Beginnings

My earliest known ancestor: (I had an old German hymnbook inscribed "Corslin Sonfin Arnold", from Greiz, Germany, 1768). He was the father of Frank Arnold (or Franz Louis Arnold, whose name was inscribed in a Lutheran bible of 1829). He, in turn, was the father of Louise Arnold (Born 1835? in Greiz, Died 1882? in Norwich, Conn). She was the mother of Richard Blankenburg, my Grandpa, who was born Feb. 21 or 26, 1864 in Greiz, and died Jan. 27, 1935 in Rockville, Conn. I used to have a photograph of Louise Arnold (Blankenburg), holding a baby (my greaat aunt Louise), and a little boy (my grandpa Blankenburg).

The aforementioned Frank Arnold / Franz Louis Arnold married Louise C. Scharschmidt, born 1812 (I used to have her baptism certificate), and died about 1900 in Olnyville area of Providence, RI. I have a faded photocopy of a photo of her as an old lady. She raised Louise Blankenburg. She had one sister who stayed in Greiz, and married a Baumgartl, and they had a daughter who married Mr. Dubler.

Now Frank Arnold and Louise Scharschmidt I believe had four children: Willimina, Louise, Maurice, and Henry. Willimina married Frank Argus, and their son Albert settled in California. I used to have his photograph, and I believe he had brothers. Maurice Arnold married, and they had a son, Ellis Arnold, who with his wife lived at 6716 Miramonte Blvd, L.A., Calif. His wife preceeded him in death, and they had no children. Henry Arnold never married.

Now going back in time to another branch, (no dates available), Eduard Blankenburg married Wilhelmina Hoffman, and they apparently had two sons, Edward and Frank. Edward went to Nebraska and married, probably in North Platte. They had two daughters, Tillie and Jesse, plus two sons who were bachelors and settled in California. My mother used to correspond with Jesse. Frank Blankenburg was born in Greiz, Germany and died in Providence RI maybe about 1912. He was a travelling musician and never home. That's why my great aunt Louise was raised by her grandmother rather than her mother.

Frank Blankenburg and Louise Arnold had at least three sons and a daughter. The sons were Otto, Richard, and Werner. The daughter was my great aunt, Louise Emilie Blankenburg, born about 1874, and died about 1954 in Providence, RI. She was a housekeeper for the Governor of Rhode Island, and when he died he gave her the life-use of his mansion in Providence. We used to visit there. She never married. My grandfather was Richard Blankenburg, born in Greiz, Germany Feb. 21 or 26, 1864, and died Jan. 27, 1935 in Rockville, Conn. One of his brothers changed his name from Blankenburg to Blank, moved to NYC and was never heard from again.

My grandpa Richard Blankenburg came with his parents to USA when he was about 2or 4 years old. They came in a sailing vessel which took a long time to cross, and according to my Aunt Esther, they were headed for Argentina, but were blown off course, and wound up in Rhode Island.

My grandpa Blankenburg only had about 1/2 of first grade for schooling, and could only write his name. He did teach himself how to read, however, and was a hard-working man, although something of a character. I have plenty of stories about him, and will try to cover them in time. Anyway, he settled in Rockville, CT, met and married my grandma, Albina (Bertha) Liberte Backmann. They were both 21 when they got married, and I used to have a photo of them together at that age. In that photo you could see the likeness of all their 7 children.

Early on, my Grandpa and Grandma Blankenburg quit their work in Rockville, and took up farming at the NW corner of Dart Hill Road and Skinner Road, in Vernon, CT where their 7 children grew up (and later on, my sister and I also). He did a lot of "truck gardening", raising vegetables and selling them retail in Rockville. Also he had dairy cows, pigs, and some chickens, plus he raised broadleaf tobacco. As the farming succeeded, he added more land.

My grandparents, Richard Blankenburg and Bertha Backmann had four daughters: Emma Louise (my mother), Esther, Cora, and Florence. They had three sons: Charlie, Fred, and Arnold. Their vital statistics to be continued in next blog.