Checking In

Hello Followers. I wanted to check in with you since I have not written a blog in quite some time. The last real blog was March 19, so almost a month now. Like you, my family has been self-isolating. Not only from the virus but the crazier people who do not think it is a serious threat.

My son and I are both essential works so we have been working except for my Easter vacation. I am working four hours in the office and four hours at home. My son works all day in the warehouse. Neither of our companies allows outside visitors. We are both very careful as my mother, who is in her late 70s, lives with us.

Since I am working from home I have not had a lot of the extra family history time I see a lot of people talking about. But, I have tried to take advantage of the free sites and free records that have become available. It’s funny, some of the records I have run across have names that I could have used a couple of years ago. But, now I at least know I am on the right track.

I did have success with my 80 year old uncle’s tree. Back on Thanksgiving he was telling me about his brick wall with his grandparents on his mother’s side. Her father seems to have disappeared after deserting her and her brothers. The name he always went by with this family seems to actually be a nickname. In tracing the date of birth and his birthplace, we tracked down what we think is his real name.

With the help of the West Virginia Archives and History Library, we followed these coincidences and found all kinds of information on his family. But, until we find a document where he uses his nickname along with his real name, we cannot be 100% sure it is him. Or, until we can find some DNA matches. Once we entered his real name into our database, a whole slew of information and family members popped up. Including others on their public trees who seemed to have come to the same conclusion. And, here’s the kicker, it seems there is another family who this man deserted…under his real name. We hope to connect to this family to find some answers.

West Virginia Archives and History Photo Gallery

I’ve also been doing a lot of gardening, my other great passion. We had some umbrella palms start to take over so we had them pulled out, by the root balls. Little did I know a few years after I planted them, they would become evasive! They loved the wet clay soil, too much! I’ve since been filling the spaces in with some organic matter from my compost pile. I’ve also added a few pieces of cardboard and will mulch and soil over that. It’s like having a blank canvas to start planting in.

And, my flowers are blooming. Always a welcome sight and lifts the spirits. My garden is defintely a great boost for my mental health.

I cannot seem to concentrate enough to pull an ancestor story together for a blog, but I did want to check-in. I hope that you and your family are safe and well. As our ancestors did from their pandemics, this too shall pass.

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My Little Protégé

The last couple of weeks have been busy! Sure, I am busy working my full-time job, but my dabblings with my family history, as well as other’s family history, have kept me hopping.

However, this makes it all worthwhile.

This young girl is my true young protégé! She is so very excited, as are her mother and grandparents. Showing her documents and how to read them has been amazing. It helps that she is smart as a whip.

We use Zoom, video conferencing, where I can annotate, share our screens, and make notes on a whiteboard. She has genuinely picked up on chasing the leads and picking apart the information in the records.

I enjoy teaching family history research. Let me know if I can pique your interest. Visit http://loganalogy.com/genealogy-classes/ today.

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Essential Tips for Ancestry Document Insights

Lately, I have been helping several people with their family history. One thing that they have in common is the same issue I ran into when I first started. They did not take full advantage of the document hint that was given to them when they were researching.

For instance, a man and I had both located a census on his relative. He took it at face value, only looking at the page that, in this instance, Ancestry® had provided. It showed the page of his ancestor and their children. However, when I looked at the same document, I found the wife’s family in the same census record. How? By using the back and forward arrows to look at the other pages in the census.

Most families tended to stay in the same neighborhood if not living together. In this case, they were neighbors. I’ve found that both sides of the family were neighbors up and down the street. Of course, with the inventions of cars, airplanes, and other transports, this won’t be the case for our generations and those that come after us; we move around more often.

Another common mistake is looking at the index only for information rather than the whole record. For instance, take this death record of my great-grandmother, Caroline Stitt Logan. The index shows her relevant details, such as her date of birth, date of death, etc.

But, if you click on the document, it shows her cause of death, the informant for the certificate (my great-grandfather signed it), where they lived, where her parents were from, and where her burial was.

Another example is this obituary that came up under Caroline’s name. If you only go by this index, then you would think that it is the obituary for Caroline, but it is not. It is for her father, William.

Click on the obit and look at all the information we have. It lists William’s father’s name and William’s children with their married names.

The most fascinating records to do this with are passenger lists and immigration paperwork. Not only can the passenger list tell you where your ancestor is going, but it can tell you where they are from and whom they are visiting. Some immigration paperwork will list family names, birth dates, etc. Depending on the time frame, you may even get a picture of the immigrant.

Dissect every document you can get your hands on. You never know what you may discover.

But what if there is no image to click on when you find an index? Look at the film number or the “source information” at the bottom of the index. For instance, here is the index for Elizabeth Hennig.

There is no document to click on and dissect. But, there is “Source Information.”

The source information tells me that the original data can be found in FamilySearch. After pulling up FamilySearch.org, click “Search” and “Records.” Then “Restrict Records By” “Film Number.” Enter the film number found on the Ancestry index. In this case, it is film number 527772. Once there, you click on the link it provides and then the film number from the index.

Click on the magnifying glass next to the record your researching, in this case, the 527772.

It would help if you remembered that humans indexed and scanned these records. Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason for how they scanned the images. If you are lucky, they are by date, but sometimes they are scanned in randomly. It would serve you well if you were patient.

Then go back, as you have been doing, and look at older records that you may have placed an index hint to and see if you can get more information from that source. You may be surprised!

Good luck! Let me know if you need assistance.

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Reconnecting

Thanksgiving is a time to be with family, and it is also a great way to reconnect with family as well. Yesterday I took my mother to her sister’s house for Thanksgiving. All her siblings were there too. Mom is seventy-six but has been sick for the last couple of years and hasn’t visited face-to-face with them.

It was a pleasant visit. My two aunts and my uncle were there. My son, mom, and I. My cousin, his wife, and children came. We Facetimed with his brother, wife, and cousin, who are out of the country. And we also spoke with another cousin on the phone who is out of state. Isn’t technology grand?

My uncle has been researching his own family history for decades. He has run into the proverbial brick wall with his great-grandfather. I asked him to send me the name, and I would see what I could find out. My uncle also spoke to me about passing on his research to his children or grandchildren. He is 80 and has some medical issues; therefore, he would like to make sure his research lives on.

He thinks one of his granddaughters is interested, but like me at her age, they are not just into family history just yet. I hope she finds the bug and at least ensures his ancestry is preserved for generations to come.

That is why I keep telling my son specific stories I find that I think will pique his interest. I want him to preserve my ancestry research too.

Everyone should have at least one family historian in their family. It is a vital way to keep our history alive!

If you need help with your research, visit https://loganalogy.com/family-tree-research-specialist/. I also offer one on one and group tutoring as well as consults. Helping you find your ancestry is my passion.

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Getting The Most Out Of Your Family History Research

To get the most out of your family history takes time. You need to research and verify facts and sources. Sometimes you need to order documents. But, what you get out of it is so much more than the time and money you spend. It helps you to understand your family members a little bit more, and it may just help you to understand yourself a bit too.

And, don’t underestimate your children. As I explained in my Family History for Children blog, children are very curious and avid learners of their history. A good age, in my opinion, is about 4th grade.

There are many online programs out there to help you find records but do not ignore the many other outlets that can help you. I have reached out to many other researchers and genealogists in the past to help guide me in the right direction. Some I have hired to look up documents for me in a place I was not able to go to myself. Also, see my post on using Facebook to help you in your research.

Maybe you are not curious enough about your family roots to spend hours digging through historical databases. That is where Family History Researchers like myself can help.

At www.loganalogy.com, there are many ways in which I can assist you in your family history research. I not only blog about my ancestors and family research in general, but I also offer other services.

An online genealogy basics class, I provide one-on-one tutoring as well as group tutoring in the Florida, online consultations, and I offer my Family History Research Specialist service.

So, visit me at www.loganalogy.com today, and let’s build something together!

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Do You Know Your Immigrant Ancestor?

It has been a while since I have written, and I have missed it dearly. I hope that it will not be so long between blogs going forward. I am shocked at how many people have read my blog in my absence. I originally started it for my family to see their ancestors in story form; little did I know I would be helping people all over the world with their own ancestors. This puts a smile on my heart.

I have been watching “Finding Your Roots,” and in the one called “Mystery Men” Season 5, Episode 2, one of the guests is #Felicity Huffman. As they traced her line, the names started becoming more familiar. I pulled up my #Ancestry app; sure enough, her 9th great-grandfather is my 10th great-grandfather.

Sometime after that, someone commented on my blog about this ancestor, William Hickox. We share this 9th great-grandfather, our immigrant ancestor! She plugged me in her tree, which makes us 10th cousins 1x removed!! 10th! Now that is pretty awesome!

So, that got me thinking, who are all my immigrant ancestors? Have I traced them all? Let’s see.

Well, as always, let me start with the Logan clan.

John Loggan, Sr. (1699-1777)- Arrival 1717 to Boston from Scotland (maybe through Ireland)

John Rowan (1760-1843) – Immigrated in 1791 to Pennsylvania from Ireland (immigrated with his wife, Laetitia Porterfield (1765-1831)

Robert Stitt (abt. 1774) and Margaret Appleby (abt. 1759) to Pennsylvania from Ireland (more research needed on this line)

James Galbraith (1666-1744) to Pennsylvania from Ireland

John Lane (Johannes Lehn) (1655-1754) to Pennsylvania from Germany

John Kunkle (Johannes Gunkel) (1722-1795) to Pennsylvania from Germany, immigrated with his wife, Anna Margarethe Lorentz (1729-1785)

Johann Adam Schäffer (Schaeffer) (1709-1767) to Pennsylvania from Germany, immigrated with his wife, Elizabeth Bauer (1711-1777)

Christoph Heydrich (1704-1781) to Pennsylvania from Germany, immigrated with his wife, Magdalena Sontag (1715-1763)

Johann Michael Köppel (Kepple) (1697-1764) to Pennsylvania from France, immigrated with his wife, Anna Elizabeth Benzin (1707-1750)

(above’s son) Johann Nickel Köppel (John Nicholas Kepple) (1724-1804) to Pennsylvania from Germany and immigrated with his wife, Anna Maria Willems (Williams) (abt. 1736-1821)

Conrad Haag (Hawk) (1741-1833) to Pennsylvania from Germany

Michael Schlonecker, Sr. (abt. 1696-1769) to Pennsylvania from Germany

Johann Henrich Heilig (1700-1775) to Pennsylvania from Germany

(the above wife’s father) Nicholas Rittenhuijsen (Rittenhouse) (1666-1734) to Pennsylvania from Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Hans De Neus (abt. 1716-1736) to Pennsylvania from Germany

(above’s wife) Jenneken Blomen (abt. 1717-1762) to Pennsylvania from Holland (married Hans in Holland)

Michael Kocher (1730-1808) to Pennsylvania from Germany

William Wescoat (Wescott) (abt. 1641-1683) to from England to Virginia

Nicholas Granger (1604-1652) to Virginia from England

Richard Davenport, Sr. (1642-1714) to North Carolina from England

John Coker (1641-1720) to Virginia from England

Anne Barham (1625-1682) to Virginia from England

Charles William Davis (1781-1855) to Virginia from England

Matijas Stefanc (Mathias Stephanz) (1867-1936) to Kansas from Stari Trg ob Kolpi, Črnomelj, Austria, immigrated with his wife, Marija Švegelj (Mary Swegel) (1867-1942)

Johann Leopold Schwitkowski (Hennig) (1865-1933) to Wisconsin from Germany

(father of the above’s wife), Johann P. Reikowski (1844-1932) to Wisconsin from Poland

Well, this certainly proves that not only am I a mutt from hardy stock, but I am not finished researching my immigrant ancestors; the hunt continues. This also shows you can find your immigrant ancestor as far back as 350 years or as close as 150 years ago. It’s amazing how all these people somehow found each other to produce me!

I have come a long way since 1993 when I started tracing my Dad’s roots. It actually started in 1985 or so, but with the help of the internet in the 1990s, I started really started to dig. So, when you hit a brick wall and get discouraged, look back at how far you’ve come.

Click Below To Start Your Ancestry

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Clan Logan Visits Scotland

Originally published in October of 2018.

I am now an official member of the Clan Logan Society International, Inc! Meaning my Logan lineage has been proven (whew!) and I will be kept up to date on their search for Restoring Our Standing as a Clan with a Chief, help with our family history, and, of course, meeting new family as well as sharing what I know.

James C. Logan, cousin from my blog, Logan Theories- Restalrig, Scotland , went to our Scotland lands in June and visited historical sites relevant to our Logan history. He and his wife visited and stayed with another clan member in Gavington. When they weren’t discussing clan business, they toured the ruins. James has given me permission to share these with you. All photos are courtesy of James C. Logan.

On one of their first outings, John led them to visit the ruins of Fast Castle and nearby Siccar Point. “Fast Castle was once held by the Logan Barons of Restalrig – also held by the Clan Douglas and Lord Home. The approach is very steep and slippery. “

Approach to Fast Castle

Other points of interest John took them to “included several churchyard cemeteries where ancient Logan’s are interned from a very early time. Edrom Kirk, for example, was established in the Middle Ages about 1147 and the chapel added in 1499. The existing church was rebuilt in 1732 and then repaired and partially rebuilt in 1886. The only fragment of the 12th century church is the doorway to the entrance of the Logan burial enclosure. The ancient inscriptions on the tombs inside are very difficult to read.

Ancient Logan Burial Crypt They also visited “the site of the 1513 Battle of Flodden, where the 4th Baron, Sir John Logan and his eldest son perished in battle at the hands of the English commander, Lord Dacre. The Battle that day saw the loss of 10,000 Scots, mostly of the nobility, including King James IV of Scotland.”

“In Edinburgh, under John’s guidance included St. Margaret’s Church, St. Anthony’s Chapel, and Lochend House. The Logan’s once owned Leith and Leith harbor as part of the Barony of Restalrig.

St Margaret’s Church is located in Restalrig, now a suburb of Edinburgh. The original church existed in Restalrig from before the 4th century, dedicated to St. Triduana. A new church was built on the site in about 1165. The foundation for St. Triduana’s Chapel and St. Triduana’s Well adjoin St. Margaret’s Church.

St. Triduana's Chapel and Well — St. Triduana Chapel and grounds

Inside St Margaret’s is a stained glass window dedicated to the Logan’s. This was the church of the Logan Barons of Restalrig up until 1610.”

“The foundation of St. Triduana Chapel is a hexagonal structure now capped with a square structure with a peaked roof, abutting St. Margaret’s. When St. Triduana died in Restalrig on 8 October 510 AD, the story is that “a well of pure water” sprung up where she was buried. In 1438, Sir Robert Logan of Restalrig erected a hexagonal tomb over her grave which provided pilgrims access to the “curative” well water. “

“In the basement of St. Triduana’s Chapel, we noted a large (about 6 ft tall) tombstone for Lady Janet, Ker — Lady Restalrig — but with one corner broken off and missing, containing the date. The ladies guiding our tour of the Church could not supply the date. But John recalled seeing a picture of the tombstone. We looked it up in Scott’s Heraldry by Sir Thomas Innes of Learney, Oliver & Boyd Publisher, Edinburgh, 1934. Lady Ker was the wife of Sir Robert Logan, the 7th and last Baron of Restalrig. Lady Ker died in 1596.”

“While in Edinburgh, John took us on a short auto tour of the city, passing by Holyrood Palace and the new Scottish Parliament, then to Arthur’s Seat. Arthurs’s seat is a very large volcanic plug next to the volcanic plug on which Edinburgh Castle is built. Half way up one side of Arthur’s Seat is the ruins of St. Anthony’s Chapel, reported to have been built in the 1100’s by the Logan’s of Restalrig.”

St. Anthony's Chapel — Ruins of St. Anthony’s Chapel

“Our tour of the Edinburgh area included a visit to Lochend House, Restalrig, which is the site of the Old Logan Castle of Restalrig. All that remains of the Castle is the Doocot and one wall with the last standing chimney of the Castle. The castle wall is now decorated with modern graffiti and the chimney is hardly visible through the trees.

On the site of the old Castle are several apartment buildings and a modest post World War II mansion, Lochend House. Lochend House is boarded up and run down, and is now on the market for sale, I am told, at a mere 220,000 pounds (about $300,000 or so).

One day while studying the roadmap, John noticed a reference to Nell Logan’s Bridge. So we had to investigate. After several wrong turns we finally found the bridge. The bridge was built in 1793 over Preston Burn. A prison cell was built under the bridge by adding walls and floor, and small windows and a door with bars. Nell Logan was the last prisoner. She was charged with sheep steeling. It’s not known what her fate was.”

Nell Logan's Prison Cell Under Bridge — Nell Logan’s prison cell under the bridge

New Nell Logan Bridge

“Was Nell tried and convicted or found innocent? Was she punished? These questions beg for more research. It’s a mystery! A new bridge was built above the old bridge in 2010 to provide 2 lanes across Preston Run, but the old bridge is still there, under the new one.”

I thank James for including me on his family email on his trip to Scotland. And, I invite all Logan’s to become members of the Clan Logan Society International. Clan Membership

Proud to be a Logan!

By the way, here is the sacred burial plot containing the heart of Robert the Bruce.

Sacred Burial Plot Robert the Bruce

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If you need research assistance, do not hesitate to contact me.

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Exploring the Family History of John Logan, Jr.: Sons, Daughters, Brothers, and Soldiers

5th Great Grandfather- our immigrant’s son

John Loggan and his twin brother James were born in Voluntown, Connecticut, on 30 June 1731. Their father, John, was 32, and their mother, Margaret, was 28.

James stayed in Connecticut and served in the Revolutionary War.

John’s brother Hugh was born in Voluntown, Connecticut, on September 14, 1736, when John was 5 years old. Hugh passed away on September 15, 1755, in Washington, Connecticut, when John was 24 and Hugh was 19.

His sister Mary died on March 27, 1739, at the age of 14, when John was 7 years old, in Voluntown, Connecticut.

John’s brothers Robert and Samuel were born in Plainfield, Connecticut, on July 12, 1739, when John was 8 years old. Robert fought in the French and Indian War, and Samuel fought in the Civil War.

His brother Mathew was born in Washington, Connecticut, on December 15, 1742, when John was 11 years old. Mathew fought in the Revolutionary War.

John married Azubah Royce in Madison, Connecticut, on 15 November 1753, when he was 22. Azubah’s father, John Royce, was married to John’s father’s second wife, Dorcas. John Royce was Dorcas’ first husband and my sixth great-grandfather.

John had a daughter named Mary, born in 1754 in Woodbury. He also had a son named Daniel, born in 1762 in Woodbury. Another daughter, Rhoda, was born in 1767 in Woodbury but passed away at age nine. John’s mother Margaret died in 1770 in Washington when she was 67. John also had daughters named Anna and Elizabeth. Anna was born in 1770 in Woodbury, and Elizabeth was born around 1773 in Rupert, Vermont.

- John Jr. was living in the 13 colonies at one of the most important turning points in American history—the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
  
  Death of Daughter
  
  John Jr. lived in Voluntown, Connecticut, during the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. During this same year, John’s nine-year-old daughter, Rhoda, was accidentally shot by her brother while he was playing with a gun in the yard, saying he was going to shoot Tories. Rhoda had teased her brother about his ability to shoot and told him to shoot her if he could. Tragically, she was killed.
  
  The 1777 Battle of Ridgefield was fought in the state of Connecticut, where John Logan Jr. was living at the time. His father died later that year, on 2 December 1777, in Washington, Connecticut, at the age of 78.
  
  During the Revolutionary War, James served in Connecticut.
  
  John Logan Jr. also lived in Vermont when it became the 14th state on 4 March 1791. After the Revolutionary War, the second “g” was dropped from our last name, and, from what I’ve discovered so far, it has been spelled “Logan” ever since.
- His wife Azubah died on 27 August 1796, at the age of 59, in Rupert, Vermont. They had been married for 42 years.
- John died on 17 September 1809 in Rupert, Vermont, at the age of 78.
  
  Vermont, Vital Records, 1720-1908

Read more about the Connecticut Logan’s at https://amzn.to/4dgYO4b

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Revolutionary War picture created by Microsoft Designer AI.

James Lemuel Logan: A Life of Grit and Adventure

My Great Grandfather

Rise and shine, family! Every once in a while, when you stare at a photo or hear a story from Grandma, you realize there’s more in your blood than just names and dates. One such story in our family is that of James Lemuel Logan — not just because of what he did, but the spirit with which he lived it.

Born in Wisconsin, Made of Grit

James Lemuel Logan came into the world on September 6, 1860, in Sparta, Wisconsin. His dad, Silas, was 27, and his mom, Sarah, was only 18. Small-town beginnings, but then life had big plans for him.

Wagon Wheels & New Frontiers

He used to tell his granddaughter, Carrie Elva Logan Porter Reade, stories about crossing the prairie in a covered wagon. That image — dusty roads, miles of open land, hopes packed into the wagon — tells you already that James grew up with adventure by his side.

His father, Silas, had moved around: from Pennsylvania to Wisconsin (when it was frontier), then back. Often by wagon. Eventually, Silas settled in places like Titusville and Greensburg in Pennsylvania, where he did some oil work and prospecting.

Work, Rails, & Iron

James didn’t stay small-town idle. He got a common school education, then, around age eighteen, he became a brakeman on the Pennsylvania Railroad. But he wasn’t satisfied being up and down the tracks in that role for long. After a few months, James moved on.

Next, he tried out being a teamster in Blairsville, then worked as a locomotive fireman. Eventually, James earned a promotion to engineer — a job he held for about eight years. That means he was the one driving those massive machines. Keeping them working. Steering where steel met steam.

In 1898, he moved to Vandergrift and worked for Apollo Iron and Steel as a locomotive engineer. Then, when a foundry moved, he moved with the opportunity and kept working with the Chilled Roll Foundry Company in its new place. Still living in Apollo. Still working with his hands and heart.

Family, Faith & Final Years

On December 22, 1882, James married Caroline Stitt, of Blairsville. Over 17 years, they had six children. Life was busy, loud, full. Some children passed, some stayed, but each one carried part of James forward.

Even as years wore on, he was active in the community: belonged to lodges like the I.O.O.F., the Knights of Malta, and was part of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. He identified as an Independent politically and attended the Methodist Episcopal church. All of which suggests values — faith, connection, doing right by people.

In his later years, he was in Michigan — still along for the ride life offered. James died on April 10, 1952, in Pontiac, Michigan, at age 91.

What We Learn from Lem

Here’s what sticks with me when I think of James Lemuel Logan.

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it’s quietly riding across a prairie, choosing steady work, keeping family close.
Change is part of the journey: moving places, changing jobs, rising to bigger roles — James did it repeatedly, often stepping outside his comfort.
Legacy is more than blood. It’s stories told at kitchen tables, values passed down, the strength in saying “I’ll drive the engine” when perhaps simpler paths were available.

Want to dive deeper? I’m here for it. Whether it’s finding letters, photos, or more stories from Carrie (his granddaughter), each clue adds color to James Lem’s life. Because family history isn’t just about knowing who came before — it’s about seeing ourselves in them, feeling their triumphs & struggles, and finding what they left that’s still alive in us. 🌾🚂👟

Rear row left: Katie Logan Dunmire, Glenn Logan, Margaret Stitt, Lem Logan. Front row left: Ethel (Orville’s wife), Orville Logan, Caroline Stitt Logan.

The following is from the History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Volume 2 By John Newton Boucher :

“JAMES L. LOGAN. Silas Logan, father of James L. Logan, of Vandergrift, born about 1825, in Corry, Erie county, Pennsylvania, and as a young man went to Wisconsin, then situated on the frontier. He settled among the Indians, but after a shore time returned to Pennsylvania, having made both the outward and homeward trips by wagon. On his return he settled in Titusville, where he engaged in the oil business, later removing to Blairsville, where he did some oil prospecting. Subsequently, he took up his abode in Greensburg, and some time in the eighties went to Detroit, where he has since resided on a farm in the suburbs. Mr. Logan married Elizabeth Rowan, and the following are their children: James L., see forward: Henry, head bookkeeper for the American Harrow Company, of Detroit: Elsie, and Lena, both at home.

James L. Logan, son of Silas and Elizabeth (Rowan) Logan was born September 6, 1860, in Sparta, Monroe county, Wisconsin, and received a common school education. About his eighteenth year he secured a position as a brakeman of the Pennsylvania railroad, but not finding the associations congenial resigned at the end of a few months. He then went to Blairsville, where for about a year he was employed as a teamster, afterward obtaining a position as locomotive fireman on the Pennsylvania railroad. About two years and nine months later he was promoted to the position of engineer, which he held for some eight years. At the end of that time he resigned and for the three years following was variously employed. In 1898 he moved to Vandergrift, where he became locomotive engineer for the Apollo Iron and Steel Company, remaining in this position about two years and a half. He then accepted a position with the Chilled Roll Foundry Company of Apollo, and on the removal of the foundry to Vandergrift was retained, being transferred to that place. He continued, however, to live in Apollo, where he still resides (as of the date of the article).

He belongs to Mineral Point Lodge, No. 615, I. O. O. F.; Apollo Commandery, No. 365, Knights of Malta; and Allegheny Division, No. 108, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. He is an Independent in politics and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

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The Transformation of Johann Leopold Schwittkowski to John Paul Hennig

From Johann Leopold Schwittkowski to John Paul Hennig: A Family Name’s Journey

Every family tree has a few surprise twists—hidden stories that explain how we became who we are today. One of those stories in my family starts with a young man from Prussia who carried an impossibly long last name and an unshakable sense of purpose. His name was Johann Leopold Schwittkowski… until he decided it shouldn’t be.

This is the story of how he became John Paul Hennig, and how that decision shaped every generation that followed.

A Boy from West Prussia

Johann Leopold entered the world on a chilly November day in 1865, in a place called Danziger Höhe, tucked inside West Prussia. His parents, Johann and Maria Elisabeth (née Hennig), were young and raising a bustling household. Over time, the house filled with siblings—Joseph, Anton, Paul, and several others. One little sister, Maria Elisabeth, only stayed for three months, leaving a small shadow of grief behind.

When Johann’s father died in 1883, seventeen-year-old Johann stepped up. He helped his mother keep the family together—likely working the land and caring for the younger children, already showing the grit that would carry him across an ocean.

Crossing the Atlantic

By 1891, adventure was calling. Johann, 26, and his brother Anton packed their hopes, said their goodbyes, and boarded the Belgenland in Antwerp, bound for Philadelphia. They stepped onto American soil on May 25, aiming to build new lives in Milwaukee.

Two years later, love bloomed. On October 4, 1893, Johann married Augusta Julie Reikowski—and because this family never does things halfway, Anton got married the very same day. It must have been one spectacular double wedding.

Why the Name Became Hennig

Around 1910–1911, something shifted. The family began using the surname Hennig, which had been Johann’s mother’s maiden name.

Why? According to naturalization papers from Johann’s brother Paul, the old name—Schwittkowski—sounded too Polish to people at the time. Johann was proud of his German heritage, and he wanted his family to be seen for who they were. So, he chose to honor his mother’s family name instead.

And just like that, Johann Leopold Schwittkowski became John Paul Hennig.

A Life of Hard Work

John worked as a grain elevator operator for years, providing for his growing family. When a strike and crop shortages hit in 1921, he pivoted and went to work at the Falk Corporation iron foundry.

On February 4, 1933, at 67, he passed away in Milwaukee after a cerebral hemorrhage. It was the end of his story—but the beginning of ours under a new name.

His Legacy

Sometimes family history isn’t about famous names or dramatic events.
Sometimes it’s about one man who quietly carried his family’s past across an ocean, chose a new name, and built a foundation for generations to come.

That’s who Johann—our John—was.
The man who turned Schwittkowski into Hennig, and gave us a fresh start.

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Emigrated to the United States of America at Age 26

25 May 1891 • Antwerp, Belgium

Arrival

Johann departed Antwerp, Belgium, with his brother Anton on the ship “Belgenland”; he arrived in Philadelphia on 25 May 1891. Ship manifest notes both are German cits, are farmers, sitting in J Forward, are carrying 2 pieces of luggage, and plan to settle in Milwaukee.

“2 pieces of luggage”. Can you imagine arriving in a foreign country with one piece of luggage each? Amazing!

Marriage Record 1893

Rev. A. J. Decker- Person Pronouncing Marriage Paul Schwitkowski- Witness Joseph Bergenthal-Witness St. Anthony Church 8th & Mitchell Streets.

Johann and Anton were married on the same day.

Augusta Julie Reikowski

Falk Corp

An unidentified Falk employee stands next to a large Steel Spur Gear. The sign in the photograph reads, “Cast Steel Spur Gear. Made by The Falk Co. Milwaukee, Wis. For Featherstone Foundry and Machine Co. of Chicago, Ills. Wt. 9340 lbs.”