The story of my "rather homely, undeveloped, and uneducated great great grandmother Minnie Katzenberger is posted below. Born in Bavaria in 1867, Minnie went on to marry a Voll, my dad's mother's name. Christina Voll married George Meiners in 1912 and they had 10 children, one of whom was my dad Mel Meiners. So how did the Meiners family name launch in America? My son Simon turned up this research: "The oldest ancestor I can find is Mel’s great-grandfather, Johann Gerhard “George” Meiners (1835-1909). Came on a ship from Germany to New Orleans in 1857. First looked for work in Saint Louis but later settled in Louisville. Married Mel’s great-grandmother Maria Lemke in 1859. After she died of dropsy in 1884, he
Tag: large families
A loving eulogy for my parents
My mother passed away 10 years ago and my father died two years later. My brother Chris found the eulogy I wrote and delivered at my father's funeral in February 2008. I have very little memory of writing or delivering it, proving that the heart and brain can push past fear, sadness, and severe emotional trauma. ----------------- THE EULOGY Mel Meiners funeral, February 18, 2008 This very room is the epicenter of Mel & Norma Meiners’ legacy. The Roman Catholic Church was the guiding light in every Meiners moment. Mom & Dad met through church activities at St. Elizabeth. They raised their children across the street from this church property. Both passed away at the sacred Nazareth Home, just