Hoosier (great, great, great, great, grand)Daddy
Recently, seeking disprove my hypothesis that it is possible to have an genetic predisposition to bad luck, I started to check out my roots.
A query of my father (I already have the evidence to support, and perhaps even present a paper on my findings to the Nobel Commission based on my mom's family history), brought about the name of Heinrich Sauer, My most recent immigrant ancestor, and a few fractured details of his life passed down in oral history. And, by searching for details and reading some books, here's the story I was able to piece together:
Henry -as he came to be known by his decendants as it slowly became increasingly uncool to be German- had come to the States, married a woman he met on the boat, and bore two daughters before getting the opportunity to earn his citizenship by fighting in the 6th Kentucky Infantry of the Union Army. Apparently being from Hesskessel (home of the Hessian army), where every able-bodied
man was drafted into the king's mercenary armies was not only incentive to get the hell out, but looked good on his resume' as well.
Under Sherman he went to Shiloh, Chickamauga, Chattanooga and eventually on to Atlanta (During his absence there was no communication - as his superiors could not read German, and didn't want to take the risk of coded messages being sent, so this is the part that didn't get passed down)
Upon his return (a strangely changed and saddened man), he packed up the fam to go west and homestead on the land he was given by the Government. The land proved to be unfarmable and he returned to Louisville where he eventually got heatstroke while working as a street sweeper. He lived with my Great Grandma and her parents for a while and ultimately hung himself (this, I've discovered, is why he isn't buried in the church cemetary - old school Catholicism forbade it).
Dang it, I wanted to DIS-prove my hypothesis!
Oh well, at least it isn't raining.
A query of my father (I already have the evidence to support, and perhaps even present a paper on my findings to the Nobel Commission based on my mom's family history), brought about the name of Heinrich Sauer, My most recent immigrant ancestor, and a few fractured details of his life passed down in oral history. And, by searching for details and reading some books, here's the story I was able to piece together:
Henry -as he came to be known by his decendants as it slowly became increasingly uncool to be German- had come to the States, married a woman he met on the boat, and bore two daughters before getting the opportunity to earn his citizenship by fighting in the 6th Kentucky Infantry of the Union Army. Apparently being from Hesskessel (home of the Hessian army), where every able-bodied
man was drafted into the king's mercenary armies was not only incentive to get the hell out, but looked good on his resume' as well.
Under Sherman he went to Shiloh, Chickamauga, Chattanooga and eventually on to Atlanta (During his absence there was no communication - as his superiors could not read German, and didn't want to take the risk of coded messages being sent, so this is the part that didn't get passed down)
Upon his return (a strangely changed and saddened man), he packed up the fam to go west and homestead on the land he was given by the Government. The land proved to be unfarmable and he returned to Louisville where he eventually got heatstroke while working as a street sweeper. He lived with my Great Grandma and her parents for a while and ultimately hung himself (this, I've discovered, is why he isn't buried in the church cemetary - old school Catholicism forbade it).
Dang it, I wanted to DIS-prove my hypothesis!
Oh well, at least it isn't raining.
posted by Solderjunkie | 8:56 PM
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