Mightier Acorns

Journeys through Genealogy and Family History

A parody of a family coat of arms designed with acorns as elements, with the motto "ex gladnis potentioribus" Latin for "from Mighty Acorns"
From Mighty Acorns

Category: Pottawattamie County, IA

Families that lived in the county and research done there.

  • 1888: The Thomsens Arrive in America

    Telling the story of immigrants is complicated – why they came, where they went, and who they became. This Danish family’s story is complicated by the different ways surnames were rendered before and after the 1856 naming law, and the variations between English and European spelling conventions. But “complicated” doesn’t mean “impossible”

  • Danish Roots: The Thompson Family in Iowa

    There are challenges to researching immigrant ancestors who came to America from Europe, but with luck, patience, and practice, you can assemble a reliable picture of their lives in their original homes.

  • The burden of proof requires more evidence The most important question in any research is: “How do you know that?” If you’re lucky, the answer prompts you to say, “Huh, that’s interesting…” and you learn something new. If you saw last week’s post about William and Oscar Martin or the original “Family Reunion: Martin” post…

  • Two brothers, both railroad men, led different lives In case you don’t recall from last year’s “Family Reunions” series, William F. Martin was the paternal grandfather of my wife’s maternal grandmother – he was one of Her Sixteen: That post did a quick overview of William and Hattie’s only son, Howard W. Martin, a successful…

  • A two-for-one development – and a lesson in Endogamy Harriet Jenevereth “Hattie” Shepard (1874–1923) was the paternal grandmother of Merilyn Martin, my wife’s maternal grandmother – and thus, one of “Her Sixteen.” Hattie was born on 18 Dec 1874, the youngest of three children of Sylvanus S Shepard (1850–1921) and Lucy Gertrude Rounds (1848–1920). Her…

  • Going four generations back to find another line This surname can be found among my wife’s Sixteen great-great-grandparents. We have to go that far back to find the first Shepard – Harriet Jenevereth Shepard – 18 Dec 1874 – 17 Jan 1923 Hattie was the paternal grandmother of my wife’s maternal grandmother, Merilyn (Martin) Holmquist…

  • Going four generations back to find another line This surname can be found among my wife’s Sixteen great-great-grandparents. We have to go that far back to find the first Jensen – the maternal grandmother of my wife’s maternal grandmother. Lena Marie Dagmar Jensen – 10 Sep 1874 – 04 Jan 1952 Lena was born in…

  • Pacific Junction, Iowa, was a railroad town. Three railroads converged in Mills County, about 25 miles south of Omaha, Nebraska. The western terminus of the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad and the eastern terminus of the Nebraska Burlington & Missouri Railroad met at a station on the Kansas City, Council Bluffs, & Saint Joseph Railroad…

  • an overview of my work on this surname Aletha Frederick Putnam was the daughter of Charles Walter Putnam (1859–1922) and Daisy Deane Frederick (1871–1964), born on 16 Nov 1899 in New Albany, Floyd County, Indiana. Her family moved to Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, between 1904 (when her younger brother was born in New Albany)…

  • A Quick Overview of my work under this surname You might recall from this earlier post: Merilyn (Martin) Rossiter (1923 – 1997) was the daughter of Howard William Martin (1897–1970) and Aletha Frederick Putnam (1899–1981), born on 17 Aug 1923 in Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie, Iowa. She married Arvid Wesley “Bud” Holmquist (1920–1996) in 1943 in…