52 Ancestors: What Wasn’t Written Down
I’ve adapted Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge.
Each week I follow my children’s ahnentafel numbering to select the featured ancestor, ensuring no one through the mid–sixth generation is left behind.
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2026 Week 39: What Wasn’t Written Down
Our Ancestor
My Week 39 ancestor is Rosie. And in her case, I don’t have to look far for what wasn’t written down: her surname.
What I Know, and How I Know It
Jennie (Sheindel) Felder, whom you may recall from earlier posts, immigrated from “Austria” and married a year or two later. I have found no trace of her mother, and all I know about Rosie comes from records created during and after Jennie’s lifetime:
- Jennie’s marriage record (she was 23 in 1888) says that she was born in Austria to “Rosie”
- Jennie’s death record, at age 63, lists her mother as “don’t know” born in “Austria”
Somewhere between those two records, even Rosie’s given name disappeared from family knowledge—or at least from the knowledge of the person who reported Jennie’s death.
The Search for Rosie
What wasn’t written down, as far as Rosie is concerned, is a whole lifetime. I don’t know her surname, where in “Austria” she lived, whom she married, or what became of her. Someday I may crack this nut—or perhaps a descendant will.
Jennie’s tombstone doesn’t give a hint of her mother.
AI Disclosure
This post was created by me with the help of AI tools. While AI helps organize research, the storytelling and discoveries are my own.
Next Week’s Topic: A Moment of Courage
