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German Immigrant Ancestors

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On the maternal line of my grandmother, Hilma Catherine Dohrman-Jolly, I can confidently say that all of our immigrant ancestors came from what is now Germany. Intrigued by this family history, I decided to delve into researching and crafting a blog post about these forbearers. Initially expecting this to be a brief endeavor, further investigation revealed a remarkable count of 12 direct line ancestors who were born in Germany and made the journey to the United States. Due to the shared occupation of farming among these ancestors, I initially believed this blog post would be brief. Despite the shared aspects in many of their stories, my research uncovered a wealth of noteworthy details that I feel compelled to share. Additionally, immersing myself in their experiences deepened my appreciation for the courageous journeys all immigrants undertake when leaving their homeland for an entirely new life. GERMANY Let’s start with a bit of geography. The region we now identify as Germany h
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Keet-McElhany House, Springfield, Missouri

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Located in Springfield, Missouri, at 435 E. Walnut Street is the Keet-McElhany house.  The house was built in 1881 and was officially entered into the National Register of Historic Places over 100 years later in 1984.  The house was the residence of prominent Springfield ancestors for over 100 years.  The Keet, McElhany, and Holland families were important merchants and bankers in early Springfield, Missouri history. Ancestors Within These Walls Claude McElhany, my second cousin three times removed, resided in this house alongside his wife, Katherine Keet-McElhany.  The property, acquired by Katherine’s father, James Keet, in 1883, became a significant part of their shared history.  The couple exchanged vows within the home on July 7th, 1909 and continued to call it their residence until their respective passings - Claude in 1956 and Katherine in 1992.   Claude was a veteran of World War I.  For the majority of his career, he worked as a clerk and salesman at Keet & Roundtree Dry G
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