A Tribute to Einer Appel

Einer was my stepfather, really more than that. He had a huge impact on my life.

From left to right: Hans, Ingvert, Einer, Henry, Paul - taken about 1936.

Einer, taken around 1940.Here are the five brothers, Back: Hans, Henry, Einer; Front: Ingvert, Paul; taken about 1946.

Confirmation Class: Taken around 1945. Einer 2nd row, farthest right. Virginia Bisgard to his left.

Einer, Graettinger High School Class of 1949.

Einer with his parents, Otto and Bothilde Appel, taken around 1955.

Appels at dinner table:Henry, Paul, Einer, Ingvert, Hans, Gwenna, Bothilda, and Otto - around 1950.

Einer with niece, Kathy Appel, 1958.

Einer married my mother, Dorothy Mesenbrink, in 1970. Einer had been a bachelor for quite some time.

Here we are, a new family.

Milking cows was an important part of farm life. When we got the pipeline in we didn't have to haul the milk to the cooler, and we could sell Grade A milk. This was featured in the Graettinger Times in 1977.

Einer loved horses and slowed down enough to go on a few drives with his ponies. This was in 1985.

Comments

Where Did That Dark Complexion Come From?

When I got my DNA results back, the biggest surprise I had was in all the people from the southern states who I shared DNA with. I'm pretty sure that a lot of it is from Salucia Sophronia Squibb , but that certainly doesn't explain it all. The only other unknown line, is that of Martha Brennan Davis , mother of Lillian Davis Stephenson, who was mother of my grandfather, Fred Stephenson. I have thought she was Irish, probably an Irish immigrant, and probably related to other Brennans of Galesburg, Illinois, but there is evidence she was from Indiana. Besides the unexplained southern DNA matches, I have little Irish DNA on this line, not enough for Martha Brennan to be full blooded Irish. But more importantly, the Stephensons had dark complexions. I honestly don't know beyond that where the dark hair and eyes came from. Here is a picture of Lillian Davis Stephenson, my great grandmother. Notice the dark hair, deep set, dark eyes. She doesn't look Irish. Her featur...

The Twenty Children of David Brady - updated 2024

This was originally published December 15, 2014. It was updated in 2021 to provide more information on David Brady's children and a fourth wife. In 2024, information on David Brady's wives, Fanny Cornell and Abigail Filley, David's will, and other details, were added. David Brady, born 1785 in Sussex County, New Jersey, died on his homestead, west of Cassopolis, Michigan, in 1878. He is buried on his farm where he and his family first camped upon claiming his land in 1829. Page 229 of the History of Cass County, Michigan says that he was married several times and reared a very large family of children, over twenty, of whom however only one, Mrs Phebe Merwin, is now living in La Grange. His widow married Thomas Moore and is a resident of this township. That's quite the statement. Over twenty children. Married several times. Tough to prove, though. David's will goes a long way to clear it all up. Records from the frontier are pretty scarce, and in that time period ...

Origin of the Bradys from Marion and Darke counties in Ohio

In David Brady's Possible Family I speculated on siblings and cousins of my 3d great grandfather, David Brady. To summarize I identified two family groups, one, including David Brady, who settled in Marion County, Ohio in the 1820s, and another group who settled in Darke county, Ohio. These families both originated from Sussex county in New Jersey. David moved to Cass county, Michigan a few years after getting the Marion county land. The Marion county group consists of a likely father, William Brady, born ca. 1750 with four known children, all born in Sussex county, New Jersey. The Darke county group, consists of five possible children, with three known to have been born in Sussex county, New Jersey. The oldest of the Darke county group, James, named a son, Robison. The Robison name, I believe, provides a significant link to their ancestry. It seems likely that these two groups were related since b oth Brady groups originated in Sussex county New Jersey at about the s...

Family History Notes and Photos by Bob Mesenbrink

Search This Blog