I really enjoy your writings. Especially this one. As I get older, I long to go back in just look at my grandparents houses in Wisconsin. Brings back such floods of memories.
Thank you, Colleen! At least you have memories in those places. I don’t, not the ancestral places in the Czech Republic, but now I do have the lost key story about the mill.
Wonderful trip and story! Aren't you glad the key dropped .... I am too old to travel anymore but really enjoy other's trips and explorations into our family history.
I'm right there with you. Recent trip to Ireland and the Isle of Wight. Found my grandfather's home in Ryde. The pull is remarkable and sometimes unexpected.
Annette, we went to Italy to the town of Mirabella-Eclano and walked the streets where our family grew up and eventually immigrated to the US. It was magical. Even sneaking inside a church built in the 1700s that was the focus of their lives. I say sneaking because the very next day it was locked and did not open while we were there.
How wonderful that you were able to travel to that town in Italy and walk those streets, Robin! It's still a bit mysterious to me why this is such a meaningful experience but clearly I'm not the only one who is moved by such a trip.
I want to understand history and my ancestors’ part in it. Mine were vintners and the harvest festival we attended happened in the 1860s when the my family lived there. We saw a bit of the joy in their lives.
Great story, the dropping of the key really resonated with me. Numerous times I have been pulled back to places where there was unfinished family energies that needed reparenting. Thank you.
Thank you, Michael! I love the term you used - "reparenting" - for this kind of visit to an ancestral place. Please do tag me when you write about a similar experience!
We don't know who owns it, if anybody. A lot of properties stand empty in that region. The Germans were expelled in 1946, but there was no population group moving in after them. Plus there's the defunct uranium mine across the road, so most likely the mill is part of the desolation around it.
Now you’ve gone and done it, @Annette! I’ve been putting off a planned trip to some ancestral sites for five years, and this piece was just the nudge I needed.
I’ve been to several domestic sites here in the US - which were fulfilling, but the pull of West Prussia is something more primal.
I really enjoy your writings. Especially this one. As I get older, I long to go back in just look at my grandparents houses in Wisconsin. Brings back such floods of memories.
Thank you, Colleen! At least you have memories in those places. I don’t, not the ancestral places in the Czech Republic, but now I do have the lost key story about the mill.
Wonderful trip and story! Aren't you glad the key dropped .... I am too old to travel anymore but really enjoy other's trips and explorations into our family history.
Thank you, Priscilla! I can't say I'm glad the key dropped, it was such a fright! But it does make for a good story…
Yes it does. Like serendipity!
I'm right there with you. Recent trip to Ireland and the Isle of Wight. Found my grandfather's home in Ryde. The pull is remarkable and sometimes unexpected.
How wonderful that you were able to travel to and find your grandfather's home!
Annette, we went to Italy to the town of Mirabella-Eclano and walked the streets where our family grew up and eventually immigrated to the US. It was magical. Even sneaking inside a church built in the 1700s that was the focus of their lives. I say sneaking because the very next day it was locked and did not open while we were there.
How wonderful that you were able to travel to that town in Italy and walk those streets, Robin! It's still a bit mysterious to me why this is such a meaningful experience but clearly I'm not the only one who is moved by such a trip.
I want to understand history and my ancestors’ part in it. Mine were vintners and the harvest festival we attended happened in the 1860s when the my family lived there. We saw a bit of the joy in their lives.
Lovely! Ancestors are the best gateway to history because they give us the personal lens and connection.
Great story, the dropping of the key really resonated with me. Numerous times I have been pulled back to places where there was unfinished family energies that needed reparenting. Thank you.
Thank you, Michael! I love the term you used - "reparenting" - for this kind of visit to an ancestral place. Please do tag me when you write about a similar experience!
Thanks, will do
Wow I was worried about those keys! Love the photos of the mill. Felt like it was there.
Thanks for coming along! Losing the key was quite a fright, I’m glad I was able to convey that.
What a beautiful story, and the key playing a symbolic part.
Thank you, Rachielle! I can still feel the fright of losing that key…
What a lovely house! The slate tiling is really special, although I guess it's typical for the region? Who does it belong to now?
We don't know who owns it, if anybody. A lot of properties stand empty in that region. The Germans were expelled in 1946, but there was no population group moving in after them. Plus there's the defunct uranium mine across the road, so most likely the mill is part of the desolation around it.
Ah yes, living next to a uranium mine is not so healthy.
Now you’ve gone and done it, @Annette! I’ve been putting off a planned trip to some ancestral sites for five years, and this piece was just the nudge I needed.
I’ve been to several domestic sites here in the US - which were fulfilling, but the pull of West Prussia is something more primal.
Thanks for this inspiring read.
Oh, how thrilling! I can't wait to hear about your trip to West Prussia!