Valentine Maninger is a seminal character in our history. He was born in our ancestral village of Dittwar, Germany.
He was our first ancestor in America, immigrating to Illinois.
He embraced the “Go West” mantra, moving to Kansas.
He was the progenitor of a large family of Maningers, who are still interested in our family history. Not too many years ago, there were family members that we know who personally knew Val.
Continue readingAfter the fall of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, Dittwar came under the control of the newly-created Duchy of Baden.
Joseph and Anna Maninger lived in Dittwar in the latter half of the 18th century.
Their world was like that of their parents and grandparents. Their homes, occupations, religion, and traditions were the same as past generations. Political and ecclesiastical rule were centuries old.
The dawn of the 19th century would bring a seismic change.
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Dittwar was predominantly Catholic throughout the era of the Holy Roman Empire, and remains so today.
Dittwar hosts many religious sites and icons.
Continue readingLorenz Maninger was born around 1690 in Dittwar, a small village in the southwest of present-day Germany. Dittwar is the ancestral home village of our Maninger grandparents.
We’re going to begin a series of stories about our Maninger family.
But guess what? The history of our Maninger family has already been written! It’s “The Maninger Family: with additional sections on the related families of Barth, Smith, Schrock, Weyeneth,” by F. Robert Henderson.
Lucky for us, this marvelous history resource is available to help tell our stories.
Family Nibbles – Volume 10 is here! This book is about the lives of our Gallagher ancestors from 1915 to 1941.
1941 was a watershed year. The end of the Great Depression. The beginning of World War II. It had profound effects on our family.
The Federal budget increased by an astounding 50 percent between 1940 and 1941. Virtually all of the increase was for military spending.
In 1941 unemployment would drop below 10 percent for the first time since 1930.
Unemployment Rate 1938-1941 – Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library
Continue readingIn February 1941 fully one percent of the American labor force was at work building army training camps for 1.4 million new draftees.
The End of the Great Depression – National Bureau of Economic Research
In April 1940 Germany attacked Denmark and Norway. In May, Germany took Belgium and the Netherlands. In June, France fell to the conquering Germans. Japan had overrun China. In September, Italy joined Germany and Japan in an Axis treaty.
Continue readingIn 1940, unemployment was 14%, but people increasingly felt the Great Depression was in the rear view mirror. The war in Europe and Asia threatened to draw in the Americans, and the war department was spending huge amounts to increase military preparedness.
Many say 1940 was the year that ended the Depression.
Family Nibbles 