I'm sure that all families have at least one notable person whom everyone talks about, whether they are famous outside of the family or memorable for another reason. Amongst my mother's side of our family, my "cousin seven times removed" — Philip Marsteller — is the major notable, having been a personal friend of George Washington and … Continue reading My Family, My Life: The Marstellers (Part 3)
Chapman family
My Family, My Life: The Marstellers (Part Two)
Much of a family's history is tied up in places as much as in people. Both sides of my own family reach back to locations in Germany. My father's side left the home country only in the early part of the twentieth century (and there is family lore that puts portions of it in the midst of the … Continue reading My Family, My Life: The Marstellers (Part Two)
What About Mark? #1: Birth (Part 1)
NOTE: This new series -- "What About Mark?" -- is inspired by a series I used on a previous blog -- "101 Things You Didn't Know About Me." That, in turn, came about from a lesson I taught during my first year or so in Thailand and was basically a list of tidbits about myself … Continue reading What About Mark? #1: Birth (Part 1)
Veterans Day: A Personal View and My “American” Month
Today we celebrate the American holiday of Veterans Day, established back in 1919 to honor those brave men (and, later, women) who have served in our armed forces. It's one of one of the handful of days each year that I feel especially proud of my American heritage (one of the others -- Memorial Day … Continue reading Veterans Day: A Personal View and My “American” Month
Identity Crisis and Family History
Lately, I've been experiencing somewhat of an identity crisis. You see, I was adopted within a month of my birth in December 1965. I no longer have copies of the adoption papers or my birth certificate (and the latter is turning out to be as difficult to obtain as the former). I have never made … Continue reading Identity Crisis and Family History
Mark Joseph Jochim 