Posted on September 18, 2025 by Ann Laemmlen Lewis

In June I taught a class on Journal Writing to a group of ladies in my neighborhood.  You can read about it here.  That evening I promised them that if there were enough interested in starting a writing group, I … Continue reading →

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The Salt Lake Family History Library–Where have all the Microfilm Readers Gone?

Posted on June 25, 2025 by Ann Laemmlen Lewis

Today I went to meet my family history friend, Debbe Hagner who is in town visiting the library for a week.  She’s from Florida.  We have common ancestors in Germany who lived in and near Grossgartach.  We found each other … Continue reading →

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Teaching a Class on Journal Writing

Posted on June 10, 2025 by Ann Laemmlen Lewis

This evening I was invited to teach a Relief Society class on Journal Writing.  We held the class in our back yard and about 25 women came.  It was really fun to try to spark some motivation in others about … Continue reading →

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Discovering My Degen Family in Hölstein

Posted on February 26, 2025 by Ann Laemmlen Lewis

Here is a post from my Mission Blog, that I want to include here.  This really was a mission miracle! Last night as I was going to bed, I got the most amazing message on FB Messenger from someone I … Continue reading →

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