I have used Google Books in the past, but after listening to a Genealogy Gems podcast by Lisa Louise Cooke on Friday, I decided to spend some time seeing what I could find. In just minutes, I found an article with four photos! And over the next two hours, I found dozens of “hits.”
Me with Lisa Louise Cooke in Houston, March 2014
Tip: For unusual surnames (like Holthoefer), just search for the surname. For more common names, put the name in quotation marks & add a place name.
Herman J Holthoefer (1863-1950), a druggist/pharmacist, was a nephew of my great, great grandmother, Franciska/Frances (Holthoefer) Adam. I found a three page article about him in the 1919 Western Druggist: Volume 41. It is titled “Druggist Doubles His Business in Two Years” and includes four images:
Portion of ad for “Holthoefer’s Health Salt” from Western Druggist: Volume 41
-
- a photo of Herman (about 55 years old)
- a photo of a person (probably Herman) in the store
- a photo of his store window
- an ad for a medicine he developed, Holthoefer’s Health Salts (shown above)
Besides this article, I found:
-
- several city directories listing my family members, including a business of one of my great, great grandfathers I didn’t know about
- biographical sketches I’d not seen
- an ancestor as a witness on a (potential relative’s) will
- a transcription of a deed transfer
- additional information about a fatal car wreck of one of my relatives
- & more!
Some of these books are available online, but others need to be requested via an interlibrary loan. I have a lot more work to do!
Do we share common ancestors? I’d love to talk! Please leave a comment or email me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net.
12 Comments
Leave your reply.