Our father, Robert Bredimus, had the title of research engineer. I’ve been a bit of research engineer myself in building this website of Ancestry and Newspaper clippings.
I do find it fulfilling, probably because it fills in pieces of the puzzle. Our branch of the Bredimus patriarchy is dying out and the McDonald patriarchy is already gone.
The information that I uncover and post might help curious extended family, but it won’t have the relevance it has for us siblings. Mike would have treasured some of stuff I am digging up now.
That 1910 reunion must have been a special occasion, but I’ve never heard it mentioned. Our Father was probably there as a one-year-old. The article says Mr. and Mrs. Frank Bredimus from Waterloo were in attendance. It is interesting that Dad would be under a large grape arbor listening to French-language speakers; some early programming? The grape arbor prompts the question of whether our relatives made wine like many European immigrants. The family tree shows Nicholas Bredimus deceased in 1908. Bob Cameron told me he met Uncle Nick, so I must do some more research.
Another nugget: “of Social Interest Mrs. F. A. Bredimus, 1713 Beaver Avenue, has returned from a three week’s visit in Milwaukee and Chicago. En route home she visited with her son, Francis Bredimus, who is a student at the University of Iowa.”
And this: “June 6, 1927 Des Moines Register Miss Harriett Bredimus of Park Avenue will spend some time in Minneapolis and at the Minnesota lakes.”
Hello Ncolas, The info and research you have provided is very interesting. My Name is Paul Bredemus from St Paul Minnesota, My father is Ron Bredemus, and his Father was Frank Bredemus. I plan on doing a DNA search someday soon, hopefully we can find out how we are all related.
Hello Paul, Thank you for your comment. The spelling of your surname (Bredemus) is so similar and “Frank” is a common name in our Bredimus ancestry.
Here is what my father’s cousin Harriett wrote: “Francois Bredimus, my paternal Grandfather, was born in the little village of Bredimus in Luxembourg. In that locality there was, and still is I believe, Bredimus Woods and Bredimus Castle. At one time there was the Count of Bredimus, but through a controversy between the nobleman and the Church the lands were taken from him. Also, correlating with this religious difficulty, a branch of the family broke away and came to America. This branch changed the name to Bredemus and there are one or two families by that name living in Minneapolis. At one time when Uncle Frank was in that city he called upon a man by the name of Bredemus who was a baker. As far as we can determine there are no persons by the name of Bredimus, or Bredemus, who are not distantly related to us.”
My records show these individuals who were not directly related to us:
1878 & 1887 Mathias Bredimus in Minneapolis
1890 John Bredimus in Newark, NJ
1907 Frank Henry Bredimus in Oroville California
1897 Frank Bredimus saloon keeper California
1908 John Bredimus a barber California
1924 Charles F. Bredimus Honolulu business college
1920 Barney Bredimus, barber California
Mathias (Matt) might be the place to start. Here are a few clippings:
http://www.bredimus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/1878-Matt-Bredimus-store.jpg
http://www.bredimus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/1878-Matt-Bredimus-Minneapolis.jpg
http://www.bredimus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/1887-Matt-Bredimus-MSP.jpg
And, the name Bredemus for your research:
http://www.bredimus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-20-095017.jpg
Thanks for writing!
Nick
Hello again. Did you know Betty Lou Bredemus (born in Minneapolis) was the mother of actress Julia Roberts? Betty Lou Bredemus was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the daughter of Elizabeth Ellen (née Billingsley) and Wendell John Bredemus (1904-1955), a football player.
