Retracing My Steps and Feeling Awful I Didn't do it Sooner

Well, now I just feel foolish. In planning out a genealogical trip to Evansville, Indiana, I began to retrace all my steps, look at all the evidence currently available to me, and re-analyze everything I know. In doing so, I realized that we could probably find some information on some more recent documents like the death record of Henry August Holzgrafe. I was thinking of looking at the church records as they will give me more info, but I began sifting through my files anyway about 10 minutes before I posted this post. There I found some well kept records. Then I found a record which I had forgotten I have: the certificate of death and death record for Henry A. Holzgrafe. I casually looked through it once more. I've read it before, but it had been so long ago. Then I saw it. "Father's name in full: A. H. Holzgrafe; Mother's maiden name in full: Anna Kassebaum". Immediately my heart sank. For so long, I had been in denial. For so long, I had been adamant that there was no proof that Henry August and his brother Frederick W. were in anyway related to the Holzgrafe family of Schweicheln, Germany. Albert Heinrich Holzgraefe and Anna Marie Sophie Kassebaum were the parents of several children one of whom was named Johann Fredrich Wilhelm Holzgraefe born 15 July 1828. This is my third great-grandfather.

When I foolishly decided that there was no evidence, I must have completely forgotten about this record. Lost in my filing cabinet, there was no way for me to know...unless. Unless I rummaged through all my old documents over and over again. Even if I thought I knew everything on them. I'm not promising that you will find something you overlooked or forgot, but I am saying that no matter how tedious and seemingly useless retracing your steps is, it is ALWAYS worth it. Thank you J. H. Berges for reporting this death record with my fourth great-grandparent's names way back in August of 1900, 113 years ago.

A Citizen of the United States of America

I payed $1 and a couple postage stamps last week to receive a copy of the naturalization record of my 3rd Great Grandfather, Fredrich Holzgrafe. I had hoped I would find out some new information, but unfortunately, the Vanderburgh, Indiana County court was rather vague and wrote. Still, I feel a new closeness to Fredrich Holzgrafe. Every document I uncover with his name on it makes him that much more real to me. Another brushstroke on the time-worn and faded canvas.

"Now here comes Frederick Holzgrefe, a native of Prussia, and makes application to become a citizen of the United States of America, and the Court being satisfied that he has complied with the Acts of Congress in each case made and provided, the said Frederick Holzgrefe is now here admitted to become a citizen of the United States and now here takes the final oath to support the Constitution of the United States and otherwise demean himself as a good and peaceable citizen thereof, and that he now renounces and abjures forever all allegiances and fidelity to any foreign Prince, Potentate, State and Sovereignty whatever, and more particularly to the King of Prussia of whom he was heretofore a subject."

Vanderburgh County, Indiana
8 September 1856