Everyone of us is who and where we are today because of the efforts and decisions of those who came before us -- our ancestors. This book traces the history of nine of my ancestral families, from their small farming villages in Germany, through the wrenching decision to leave cherished roots in Europe, to the planting of new roots in southern Indiana. The book is intended primarily for members of my family, but others may find some interest in a small microcosm of the American experience.

A Pittsburgh native, Fr. Jake Laboon served the U.S. Navy as a World War II submarine officer and as a dedicated chaplain. This biography covers the span of his life from childhood to his last years. -- Back cover.

Father James R. Cox became the voice of Pittsburgh's poor and jobless during the worst years of the Great Depression. Long lines of needy people were showing up daily at St. Patrick's Church in the city's historic Strip District but Cox turned no one away. He served more than two million meals to the hungry and was the "mayor" of a shantytown of homeless men. In 1932, Cox led one of the first mass marches on Washington, D.C., confronting President Herbert Hoover in a face-to-face White House meeting. He later ran for president himself on the Jobless Party ticket--a quixotic campaign that ended in the deserts of New Mexico. Father Cox's reputation as a humanitarian was ruined after he barely escaped a mail fraud conviction for running a rigged fundraising contest.