Photo of the Day: Frances Steiner

Thanks to a distant relative that I met through Ancestry.com, Bonnie Chaffee, I have this wonderful photo of my great, great, great grandmother, Frances (Frannie) Koomer Steiner (Bonnie and I both share Frannie as our 3x great grandmother). Frannie was born on April 26, 1818, in Switzerland and married Johan Jacob Steiner when she was only 17. They had a few children, moved to Pennsylvania, and had a few more – ten children in all. She died when she was 71, on April 11, 1889, seven years before Johan. Thanks, Bonnie, for sharing such a wonderful photo with Louisa's ancestors!

Happy Veteran's Day, Cousin Jack Veckly

My first cousin once removed is the little boy on the left, Jack Veckly, with his father John. My mother Nancy is on the right, with her mother Sally. Jack and Nancy were very close throughout their childhood, having been born only four months apart. Both families lived in the same house together in Cleveland when they were born. Jack died when he was only 19 years old, on November 1, 1951, in the Korean War. Jack was in Company 2, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Division. He died in the battle referred to as the "Battle for the Punchbowl", the hardest fought battle of the Korean War. This post is dedicated to him, and to all other veterans who lost their lives in the Korean War.