Nana and her siblings Mary, Glendora, and Ronnie in front of their house in DeKalb in 1934.
My grandma, who we affectionately call Nana, would have been 100 years old today. Her name was Mildred Agnes Kaiser, named after her mother Mildred Irene, and she was born October 25, 1923. “Millie” was the second oldest child, but she never had a chance to meet her older brother, Vernon. He passed away before she was born when he was just four months old. She grew up on Garden Street in DeKalb, IL, with her three younger siblings, Glendora, Mary, and Ronnie. She had a large extended family, and spent a lot of time with her cousins on both sides of the family.
Emma Medine holding her son, Edwin Drake, in 1920.
This week my Papa would have turned 100 years old. My grandfather, Edwin William Drake, was born on May 2, 100 years ago in Genoa, Illinois. He was welcomed by his parents, Charles and Emma (Medine) Drake, and an older brother, Charles. He grew up on a farm near Genoa, and graduated high school during the Great Depression. He met and fell in love with my grandma, Millie Kaiser, just before she joined the WAVES during WWII. After she left the service, they were married in June 1946. They had two daughters and four grandchildren. He lived in the Genoa area for his whole life. He was a farmer, business owner, public servant, and foreman. He accomplished many things during his life, but his family was everything to him. Papa loved his family dearly, and loved to spend time with them whenever he could. Continue reading “Papa’s Centennial Birthday”→
This is a photo of Johann Heinrich Peiter and his wife, Marie Gertrude (Stockhaus) Peiter. A reprint of this photo was found in the Wischmeyer family photo archive, and is the second oldest Peiter/Wischmeyer photo that we have. It was likely taken shortly before Johann’s death in 1912. (Image source: Wischmeyer family photo archive, privately held.)
My 3rd great-grandparents, Johann and Marie Peiter, were German immigrants that settled in Marion County, Missouri, just west of Hannibal. They lived in the small town of West Ely, Missouri for about 50 years and were well-loved members of the tight-knit community. Many of their descendants have stayed in the West Ely area, but some of them are now located in the Chicago area.
Johann Heinrich Peiter was born 22 August 1839 in Lintorf, Hannover, Germany. He was the son of Caspar Heinrich Peiter and Marie Elenora Stolte. (His mother passed away in Germany in 1858, but his father Caspar followed him to the USA, where he passed away in 1897.) Johann went to school at Osnabreck, Germany, where he learned the mason’s trade. He married Marie Gertrude Stockhaus when he was 23 years old on 10 May 1863 in Germany. She was born 14 September 1838 in Rabber, Hannover, Germany, and was the daughter of Johann Heinrich Stockhaus and Maria Elisabeth Henrichsmeyer. Continue reading “Bio: Johann Heinrich and Marie Peiter”→
My 3rd great-grandmother, Ann (Kitely) Lawrence was 92 years old when she passed away on Easter Sunday, April 17, 1927. My grandmother was 3 and a half years old when Ann passed away, and was one of 35 great-grandchildren. Ann sounds like quite a remarkable woman. Much of what I know about her is from her two-page obituary, which is transcribed below. Continue reading “Ann Lawrence “Summoned” on Easter Sunday, 1927″→
The Family History Librarian 