Felice Compleanno to George Washington -

George Washington Troup, my grandfather, that is.

He was born 150 years ago today in Haggerstown, MD.

This is the only known picture of him & my grandmother Bertha Titlow Troup Mishler. Grandma was his 2nd wife. He had 16 children* & died on 1 Oct 1940 in Oelwein.

For those of you who wonder about the difference in the spelling of our last names here is the story I was told to explain it. When my father was in school at Sacred Heart along with a brother of his (can't remember which) , one of the Sisters of Mercy started adding the "e". He is supposed to have talked to the sister who refused to change it & told him he didn't know how to spell his own name.

He worked for the Chicago Great Western Railroad.

This is the only known picture of him & my grandmother together. I was told it was taken at a booth at a fair.

Sadly, I never knew him since he died 15 years before I was born.

* His 1st wife died & he then married my grandma. She remarried after his death & died in 1965. The 1st few children were by his 1st wife. The 16th was actually his granddaughter that was born out of wedlock & Grandma & Grandpa raised her as their own.