Saturday, April 16, 2016

Welcome to A Twist in History

I may be a little biased when it comes to my favorite barbed wire baron. I’ll pick my great, great, great, great uncle any day.

Not only am I proud of my relationship to barbed wire inventor Jacob Haish, but I also have a passionate belief that he has a story that needs to be told. And although I may not share his last name these days, I still have that great desire to know the entire story.

Jacob Haish had so many contributions to the city of DeKalb and truly the rest of the world, and I’ve been wanting to learn more about him. So I’ve decided to take on the Jacob Haish story.

I’ve started this blog, “A Twist in History: The Jacob Haish Story," to tell the story. Personally, I have a background in journalism and a serious love for blogging and photography. 

Through interviews and good old fashioned research, I plan on telling the story of Jacob Haish through his relatives, fans, and the people who study him.

I also plan to tell my story of “Growing up Haish,” and documenting what it's like to gather research on a famous ancestor. You can expect to see article-type stories and photographs here as I fill it with things I learn along the way. And if it goes well, I’d love to someday print it all as a book.

I started my project last weekend when I took a trip to southern Missouri to visit with my great grandfather. He showed me old newspaper clippings about Haish’s life, and told me stories about seeing the Haish mansion when it was still intact, and how his parents knew Jacob Haish. One of the best moments was when my great grandfather held up a photo of Jacob Haish and said “God, he’s handsome! He looks just like me!”

I can’t wait to share that story and many others with anyone who is interested.

If you are interested in sharing your Jacob Haish story, or can point me in the right direction to one, please feel free to send me an email at JHaish09@gmail.com.

I can’t wait to find out just how deep Haish’s impact runs in my local community, and what he still means to people to this day.

(And yes, the "twist" in history is a barbed wire pun. Thanks for the help with that one, Dad!)

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