Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
Legacy posts about Genealogy and Family Life.
My second great-grandfather John Riley Deweese served as Welch Township Republican Committee Chairman in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri for most of his adult life. Besides holding party caucuses in his home, John Riley served as Road Commissioner in the 1910s. Residents mostly traversed the roads by horse and buggy. One of the mechanisms governments used to collect fees for road
This week my youngest son Caleb turns 16. I can’t believe it has been 16 years since I saw and held him for the first time. Caleb was the baby and waited until he had a good meal at Red Lobster before making his appearance in the world. When he was ready though, he didn’t wait around. He was born 40 minutes
Today would have been my maternal grandfather Gilbert P. Ellis’ 100th birthday. Grandpa Ellis only lived to 85 but he imparted 100 years worth of wisdom into the 32 years I knew him. I could write books about him but am going to focus today’s post on how he inspired me by refusing to grow old. Grandpa Ellis maintained his physical
Marie H. “Babe” Johannpeter was born in St. Louis, Missouri on June 17, 1903. “Babe” was the second child and first daughter born to my second great-uncle Julius “Uncle Jules” Johannpeter and his wife Bertha Johannpeter nee Horst. My grandfather Gilbert Ellis spent a lot of his time with Uncle Jules family, while he was growing up. Grandpa Ellis’ father
My daughter Caity is 21 years old this week. It is a bittersweet birthday because my baby girl isn’t my baby girl anymore. I am so proud of the young woman she has become but as she grew up I regretted not being able to pick her up, wipe her tears and make the “small hurts” go away. Caity came
Eduard Mosblech is my maternal great-grandfather. Eduard was born in St. Louis, Missouri on October 24, 1884, to German immigrants Gustave Mosblech and Bertha Mosblech nee Monse. Often written as Edward but pronounced like putting together aid and ward, Eduard was as unique as his name. I struggled with writing much about him because the stories I heard about him
I met my wife at my sister’s wedding in September 1995. I had known Tam as my little sister’s best friend for 10 years but I did not really see her as the woman she had become until this day in late September. I actually got to know her better because I was on wolf duty this day although it
When I started researching the family history, I only knew about two of my great-grandmother Caroline “Lee” Ellis’ nee Johannpeter’s siblings. My grandfather told me a lot about his Uncle “Jules”, Julius Johannpeter. Grandpa lived with Uncle Jules from the time he left Missouri Military Academy in 1932 until he married my grandmother, Alvina Ellis nee Mosblech in 1938. Grandpa
Uncle Oscar Von Burg and Aunt Dorothy Von Burg nee Mosblech were my grandparents’ closest friends. Grandma Ellis and Aunt Dorothy were sisters separated in age by about a year and a half. Grandpa Ellis and Uncle Oscar became close friends when they were dating the sisters. Neither Uncle Oscar nor Grandpa danced, so they would escort Grandma and Aunt
Arthur C. Clemmings was born on Thursday, April 3, 1913 in St. Louis, MO. At the start of World War II, Uncle Art enlisted in the United States Army as a private. He was assigned as a semi-skilled metal worker. His term of enlistment, which began on September 2, 1942, was for the duration of the war plus six months.