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Showing posts from September, 2019

The Origin of My Name

My name, Henry James Witt, has quite an extensive yet interesting history behind it.  I was able to conduct an interview with my father, Henry Matthew Witt IV, to gain a greater understanding of my past.  The origin of my first and last name comes from central Germany.  The first of my name, Henry Matthew Witt I, lived in a small town outside of Frankfort called Hessen as a carpenter.  I even have a few extended relatives living in this same town today who I talk to often.  In 1893, H.M.W. I decided to immigrate to the Untied States.  He was instantly attracted to the flourishing opportunities and ideas in Chicago at the time, most especially the 1893 World’s Colombian Exposition.  A year after settling in Chicago, he started the family business, H.M. Witt Sign Company, which my father owns today.  After marking his name in Chicago, Henry Matthew Witt I passed his full name through three generations. If you didn’t know already, I have a twin brother named Andrew.  When we were born,