For many years now, I have been slowly working on reconstucting the history of my family, the descendants of John Peter LAUX and Luella O'BRIEN of Stamford, NY and Henry MICHEL and Anna Barbara YOPS, of Whitesboro, NY. The LAUX side of the family has been somewhat easier as they were both a large and close family with many surviving members still living in the area surrounding Stamford. The MICHEL line has proven much more difficult for a number of reasons. My MICHEL line is much smaller (my Dad was one of five children, while my Mom was one of thirteen) and did not stay as close together as they aged, both geographically and in association. Then there was the circumstances and timing of my grandfather MICHEL's passing.
He was a patient at the NYS Hospital at Utica for several years before his death, an institution associated with mental illness, which was not talked about in those days. As my research has progressed however, I have found that he was 94 years old and his medical records showed various circulatory impairments in his later years. It seems likely that he had some senile dimentia resulting from circulatory insufficiency and they had no treatments, or diagnosis for this in the 1940's.
I am continuing my work on my family history and have eessentially hit a brick wall with any attempts to find more about Henry's origins. I do know that he died in Utica, NY on Janauary 4, 1947. I have his death certificate which says he was born in Germany, but gives no additional data. The admission papers to the NYS Hospital at Utica states his son comments he was born in Strasburg in Alsace in 1852. I also know he was married to Anna Barbara YOPS at the Fort Plain, NY Lutheran Church on December 31, 1884. None of the records of the wedding are available as they are in German Script and no one who can read them are available at the church.
If anyone is researching this line, I would be pleased to exchange such information as may be useful. I may be reached at don1936@gmail.com
