Cowtales Introdution

Plans for the Cowtales blog began to first form when I learned more about my Grandma Hannah Lieske Jaus. She died when my Mom <ref>Lyla Baur</ref> was very young, and I never knew much about her. Later, my cousin Geraldine Meyer Steffen loaned me several scrapbooks her mother (my Aunt Myrtle) put together which dealt mainly with the Jaus-Scheele side of the family. A year later I came into possession of a box which had belonged to my Grandma Clara Hinderer Baur. It is full of information having to do with the Baur and Hinderer families. There are other family names which are connected, and any omissions are not intentional.

The haunting question was always "How are all these families connected?" I sort of figured it is the Jaus Farm Homestead. Everybody knows about it. That is how the name of my project became "Cowtales."

As I got into my project and learned more, I began to wonder if Grandma Johannah is the common denominator? She died before her time, yet she is a common tie. Then I knew... it had to be Grandma Clara. Wrong again. These people are all a huge part of our heritage and the histories of our families. What was the common tie which I was finding so elusive?

My cousin Karen Meyer Gilreath finally put her finger on it without realizing it at the time. In our Facebook Cowtales group she quoted our high school<ref>Martin Luther Academy, New Ulm, MN</ref> history Professor Herbert Jaster. Professor Jastor made every class memorize his definition of history.

"History is everything that man has ever thought, done, felt, or hoped for, under the guiding hand of God, who would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth"

-- Prof. Herbert Jaster, MLA History Class

My sister -in-law, Dihanne Amos Lohr, reminded me of another aspect of history. She wrote: "Everyone remembers things differently. So in reality, family history is points of view, not factual truths. I guess that’s how all history is."

This is the approach I'm attempting to take as I begin writing. Cowtales isn't just about family facts. It is about how we, as individuals remember those facts. Those memories are what make up our family history. Our history is also intertwined with the events of secular history...and church history.

Jesus is our strongest common tie. He is what our ancestors held most dear. Our ancestors were deeply religious families. It is our heritage.

Comments

• Alfed and Ralph
• Paul Hinderer, Klara Schneider holding Ralph, Alfred Baur
• Paul Hinderer, Clara Baur, Klara Schneider holding Ralph.
• Ages: Paul=59, Klara=62, Alfred=34, Clara=39

Alan or Ron used to always ask where we (the Baur kids) "got the big schnoz (nose)." This picture gives a clue. Great-grandpa Paul Hinderer has a rather fine looking nose. Now look at Great-grandma Klara. It looks awfully familiar. I think we are the proud owners of a Schneider nose!

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source:Clare Hinderer Baur collection

History wasn't my favorite class in high school. I had no interest in it. Now I find it to be very fascinating. I start following one segment and it naturally flows into another part of history. Just like secular history flows, so do our family histories. They are intertwined, even though there is no obvious reason why they should be.

A big question for me became "where in history should I begin?" The answer continues to elude me. Most of our documented family history starts in the mid 19th century. It wasn't just mid 1800 history which affected our ancestors. These ancestors were also influenced by the history their parents and grandparents endured. For this reason, I choose to begin my blog in the early 19th century.

My content from a number of sources. The family histories and pictures collected by family members before me. Wikipedia is a huge resource for secular history, as is Google and the results it yields. Synod publications and documentation are being read. A paper written by a student at the University of Wisconsin (I even printed and 3 hole punched this one for future reference!) provided great insight into the early years of our synod. Interestingly enough, WELS Professors were used as resources for this paper. Individual church anniversary books are a huge resource.

I don't claim that this blog is a 100% accurate account of our families. It isn't a 100% accurate account of our genealogy. That is far beyond its scope. It does capture the times in which our ancestors lived.

Please remember that I am not a writer. My sentence structure and thought process won't be perfect. I have made an effort to put things into a semblance of chronological order. As we explore our histories we may bounce back and forth.

When it comes to resources, you are the biggest contributors to this project. You are the people who remember the people and tales.

My plan is to document the narratives, get your feedback and comments, and eventually post the final narratives to our Cowtales blog.

The upcoming writings are my visit through time. An opportunity for me to answer questions and learn more about my roots. You are invited to join me on this journey.

- Jim Baur