Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
Posts about family history, family life, and miscellaneous topics.
After my mother married my stepfather, Ernest Diaz, in 1981, he was looking for a way for us to spend time together. I was camping with the Boy Scouts, so Dad decided that camping would be an effective way for us to get to know each other. A friend of Dad’s owned property and a cabin in Greenville, MO. We
My great grandfather Parker was the victim of one of the largest natural disasters to hit Cape Girardeau, MO, the 1949 tornado. It hit the city on Saturday, May 21, 1949 at 06:54 p.m. By 7:00 p.m., Parker Zimmerman was dead at 74 years of age. I always found my great grandfather interesting because he led such a varied life
My stepfather, Ernest C. Diaz, was born in St. Louis, MO on Saturday, May 21, 1932. It was the same day Amelia Earhart became the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean in an airplane. Dad was the youngest of five children born to Joseph (Josef) Diaz and Marie Moellenberg Diaz. Dad said the family did not have a lot
Sometimes when you are researching the family history, you get an unpleasant shock. I was researching my stepdad Ernest C. Diaz’s family history in the Library of Congress database. Dad did not know much about the Moellenburgs, so I have been trying to find more information on them. While the discovery was significant, it was also a bit depressing. Dad’s
Joseph (Josef) Diaz was my stepfather, Ernest C. Diaz’s father. Ernie or Dad was the son of Joseph and Marie Diaz nee Moellenberg. Joseph was a first generation immigrant from San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Joseph was born on May 12, 1893. According to his death certificate, his parents were Ulalio (Eulalio) Diaz and Betty Diaz nee Ramiro. I have
In a previous article, I talked about field trips and how they enhance a homeschool education. Today, I will recount a “field trip” that I took with my daughter Caitlin, when she was three years old. I subtitled it “How to Leave the House with $25.00 and Come Home with $0.75.” In the late 1990s, the St. Louis Zoo had
My Grandpa used to tell me that Mom and Great Grandma were close. Great Grandma could be very stubborn, so Grandpa used to send Mom to talk to her about going to the doctor, etc. I will let Mom tell you about her grandmother in her own words. Caroline better known as Lee was a woman before her time. In
My great grandmother, Caroline Leah “Lee” Ellis nee Johannpeter was born to Frederick William August Johannpeter, 1839 – 1903, and Joanna Grieve, 1843 – Unknown, in St. Charles, MO on June 13, 1881. She was the second youngest of six siblings, Gustav, Anna, Amalia “Marie”, Julius “Jules” and Charles Frederick. Great Grandma was said to be a very strong-willed person.
This is a story about 1942-44 Hebert Street, which is in the Old North St. Louis neighborhood of St. Louis, MO. Like its neighbors, this structure has seen better days. I became interested in the building because my great grandmother lived at this address in 1930. My maternal grandfather’s family lived in the northern part of St. Louis during his
William P. Ellis was my great grandfather. Unfortunately, he passed away when my grandfather, Gilbert P. Ellis, was only two years old. My great grandmother did not know much about William’s family. The actual information Grandpa had on him was sparse, so William was the real mystery man in the family history up until 2006 or 2007. Grandpa had a