Biography of William H. Kranz

For more than seventy years the name of Kranz has been associated with the business development of Racine and has long been a synonym for progressiveness and reliability in commercial circles. The wholesale paper and stationery business conducted under the name of Kranz was established by John Kranz and since his death has been conducted by his son, William H. Kranz, whose name introduces this review. The latter was born in Racine, July 18, 1856, and the former in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany. Having arrived at years of maturity, he wedded Elizabeth Ritchie, a native of Lensburg, Switzerland. It was in the … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Bros. Bownam & Kranz

The firm of Bowman & Kranz Bros., lumber and coal dealers of Holstein, Iowa, was organized July 1, 1886, purchasing the business of S. H. Bowman Lumber Co., the pioneer lumber dealers of Holstein. Their large building, 80 x 100 feet, with all the smaller buildings, were located near the railroad depot. H. G. Kranz was born in Altenberg, near Cassel, Germany, February 7, 1865, a son of Adam and Elizabeth Kranz. He received a good education in his native language, attending school until 15 years of age. When eighteen, he came to Odebolt, Iowa, Sac. Co., and found employment … Read more

Brown Genealogy

Brown Genealogy

In 1895, Cyrus Henry Brown began collecting family records of the Brown family, initially with the intention of only going back to his great-grandfathers. As others became interested in the project, they decided to trace the family lineage back to Thomas Brown and his wife Mary Newhall, both born in the early 1600s in Lynn, Massachusetts. Thomas, John, and Eleazer, three of their sons, later moved to Stonington, Connecticut around 1688. When North Stonington was established in 1807, the three brothers were living in the southern part of the town. Wheeler’s “History of Stonington” contains 400 records of early descendants of the Brown family, taken from the town records of Stonington. However, many others remain unidentified, as they are not recorded in the Stonington town records. For around a century, the descendants of the three brothers lived in Stonington before eventually migrating to other towns in Connecticut and New York State, which was then mostly undeveloped. He would eventually write this second volume of his Brown Genealogy adding to and correcting the previous edition. This book is free to search, read, and/or download.