When I speak of my Grandparents, I speak mainly of the set of Grandparents I knew best, my maternal Grandparents.  Unfortunately, my paternal Grandfather died before I was born, and my paternal Grandmother, although she visited often when we lived in St. Louis, I rarely saw her after we moved to New York.   Each time she came to visit or we would travel to St. Louis to visit her and other family and friends they were very special times for all of us.

My grandparents surnames are of German derivation but their nationality is very decidedly Austrian/Hungarian.  At different times during their lives they were citizen of each of those countries, until they made a permanent move to the United States.  I know that my Maternal Grandfather became a naturalized citizen of the United States, and that every year my Mother would fill out papers for her Mother's alien status.  As for my Paternal Grandparents, I'm not sure if they ever attained their desire to become citizens.  

My search has centered in Eastern Europe, during a time when the border between Austria and Hungary was none existent and after it became well defined and difficult to cross from one side to the other.  I have been lucky with part of my search because years after my Mother's death I found papers she had kept that are priceless to me.  Among the love letters my father wrote to her while he was serving in the Navy during World War II I found their original Marriage Certificate, my Father's original Birth and Baptismal certificates from Deutsch Schutzen, Austria and many other wonderful things she treasured.

The project is extensive, because like so many of the other's from their country they emigrated to American in their late teens and returned again to Austrian and then finally emigrated to American permanently.  I've been able to locate through Ellis Island the manifests of the ships which brought them to American, but have not as yet located documents showing their return to Austria.  I have many photographs, some quite evidently from the early 1900's which I've posted on this site to share with you, and many memories.

Growing up with my Grandparents and my Parents I was very fortunate.  They spoke German (a plot-Deutsch of sorts) at home and in public.  All could read and write in German, all could read and write in English.  They chose to speak in German because it was the most familiar to them and what they were most comfortable with and could easily express themselves in.  It is my understanding that until I started Kindergarten, I spoke only German.  I don't recall, but I do know that I barely passed my German Class in high school.  While I was growing up my parents and grandmother would move their speech between German and English--I never heard a difference and didn't even realize they were speaking one language or the other, until a friend who was with me would ask what Grandma was saying.  I was completely surprised when in my 20's I dated a man who would sit with my Grandmother and converse in Hungarian.  I never knew she was fluent in that language.  Today I speak a little, read a little and understand a little of the spoken word, in German.  How sad I am that I never used the opportunity I was given to learn my families native language.

It's been difficult at times to put together the pieces of my family's past, but like doing a jigsaw puzzle it take patience, and more patience to see where the pieces fit.  I try to remember my grandparents strength, their fortitude and perseverance and I continue searching.

After years of thinking about exploring and documenting for my children and grandchildren my family's history, this project was born during a late night conversation with my niece and Godchild, Tracy.   Over the past several years I've been doing this on a part time basis and  it has become a passion, a labor of love and  a wealth of pride in a family I'm honored to call my own.