
But this article is not about that branch. It is the true story of how I found the siblings for my great great grandfather - Louis Marks.
And how they were found using PRIMARILY newspapers.
And how those old dusty newspapers (actually they were online so not so dusty) found me a NEW cousin!
Yes - all because of newspapers - the subject that I write about ALL the time.
I had found Louis early on, but knew nothing of his siblings, parents etc. As is often the case - Louis was the one who immigrated to America and so his parentage became significantly more difficult to discover. And also was identifying his brothers and sisters.
The First Clue - From Guess What..... A Newspaper
Now I had an inkling that Emil and Louis were brothers. From a naturalization log and their naturalization index cards from 1864, they were suspiciously next to each other in the log, had the same naturalization date and had the same witness at their naturalization "hearing."
And a couple of years later, I found this entry in the 1875 San Francisco City Directory, which discusses a company named "Louis Marks and Bro" and cites both Louis and Emil. Evidence, not proof, but certainly enough for me at that juncture to claim their brotherhood.
So NOW we have brothers Louis and Emil.
A Cousin Appears - Because of..... A Newspaper
So Yay! I had what was very likely a NEW COUSIN on the Marks' side! And I didn't have many cousins there to begin with and only one who was interested in Genealogy (my dear cousin Kit Crawford - for the record).
The Story Doesn't End - Because of..... A Newspaper
So now Scott Harris and I ARE cousins! Yippee! But who is Mrs I Schudmack?
The last few days have been filled with research and discoveries about Mrs I Schudmack - is that Lottie Schudmack, who had 7 children, who was married to Isaac Schudmack - and whose children when they died and were cited in the California Death Index had their Mother's maiden name as "Marks"??? Oh and the Hebrew inscription on her gravestone translates to her father being named As Isaac Marks?
Yes indeed!
By the way - I have reached out to some of Lottie Marks Schudmack's descendants via Social Media. Wish me luck as I hunt for more cousins.
In closing then, I just want to say one thing: