What do we "deserve"?

You deserve a break today

The schools our children deserve...

Do the Detroit automakers deserve a bailout?

Women Deserve Better

Customers Deserve More from Microsoft

Kids Deserve Justice

Animals deserve better

The war we deserve...

Did Brooke Burke Deserve to Win 'Dancing with the Stars'?

We get the government we deserve...

For some reason, I've been noticing the word "deserve" lately. Could be curmudgeonly of me, but I think that to deserve means you've earned something, beyond just being a good compliant American consumer.

It's a slippery word. What, if anything, do I deserve? A good job...a healthy family...shelter...happiness? I want those things, for sure, and strive for them, but do I DESERVE them?

Ok, how about convienences....like working appliances, hot running water, decent tires for the truck? Again, I want those things and work to maintain them, but most of the world lives without thinking about 'em. Ever.

Do we deserve respect? Good schools? Safe streets? Adequate medical services? The internet?

Sigh. I have no answers. It's just something that's been bugging me lately.

In the words of Jack Benny:

I don't deserve this award, but I have arthritis and I don't deserve that either.

It's cold. It's December. It's Minnesota.

Well, that pretty much sums it up...lol

I was about to leave snarky comments on the blogs of Daud and Daud-in-law about how they haven't posted anything in just ages, but then, I haven't either. We here in the northland get sorta sloggy in winter. We start to move slower. We believe that stuff about holeing up and keeping warm. We concern ourselves with adding humidity to the air in our houses, and finding air leaks, not reporting on it. After all, like Garrison says, we live where the weather is trying to kill us. We need to stay on our toes, just slower.

In other news thats not new...the Czech Government has finally added the books we needed! What I think we've found is that Heschs didn't live there (in Niedermuhl or Oberschlagles) until after 1819 or so, since that's when they start showing up in parish records.
The Paul and Veronica Hesch family showed up in Schamers parish, in the village of Weissenbach (south of Niedermuhl). The kids sound right, and like Larry says, if you have a preponderance of evidence, then you assume it's right until you find something to change your mind. OK!

Their children were Martin (born the same day as Josh only in 1790), Joseph, Mathias, Theresia, Franz, and Wenzel finally, in 1802.

We think it was this Martin who moved to Oberschlagles, where son Johann was born and who eventually married Maria Schlinz, and had a son they named Paul who became our great grandfather. Whew.

EDITORIAL NOTE: This woulda been the PERFECT connection, except that two of Paul and Veronicas' kids died in infancy--Mathias and MARTIN. (I found the info shortly after I wrote this...how odd to mourn for a child who died 217 years ago, huh?)

The saga continues!

You're welcome.

A FUN Thanksgiving with the family

We had a lovely Thanksgiving at the Murphys, with excellent food and company. We took a walk down to the lake after dinner, and then had pumpkin pie and creme brule--YES! A blow torch works GREAT!

Later, Josh and family showed up, and eventually, I tried getting a picture of all three grandkids. Since none of them is a "sit-still-and-smile" kinda kid, I use the "click-many-times-and-hope-for-ONE-good-one" method. (Actually, Mace seems willing to sit and smile, but it's more his amazement at how fast the other two move, I think).

We thought corralling em on Scotts lap might work....

Ok, maybe. They're all in one spot, anyway.

Kendall thought Josie might need a toy to help her to sit still....

LOL...you can see how well my "method" is working, right?

But, see? I DID get a nice picture of Scott!

Back to fun stuff!

Last week, Larry found a Suetterlin font online, and of course, we both have it on our computers now :^) One thing it's good for is helping to figure out the original handwriting in those church record books. I found that if I type what I think I see, and it's the same, then I've sorta double-checked myself, ya know?

You'll recall (no doubt!) that the first HESCH we found in the books was a Johann Hesch who married Agnes Blaschko in Cimer (Schamers) in 1839, right? Well, I didn't totally translate the record till this morning...I had the first parts pretty "right", but the witnesses had scrawled their signatures, so I just stopped there.

Turns out, there were 5-6 people in town who witnessed most of the marriages--the local storekeeper was one--evidently, because they were citizens who were in town during the day, they were called on to be witnesses. Why does this matter? Cuz I was able to compare and cross-check their repeated signatures. Some were a LOT clearer than others written by the same person.
If you click on the picture, here, it should biggify. The original records were written across 2 ledgerbook pages, so it's below in three parts.

Grooms' info:

------------------------------------------------

Brides' info:

------------------------------------------------

Witnesses and priest:

Pretty COOL, huh?

Recession.....or Correction?

I was driving through town to see a client last week, thinking about the economy. I started paying attention to the amazing redundancy of businesses along the street...hmm. Nail salon, restaurant, tires, auto parts, restaurant, convenience store, coffee shop, smoke shop, restaurant, craft shop, drug store, batteries, electronics, hair salon, interiors, furniture, movies.....

This is a town of 60,000 in central Minnesota. According to google, there are 217 restaurants here, 95 nail salons, 51 convenience stores, 63 that sell furniture, 31 that sell pet products, 19 office supply stores, 16 electronics stores, 16 sporting goods stores, more than 50 banks, and 82 hair salons. I couldn't tell how many gas stations there are, and I found about 11 car dealers that were actually IN St Cloud.
The list goes on of course. Many of these businesses will fold, or "downsize" in the next months. If we can set aside the devastation of hundreds of lost jobs, perhaps there is a small silver lining to this economic cloud.

America in general has been living large for too long, I think. We feel guilty when we realize that we use so much of the worlds' fuel supply, but there's no way to change that on a personal level. We expect a huge variety of cheap food and products from all over the world. Yes, that shirt was made in Bangladesh, probably by a barely surviving sweatshop worker, but how can you pass up buying it for $4.99? It's cute! Every aisle in the grocery store makes me blush at our excesses, too. How many kinds of cereal do we NEED?

Yeah, I'm blowing off steam, but I do think this recession is an opportunity for us to become more responsible world citizens. I hope it's enough, ya know?

Two things, ok?

Here are two things I'd like you to consider, tho I know I'm speaking to the choir...lol
This is from my favorite (only) radio station, NPR and Minnesota Public Radio. It's from Saturday, 8 November 2008, by Scott Simon. I suggest you LISTEN while you read it.

The second is a news story that seems to me indicative of our new president. It's from a newspaper in the Phillipines.


Over and out.

YES, WE CAN!

I'm amazed and humbled and puzzled this morning.

We actually elected Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States. I have not felt this much hope since JFK was president, when I was 10 years old. This country did the right thing for a change.

My amazement isn't that a black man was elected--he was/is CLEARLY the better of two candidates, with an honest vision for the country and a clear, brilliant mind to back it up--my amazement is at the subtle pervasive racism of every news report: "The first black man elected President", "This proves that anyone can grow up to be president", "6 of 10 white women voted for him..." A woman was interviewed on NPR last night--she declared that SHE wasn't prejudiced, but that she didn't think America was ready for a black president.

ARGH! Regardless of his skin color, this man is exactly who we need at this point in history. He so beautifully explained his hope and vision for the country while not rising to McCains baiting and catch-phrasing.
As one of my oldest clients said yesterday, "McCain is the past, Obama is the future."

YAY for us, America! It wasn't just our election--the world saw this as an indication of our willingness to worry about more than our own precious hides for a change.
Thank Gawd a man like Obama was willing to run, and to take on the task ahead.
Thank Gawd for the savvy of the campaign, the momentum that built, the cool heads that prevailed when darts were thrown.
Thank Gawd that so many people VOTED--we honestly turned the tide of history yesterday, NOT because he's black, but because of what might have happened if we didn't.

Newer Genealogy

This photo has always made me laugh--there we were, in Dad's garage, trying to build a musical instrument from a kit. It had to be 90 degrees cuz even today, I remember being really uncomfortable. Dad and I were trying to follow the instructions while debating what they meant by "the neck"--this was a simple lap dulcimer, and it really had no neck!

But that's not what makes me laugh--it's that Josh and Em, in the background, were allowed--encouraged!--to pound nails at dads' bench. They each had a chunk of scrap 2X4 and were busy filling it with precious nails, a verboten activity I would have LOVED as a kid...lol.

When J&E did it, dad was proud of how MANY nails they could fit on one scrap. Yeah, we built the dulcimer successfully--and to think, it's almost 30 years old already!

Translatin' for you

I have recently (like yesterday) figured out how to create a pdf file.

I know, I know....it's high on YOUR 'gotta learn' list too, but once again, Bird's ahead of the curve!

The scoffers and slackers among you might possibly be saying "Yah well, who needs pdf files anyway?" and "What are they good for?"

WELL! Lemme show you! THIS file should show you translated entries for all eleven Hesch kids we found in the church books in Bohemia.

NOTE: When you click the link, you'll get the pdf on a service called Scribd--but what you WANT is that pdf to open with Adobe Acrobat--so click the "download" button, and then click Adobe Acrobat pdf.

You'll need to use the "Counterclockwise" button once the Acrobat pdf opens--I can't do EVERYTHING!!

Patron Saint

In Schamers, Bohemia, in 1847, Anton and Anna Binder had another baby, whom they named Josef. This kid made it through childhood (a feat all by itself) and when he grew up, he became a priest, and eventually the "Metropolitan-Domkapitalur" of Prague (which is the MAIN Canon of the church).

That's nice, but it's not why we think he's cool.

Apparently, he was stationed for awhile in Schamers, or simply borrowed the oldest record books from the church there. He was writing a book on the history of Schamers, and perhaps he needed the books for that, but while he had them, he recopied the odd, often messy, handwritten records into very clear, legible records.

The new pages are simply between the old, so you can compare them...but the marvel is that Josef Binder realized he was among the last to be able to read those records fluently. Plus, he could write Suetterlin, and had unprecedented access to the books.

The church in Schamers is St Michael the Archangel RC, so that's why Larry put him on the portrait, and the other saint is Wenceslaus, Patron saint of Bohemia.

The halo just appeared--his first miracle!

A lot of the children listed in the record books have saint-dedications written there too, like "Johann (Nepo.)" or "Maria (Concept.)" so in that spirit, we decided Josef Binder should be cannonized AGAIN.

(Note to Pope--all it takes is putting ST. in front of his name, see?)

Thank you, Larry, and Thank YOU, St. Josef Binder!

IGNAZ

Remember how, when we were kids, a "funny" mans' name was "Ignatz"? Like when dad was teasing a kid, or we were naming a puppy--"What do YOU think we should call him, daddy?"--the answer was usually "Ignatz"...and we'd all groan...lol

Imagine my surprise, then to find not one, but TWO more Ignaz Heschs in Southern Bohemia in the 1800s. Larry found them in a village south of Oberschlagles and Schamers--Zinolten. The birth was recorded this way:

12 December 1854
Zinolten #4

IGNAZ HESCH

Catholic, Male, Legitimate

Father:"Ignaz Hesch, huber (farmer) son of Franz Hesch, esalngasnd (?) in Oberschlagles #11, and Agnes born Blaschko of Schamers #26"
Mother:"Franziska daughter of --- Ambrosch, (frn..?) in Zinolten #4 and Anna born Stiedl in Zinolten # 27"
Sponsors:
Albert Maihr (?) in Zinolten #28 and Franziska Schinka of Zinolten #1"

Midwife Franziska Neuba***
.....................
LOL!

My Bohemia

We FOUND the parents

of Paul Hesch!!

~~~~*~*~*~*~*~~~~

As an update, the part of the world you're looking at is Bohemia, which is now mostly Czech Republic. It's considered Eastern Europe. See Niedermuhl, there on the map?
OUR people came from that area, so far mostly the village just below it, Oberschlagles. We're talking about a mile between the two villages.
The parish was Horni Pena which included 7 villages, all within about 10 miles:

--Oberschlagles
--Niederbaumgarten
--Oberbaumgarten
--Deutsch Moliken
--Ruttenschlag
--Gatterschlag
--Schonborndorf

Looking for HESCH births in Horni Pena church record books in the years between 1839 and 1855, I kept a list of what families lived in which villages...so if you've googled your way here, and want to see if YOUR folks lived there, e-mail me.
Anyway, we found ten HESCH kids, four of whom were born to Johann Hesch and MARIA SCHLINZ. That's the couple buried in Pierz--our great great grandparents.

We found out that great-grandfather Paul had 3 brothers: Bartholomaus, Mathias and Anton. Bartholomaus was born in August 1843 and died in September 1845, of scarlet fever.

(Mathias and Anton immigrated too, and settled in Waumandee, Wisconsin. We also found Mathias' future wife in Horni Pena--Agnes Trachofsky. They all moved to the Pierz area eventually, and are buried in St Josephs Cemetery in Pierz).

Paul was born the following January (1846) and here's what the book says: _______________________________________

20 January 1846
PAUL HESCH
Catholic, Male, Legitimate
Father:"Johann Hesch, hansler (farmer/hourly laborer), son of Martin Hesch, hansler, of Oberschlagles #2 and Elizabeth born of Thomas Wolf in Diablinz #40"
Mother:"Maria, daughter of Laurenz Schlinz, citizen, and Elizabeth, born in Ratiborwitz"
_______________________________________


This is from an absolutely WONDERFUL site called the CESKY ARCHIVY . When you get there, click the "Littera" button to get to the page of parishes. Click H, and then HORNI PENA. You'll find Paul in book 8, image 164. (The Archivy just last week added English and German views to the site, so you'll have a much easier time than we did. However, the books themselves are still in German, Czech and Latin--lol--sorry!)

If you've read to this point, and you actually CARE, let me know, and I'll send you the list of ten kids, ok?

BTW, here's the succession going back from Dad:

Mike, (1913) whose father was Anton, born 1883

whose father was Paul, born 1846

whose father was Johann, born 1818

whose father was Martin, born about 1787

whose father was Paul, born about 1755

Pretty cool, huh?

Baptism Pics

Ok, I was waiting for others to post pics of the Baptism last week, I guess. Mine aren't the best, but you'll get the idea...lol

You can sorta see how many people and wiggly kids there were, so the priest kindly galloped through the service. Beck is hidden by him here, and KQ took a break from exploring the sanctuary to see what the splashing was all about...thats godmother Genea standing behind her.

The guy in the blue shirt is the new godfather, Travis.

Mace took gettin wet in stride, but wouldn't leave the Holy Water Mohawk alone when Josh brushed it up a few minutes later. A curly haired grandkid--YAY!!

That afternoon, at Em and Scotts' house, Mace took a few wobbly STEPS to show Unca Scott his new toy--what a delightful day!

Cousin Bev

Wow...doing genealogy online brings surprises sometimes. I knew Bev was fighting cancer, but I didn't know that she died in February.

Even if you haven't seen her in years, the picture looks familiar, doesn't it? SO like grandma, or Aunt Rosie....

Heres a link to send condolences and memories:

BEV

A word cloud

You can make 'em yourself...just go here:

WORDLE.

(And YOU say I'm not entertaining!!)

It's a good thing....

...I never changed Ephemeral Florist to Phurtive Photographer. Both names still apply, I suppose, but no longer in a professional way.

Another career change here as of this morning--I'll be working closer to home, in fact about a 20 mile radius from my house. I'll be joining Noob and Cookie and Mog as an in-home caregiver, although this'll be much less skilled...lol It's an elder-care service to help with light housekeeping and companionship, and there's NO schlepping equipment or doing sales! YAY!

Training starts on Wednesday--in Waite Park--FOUR miles from here!

I really did enjoy the drives to obscure towns and churches all over the midwest--I saw a lot of countryside I wouldn't have seen otherwise, and even got some genealogy done along the way (Dyersville, Iowa, fer instance). It was fun to see how we'd fit inside a tiny church with low ceilings and figure out how to make it work with a 12 square-foot backdrop....but I see now that I'm NOT cut out for sales.

The people I met were so cool, especially the bunch in the tiniest towns (Page, North Dakota, I'm talkin' about YOU!) and I found I can make just about ANYBODY smile, at least for the one second it takes to click the shutter...lol

Hmm...wonder what I coulda done with THIS man?

LOL...I'll keep you updated!

Shirley

Do any of you know Cousin Shirleys last name? Gene...what? Theres a website where her mom is listed as having $$ in an account that was never paid out, and wouldn't it be fun to let Shirley know its there?

http://www.missingmoney.com/Main/Index.cfm

Other Interests...lol

Ok, while grandkids are WAY bigger in my life than their actual size warrants, I've also been checking on their past, and mine.

Specifically, the HESCH family tree. Wanna see something COOL?

That's the name Johann Hesch, written in SUTTERLIN , the old script used in church record books in Bohemia way back when. This is from an entry in Cimer, Bohemia, in 1839. Yes, it looks like hnpf, but the vertical stroke of the "p" is actually an s, the bump is c, and the f-looking letter is h. Honest!

Evidently, about 1200, German families were encouraged to go settle that part of Europe, since it was now under the control of a German guy.

I'm not sure when Hesches moved there, but we found two in the mid-1600's, so it was at least 250 years before they emmigrated to the US.

You'd think that they would have assimilated in that time, right? But Nooo, the two ethnic groups didn't particularly care for each other, and stayed separate as much as possible.

There were German churches in German towns, and Czech churches in Czech towns, and since the CHURCH did the recording of births and marriages and deaths, that's where we're looking.

The biggest problem is reading the handwriting of whatever priest was stationed there at the time. The records are a mix of German, Czech and liturgical Latin. Depending on the year, they're more, or less, decipherable.

AMAZING that those records are online, right?

The Czech government is digitizing them even as we speak. Village by village, new old books are showing up on this site: SOA v TREBONI and we only need to wait till they get to the H's...lol

According to their index, the town we need is Dolní Žďár (Nieder-Mühl), which is in the Jindřichův Hradec region, close to Horní Pěna, where the German church was.

What fascinates me the most is that some solitary priest wrote those names on the day a child was baptized, or a marriage took place, or someone died. Then, he closed the book, blew out the candle and went to bed, thinking that was it.....

The books stayed on some shelf for 2 or 3 hundred years, and now, in 2008, they're being re-discovered and distributed by something as bizarre as the internet.

AND, they're doing CATHOLIC records in exactly the part of Bohemia we need! Those Hesches needed discovering, I guess, so I'd stop thinking they wanted to forget.

*****************************

BTW, if you want to see a page in those Treboni records, click a letter on the left, fer instance C....when that comes up, click Cimer...and you'll get a chart of something called Kniha which means Book.

N is births, O is marriages, and Z is deaths. The index books are at the bottom, and you have to "page around" to find the H's (they're..ahem..in alphabetical order...lol) and that'll give you a snimek (page) number you'll need to find in the appropriate Kniha.

The Kniha are by year, ok?

Gawd, this is FUN!

They're GRAND kids!!

LOL...in the interests of equal time (but mostly because I missed 'em) I spent last evening with KQ and Mason.

"You honestly think I made that mess??"

OK, it was a little humid last night, but just look at all those curls! For a few minutes, Mase had a Mohawk, but then, it curled...awww!

I brought a kalidescope for KQ, but she was most interested in the plastic tube it came in. Mason's just waiting for his chance at it, here...lol

KQ is talking a blue streak--she can communicate beautifully with fairly thick adults and she's only 2 years old. The words tumble out as fast as she moves...lol Mason just turns those huge brown eyes on you and giggles. His tummy's been tickled so many times in his short life that he's developed strong arms to hold heads AWAY from it!