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From:
Subject: [OHCUYAHO] Just a quick note
Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2003 18:16:49 EDT


Hi all,

I've really been away from my birth family/genealogy hobby since the spring.
My dad got ill in Parma and died shortly after we moved him by ambulance here
to Pennsylvania . Two days after he died, my husband was diagnosed with
prostate cancer at the age of 47. He is recovering from surgery which was three
weeks ago. So life took a very unexpected and sudden twist in April.

I just wanted to let you all know that after my dad died, we came upon some
real treasures. He had given his neighbor the following, unknown to us:

1. His army discharge papers, with records and dates of his army service.
2. Framed copies of articles he had written for an Army newspaper.
3. His original passport, from 1924, when he emigrated from Germany.
4. His passport from 1958, his last trip back to Germany to visit his
family.
5. His naturalization certificate and papers.

In 45 years of being his adopted daughter, I never saw any of these. But now
I am the proud possessor of them. In his belongings, I also found an entire
leather folder of the letters his parents and sister wrote him, dating from
the mid-20's to the late 40's, from Germany (in German) to him in Parma. Now
it's just getting a translator!

Sadly enough, I know more about his life now than I did when he was alive.
Folks-let's be sure to share our lives with our children and grandchildren.
How sad that he was such a closed and hard person that I couldn't enjoy hearing
much about his heritage from his own lips.

I also found the original suitcase he came to America with on the ship from
Germany in 1924 - he had written the date on it with "Hamburg, Germany". It
was way up in the corner of his attic.

I then wrote to two of my German relatives - my first cousin once removed,
and my cousin. I had NEVER had any contact with any of my German relatives
before. I mailed them the newspaper obituary (laminated), and a letter. I heard
back from both of them - one writes and understands English too! She sent me
a copy of a letter my dad had sent HER - with his ancestor's names and dates.
How sad that he never would share anything with me.

Nonetheless, I now have a treasury in my dining room (along with some
terrific photos - even of him at the age of 1 in Breslau Germany with his family -
and the photographer's name is etched in the corner).

Just thought you all might be interested in this.

Linda King
Fleetville, PA

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