Norm Grannemann’s interest about the War with Mexico, 1846-1848, was peaked after finding a detailed letter from his great-great- grandfather. Richard Phillips volunteered for the Missouri Mounted Militia to participate in the war with Mexico and marched several thousand miles from Union, Mo., to Chihuahua, Mexico. The letter to his wife describes his exploits in three battles and the long trek to what is now New Mexico. Norman’s talk will describe the contents of that letter, how it relates to the overall context of Richard’s life, as well as why Missourians were interested in the war with Mexico.
Norm Grannemann, a resident of Michigan, was raised in New Haven on a farm purchased by his grandfather in 1902 that Norm still owns part of. The heritage embodied in that property inspired him to research his German, Scotch-Irish, and French Huguenot ancestors including Mosias Maupin, who was one of Franklin County’s early settlers. Since retirement from a career related to geology, Norm enjoys focusing on exploring his ancestry.