Buried in the Attic: Stories Grandma Never Told Us

When doing genealogy research, we often hit what’s called a brick wall: a problem that you can’t get past. Most often that means you’re unable to trace a specific ancestor’s parents. But brick walls can sometimes be broken with time, patience, and the right tools. And for the longest time, my biggest brick wall was a man named Abner Gilbert. Every few months I’d pick my research back up and try to solve what I started calling the Problem of Abner. And eventually, I smashed right through that brick wall. If you have a brick wall in your research, maybe you can break through, too.

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Thanks for listening to Buried in the Attic. If you liked this podcast, please rate and review. I’ll see you next month with Love and Murder.

Buried in the Attic is researched, written, and produced by me, Lynette Kleisner. If you’re interested in my work, visit my website at gravestonesandgenealogy.com, follow me on Instagram and Threads @gravestonesandgenealogy, and find me on TikTok @gravesandgenealogy. Theme music is by Scott Moore. Find him on Bluesky @GrooveIs4Life.. I’ll see you next time.

Imagine you live in a small Bohemian village where you know everyone. In fact, your family has lived in this very house for generations. But war and poverty take their toll, and you decided to sail to America and start over in a city of 300,000. A few years later, the railroads open the door for westward expansion and a chance to own land. You and your spouse leave your entire family with the hope that you can eke out a future in a former Cowtown. That’s exactly what Terezie and Joseph did. They experienced uncertainty, heartbreak, and ultimately triumph on the Great Plains. This is their story.

Thanks for listening to Buried in the Attic. If you liked this podcast, please rate and review. I’ll see you next month with The Problem of Abner.

Buried in the Attic is researched, written, and produced by me, Lynette Kleisner. If you’re interested in my work, visit my website at gravestonesandgenealogy.com, follow me on Instagram and Threads @gravestonesandgenealogy, and find me on TikTok @gravesandgenealogy. Theme music is by Scott Moore. Find him on Bluesky @GrooveIs4Life.. I’ll see you next time.

Meet special guest Kyle Kochenberger, one of the co-hosts of the podcast History Buffs or Bluffs. We discuss the podcast, his writing, and his favorite historical rabbit holes!

Welcome to Buried in the Attic: Stories Grandma Never Told Us. I'm your host, Lynette. If you like this podcast, follow me on Threads and Instagram @gravestones_and_genealogy and TikTok @graves_and_genealogy. Visit my website, www.gravestonesandgenealogy.com

Theme music is by Scott Moore. Find him on Bluesky @Grooveis4Life

How does someone set out in a kayak for a peaceful paddle on the river and end up lugging home a random headstone? That’s exactly what happened to Don, who kayaks the rivers and creeks of Ohio.

Thanks for listening to Buried in the Attic. If you liked this podcast, be sure to rate and review! Join me next month for a special guest appearance.

Buried in the Attic is researched, written, produced, and recorded by me, Lynette Kleisner. Find out more about my work at gravestonesandgenealogy.com. Follow me on Instagram and Threads @gravestonesandgenealogy and on TikTok @GravesandGenealogy. Theme music is by Scott Moore. Find him on Bluesky @Grooveisforlife.

Horace Gilbert, Fritzie Stelter, and James Sefrhans, Jr. all had one thing in common: They all died while in service to their country. Horace in the Civil War, Fritzie in World War II, and Jimmy in Vietnam. Learn more about these three men - my only relatives who didn't come home from the wars in which they served.

For more on Jimmy Sefrhans, please view this excellent documentary by Robert Peavey: https://youtu.be/5cOLWHbRZuE?si=rNjP-p1X5s-KdxTU

More on the Vineyard Sound lightship LV73: https://www.wrussellwebster.com/articles/lightship-crew-remembered/

Welcome to Buried in the Attic: Stories Grandma Never Told Us. I'm your host, Lynette. If you like this podcast, follow me on Threads and Instagram @gravestones_and_genealogy and TikTok @graves_and_genealogy. Visit my website, www.gravestonesandgenealogy.com

Theme music is by Scott Moore. Find him on Bluesky @Grooveis4Life

On July 12, 1926, two men held up the Galien State Bank in Galien, Michigan. They fled in a stolen Cadillac as town citizens fired at them, then crashed the car 20 miles northwest. From there they escaped into the woods on foot. A posse of men surrounded the woods, but when dawn broke, the bandits were gone.

Welcome to Buried in the Attic: Stories Grandma Never Told Us. I'm your host, Lynette. If you like this podcast, follow me on Threads and Instagram @gravestones_and_genealogy and TikTok @graves_and_genealogy. Visit my website, www.gravestonesandgenealogy.com

Theme music is by Scott Moore. Find him on Bluesky @Grooveis4Life

All I ever knew about my grandma's Aunt Blanche was that she owned a farm, she married a man much younger than her, and that they had chickens. I found her fascinating and wanted to know more, but to do that, I had to do my own research. From 1890s Chicago to 1960s New York, come along to learn more about one of my most unconventional relatives.

Buried in the Attic is researched, written, produced, and recorded by me, Lynette Kleisner. Theme music is by Scott Moore. Find him on Bluesky @Grooveis4life. If you liked this podcast, find out more about my work at gravestonesandgenealogy.com. Follow me on Threads @gravestonesandgenealogy and TikTok @graves_and_genealogy

CW: Murder/attempted suicide

It was a chilly afternoon in February 1931 when Belle Loewe was stabbed in the rear room of a cheap boarding house in Chicago. By the time police arrived, she was dead, and her roommate’s throat was slashed.

Buried in the Attic is researched, written, produced, and recorded by me, Lynette Kleisner. Theme music is by Scott Moore. Find him on Bluesky @Grooveis4life. If you liked this podcast, find out more about my work at gravestonesandgenealogy.com.

On a stormy June evening in New Haven Colony, a ship was spotted sailing up the river from the harbor. Citizens ran to meet it, anxious for news of their own dear ship that had set sail for England six months earlier. As they approached, they were astonished to see it was the very image of their own ship – hanging in the air above the water as if made of mist. They watched in awe as bit by bit, the apparition vanished before their very eyes.

Buried in the Attic is produced, written, and narrated by me, Lynette Kleisner. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a story. Theme music is by Scott Moore. Find him on Bluesky @Grooveis4life. If you liked this podcast, find out more about my work at www.gravestonesandgenealogy.com. Follow me on TikTok @gravesandgenealogy. Email: [email protected]

Welcome to Buried in the Attic: Stories Grandma Never Told Us. I’m your host, Lynette, and I’m a genealogist. Each month I’ll share stories I’ve stumbled across in my own research and interview other genealogists, both professional and amateur. We’ll discuss surprising, fascinating, and sometimes unsettling discoveries we’ve made in our genealogy journeys. Things our family never told us. Things our family never even knew. I’ll even take submissions from YOU, the listeners. Today you’ll hear a sneak preview of what’s to come. So follow me as we climb the stairs, open the door, and see what we find buried in the attic.

Content Warning: Suicide, poisoning

Website: gravestonesandgenealogy.com

TikTok: @gravesandgenealogy

Email: [email protected]