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obertueringen
From Susana's family in Southern China to Brian's in Germany by land.
We spent several weeks with the Fischers who live in a small town near Lake Bodensee (also known as Lake Konstanz).
You see, we bought a beautiful VW van
In Augsburg and it broke down after only a few miles.
The Fisher's let us stay with them for a couple of weeks while it was getting fixed.
Here's how they are related to us.
Helmut Fisher is Brian's Mom's cousin. Their fathers were brothers.
There they are: Helmut's father Joseph and Brian's grandfather Ludwig.
Joseph is the one in the postal uniform, while Ludwig is holding the baby, who just happens to be Helmut.
The other boy is Roland Helmut's brother who died during one of the last days of WWII.
A tragedy for the family.
Helmut grew up as an only child after that, bearing all of the responsibilities that come with it.
One of the reason's Helmut has so many children (you'll meet all of them later) was because he had no other siblings after his brother died.
The woman in the picture is Helmut's mother.
Here is Helmut and my common ancestor.
She's known as Grandma Fischer and is Joseph and Ludwig's mother.
Granny is dressed up for Fasching, a Catholic custom that's much like carnival in Latin countries.
It's party time before Lent.
She is dressed up for the celebration as an American Indian.
According to Helmut it was one of the rare times that she could smoke a pipe in public. She's clutching it in her left hand.
She loved to toke on tobac but it was rare for a woman during her time to partake in that vice
so she usually had to keep her smoking low key.
She had 7 children .
Trying to escape the hard life in Germany and looking for more opportunity two of them went to America.
Her youngest son Ludwig (Brian's Grandfather on the right) and her eldest Gebhard (second guy from the left) went through Ellis Island with thousands of others looking for a better life.
But being proud of his own heritage,
Brian's grandfather Ludwig returned to Germany for long periods in his later years (1960's and early 1970's)
and spent a lot of time with Helmut and family.
Grandma and her 7 children are from a nearby village called Tettnang. Here's her house today. It's in the middle.
Helmut and his wife Jo-Ann were happy to show us the old house.
The last time they saw it was 15 years ago when Brian visited last.
Helmut is a second generation haircutter. His father, the postman, also had a salon.
Now Helmut's daughter Christine Fischer runs the same shop. Third generation business owner.
She gave Susana a very stylish do.
Helmut and Jo-Ann's children are below.
To the left is Diane (who Helmut and Jo-ann named after Brian's mom).
She has an apartment in Konstanz and is a school teacher living with scientist boyfriend Stephan.
To the right is Barbara and family who live in Stuttgart.
She's a stay at home mom now.
Her husband Klaus Stark is a school teacher and there are her three kids, Sarah, Christoph and Philipp.
The above left picture has Roland in the back.
Named after Helmut's lost brother, he lives in an attached apartment in his parents' building and plays a mean sax.
Christine is holding her daughter, Leonie, and her son, Julian, is the handsome young man in front of Brian.
His handsom brother Jonas is in the picture to the right.
Here's Jochen in his restaurant Helmut's youngest child. He's a great chef and a new business owner.
So that's five kids if you are counting.
There is one other number six, Hanspeter, he's a mathematician who now lives in the States. So, didn't meet him.
Brian's mom has another cousin in Germany, Gertrud Rau.
Her mother was Ludwig's older sister.
So Gertrude has a few more years than my mother and Helmut.
She and her sons live in Stuttgart. Dieter Rau is on the left and Eugen Abele is behind Brian.
The cool looking guy to the right is Bernd Abele, Eugen's son.
Eugen's wife Stefanie is the woman helping to support Gertrud.
From Susana's family in Southern China to Brian's in Germany by land.
We spent several weeks with the Fischers who live in a small town near Lake Bodensee (also known as Lake Konstanz).
You see, we bought a beautiful VW van
In Augsburg and it broke down after only a few miles.
The Fisher's let us stay with them for a couple of weeks while it was getting fixed.
Here's how they are related to us.
Helmut Fisher is Brian's Mom's cousin. Their fathers were brothers.
There they are: Helmut's father Joseph and Brian's grandfather Ludwig.
Joseph is the one in the postal uniform, while Ludwig is holding the baby, who just happens to be Helmut.
The other boy is Roland Helmut's brother who died during one of the last days of WWII.
A tragedy for the family.
Helmut grew up as an only child after that, bearing all of the responsibilities that come with it.
One of the reason's Helmut has so many children (you'll meet all of them later) was because he had no other siblings after his brother died.
The woman in the picture is Helmut's mother.
Here is Helmut and my common ancestor.
She's known as Grandma Fischer and is Joseph and Ludwig's mother.
Granny is dressed up for Fasching, a Catholic custom that's much like carnival in Latin countries.
It's party time before Lent.
She is dressed up for the celebration as an American Indian.
According to Helmut it was one of the rare times that she could smoke a pipe in public. She's clutching it in her left hand.
She loved to toke on tobac but it was rare for a woman during her time to partake in that vice
so she usually had to keep her smoking low key.
She had 7 children .
Trying to escape the hard life in Germany and looking for more opportunity two of them went to America.
Her youngest son Ludwig (Brian's Grandfather on the right) and her eldest Gebhard (second guy from the left) went through Ellis Island with thousands of others looking for a better life.
But being proud of his own heritage,
Brian's grandfather Ludwig returned to Germany for long periods in his later years (1960's and early 1970's)
and spent a lot of time with Helmut and family.
Grandma and her 7 children are from a nearby village called Tettnang. Here's her house today. It's in the middle.
Helmut and his wife Jo-Ann were happy to show us the old house.
The last time they saw it was 15 years ago when Brian visited last.
Helmut is a second generation haircutter. His father, the postman, also had a salon.
Now Helmut's daughter Christine Fischer runs the same shop. Third generation business owner.
She gave Susana a very stylish do.
Helmut and Jo-Ann's children are below.
To the left is Diane (who Helmut and Jo-ann named after Brian's mom).
She has an apartment in Konstanz and is a school teacher living with scientist boyfriend Stephan.
To the right is Barbara and family who live in Stuttgart.
She's a stay at home mom now.
Her husband Klaus Stark is a school teacher and there are her three kids, Sarah, Christoph and Philipp.
The above left picture has Roland in the back.
Named after Helmut's lost brother, he lives in an attached apartment in his parents' building and plays a mean sax.
Christine is holding her daughter, Leonie, and her son, Julian, is the handsome young man in front of Brian.
His handsom brother Jonas is in the picture to the right.
Here's Jochen in his restaurant Helmut's youngest child. He's a great chef and a new business owner.
So that's five kids if you are counting.
There is one other number six, Hanspeter, he's a mathematician who now lives in the States. So, didn't meet him.
Brian's mom has another cousin in Germany, Gertrud Rau.
Her mother was Ludwig's older sister.
So Gertrude has a few more years than my mother and Helmut.
She and her sons live in Stuttgart. Dieter Rau is on the left and Eugen Abele is behind Brian.
The cool looking guy to the right is Bernd Abele, Eugen's son.
Eugen's wife Stefanie is the woman helping to support Gertrud.
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