Just uploaded a scan of my Grandfather’s scrapbook which he started in 1919

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I will attempt to caption the many pages at some date ;)

First of a very big THANK YOU to my beautiful bride for my brithday present of an ancestry.com subscription! :)

Although for the last few years I havent done a lot of research , I have been working on my roots for nearly 20 years now and was at a end of finding anything else substantial. I knew very little of my father’s family as my parents were divorced when I was only young. But as soon as I got my subscription back I was delighted to find a census record that showed my great fandfather Pierce “Perceval or Percy” Weikel! And on that record was his father and mother, Isaac and Amanda Weikel. Again I have to thank my wonderful wife for her help in “decodong” the writing, as some of these census takers back in the day had terrible handwriting! She was able to figure out his name was Isaac and from there it opened up a great deal of info eventually leading to the finding of my 10th great grandfather Hans Wageli (1610-1663) born and died in Lampertheim, Bergstrasse, Hessen, Germany! I’ve got so much information now that it is a bit overwhelming trying to add it all in to my genealogy program, but I do enjoy it immensely. I’ll be posting much more of this info as soon as I can, including some photos I’ve managed to find of some of my ancestors,

Maude_Pierce Weikel grave in Sunnyside Cemetery in Lavelle, Pa

I often find some very interesting things I wasnt expecting as well, but they always bring a smile to my face, esepcially when its something like this… I discovered that it was my 6th great grandfather, Johan Christopher Weigel,  who immigrated to the US in 1736 with his father John Michael Weigel. The info I found on him was that he was born in Pfungstadt, Darmstadt-Dieburg, Hessen, Germany. I was curious about where this was in Germany so a quick search of it found me this map. Aside form seeing the genral location the next thing I noticed was a town just to the west of Pfungstadt… Hahn. It wouldnt mean so much to anyone else, but for me it brought a huge smile to my face and my heart. Why? Because my beautiful Alison’s family name is… HAHN! :)   click the image below to view full size

Perhaps just a coincidence in the end, but to me just one more sign in a long list of coincidences that Alison and I were destined to be together since the dawn of time :) Love you wife!

On April 8-9, 1865, Union and Confederate forces fought the Battle of Appomattox Station and the Battle of Appomattox Court House in VIrginia. They were they final actions of General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia.

A small Confederate cemetery at Appomattox National Historical Park contains the graves of eighteen Confederate soldiers who died in these battles, the last men to give their lives in combat under Lee’s direction. Also buried there is a single Union soldier who was found buried in an unmarked grave some years after the war.

All but seven of the soldiers buried at the Appomattox Confederate Cemetery remain unknowns to this day. Among those who have been identified is Private Jesse H. Hutchins from Company G, Fifth Alabama Infantry. His story is particularly telling.

Hutchins enlisted in Alabama only five days after Confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter, igniting the war that would continue for four long years. His regiment, the Fifth Alabama, was mustered into Confederate service in May of 1861 and initially served at Pensacola under General Braxton Bragg.

Sent to Virginia, the 5th Alabama took part in the Battles of Seven Pines, Gaines Mill, Malvern Hill, Second Manassas, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, Winchester and Petersburg. Jesse Hutchins, ironically, survived all of these horrible battles only to die at Appomattox Court House just hours before General Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to General Ulysses S. Grant.

Hutchins was killed in a sharp skirmish with Union cavalry on the evening of April 8, 1865. Like the others now buried at Confederate
Cemetery, he was initially interred nearby. In 1866, however, the remains of Confederate soldiers were gathered from their resting places around Appomattox Court House and brought here through the efforts of the Ladies Memorial Association of Appomattox.

It is thought that as many as 100 Southern soldiers may have died in the fighting at Appomattox Court House, but only these eighteen could be found.
The Union dead from the battles at Appomattox were later exhumed and taken to Poplar Grove National Cemetery near Petersburg, Virginia. One exception was the Union soldier who now lies buried by his former enemies at Confederate Cemetery. His body was found some years after the war
and moved to the small burial ground.

Known soldiers in the cemetery are:
John William Ashby – Co. I, 12th
Virginia Cavalry.

Oscar Demesme – Donaldsonville
Artillery (Lousianna)

J.W. Douglas

Alanson B. Hicks – Co. D, 26th
Virginia Infantry

John A. Hogan – Co. E, 26th Georgia
Infantry.

Jesse. H. Hutchins – Co. G, 5th
Alabama Infantry

Miles Cary Macon – 38th Batt. Virginia
Artillery.

Francis M. Winn – Co. E, 9th Georgia
Artillery.