Part 3 - Dissension in the Ranks In the days following the fire, word began to circulate that the Chief Engineer of the fire department RJ Weisbrod and First Assistant Charles Reif were at odds. The Oshkosh Northwestern published comments on December 7 by Weisbrod accusing Reif of drunkenness and insubordination following the retrieval of … Continue reading The Curious Case of Charles Reif vs SB Paige
Part 2 - The Rescue of Mrs Harlow and the Death of Mrs Paige Beckwith House 4 December 1880 from Discover Historic Oshkosh The fire at the Beckwith House was raging as the fire department arrived on the scene on the evening of December 3, 1880. Mrs. C.E. Harlow had just leapt from the fourth … Continue reading The Curious Case of Charles Reif vs SB Paige
Part 1 - Fire at Beckwith House The Beckwith House From the Oshkosh Northwestern, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, page 2 Saturday, 4 December 1880 On December 3, 1880, a kerosene lamp exploded at a grand hotel called the Beckwith House in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The resulting fire spread very quickly through the large building, trapping two female guests … Continue reading The Curious Case of Charles Reif vs SB Paige
Charles J. Reif Charles J. Reif was actually born Johann Friedrich Karl Reif on 25 October 1839 in Markröhlitz, Saxony, Germany. He was the fifth of at least ten children born to Johann Friedrich Reif and Johanna Friederike Leitiger there. The family immigrated to the US in October 1846 and seem to have come directly … Continue reading Portraits
unknown Weigel or Widmann children These children belong to the Weigel or the Widmann family. If you recognize anyone in this picture, please contact me.
Birgit Knudsdatter (AKA Betsey Johnson) Betsey Johnson Betsy Johnson was born Birgit Knudsdatter on 25 March 1847 in the Old Muskego settlement in Racine County, Wisconsin. She was the third child born to her parents Knud Johnson Luraas and Gyri Nelsdatter Rue. Betsy lived in Muskego until about 1849 when her family moved up to … Continue reading Portraits
My Turn The investigation into DNA for ancestry research is fascinating to me. I watch "Finding Your Roots" and see the miracles that happen when the written records run out and the guests are left with just their DNA to break through to new information. I have heard stories both happy and sad as DNA … Continue reading Ready or Not…
