How Did Fred and Lena Meet?

I don't know. But, I have a theory. It is just a theory. However, even if the theory proves less than adequate, it is a convenient way to introduce many people who need to become known on this blog.

One of the very great resources for family history is Ancestry. I do not own stock in the company and I won't run their advertisements on the blog. However, I have found it a very economical and effective resource over the years. The more you use it, the more you learn from it.

One of the most important things that I have learned over the years is to look around. I've said it before and I will probably say it again in the future. Stop and have a look around on the documents that are served up to you as a result of a search query.

A number of years ago, I notice something interesting while looking for the Kunferman family in Eau Claire. I wondered if I had not found one of the 'lost' children of Patrick and Sarah Bulman. There on the 1900 census I found Harrison Bullman as a boarder a couple of doors down from John and Annie Kunferman. The Kunferman children living at home are Lena (17), John (14), Joseph (12) and Benjimen [sic] (9).

Later, I realised that this was probably Patrick's son. Further down the street lived Albert F. Bullman (Head at 29) and Jerry D. (Father) and Margarett (Mother). Albert is listed as a farmer and Jerry as a carpenter. Harrison is listed as a millwright (we will see the importance of this later). He has been married for 46 years. However, the age he gave would put his birth date as 1832 rather than 1829 as is found elsewhere.

There are two questions: (a) is this Jerry's brother and why has he gone back to the Bullman spelling? I'll have to follow these two questions up in the next few posts.There are a few assumptions behind the questions. I'll also recount what I have found out about the Kunferman family; it is very interesting and only made available recently.

My theory? I believe that Fred might have been a regular visitor to his uncle Harrison. He could have meet Lena through those visits.

I think that Fred would have felt some obligation to visit his uncle. Both Fred and Harrison's son, Herbert Lemoine (various spellings) where in the 3rd Wisconsin during the Spanish American War. Fred was in in Company D and his cousin was in Company E according to the official records. There is a web-based site that has Herbert's name listed as Herman L. Bobman (http://www.spanamwar.com/3rdwiscroster.htm). We will soon see why this might be so.