I’ve been researching the history of our property and it’s requiring a HUGE amount of *finesse!

I’d heard stories of a murder-suicide involving the owners in the 1930s, and was able to dig up the account from The Oregonian. It’s a pretty interesting read, especially the style of writing, which would never pass for journalism today.

I wanted to find out more about the family, so I plugged their names into Ancestry.com. I wasn’t having much luck until I entered the name of the half-sister of the owner listed in the newspaper account. I was really excited until I started finding the same two surnames repeated over and over again. It appears this German family wanted to maintain their blood lines and married cousins.  

I was able to contact two of the family members that posted the family trees by email, so I’m hopeful they will respond and help me unravel the tangled twist and turns.

*finesse (skill, flair, grace elegance, poise, assurance)

My research finesse level: 
Novice     Advanced beginner     Competent        Proficient        Expert   

 What’s yours?