Midwest Rural Roots Genealogy & Family Trees

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Midwest Rural Roots Genealogy & Family Trees Family Trees make wonderful and personal gifts for many occasions. Let me take the stress and guesswork out the process! I hold a B.A.

~Researched and Designed Family Trees: The Perfect Heirloom. 🪾
~Family History & Local Research 📚
~Photo Restoration 🖼️

*Give the gift that connects generations* I do ALL the research and design to create for you a 1 of a kind custom family tree!

5,6, 7+ Generation Family Tree
Includes names, birth/death dates/locations, wedding date/location

*If information (like a date) cannot be verified through documentation, it will not be guessed or just 'filled-in'. Will be discussed through completion of project. Each Tree Custom to Order:----- RIGHT NOW I AM TAKING ORDERS-
Pricing varies and starts at $100 for a 5 generation tree, research and digital design included. Basic size of 24'x18" is suggested but other sizes are available as well as other printed options. Discuss your ideas with me, more/less generations, fonts, colors etc.- I want to make your family tree special ! Contact me with questions and for a customized quote today. I take orders personally through facebook and by email currently. in History from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville as well as a certificate in Genealogy from Boston University. I have been researching family genealogy as well as local rural property history in the Tri-State area for 15 years.

A family photo find with enough architectural clues to trace through time: young Bradley McIntyre Patten, photographed i...
10/23/2026

A family photo find with enough architectural clues to trace through time: young Bradley McIntyre Patten, photographed in 1929 in the backyard of 329 West Ottawa Street in Sycamore, Illinois.

What makes this snapshot especially interesting is the backdrop. Just behind him sits the neighboring house at 327 West Ottawa Street. Comparing the 1929 view to the property today highlights decades of gradual evolution—the open side porch next door has since been enclosed, the exterior door bricked over, and 329 West Ottawa itself expanded with a later addition.

Matching vintage family photographs against modern street views and plat footprints never gets old—it turns a fleeting backyard moment into a tangible anchor of neighborhood history.

Standard templates force your family history into rigid, empty boxes. Real genealogy rarely works that way. Midwest Rura...
10/19/2026

Standard templates force your family history into rigid, empty boxes. Real genealogy rarely works that way. Midwest Rural Roots will take on your custom family tree projects to make you the perfect design to frame your family's roots and display for generations to come !

Here is the finished, framed print for the Trentacosti-Tatkus family tree.

In most genealogy software or pre-printed charts, you run into the same frustration: lines that hit dead ends leave awkward blank sections, while rich, deep branches get cut off because the template only allows four or five generations across the board.

For this custom design, the layout was built entirely around the actual records:
Deeply documented ancestral lines stretch back 13 generations in some lines and others couldn't be definitely traced further than 4 generations. Lines with fewer surviving records or recent immigration stops fit naturally at 3 to 4 generations without leaving gaping holes or forcing artificial symmetry.

Family history is asymmetric, complex, and unique to every lineage. Your display piece should reflect where your records actually lead—not where a boxed template tells you to stop.
Framed, glazed, and ready to hang for generations to come.

📩 ​Whether you need records tracked down through historical archives or already have your data ready for a dedicated design, every project is tailored specifically to what your branches require. Contact Midwest Rural Roots Genealogy & Family Trees or visit www.midwestruralroots.com to start your custom research and display project today !

09/30/2026

When digging through old newspapers for family history, you expect to find marriage announcements, estate notices, or local town gossip. Every so often, though, a full-page artifact stops you mid-scroll and shows you exactly how our ancestors were manipulated by modern marketing.

Take this October 17, 1927 issue of the Marshfield News-Herald. Right beside an ad for "Normington’s Laundry" is a massive headline:
"Now Read What 11,105 Doctors say About Lucky Strike Ci******es Because 'It’s toasted' — No Throat Irritation—No Cough."

If that tagline rings a bell, you’re probably thinking of the pilot episode of AMC’s Mad Men. In that iconic scene set in 1960, ad man Don Draper sits in a boardroom facing a crisis: medical reports are linking smoking to cancer, and cigarette makers can no longer claim their products are healthy.
Don asks Lucky Strike founder Lee Garner Jr. how they make their ci******es.

Garner shrugs and describes standard to***co curing: "We brew it, we cut it, we toast it..."

Don interrupts him, scribbles on the board, and presents the pitch: "Lucky Strike: It’s Toasted."

When Garner objects—pointing out that everyone else’s to***co is toasted too—Don delivers one of the most famous lines in modern television:

"No. Everybody else’s to***co is poisonous. Lucky Strike’s is toasted."

It is brilliant drama, but the actual history is even more fascinating. The show didn't invent that sleight of hand; television simply borrowed a playbook that Madison Avenue actually invented decades earlier.

Lucky Strike actually introduced the phrase "It's Toasted" in 1917. Heat-curing to***co was industry standard practice across virtually all brands, but American To***co Company chief George Washington Hill recognized a fundamental law of human psychology: the first company to proudly claim an ordinary process owns it in the mind of the public.

By the late 1920s—as seen right here on the pages of Wisconsin's Marshfield News-Herald in 1927—they weaponized that claim into a pseudo-medical breakthrough. Rather than admitting to***co smoke naturally irritates the lungs, they mailed surveys to thousands of physicians asking leading questions about throat irritation. They bundled the results into a tidy number: 11,105 doctors. The justification? Because the to***co was "toasted," it somehow expelled harsh irritants and protected your voice. Famous bandleader Paul Whiteman even gets a photo endorsement, testifying it spared his vocal cords.

When tracing family lines, it’s easy to look back at ancestors who smoked two packs a day and wonder how they could ignore the risks. Ads like this are the answer. Long before Surgeon General warnings, consumers were bombarded by authoritative-looking appeals telling them that thousands of medical professionals actively endorsed the habit.

Don Draper didn't invent the trick in a smoky 1960 boardroom. Real ad executives pulled it off in the 1920s—and millions of our grandparents and great-grandparents bought it, one pack at a time.

Thank you for watching and make sure to follow Midwest Rural Roots Genealogy & Family Trees for more family history videos, photos, real historical family stories, genealogy tips and so much more !

Growing Up in Green County: The Bleiler Sisters, c. 1928Studio portraits from this era capture a specific transition in ...
09/29/2026

Growing Up in Green County: The Bleiler Sisters, c. 1928

Studio portraits from this era capture a specific transition in rural Midwest life. Around 1928, sisters Marguerite and Genevieve Bleiler sat for this portrait in Monroe, Wisconsin; styled in classic drop-waist dresses, polished Mary Janes, and distinct late 1920s bobs. After seeing the writing on the back, I wanted to know more about the sisters.

Behind the studio backdrop was a lifelong tie to Green County agriculture. Marguerite and Genevieve were the daughters of Andrew and Amelia (Pinnow) Bleiler, who farmed in the Monroe area. As they grew into the 1930s, both sisters were active in local 4-H programs—a cornerstone of youth rural leadership and farm life in Green County during the Great Depression. Both women remained rooted in Monroe throughout their adult lives.

Biographical Snapshot

Marguerite Ann (Bleiler) Norder
Born: December 6, 1917 | Monroe, WI
Marriage: Raymond Norder on July 23, 1938 (Manchester, IA)
Died: March 17, 2006 | Monroe, WI

Genevieve Clara (Bleiler) Babler
Born: May 15, 1920 | Monroe, WI
Marriage: Kenneth Babler on June 19, 1945 (Monroe, WI)
Died: November 22, 1995 | Monroe, WI

Parents: Andrew Bleiler & Amelia (Pinnow) Bleiler, Monroe farmers

Do you have Bleiler, Pinnow, Babler, or Norder lines in your Green County family tree? If you have memories, or photos connected to these families around Monroe, please add them below!

Thank you for reading and make sure to follow Midwest Rural Roots Genealogy & Family Trees for more family history videos, photos, real historical family stories, genealogy tips and so much more !

09/27/2026

Mystery in Northwest Wisconsin: Can you help identify this crew?

​All the back of this original print says is "Northwest Wisconsin"—leaving behind an incredible moment frozen in time.

​Dozens of young women in matching all-white uniforms are hard at work clearing and stacking lumber, likely for a summer camp work day, resort prep, or a local college work-bee tradition.

​Based on visual clues, this dates to the mid to late 1950s (c. 1954–1959)

​The Hair: Classic mid-century pin-curled sets and cropped "poodle cuts," right before the towering teased bouffants of the '60s took over.

​The Uniforms: Coordinated high-waisted shorts, collared camp shirts, rolled bobby socks, and white canvas plimsolls—hallmarks of 1950s institutional and camp attire.

​The Accessories: Distinctive subtle cat-eye and horn-rimmed frames on a few of the workers.

​Do you recognize the location, the camp, or any of the faces here? If your mother, grandmother, or aunt attended a camp or college in Northwest Wisconsin in the 1950s, take a close look and let us know what you see!

Thank you for watching !
Make sure to follow Midwest Rural Roots Genealogy & Family Trees for more family history videos, photos, real historical family stories, genealogy tips and so much more !

*Please note I use a generated narrator for my videos. I am a genealogist and historian, I am not a content creator/video creator. I want to share history as I am able to do so. Thank you :)

09/24/2026

Found a piece of Ringgold County history: the 1914 Mount Ayr High School boys' basketball team, identified from handwritten notes on the back of an original print.

This squad was coached by Nelson Schupbach during his very first year of teaching, before he went on to serve as high school principal.

A detail that often surprises people looking at old black-and-white photos is the uniform coloring. Long before Mount Ayr adopted the familiar black and white Raiders branding, early team records show their colors were red and black.

The names and court positions are penciled on the reverse:

Left to Right:
Porter Havely (guard and forward)
Roe Main (guard)
Glen Stoher (forward)
Ernest Tennant (forward)
Floyd Davis (guard)
Ebon McAninch (forward)
Maurice Tennant (center and forward)
Harry Spurrier (center)
William Kelley (forward and guard)
Coach Schupbach

Do you recognize any of these surnames, or are you a descendant of anyone on the 1914 roster? Comment below!

Thank you for watching !
Make sure to follow Midwest Rural Roots Genealogy & Family Trees for more family history videos, photos, real historical family stories, genealogy tips and so much more !

09/24/2026

Who remembers panning for gold at Fejervary Park?

This Patten family home movie footage from the early 1960s showing Davenport’s long-lost "Western Trail" at Fejervary Park Children's Zoo (right next to Mother Goose Land).

Packed with mid-century memories:
• Panning at the "Gold Digins" water trough
• The walk-through "Lost Canyon Mine"
• The "Boot Hill" archway and wooden storefronts
• The classic "California or Bust" covered wagon
• Climbing up on Fort Apache

Opened in May 1959 and built by park carpenter Jim Walton, this wild west town was a staple for Quad Cities kids before fading into local history.

Did you or your family ever visit this park?
Drop your memories below!

Thank you for watching !
Make sure to follow Midwest Rural Roots Genealogy & Family Trees for more family history videos, photos, real historical family stories, genealogy tips and so much more !

09/23/2026

Check out this family home movie footage from around 1962 in Downers Grove, Illinois.

Watch these Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts step in time behind their troop leaders, carrying the flags for the Veterans Day parade. You can see the parked vintage cars, the gathered crowd, and an honor guard lined up as the community gathered together.

Local traditions run deep. If you were in Downers Grove around 1962, or had a brother, father, or grandfather in the Scouts back then, tell us in the comments if you spot anyone you know.

Thank you for watching ! Make sure to follow Midwest Rural Roots Genealogy & Family Trees for more family history videos, photos, real historical family stories, genealogy tips and so much more !

From Dubuque Classroom to the State Senate: The Story Behind This Audubon School PortraitI recently found this early 190...
09/23/2026

From Dubuque Classroom to the State Senate: The Story Behind This Audubon School Portrait

I recently found this early 1900s photo set of Audubon Elementary School in Dubuque, Iowa, and decided to dig into the mystery portrait in the corner, of whom I deduced was the principal at the time, approx 1907-1912 (due to clothing, photo type, etc).

Research into local records identified him as the school’s principal, Bernard J. Horchem—who later became an Iowa State Senator. By cross-referencing archival portraits from his time in the legislature, I was able to match the young principal in this photo directly to the future senator. We now have a longer look at the man that hasn't been seen for almost 100 years.

Bernard J. Horchem (1866–1932)

The inset portrait perched above the school depicts Bernard John Horchem (often cited as B. J. Horchem), a prominent Dubuque educator and legislator.

Born in Dubuque County to a Union soldier father, Horchem began teaching in rural schools before earning degrees from Valparaiso Normal School and Cedar Rapids Business College. After serving as Dubuque County School Superintendent from 1894 to 1898, he stepped down to become principal of Audubon Elementary School—a role he held for 30 years until 1928.

Horchem was widely known for pioneering "Park Life," a progressive summer initiative designed to keep boys constructively engaged in outdoor recreation, agriculture, and nature study during vacation months.

While still principal at Audubon, Horchem entered state politics as a Democrat. He served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1915 to 1919 and advanced to the Iowa Senate, serving the 35th District from 1919 to 1927, focusing heavily on public education, child welfare, and public health.

Audubon Elementary School
A Dubuque landmark, originally established as the Fifth Ward School, the facility was officially renamed Audubon School in December of 1889 as part of a citywide effort to name schools after prominent Americans.

After the original structure was condemned as unsafe in 1905 and vacated in 1906, a substantial new brick facility opened its doors in 1907 under Principal Horchem's leadership. This early 20th-century building served generations of Dubuque neighborhood children for over six decades.

Facing changing educational needs, the historic structure shown in these early photographs and post-war archives was eventually replaced in September 1973 by a modern facility built on the site.

Swipe through to see the restored and colorized versions. *Please note I cannot share the full photo of Bernard J Horchem as a senator as the only copies are from the Iowa government site, where you can peruse them at your own leisure.



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