31. My family authorities, extended -- Margaret and Marguerite

My family authorities became extended during the late 1990's, when I was joyfully introduced to relatives in the other two branches of the Treuthardt family in Texas.   The three branches -- the children of Will, Ida, and Arnold -- had been acquainted through the first-generation Texan cousins (same tier on the family tree as my father Julius).   Our Krieg side had lost contact with the Treuthardts around the 1940's-1950's (all the immigrant ancestors were long deceased by then).   Though this was unfortunate, it is the natural way of things as families grow, spread and lose contact with each other. 

Finding these new relatives was a splendid happening for me.  Not only did I find dear relatives, but also they helped to "complete" the Texas phase of this study of the Treuthardt family.   Not that this study could ever be completed!    But this history would not be finished without representation from all three branches.    To simplify this post, I am going to tell you about only two of these people.    Many blessings from God on this study derived from having found these ladies.     Having these two ladies on my side gave a personal aspect to the ancestors I was attempting to find.

On the Will Treuthardt side is Margaret, the great-grandchild of Friedrich Treuthardt.    From the Arnold Treuthardt side is Marguerite, Arnold's daughter and Friedrich's granddaughter.  

Margaret has been to Switzerland 7 times.    The last time she went to Switzerland she celebrated her 90th birthday while she was there.    She would not mind if I mention her present age -- 93.   Margaret and I became the best of friends, and she has given me much encouragement in these 16 years!   

In her childhood, Marguerite lived next door to her grandmother Anna Geiser Treuthardt -- who is my great-grandmother.     Only once did I get to meet Marguerite, but seeing her and apprehending even a small amount of the treasure of her memories, meant very much to me.   Marguerite also went to Switzerland several times. 

This is how I was reunited with these two ladies (and several others not mentioned here) who greatly enhanced this study.    

In the early years I was researching any and all family lines.    Whichever one was producing fruit, that was the one I pursued for the moment.    The Krieg line had been my original pursuit.   It was my Krieg distant cousin, Lillian, who was the key to finding the Treuthardts.    Lillian was the granddaughter of my grandfather Gottlieb Krieg's sister.    Lillian had inherited her grandmother's albums and materials and had shared the knowledge of them with me.    She and I were working together on the Kriegs -- mostly she was telling me what she knew, and I was recording what she said.    Both of us were trying to put it together.  

I had shared with her the Baptism photograph of 1897 (see my blog posts 15 and 16), as there were Krieg people in it.   She took the picture and showed it to her neighbor, who was also doing some Swiss genealogy.

Her neighbor, Ann Warner, recognized the Treuthardts immediately.   Ann was the granddaughter of Arnold, and great-granddaughter of Friedrich Treuthardt!    Ann was very excited and asked Lillian could she share it with her Treuthardt cousin -- (guess who!) Margaret!   

So from the Krieg side came information in an accidental way, about the Treuthardts.

My friendship with Margaret, and then at last getting a single precious visit with Marguerite, gave new life to the history.   The study took up a life of its own and swept us along after that.    

And that is how family history research works!!!  

Not the least of our discoveries was the fact that all three of us (and many others of the Treuthardts besides!!) had traveled to Switzerland, loved talking about it, and wanted to know more about the Swiss history.      

17. Photographers

Who took that picture of the double Baptism in 1897?    Maybe it was a traveling photographer.   However, I believe the photographer could be narrowed down to one of two men who belonged to this group.    
 

Some unknown photographer went to great trouble to arrange this wonderful picture, manage to get dignified faces from everybody, and produce a perfect snapshot.    This is the only photograph of the Baptism event that I have come across.   The photo is barely 5 x 4 inches, making one think that the snapshot was not done by a professional but by an amateur photographer who processed the film and did not produce very many copies of the photo.    It was preserved intact in Aunt Anna's photo album (which was originally Ida's album).    

My Aunt Anna stated to me in 1977 that she thought her uncle Arnold Treuthardt took the picture, because he had a camera and a darkroom.   Arnold had knowledge of state-of-the-art photography of the late 1800's and early 1900's.  In 1897 he was 22 years old.  
   

Nineteen years after my 1977 interview with Aunt Anna, on October 11, 1996, I visited with the grandson of Arnold Treuthardt.    John Treuthardt, who lived in Richardson, Texas, recalled seeing a camera which Arnold had built himself.   Arnold's granddaughter, Barbara Kiser, also informed me that he took pictures and had a camera and a darkroom.   Aunt Anna was correct in her memory about this.    My father also mentioned that Arnold was a photographer.  

There is another contender for the role of photographer, in the man Henry Bouffard.   A few years after the Baptism photograph was taken,  Arnold married Henry's sister Louise Bouffard, on February 14, 1902.   

This information came to me in August of 1997, when Betty Sue Foy wrote to me concerning her grandfather, Henry.    She reports, 

"My grandfather, Henry Bouffard, was an amateur photographer and it was my understanding that he had a dark room set up in his milk house where he did his own developing."     According to Foy's document, "Descendants of Jacob Ischi(y)," Henry Bouffard was born in 1879.    At the time of this photograph, in 1897, Henry would have been 18 years old, and not a member of the family through marriage yet.    The Treuthardt, Ischy and Bouffard families were all well acquainted, though, and it is possible that an 18-year-old might have taken the picture. 

There is no doubt in my mind that the (eventual) brothers-in-law Arnold and Henry encouraged each other in photography.     I only wish we had access to more of their pictures!    

 

15. 1897, February 14 The Treuthardt, Ischy & Bouffard families

February 14, 1897  The Treuthardt, Ischy and Bouffard families