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The moment that I knew…
May 15, 1911: L-R Katarina Gärtz, Lisi Ebner, a cousin This photo of my grandmother, Lisi Ebner, and her future sister-in-law, Katarina Gärtz, dated May 15, 1911, was in our family photo collection for...
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Life and Death Abbreviated
Grosspold Family Book This is a repost that was originally published on this blog on Dec. 7, 2010 My grandmother kept a photo of her hometown church tucked into the hymnbook she brought with her from...
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Blended Family Breakthrough
This post was originally published on December 13, 2010 Maria Schuster marries Samuel Ebner May 22, 1899recorded in the Church “Family Book” in Grosspold, Romania Samuel Ebner, my great-grandfather,...
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Hidden Message Behind Women’s Work
Jickeli Household Help. Lisi Ebner seated 2nd from left. Mrs. Jickeli, center in black. This post was originally published on December 19, 1910 This photo hung in my grandmother’s house for her entire...
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Channeling the Dead to Life
Missler Wallet with Josef’s Gärtz’s diary inside. Note: “Missler” was a ticket agent in Bremen, Germany, but for years people thought it was the name of this “ghostship.” Scroll down to the “Missler”...
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Terror atop the train!
This post was originally published on Christmas Eve, 2010, on the centennial of my grandfather’s departure for America, and his diary record of his harrowing journey. Josef Gärtz, 1909 or 1910, age 20...
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Threats to the Dream-Vienna to Bremen
This is a repost, originally published on 12/28/10. Josef wrote both in his diary and to Lisi about his terror atop the train from Pressburg (Bratislava) to Vienna, one corroborating the other, but...
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Out to Sea
12/30/1910—First page of letter from Josef to Lisi on F. Missler stationery This post was originally published on Dec. 31, 2010, 100 years to the date that Josef Gärtz boarded the ship for America....
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Atlantic Crossing in Winter
Friedrich der Grosse from NorwayHeritage.com This post was originally published on Jan. 5, 2011. Crossing the North Atlantic in the heart of winter was a grueling experience, as Josef reports in his...
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Landing the Dream
This post was originally published on Jan. 11, 2011, and the the references to the 100th anniversary are based on that date. Today is the 100th anniversary of Josef Gärtz, my paternal grandfather,...
View Article“I know how to misuse a brain cell…” World War II buddies
Air Corp Cadet, Frank Gartz, writes to his former high school chum, Ted Symon. Check out how Frank views his rigorous training and the casual, raw communication from one Air Force Cadet to...
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Perfect Valentine gal to commitment-reluctant guy
An adorable Valentine for a gal to send! (Scroll down to see entire card) Lil was already madly in love with Fred, but he found it hard to express his emotions. (Sound familiar?) So what’s a girl to...
View ArticleValentine-Be Mine across the century
Happy Valentine’s Day to all. History.com writes that 85% of Valentine’s Cards are sent by women! That makes this sweet little card even more unusual-because it was sent from a man, my grandfather,...
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“He knows all the little innuendoes of kissing…”
Oh it was heavenly! He knows all the little innuendoes of kissing and I ain’t so bad m’self, if I do say so. We kissed for about an hour and a half. Tonight was like a page from a storybook, and he...
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Veterans Day Tribute to World War I Dead
In honor of Veterans Day I posted yesterday an essay about my uncle Frank Ebner Gartz, a World War II navigator. Today I’d like to post about a tribute to a family member who lost his life in World...
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Thankful for 100 years of family words
Like so many Americans on Thanksgiving Day, I am grateful for a loving family and the ability to take for granted the basics of food, clothing and shelter; for having a warm bed to sleep in; for living...
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An Immigrant’s Gift: a New Year in America
In 1910, Eastern Europeans overall were inflamed with a passion to immigrate to America, where, some truly believed, the streets were literally paved with gold! (Seventy percent of immigrants to the...
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Perfect Valentine gal to commitment-reluctant guy
An adorable Valentine for a gal to send! (Scroll down to see entire card) Lil was already madly in love with Fred, but he found it hard to express his emotions. (Sound familiar?) So what’s a girl to...
View ArticleValentine-Be Mine across the century
Happy Valentine’s Day to all. History.com writes that 85% of Valentine’s Cards are sent by women! That makes this sweet little card even more unusual-because it was sent from a man, my grandfather,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“He knows all the little innuendoes of kissing…”
Oh it was heavenly! He knows all the little innuendoes of kissing and I ain’t so bad m’self, if I do say so. We kissed for about an hour and a half. Tonight was like a page from a storybook, and he...
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