Edenkoben - The Doll Family

Where have I been? Well, my vacation from my blog all began three weeks ago, when we had Spring Break and I went backpacking with my husband and kids. Then the past two weeks, well, really the past couple of months - I have been in Edenkoben. I have been deeply entrenched in the kirchenbuchs (church books) of Edenkoben, going back in time, as far back as the kirchenbuchs will let me go.

Let me guess - maybe you have not heard of Edenkoben? It is located in the Pfalz area of Germany, in the southwestern part of Germany. It is located on what is called "the weinstrasse" or the wine road. It is found along a section of country where they grow grapes. It is a beautiful area with rolling hills and moderate summer temperatures - only reaching on average in the mid 70's. It reminds me of the Napa Valley with tourists coming to taste of the wine produced by the locally grown grapes.

How did I end up in Edenkoben? It all began several months ago when I made contact with a distant cousin, who lives in Michigan in the summer and Florida in the winter. Sounds like a great weather strategy - the best of both worlds. He is related to me through my dad's side of the family. He and I share a common ancestor named Johann Wilhelm Doll from Edenkoben, Germany. Wilhelm came to America in 1846, when he was 69 years old. This might not seem too remarkable but many people never lived to reach the age of 69. His wife had died 2 years previous in 1844.

Wilhelm and his wife Carolina had a large family of 10 children. Four of their children died as children. Apparently, they were a close family because they all decided to emigrate to America together. At least three of their children were married with children of their own. The children, their spouses, the grandchildren gathered themselves together - made a plan, worked hard, saved money, traveled to the nearest port, obtained the necessary papers and tickets, and finally, boarded "their" ship to America. This was no small venture for the Doll family but in 1846, they eventually arrived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin - their new home.

The lesson I learned with the Doll family is that you must always do your own research. Many years ago, I had found information about the Doll family done by a man from Florida. I copied the information onto my computer and went onto research other family lines that had not yet been touched.

Now, all these years later, after talking with my cousin, I actually took the time to look at the information I had before I sent it to him. I then realized that there was many incomplete families, some misinformation, and so forth. This invigorated me to begin my own research into my families of "the weinstrasse". My journey down the wine road is not yet complete but many new names and faces that have always been apart of my family - now have been brought to my remembrance.