UPDATED: The photo album has been returned to the family! It is time to open a new photo album! It came to me from German ebay and I've been sitting on this well-labelled album for a while, every now and then trying my luck with more research on the names mentioned in it. Meet Otto … Continue reading The Schaible family
Carl Julius Norkus, the brick mason
Someone has scribbled the name Carl Julius Norkus on the back of this photograph of a brick mason. I did my quick search on my usual genealogy platforms but couldn't be sure if I had found the right person since I didn't have any idea of a location. But then a Google search came back … Continue reading Carl Julius Norkus, the brick mason
The Brick Walls, 5
Some persons have left no papertrail behind. Could they have really led such quiet lives so much under the radar of future genealogists that we find nothing on them today? Maybe that was their intention. But maybe they wish we dug deeper, and remember their faces, their stories, their names. So let's do that with … Continue reading The Brick Walls, 5
The Brick Walls, 4
Oh, those brick walls... I keep knocking on them, but they don't break. I have names, but no location to tie them to. I may have a location, but no records are available online. Faces that are lost to history. Let's try and change that. The first one up is Miss Johanna Müllenberg who had … Continue reading The Brick Walls, 4
Actors Konrad Gebhardt & Olla Bauer
Today's blog post is a bit different. It is not about who signed and sent or received the real photo postcards (RPPC) I'm about to share with you, but who's in it. These four RPPCs from my collection were printed to advertise the famous play called "Old Heidelberg" ("Alt-Heidelberg" in German), starring actor Konrad Gebhardt … Continue reading Actors Konrad Gebhardt & Olla Bauer
Family Krake
Family Krake - Minna, Gretchen, Herbert and Gustav - spent their vacation in July 1912 at the Baltic Sea on the island of Rügen. If only I knew who was who in this stunning photograph! The RPPC is addressed to sister-in-law Ida Meinhardt in Triebes, Germany. The Krakes are enjoying their stay very much and … Continue reading Family Krake
The Pittners from Berlin-Neukölln
I'm thinking that these photos, found in the same "blind" photo lot from ebay, might be connected. I think these are a mother and a daughter! Else Martha Perthel was born on June 15th, 1896, in Greiz, Germany. She married Max Pittner on July 22nd, 1920 in Berlin-Neukölln. Max was 4 years Else's senior, born … Continue reading The Pittners from Berlin-Neukölln
Wolfgang Kraft from Bayreuth
I bet he thought he looked older in his suit, the boater hat and the walking stick. I bet he couldn't wait to grow up, look like his buddies, earn his own living, look tough. I came across two photos of Wolfgang Kraft from Bayreuth, Germany, in another "blind" photo lot I purchased on ebay. … Continue reading Wolfgang Kraft from Bayreuth
Family Schiel from Romania, Part 1: Samuel Schiel
RETURNED This family story takes us to Romania, more specifically to the Brasov area, also known as Kronstadt. In this first photograph someone has marked the persons to be "Ludwig Michaelis senior, Samuel Schiel, Marie Schiel, Heinz Schiel (4 or 5 years old), Friedrich Schiel". The photo dates to 1901 or 1902 according to whoever … Continue reading Family Schiel from Romania, Part 1: Samuel Schiel
The Henke’s from Bischofsburg
About a year ago I shared this photo on my Instagram page of a WWI-era mom with 2 children. Somehow her being captivated me, I was fascinated by her outfit details. I felt like there was a certain sadness and seriousness in her gaze. Her children probably kept her busy, they look like a handful. … Continue reading The Henke’s from Bischofsburg
