Is Meets Was

August and Conrad in 1888 and again, fifty years later, in 1838 My maternal great grandparents, Conrad Bals  (1864-1953) and  Augusta Schulze  (1866-1947), immigrated from Westfalen, Preussen to Brooklyn, New York in 1887 and 1888, respectively. Although my memories of them are faint, I was fortunate that they were still alive when I was born. Nine years ago, I created a slide show to tell the story of Conrad and Augusta and to share copies of Bals family photographs. I sent a CD with the slide show to each major branch of the family. Recently, my cousin, Michelle, asked for a copy of these photographs. Rather than burn another CD, I decided it was time to include the slideshow on my blog. To see the slide show I created 9 years ago, just click here:   BALS FAMILY HISTORY Enjoy.   © 2011, Cathy H Paris

Conrad with Murphy and Reilly Brooklyn, New York  c. 1922 After a week of scrutinizing old church records at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, I have a story to tell. As the seeds of the Revolutionary War in America were being sewn, across the waters in rural Prussia, in the small villages of Hembsen and Beller, Johan Bals and Agnes Kineke were born. Hembsen and Beller are neighboring villages separated by less than a mile of farmland. It was 1764. Agnes, the youngest of five siblings, was born in the winter, on February 20. She was baptized that same day at Saint Peter’s, the Roman Catholic Church in Erkeln. Erkeln is a town 1.5 miles to the north and east of Beller.   Johann, the first of 7 brothers and sisters, was born in the spring, on June 24 to be exact. Johann was baptized the day after his birth at Saint Michael’s in Brakel. Brakel is a town laying 2.5 miles to the north and west of Hembsen. While Agnes and Johann grew up in neighboring villag...