Wedding Wednesday-George and Cass(McCarry)Odonnell

My Mom and Dad outside church, 14 October 1950

Wordless Wednesday-Happy Birthday Mom

Surname Saturday-Gunther

Thomas Emil Gunther

Thomas is one of my maternal Great Grandfathers. Growing up hearing the stories about him my Nana only called him Emil,. I did not find out until much later that his name was Thomas Emil. I found this from my cousin who also had his birth date of 3 September 1861. I always knew that he had come from Germany. that he had come alone as a young man. I know that he married Catherine McCarron and had three daughters, Helen, 5 June 1895, 25 April 1899 and Theresa, 31 May 1905. All born in Philadelphia, PA. Then a few years ago a friend of my mother's made a comment that Helen was my grandmother's half sister. I know nothing of this. So I requested Aunt Helen's death certificate. She lived in New York so I had a new learning experience in getting this information. I needed to know exactly were she died in order to get this. Thank goodness my family has kept prayer cards from just about everyone's death. On Aunt Helen's I found the name and address of the funeral home and went from there. After a few letters back and forth I received the death certificate for Helen (Gunther) Natale. With her husband, Louis, as informant, it listed her mother's maiden name as Catherine Gunther and her father as Emil Carrigan and her birthplace as U.S.A. New York. So another lesson in information from Death Certificates, Uncle Louie had reversed the last names. But who is Catherine Carrigan? Just some more mystery added to Emil Gunther. I hope to have more information soon. I will keep you posted!