Greetings to all, as we begin the Great Lenten season!
The flowers are starting to peek through, after all of the heavy rains out here in California. I've seen a few of our state flower, the Golden Poppy, on the hills heading south toward the Golden Gate Bridge. I'm looking forward to seeing the blankets of "Cheeto dust" on hills in the central valley next time I head down to Los Angeles. What is this "Cheeto dust," you may ask? Here's a photo I took last year of poppy blankets that look like someone dumped the dust out of a Cheetos package onto the hills:
In Search of...Doctor Link!
One of the things I enjoy most about Genealogy is the "sleuthing" process. The joy of uncovering lost information about an historical person far outweighs the frustration of finding nothing at all for long stretches. Sometimes, the search reminds me of a TV documentary series from the 1970s and 1980s that I enjoyed. It starred Leonard Nimoy back then.
It's great to see that the series has had a recent re-boot starring the actor who has done such a wonderful job in Nimoy's iconic role of Spock, as well!
Who is this Doctor Link, of whom I am in search? He is my husband Marty's great-great grandfather. Johann Franz Xaver Link (1818-1882) was born in the Baden-Wurttemberg region of Germany and emigrated to the United States in about 1850. By 1852, he was living in the mining town of Yuba, California, according to a special gold-rush-era census taken by the state that year. His status as a doctor is clear by the way he was addressed from the time of his arrival in the U.S., although the 1852 census listed him as a "miner." Here is a newspaper clipping from a Yuba County newspaper that mentions him:
(Marysville Daily Herald, vol. VII, no. 1, 6 August 1856, p 2)
In December of 1859, Dr. Link married Anna Elisa, the daughter of California pioneer John Sutter, in Sutter County. Rather immediately, Dr. and Mrs. Link moved to Acapulco, Mexico, where Anna Elisa's brother, August Sutter, was living. The couple resided in Mexico for the remainder of their lives. Their first son, Emile, was born in Acapulco in September of 1860, and Marty's great-grandfather Victor was born there in 1863.
Because Dr. Link was married to the daughter of one of the most famous California pioneers, he is mentioned in many books and articles about the Sutter family. However, it appears that historical interest in Dr. Link has begun and ended with his marriage to Anna Elisa Sutter. My quest, then, is to uncover as much biographical information about Dr. Link as I can, not only because he is an ancestor of my husband, but because there is every reason to believe that his life could prove to be an immensely fascinating study.
In the course of a dozen years or so, Dr. Link and his wife lived in three different countries. My curiosity is sharply piqued by wonder over the countless adventures they must have had!
In Germany Dr. Link was called Xaver, in the U.S. Xavier, and in Mexico Javier. Given the relatively common use of the German surname Link, I'm grateful that the first name he used is rather easy to trace. It is an exciting prospect to learn more about Dr. Link and his family's life in all three of his countries of residence. Hopefully soon I will have a great deal more to report on the currently somewhat mysterious Dr. Link!
The Fantastic Newsletter from the National Archives!
To close today's post (and speaking of "links"), I'd like to suggest that you all check out the following link for the National Archives Catalog Newsletter, where you can peruse their most recent issues. Each one features items from the National Archives collections, with highly interesting write-ups by NARA curators. They are always brief but full of information that never fails to amaze!
Annie
"It is necessary for a Christian to fast, in order to clear his mind, to rouse and develop his feelings, and to stimulate his will to useful activity." -- Saint John of Kronstadt
