Born in Switzerland or Germany on this date in 1696: Thiel’s seventh great-grandfather Ludwig Mohler. By tradition, Ludwig is the patriarch of a huge family in eastern Pennsylvania, closely associated with the German Baptist Brethren. Although the line to Ludwig has become controversial in light of recent research, the importance of the family in the history of the Brethren church, and of the “Pennsylvania Dutch” in general, cannot be disputed. At least two Brethren congregations were founded by members of the Mohler clan, and still bear the family name today, including the church in Cumberland County pictured above. Ludwig and his wife, and hundreds of their commonly accepted descendants, are buried at the first “Mohler Brethren Church,” near Ephrata in Lancaster County. Read more …
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Closer to our own time, born in Vernon County, Wisconsin, on this date in 1889: Granduncle Magnus Larson, son of Ole Larson and Helena Olsdatter. Magnus died only 6 days later. Ironically, Ole and Anne Samuelsdatter earlier had a son who died in infancy, whom they had named Magnus. R.I.P.
