Publisher's Synopsis
Alma Marie Swanson née Weidemann's long life was punctuated by early tragedy, but she recovered to earn a degree, teach, and raise a family. She was a second-generation American: all four of her grandparents were immigrants. Two came from Germany and two from Ireland, immigrating around the time of the American Civil War. Her paternal grandmother, Maria Wolf, came with her family from Germany in 1858. Alma's paternal grandfather, artist Christian Weidemann, came with his brother in 1866. Her maternal grandparents, Mary O'Brien and John Minahan, arrived about 1866 from Ireland. What caused them to emigrate? What did they do when they arrived in America? Where did they live in the Old World? Who were their ancestors? This book tries to answer these questions.
