Meet Ferdinand Basch. 1838-1879.
Ferdinand is my third Great Grandfather going back two generations from my maternal Grandmother, Addrian McKee Clark.
Ferdinand was born in Alsace-Lorraine, France in 1838. The Alsace-Lorraine territory was owned both by Germany and France through the centuries. The area was in French control at the time of Ferdinand's birth. After the Prussian victory in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71, the territory was once again under German control until the end of WWI. The Treaty of Versailles returned the land to France in 1919.
Ferdinand was long gone by then.
By 1847, the population of Alsace-Lorraine was well over one million. Overcrowding was a problem, as well as sanitation. Young people found employment to be very elusive at best. (much like modern day France)
It was about this time, in 1847, that the people of Alsace-Lorraine began looking for other opportunities, Many moved to Paris just a short distance away. Others colonized new Russian territories. Some went to Switzerland and other countries to the east.
The Basch's went to America.
They settled in Missouri in 1851. When Civil War divided the country ten years later, (and divided Missouri even more so), Ferdinand and his brother Theodore enlisted in Company F of the 5th Missouri Cavalry. (Union) Ferdinand as a Sergeant and Theodore as a Private.
The photo above shows Ferdinand in his Union uniform holding a revolver and a sword. I tried to identify the pistol, but so far I have been unable to. I thought it might be an 1851 Colt Navy, but found out it is not.
Ferdinand lost his trigger finger in the war. Any other injuries are unknown.
Ferdinand married Louisa Wittland, I assume, about 1859 as their daughter, also Louisa, was born to them in 1860. Louisa Basch married Louis Carl Stuve on Feb. 5 1880. their wedding picture is below.
In 1888, Louis and Louisa had a daughter. Wilhamina Louisa Stuve. Born July 22nd of that year. Wilhamina was known by her family and friends as, "Minnie."
Minnie married Martin Jasper McKee, (known by his family and friends as, "Jap") in 1906. Their wedding picture is also below.
Jap McKee bears a striking resemblance to my cousin, Ryan McKee who is about the same age as me. (50)
Jap and Minnie had a son and four daughters. The son was the eldest--Louis McKee born 1907 died 1970. He was named for his Grandfather, Louis Stuve.
The youngest of Jap and Minnie's children was a girl, Addrain. (Pronounced Add-run) Addrain married Francis Sylvester Clark on Oct. 18, 1934. I don't have a wedding photo of them, but this is a photo of them in about 1938 with my Aunt Pat. My mother was born the following year.
Francis and Addrain had four children. The two oldest were girls, My Mom (Sheron) and Aunt Pat. Then two boys, Jeff and Rodney. My mother married Rodney Van Otterloo in 1960. I was born in 1961 and the picture below is Mom, Dad, and I just before my first birthday. March, 1962.
So there are the generations of a family going all the way back to an immigrant that fought for the North in the Civil War! I didn't know I had Franco-Prussian ancestry until I discovered Ferdinand Basch.
Kinda cool.