My Great Grandmother "Odie"

My maternal great-grandmother, Henrietta Friederike Wesler Strubbe was born in Bremen, Germany in 1861. She emigrated to the United States in 1876 and married Heinrich Wilhelm Strubbe in 1881 in NYC. They had five children, three lived to adulthood. The Strubbe plot is in Hoboken Cemetery in North Bergen, NJ. I've only been to this cemetery once but am about to go again. Last year a distant cousin contacted me after she found my "Another Davis Family Tree" on RootsWeb. We shared our Strubbe stories and photos and now we are finally going to meet each other for the first time. Where? At the cemetery, of course. She wants to give me a photograph of my William that she's had for 30 years. I can't wait! 

I created a photo book for my brother's birthday and put this picture of Odie on the cover.  

Henrietta and her mother, Juliane Johanne Dietzmann Wesler.
 

Henrietta made this cross stitch sampler when she was twelve years old. It is signed and dated 'Henrietta Wesler 1873.'

My gr-grandparents ran the Kroger & Strubbe eating house in lower Manhattan from about 1884-1890. Henrietta did all the cooking. I believe that's William on the left with their daughter, Lilly, who actually died of meningitis at the age of 3-1/2 in 1885.

William with his daughter (my grandmother), Elizabeth Henrietta Louise. Family lore is that Etta wanted to try out for the Follies but her father would not hear of it. Hmm......

My gr-grandmother spent hours sitting in her rocking chair crocheting. Among the many items that she made were tablecloths for each of her granddaughters when they got married. 

After my father died, I actually found Odie's afghan tucked inside his hide-a-bed sofa. What a surprise!

And here I am sitting on the afghan with my Aunt Midge--many years ago:-)