Whenever I mention my interest in genealogy—what has surprised me most is how many of my friends admit they have no idea what their great-grandparents looked like.
Not just their names—their faces.
That realization stayed with me.
We live in a time where we can capture thousands of photos in a single year, yet just a few generations back, images were rare, treasured, and often the only visual connection we have to those who came before us. Without them, our ancestors can feel distant, almost imaginary—names on paper rather than real people who lived full and complex lives.
This blog is my way of closing that distance.
Here, I want to share photographs of my great-grandparents.
Juan James Hess 1850-1929 – A paternal great grandfatherPhoto of Dorothy (Dora) Bishop Hess 1857-1904 and Juan James Hess 1850-1929 – paternal great grandparentsHenry David Joseph Spruhan 1857-1939 – A paternal great grandfatherCaroline “Rosie” Baur Spruhan 1863-1942 – A paternal great grandmotherAugust Friedrick Krüger Grayer – 1849-1917 and Emilie “Amelia” Louise Wisthoff Grayer “Grandma Grayer” 1861-1955 – maternal great grandparentsEmilie “Amelia” Louise Wisthoff Grayer “Grandma Grayer” – A maternal great grandmother 1861-1955Benjamin Ream – A maternal great grandfather 1855-1928 and Harriet “Hattie” Fike Ream- maternal great grandparentsHarriet “Hattie” Fike Ream 1863-1926- A maternal great grandmother
Benjamin Ream was born in September 1855, in Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania. He was the son of John Ream, born circa 1816 , and Sarah Maria Ream (born Reichert), who was born in 1823.
Benjamin was my great grandfather. His son, Grover Cleveland Ream, was my maternal grandfather.
He married Hattie R. Ream (born Fike), who was born on July 25, 186 , in Indiana. They were married in 1881 and had nine children: Rebecca, Winfield, Grover, Lucy, John, Harriet, William, Josephine and Frederic.
Benjamin’s occupation was a carpenter. Throughout his life, he lived in various places including South Manheim Township, Schuylkill, Pennsylvania, and Ann Arbor city Ward 7, Washtenaw, Michigan. By 1920, he had moved to Metzger, Washington, Oregon.
Benjamin Ream’s birth in the mid-19th century came at a time when America was rapidly changing. Born into an era of industrialization and just before the Civil War, his Pennsylvania roots placed him in a state that was a hotbed of political and economic activity.
Marrying Hattie R. Ream on May 28, 1881, Benjamin started his own family during a period of reconstruction and national healing following the Civil War. Their children’s names, including my maternal Grandfather named Grover Cleveland, suggested a connection to the broader political landscape, as Cleveland was elected President of the United States twice during this era.
As a carpenter, Benjamin Ream belonged to a vital profession that supported the nation’s growth and expansion westward. His movement from Pennsylvania to Michigan and eventually Oregon followed a pattern of migration as Americans sought new opportunities in different parts of the country. This period saw significant urbanization and the development of infrastructure, which would have provided ample employment for skilled tradesmen.
Passing away in 1928, Benjamin Ream lived through some of the most transformative years in American history, including the end of the frontier, the Gilded Age, World War I, and the beginning of the modern era.
His death in Metzger, Oregon, marked the end of a life that spanned both coasts and reflected the dynamic changes of the United States during his lifetime. He is buried in Ann Arbor, MI. where he shares a grave with his wife Harriet.
telling life stories 