Sunday, June 12, 2011

Meine Großmutter (a little family history)

When I was home this past weekend, my brother and I ransacked the basement, looking for embarrassing photos of each other. Instead, we landed on my mom's collection of family photographs dating back to the early 1800's of our family in Germany. My favorites were the ones of my Grandmother when she was young. She grew up in Weilburg, Germany and after meeting my grandfather during WWII, moved to the states in the early 1950's. I love seeing these little snipits of her life, both during and after the war:
(she is the one wearing the wide-brimmed hat)
(middle row, second from the left, striped dress)
(on the far left- she was in a theatre group in Greenfield, MA- not really a can-can dancer)

(these two might be my favorites, in the forest in Germany helping her father and sister with an archeological dig)

("C" is my grandmother, Charlotta. I love this photo as well, the house in Weilburg was damaged by bombs several times, my mom has a painting that was hanging in the house during one of the bomb strikes and it still has shrapnel lodged in it)

My mom and I really need to sit down and catalog all of these photos, before no one is left to ID them. When I was younger we visited my great-aunt in Weilburg, and I really hope to go back someday to rediscover where we're from.

Do you know your family history?