Newspaper Account of an Orphan Train

After learning about my grandfather's first cousin, Christian Müller, being sent to Nebraska on board an "orphan train" of the Children's Aid Society in 1902, I've been trying to learn more about it. I have so far found just one article in the "Red Cloud Chief" newspaper of Red Cloud, Nebraska. I found the articles below on the University of Nebraska website "Nebraska Newspapers". Here is the article found in the Friday, September 12, 1902 issue of this newspaper:

Two Techniques to Break Down Brick Walls

Everyone wants to know how they can break down their genealogical brick walls. Who doesn't? No matter where you are in your research, you have brick walls. The more ancestors you know about, the more brick walls you have! Say you want to know who the parents of a great-grandparent is. How can you possibly track them down if you don't know where to start? Here, I'll provide a couple of examples of how to do track them down. In one example, I'll show where some of the information was sitting right in front of me but I didn't know it. It was only after a bit of luck with a marriage record being digitized that I learned the truth. In the other example, I'll show the steps I took to eventually find the truth.

Miller Family History Book Published

I've just released my book containing my Miller family research. It's called "Johan Christian Müller, and the Liebrich Sisters - Their Descendants and Ancestors". I've made it available in both hardcover and paperback. While working on getting this book ready, I've also made my Panther family history book, "Moriz Panther and Elizabeth Birk - Their Descendants and Ancestors", available in paperback.

Müller Orphan Train Connection

The distant cousin that helped me with the discovery of the Müller family connections mentioned that he received some information from a Barbara Heise Grooman from Asheville, North Carolina. He didn't have an email address, physical address or phone number for her. I did a web search for her name and town and found snippets from two books on Google Books. The books were "Train to Red Cloud: A Small Boy's Journey" and "Journey's End: An Orphan Train Rider's Story". I found In the Journey's End snippet a good copy of the Müller family photo that I had only a poor copy from the Bixenman family history book.

Surnames - Why Your Ancestors' Names Were Not What You Think They Should Be

I got to thinking about surnames and how many of the surnames of my ancestors did not follow the rule of children taking their father's last name and daughters changing theirs to their husband's last name when they get married. Because they didn't follow this rule, both of my grandmothers had last names other than what they would have been had their ancestors strictly followed this rule. Here is a list of the surnames that did not follow this rule and an explanation of how this happened.

It wasn't changed at Ellis Island - My great-grandfather, Carl Müller, and his brothers and sisters were all born with the surname of Müller. Previous family histories said that it was changed to Miller at Ellis Island or that he gave them the wrong name because he was hiding from the German military. While he may or may not have been hiding from the military, we know that his name change was not because of this and it certainly wasn't changed at Ellis Island.

Ancestors of Maria Magdalena and Anna Maria Liebrich

This is part three of the results of my research of the ancestors of my great-grandfather, Charles Miller. These are the ancestors of his mother, Maria Magdalena Liebrich and her sister Anna Maria Liebrich. After Maria Magdalena died, his father married her sister, Anna Maria.

First Generation

1. Maria Magdalena Liebrich, daughter of Ludwig Liebrich and Maria Catharina Maier, was born on 30 Apr 1830 in Ohmden, Esslingen, Württemberg and died on 6 Feb 1865 in Nürtingen, Esslingen, Württemberg at age 34.

Maria Magdalena Liebrich baptismal record

Maria married Johannes Handal. Johannes died July 6, 1851.

Maria married Johan Christian Müller, son of Christian Gottlieb Müller and Anna Maria Schach, in 1852.

Johan Christian Müller and Maria Magdalena Liebrich marriage record

Children from this marriage were:

i. Carl Christian Miller was born on 7 Oct 1852 in Nürtingen, Esslingen, Württemberg, died on 20 Oct 1923 in Fort Madison, Lee, Iowa at age 71, and was buried in Fort Madison, Lee, Iowa. Another name for Carl was Charles. Carl married Philomena Bixenman, daughter of Benedict Bixenman and Crescentia Wolfgang, on 14 Apr 1891 in Wien, Chariton, Missouri.

ii. Christiana Friederika Müller was born on 12 Nov 1854 in Nürtingen, Esslingen, Württemberg.

iii. Christian Luis Müller was born on 26 May 1856 in Nürtingen, Esslingen, Württemberg.

iv. Maria Louisa Müller was born on 28 Oct 1857.

v. Luisa Friederika Müller was born in Sep 1859 in Nürtingen, Esslingen, Württemberg and died on 25 Dec 1872 in Nürtingen, Esslingen, Württemberg at age 13.

vi. Dorothea Fredricka Müller was born on 2 Aug 1861 in Nürtingen, Esslingen, Baden-Wurtemburg and died in 1939 in New York, New York, New York at age 78. Dorothea married Christian Kurz about 1900. Dorothea next married John Gusenburger in New York, , New York.

Ancestors of Johan Christian Müller

This is part two of the ancestors of my great-grandfather, Charles Miller. Here are the ancestors of his father, Johan Christian Müller.

1. Johan Christian Müller, son of Christian Gottlieb Müller and Anna Maria Schach, was born on 6 Dec 1828 in Nürtingen, Esslingen, Württemberg and died on 21 Nov 1899 in Nürtingen, Esslingen, Württemberg at age 70. Another name for Johan was Gottlieb.

Johan married Maria Magdalena Liebrich, daughter of Ludwig Liebrich and Maria Catharina Maier, in 1852.

Marriage record of Maria Magdalena Liebrich and Johan Christian Müller

Children from this marriage were:

i. Carl Christian Miller was born on 7 Oct 1852 in Nürtingen, Esslingen, Württemberg, died on 20 Oct 1923 in Fort Madison, Lee, Iowa at age 71, and was buried in Fort Madison, Lee, Iowa. Another name for Carl was Charles. Carl married Philomena Bixenman, daughter of Benedict Bixenman and Crescentia Wolfgang, on 14 Apr 1891 in Wien, Chariton, Missouri.

ii. Christiana Friederika Müller was born on 12 Nov 1854 in Nürtingen, Esslingen, Württemberg.

iii. Christian Luis Müller was born on 26 May 1856 in Nürtingen, Esslingen, Württemberg.

iv. Maria Louisa Müller was born on 28 Oct 1857.

v. Luisa Friederika Müller was born in Sep 1859 in Nürtingen, Esslingen, Württemberg and died on 25 Dec 1872 in Nürtingen, Esslingen, Württemberg at age 13.

vi. Dorothea Fredricka Müller was born on 2 Aug 1861 in Nürtingen, Esslingen, Baden-Wurtemburg and died in 1939 in New York, New York, New York at age 78. Dorothea married Christian Kurz about 1900. Dorothea next married John Gusenburger in New York, , New York.

Johan next married Anna Maria Liebrich, daughter of Ludwig Liebrich and Maria Catharina Maier, in 1866.

Descendants of Johan Christian Müller

This is the first of what will likely be three posts regarding my findings from my discovery of the origin of my Miller/Müller ancestors and relations in New York City and Germany. This is part 1, the descendants of Johan Christian Müller. Among his children was my great-grandfather, Charles Miller, who moved to Wien, Missouri and eventually to Fort Madison, Iowa.
 

Descendants of Johan Christian Müller

First Generation

1. Johan Christian Müller, son of Christian Gottlieb Müller and Anna Maria Schach, was born on 6 Dec 1828 in Nürtingen, Esslingen, Württemberg and died on 21 Nov 1899 in Nürtingen, Esslingen, Württemberg at age 70.

Johan Christian married Maria Magdalena Liebrich, daughter of Ludwig Liebrich and Maria Catharina Maier, in 1852. Maria Magdalena was born on 30 Apr 1830 in Ohmden, Esslingen, Württemberg and died on 6 Feb 1865 in Nürtingen, Esslingen, Württemberg at age 34.

Marriage Record

Children from this marriage were:

+ 2 M i. Carl Christian Miller was born on 7 Oct 1852 in Nürtingen, Esslingen, Württemberg, died on 20 Oct 1923 in Fort Madison, Lee, Iowa at age 71, and was buried in Fort Madison, Lee, Iowa. 

 

Carl Christian's Baptismal Record

Father's Day - yDNA Male Miller Ancestors

In honor of Father's Day, I'm posting my yDNA, which is my direct male line, my father's father's father's etc... showing my direct male Miller ancestors.

First Generation
 1. John Anthony Miller  "Jack" was born on 16 Jun 1929 in Fort Madison, Lee, Iowa. He died on 21 Jan 2000 in Columbus, Platte County, Nebraska. He was buried on 25 Jan 2000 in St. Bonaventure Catholic Cemetery in Columbus, Platte County, Nebraska. 

John Anthony Miller - First Communion - about 1936

Miller Brickwall Shattered

I was stumped. How in the world could I possibly find information about my Miller line? Here is everything I knew about them, taken from Sister Catherine Seemann's book "The Bixenman Family and Allied Families - Volume 1" - Page 285:

 The Millers original name was Mueller with two dots over the u, as they were Germans from Germany. Mary Ann Seemann McNamara gave the picture of the Mueller family, with the brothers and sisters of Charles, for inclusion in this book. Cecelia Baldwin also sent one so several families must have it. Anna Miller Seemann named the group but did not remember the name of one brother. They are listed here as they were on the back of the picture:

-Gottlieb (William) Mueller;
-Annie Mueller; married a Quinzer;
-unknown brother;
-Sophie Mueller; born around 1868; married a Schmalzl;
-Karl (Charles E.) Mueller (Miller); born October 7, 1852 in Germany; emmigrated in 1874; in 1889 married Philomena Bixenman (born April 27, 1870; died 1939); died October 31, 1923;
-Rika Mueller; married a Susenberger;