In late 2019 I made contact with the great granddaughter of Frederick Kahler and Dorathea Beitz. Here is the first message:
“Are you in the Fisher family tree? I am a daughter of Charles” –Betty Tilt, 31 Jul 2019
“Have pictures but doubt i could manage to send any. Sincerely, Betty Fisher Tilt”
Who is Betty Tilt?
Betty is Betty Fisher born in 1921 in the descendant chart below. She is the great-granddaughter of Frederick Kahler and Dorothea Beitz. The chart below shows only two siblings, but I believe that is incomplete. Betty indicated in a message that she is “a” daughter of Charles Fisher.
Wilhelmina’s Brother Gottlieb Philip Kahler and Frances
Betty’s grandfather was Gottlieb Philip Kahler (our ancestor Wilhelmina Kahler was Gottlieb’s sister). Gottlieb filed for divorce from Frances in 1911. Gottlieb died in 1922 when Betty was about one year old. His wife Francis Kahler died in 1940 when Betty was about 19 years old. Based on Betty referring to Frances as “grandma Frances Kahler”, I suspect Frances either never remarried or at least stayed in close contact with the Kahler family.
Here is a 5×7 image I made in 2017 from a Gottlieb picture I downloaded from Ancestry.com. In 2017 I found evidence he was divorced by 1910, but I now know they separated in 1910 and he filed for divorce in 1911.
Gottlieb’s sister Wilhelmina Kahler (1848-1926) married Christian Unsicker, Sr. (1839-1928). When Wilhelmina Kahler was born on June 6, 1848, in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, Germany, her father, Frederick, was 29, and her mother, Dorothea, was 25. She married Christian Unsicker on May 20, 1867, in Tazewell, Illinois. They had 12 children in 27 years. She died on January 8, 1926, in Hopedale, Illinois, at the age of 77, and was buried in Tremont, Illinois.
Here is a chart of the people from me to Betty.
DNA Matches to Glenn Allen Unsicker
As of November 2019, my father-in-law Glenn Allen Unsicker has 37 DNA matches through Frederick Kahler on ancestry.com, 5 of which continue through Gottlieb Kahler.
Here are the 5 DNA matches through Gottlieb as of November 2019. The Betty Tilt highlighted here is the Betty Fisher who is the focus of this article. We have a DNA match between Glenn Allen Unsicker and Betty Fisher Tilt.
Ancestry.com Messages so far
After the initial message I mentioned at the beginning of this article, Betty Tilt (Fisher) sent the following:
“I am sorry but I am very elderly and have no one to assist me how are we related?”
I then replied with:
“Hi, is this Mike Bell, or Betty Tilt? I see that your tree is empty. I’d have to see your ancestors to know how we’re related. Perhaps start by entering your parents, grandparents, etc.
If you have questions, you can message me.” –Mike Prestwood
Betty then replied with enough information so that I could identify her:
“Hello Michael,
Josephine Kahler was my…mother. I saw her mother Frances Kahler a few times in my life (my grandmother) as she lived in Peoria Illinois and I lived in Washington State.
I am very eldery, born in March 1921. I do know a little about my Grandmother’s family. Do you think we are related thru the Kahler line and how? My father was Charles Nicholas Fisher born in Buxton Oregon on December 4, 1895. He was the second oldest of 11 children. Mother and father were George and Julia Fisher. Maybe this is enough for a start, I knew a llittle of both sides of my famiy. However I am not familar at putting the tree together. I dont think. If you say hello to me i will feel i have accomplished a major feat in my life. Have pictures but doubt i could manage to send any. Sincerely, Betty Fisher Tilt”
I then replied with the following:
“Hi Betty,
I found you in my family tree. I have a nice picture of your grandpa Gottlieb Kahler in a digital frame, an electronic picture frame. If you give me your email, I will send you a copy via email.
You are a cousin to my wife Lisa Jane Unsicker, but I do the family history for us. I’m interested in anything you want to share with me (pictures, stories, info).Here is how we are related:
My wife Lisa’s dad is Glenn Allen Unsicker and he was raised near Peoria, IL. His parents were Daniel Leslie Unsicker and Mary Suchert. His grandpa was Christian Unsicker who married Wilhelmina Kahler.
Wilhelmina Kahler was the sister to your grandpa Gottlieb Philip Kahler. Gottlieb died in 1922 so you would have only been one year old. His wife Francis Kahler died in 1940 when you were about 19 years old.…
Please write back when you wish and tell me more about your grandma Francis Kahler.
I will post additional information I receive or find to this post.
2023 Update
Unfortunately my contact with Betty ended in Nov 2019 before she could share the stories and pictures she wished to share with me. I do not know what happened and as of 2023 I have no evidence she has passed and I have looked. Here is her final message to me on 5 Nov 2019:
Hello Michael
Josephine Kahler was my maternal mother. I saw her mother Frances Kahler a few times in my life (my granmother) as she lived in Peoria Illinois and i lived in Washington State
I am very eldery born in March 1921. I do know a little about my Grandmothers family. Do you think we are related thru the Kahler line and how? My father was Charles Nicholas Fisher born in Buxton Oregon on December 4, 1895. He. Was the second oldest of 11 children. mother and father were George and Julia Fisher. Maybe this is enough for a start I knew allittle of both sides of my famliy. However I am not familar at putting the tree together together. I dont think. If you say hello to me i will feel i have accomplished a major feat in my life. Have pictures but doubt i could manage to send any. Sincerely, Betty Fisher Tilt
Betty joined ancestry on 5 Jul 2019. As of 2023 she has not been on ancestry in over a year and likely not since Nov 2019.
I created the following printable 5″ x 7″ collage suitable for display in her honor and in honor of our brief contact on ancestry. I also restored and colorized the photo below.
*** Click to Download ***
My Connection to Betty
For the record, Betty Tilt is the 2nd cousin 1x removed of my wife Lisa Jane Unsicker-Prestwood. The “2nd cousin” means that Lisa and Betty share a common ancestor, specifically the 2nd great grandparents of Lisa. The “1x removed” means that Betty is 1 generation removed from Lisa.
Betty is not a blood relative to me. She is the 2nd cousin 1x removed from my wife Lisa Jane Unsicker-Prestwood.
Betty’s Children
Betty had a son and twin girls. The twins died young. Her son’s middle name is a tribute to the Kahler side. Her son is Mark Kahler Anderson. His son Mark Kevin Anderson was living in Santa Rosa in 1997 right near Tink and Ogg! Tink, Dorothy Homann, and Ogg, Glenn Unsicker, used to visit Santa Rosa quit a bit during the time Mark Kevin Anderson lived in Santa Rosa. At 98, Betty wanted to share pictures and stories. I hope someone can find her son’s descendants and I hope they hung onto old family photos and stories.
Mark Kahler Anderson
I think Mark is likely still around. If so he is 80 years old and likely still living in Waikoloa, HI.
Likely current address and phone number:
PO Box 383728
Waikoloa, Hawaii, USA 96738
(208) 407-1907
Previous addresses:
Name: | Mark Kahler Andersen[M K Andersen][Mark Kahler Andersen][Mark K Anderson] |
---|---|
Birth Date: | May 1943 |
Residence Date: | 2008-2020 |
Address: | Po Box 383728 |
Residence: | Waikoloa, Hawaii, USA |
Postal Code: | 96738 |
Second Residence Date: | 1970-2011 |
Second Address: | 29469 Sierra Rojo Ln Apt 211 Valley Center, CA 92082 |
Third Residence Date: | 2003-2011 |
Third Address: | 17800 Myrtle Lake Dr Miami Gardens, Florida, USA 33056 |
Fourth Residence Date: | 2003-2011 17800 Myrtle Lake Dr Opa Locka, Florida, USA 33056 |
Final Thoughts
People are social animals. We need companionship. We need to connect even after living a full life. It was a short connection but it was exciting to connect with a descendent of Frederick Kahler. At the time she was 98 years old. I think she was likely living in a home and still had some computer skills or perhaps someone was sitting by her side helping her use her computer. We made contact via ancestry.com and I was tickled. She said she has pictures and stories but sadly we lost contact before she could share.
The clips that caught my eye were:
” I do know a little about my Grandmothers family [the Kahler family]. Do you think we are related thru the Kahler line and how?”
“If you say hello to me i will feel i have accomplished a major feat in my life.”
Betty, that day feeling alone and wanting to share your story, we said hello. In that moment we connected and I created this post in your honor.