a Mother's Day reminiscence ...

My mother, Betty Quast Rebholz (1920-2011), was NOT interested in our 100% German family genealogy. Of course, I ignored that and regaled her with stories going back 12 generations, and even forgotten branches of her protestant paternal tree in Milwaukee. I included strange experiences I had in the genealogy community and in libraries. Her typical response was "You couldn't make this stuff up!"
     So it was a real surprise when she triumphantly related a story about me, as told to her by her hairdresser, who had attended a class at the Milwaukee Public Library!
     This was an Aha! moment because of an incident of verbal abuse I experienced at a Family History Library: a patron named Tom, angry with my creation of this project, LOUDLY and rudely regaled patrons about my indexing project as it related to my personal life and my resumé.
     Betty and I chuckled over Tom's classic church-lady  behavior; she had her own anecdotes about that stereotype. From then on she appreciated my stories about Milwaukee Public Library's staff bullies and retirees with their ever-present threat of data-rape and patron-trafficking.

    Betty would also enjoy a good chuckle knowing that in May 2011 a stranger approached me with a research question about my father's family tree at HER funeral service!

Passover in Milwaukee - matzos, matzos, matzos!

Jewish baker Julius Kohn (1724 Walnut St.) tells his valued customers that his matzos are available again this year and can be purchased at Klingbeil's on State St., Gottschalk's on Chestnut St., P. Welch's on Van Buren St., and at Ph. Weis' butcher shop on Jackson St. Weis was another advertiser of Kosher products in the Milwaukee Herold (the mainstream paper published by W. W. Coleman