My children descend from a variety of cultures.

The BRIGHT family relocated from Pennsylvania to the booming riverfront town of Wyandotte, Kansas, shortly after the Civil War.

The MOORE family, of Scots-Irish descent, lived in the upcountry of South Carolina for a hundred years or more.

The THADEN family came from German immigrants and Tennessee Scots-Irish clans.

The NICHOLAS family originated in Tripoli and Beirut, Syria, and lived among a Syrian colony in Jacksonville, Florida.

The HAHN and LUTES families raced for land in the Oklahoma Land Run of 1893 and had been ever on the frontier prior to that time.

The ROMEO and MOTTA families immigrated to this country at the turn of the century from Sicily.

Friday, July 31, 2009

The Inventor in Our Family

Herman Thaden invented things. In fact, his tinkering around in the shed behind his house was one of the reasons why he was investigated by the government during WWI for being friendly to the enemy. It was thought he was making radios in there, with which to communicate to the Germans. Eventually, Herman patented at least seven inventions, most having to do with gardening. But his most intriguing invention was his air ship, or flying machine as it was sometimes called.

Roof Structure
Turn-Plow
Potato-Planter
Seed-Planter
Airship
Plant-Support
Airship (another patent)

Recently, a family member discovered that the Ernest Jones Aeronautical Collection, which is part of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Archives, contains a picture of Herman Thaden's flying machine. Conveniently, another family member has just moved to the D.C. area and will be looking into the possibility of obtaining a copy of that picture.
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1 comment:

  1. MariaAugust 1, 2009 at 6:17 AM

    NEATO! It is so interesting to learn about the accomplishments and dreams of our ancestors.

    ReplyDelete

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