No one had made a trip back to Germany to visit those relatives until the early 1960s, when my great-grandfather, Wilfred, left his farm in Indiana, got on a plane for the first time in his life, and touched down in the land of his grandmother. He stayed with a married couple, August & Hette, and their young daughter Dagmar (who is a few years younger than my mother) for several weeks. I never knew Wilfred because he died just a few years after the trip, in 1965. The only members of my family to have visited since Wilfred are my aunt & uncle and myself.
I was excited to go back this time, not only to see my relatives again, but because M would be coming with me, and I would get to show him where the German part of my family comes from. We flew from Heathrow to Frankfurt and then took the train to Giessen, where Dagmar met us and drove us back to where she and her husband Karlheinz live, in Lollar.That evening we ate a lovely meal at their home, and August & Hette, who live next door, came over and greeted us as well. We talked about the family history, which is actually contained in several books about the local area, as Karlheinz is explaining to M at right. There's even a picture of Katharina and her husband Georg in the book!
The following day we spent sight-seeing, travelling to Ruttershausen, Staufenberg, and Marburg. Our first stop was the tiny village of Ruttershausen, just a few miles from Lollar, where Katharina lived before going to the United States. The picture on the left is the very house that she lived in, amazingly.August entertained us with many stories, including the tale of Katharina's journey. She traveled to the US all by herself, because Georg had gone over first. Unfortunately most of her possessions were stolen at the very beginning of her trip, and the rest were washed overboard in a storm during the 6-week voyage on the ship.
When she arrived in New York, she had little more than the clothes on her back and a few personal items she always kept with her. I cannot even imagine going through an experience like that! She then traveled by train to northeastern Indiana, where she and Georg settled, and where most of my mother's family still lives.
Ruttershausen; The Lahn River, which feeds into the Rhine
We then made our way to Kirchberg, just across the river Lahn from Ruttershausen, which is the old church that Katharina would have attended when she lived here. It was built over 500 years ago!
Kirchberg; the church interior
The colorful pulpit; The organ built in 1773; Crucifix at the altar
After dropping off the key to the church, we drove by a house on the same street and August mentioned that another cousin lived there. At that moment, the door to the house opened, and a woman came out, so we stopped to talk to her. She invited us in, and we couldn't refuse such hospitality. Her name is Kristal, and she is the same relation to me as August is. She and her husband are in their seventies, but they are still avid travelers--they are going to Dubai later this year! I was able to follow most of the conversation in German, and Dagmar & August translated the rest. They both speak very good English, as does Karlheinz.
Me and cousin Kristal; Dagmar pointing to the map of Ruttershausen
Next we drove a few miles to the Staufenberg castle & ruins. I believe the ruins are over 700 years old, and there is also a hotel/restaurant on the site. We climbed to the very top of the ruins and enjoyed a view of the surrounding countryside, even though it was gray and foggy.
Entrance to the Staufenberg hotel; the old castle ruins
Looking down from the top of the stairs; View of the surrounding village
This brought back memories of my last visit, when it was one of the hottest summers on record! Here's a blast from the past--one of the few pictures I have from that trip in digital format.
Me in 2003; Me in 2009 at the same spot
Next up--Marburg!
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