Charles & Rose

Carl Traugott Mirtsching begat Richard Max Mirtsching, who married Rose Fuchs and begat Charles Henry Mirtsching and Rose Mirtsching.

Charles & Rose, c. 1908

Richard, Charles, Carl, Rose, and Rose, c. 1908

Carl, Rose & Richard; children Charles & Rose, c. 1908

Then Charles married Anna Germaty and begat Leonard, and Rose married Gustav Weidemann and begat Rosemary and Richard.

Charles, Anna, Rosemary, Rose & Gus; boys Leonard & Richard, 1938

Richard and Rose Get Spooney

She looks as if she likes him, doesn't she? He looks as if he ought to be twirling his mustache.

circa 1903

The family tradition is that Rose (who was known as Nana by the time I met her) was a hard-livin' pistol. Richard died at age 48, and she had three more husbands after him, and lived to be 78. In her old age she had become autocratic and intimidating. Well; maybe she was entitled.

The second and third photos were probably taken on the banks of the Mississippi River or the Missouri River. Mirtschings always liked being on the water. Richard belonged to a rowing club, and my grandparents Charles and Anna had a small boat and spent most of their leisure and vacation time on the river, and camping and picnicking on the banks. Leonard, of course, grew up and joined the Navy; but he never did much care for the ocean. A river is a homier kind of thing.

Choo Choo Papa

Here is our great-great grandfather.

Here he is with his first wife, Anna Laupoid Mirtsching (holding a dog, which I dearly wish were more than half in the picture), and his younger son, Richard Max Mirtsching. Yikes! That sad smirk on Anna's face is very familiar -- I see it in the mirror all the time. 

circa 1905

This is Choo Choo Papa's older son, Charles W. Mirtsching. I don't know if he had any other children.

circa 1880

The family nickname derived from the fact that Choo Choo Papa was an early adopter of the automobile. Here he is with Charles Henry Mirtsching (fifty years later to become known as Paw Paw), Anna Laupoid, and Rose Fuchs Mirtsching, Richard's wife. Richard and Rose were Paw Paw's parents, and our great grandparents. (Richard might have been taking the picture.)

circa 1905

Okay, so who was the wise guy who glued the labels on the photos? Which cannot be removed and believe me, I've tried? And who also glued these photos, with their horrible little labels, to a poster-sized piece of cardboard, along with about twenty others, using criminal amounts of glue?

Or put it another way. Who was the linear-thinking, methodical individual who documented these details and grouped these photographs for our benefit? 

It was Leonard, of course, bless his heart.