Climbing Our Family Tree

 Anybody who has done family history research can tell you it's sometimes a challenge. Especially the farther back you go, and also when you're researching the women in your family tree. I ran into a bit of a puzzle in that respect, in connection with two particular women ... both connected to my great grandfather. Some time ago, I was looking through old newspapers in the area of Alabama where my paternal grandmother had grown up. I was searching various names from the family tree, so I entered "John Zahnd" in the search engine. I found a few things here and there, and then came across a group of listings for awards won at the North Alabama State Fair by "Mrs. John Zahnd". I chased that rabbit for a while, and found that Mrs. John Zahnd had won these awards year after year, beginning in 1935, and continuing until 1947. As I looked at my family tree, I immediately concluded that the lady in question was my great grandmother, Nettie Blanche Wallace. She was m...

The assignment for week two said "Favorite Photo", and although I have lots of family photos that I treasure for their subjects, for their age, or for their scarcity, one photo immediately popped into my head. A photo that has always represented the treasured relationship between grandparent and grandchild for me. The woman in the photo is my great-great grandmother, Florence Minnie (Lawson) Zahnd. The child in the photo is my own grandmother, Loyce. Based on my grandmother's apparent age, I'm guessing the photo was taken about 1928 or 1929. The affection between these two is easily seen, and it reminds me a lot of my relationship with my Grandma (Loyce) Rogers. Perhaps that is the reason that learning more about Minnie has always interested me. For a long time, though, her life was a bit of a puzzle. My grandmother's has few memories of her. Apparently when one of Minnie's sons, Walter, lost his first wife in 1928, he brought his house full of children...