"With love and best wishes, Blanche Rippetoe" This photo was found in Germany, but it looks like an American RPPC written in English. The dedication on it, handwritten in ink, has almost faded, but it's still readable enough to identify the sitter as Blanche Rippetoe. So how come this photo ended up in Germany? I … Continue reading Miss Eleanor Blanche Rippetoe

This found photo first gave me hope - I had a name (Heinz Krevert), location (Giessen in Germany) and birthdate (March 5th, 1909). The back of the photo says: "To my dearest Maria on my 31st birthday on March 5th, 1940 (in Giessen)." My hope soon turned into chills: this young man had fallen in … Continue reading Heinrich Krevert

A real family treasure came into my possession through ebay - not just one family photo album, but four of the same family! One of the decisive clues I found in one of the photo albums was a marriage notification of Georg Hackner and Marion née Bechtold from Altmannstein, Germany, from July 1921. Georg Hackner … Continue reading The Hackner sisters

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

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

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

Remember Heinrich Schutt, one of my Brick Walls? I had nothing else on Heinrich, except for his full name. But because I had no way of identifying the location of the photo, I had to call off my genealogical search for him. Well, until now! It so happens that once in a while I purchase … Continue reading Brothers Heinrich & Martin Schutt

An adorable baby girl in her white confirmation dress curiously glancing at the photographer and holding perfectly still for the shot. And a young mother with gentle soft features who couldn't be more proud of her perfect child. When you look at this photo, you'd never think that there is so much fear and trouble … Continue reading Trudi, Lina & Hermann Ebeling

This large cabinet photograph is of Mr. and Mrs. Riehemann on their silver wedding anniversary in 1919.   The back of the photo says: "Silver wedding anniversary of my parents: Osnabrück 1919 Hermann Riehemann Anna née Lauxtermann   Max Breide and wife Anna Breide née Riehemann married: November 23, 1923 in the Dome of Osnabrück … Continue reading Hermann & Anna Riehemann

This heart-warming photo was part of a "blind" photo lot I purchased on German eBay. The back of the photo says, "Senta and Esther Reitmeyer, Christmas 1930". The photo was taken in Bayreuth, Germany. My quick search on the German genealogy platforms came back with nothing. I had to broaden my search and turned to … Continue reading The Reitmeyers