My Mother died on July 6. I am taking a break from my blog temporarily. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for our family. My Mother was 98 years, 10 months, and 17 days old.
God bless you today!
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
68. Ulrich, April 2008
Ulrich was capable of informing me by his experience as a Swiss citizen and an elected judge in his community, by his knowledge of history and his command of languages, by his interest in and expertise at the chemistry of Swiss black powder, and by his championship status in muzzle-loading. He introduced me to Switzerland. He was willing to practice English reading, writing and comprehension, in corresponding with me. Not the least, and maybe the greatest, he gave me his time. He made -- I don't know how many -- telephone calls. We exchanged numerous e-mails.
He located, bought and mailed me two significant books on powder milling, books crucial to my study, that directly related to Friedrich's two powder mills (one book in German, the other in French). In an effort to educate me about the Swiss language, which is a separate language from German, he found a CD of a children's story, sung in the Bernese Swiss which he said the Treuthardts and Kriegs would have spoken, and which my father, uncles and aunt in Texas would have understood.**
As he thought of an idea that might provide a clue for me, he would accomplish it, until he had worked up a Swiss "team" on my behalf. Each provided information in his own specialty. All this took place over several weeks. Months and years later, I am still internalizing it.
**Bernese Swiss is the Swiss spoken by people living in and around the environs of Bern, the capital of Switzerland, and Bern Canton which is generally the plateau region. By comparison Züricher Swiss is the Swiss spoken by people living in and around the environs of Zürich.
He located, bought and mailed me two significant books on powder milling, books crucial to my study, that directly related to Friedrich's two powder mills (one book in German, the other in French). In an effort to educate me about the Swiss language, which is a separate language from German, he found a CD of a children's story, sung in the Bernese Swiss which he said the Treuthardts and Kriegs would have spoken, and which my father, uncles and aunt in Texas would have understood.**
As he thought of an idea that might provide a clue for me, he would accomplish it, until he had worked up a Swiss "team" on my behalf. Each provided information in his own specialty. All this took place over several weeks. Months and years later, I am still internalizing it.
**Bernese Swiss is the Swiss spoken by people living in and around the environs of Bern, the capital of Switzerland, and Bern Canton which is generally the plateau region. By comparison Züricher Swiss is the Swiss spoken by people living in and around the environs of Zürich.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
67. Beginning the questioning in Switzerland, with Swiss Black Powder
With years having gone by, I felt strongly that lots of information was waiting to be discovered in the country of Friedrich's origin, Switzerland. How could I ever reach the archives that were embedded there?
As I have related, I decided to give up finding anything personal about Friedrich, but to attempt to find out something about his profession in the manufacturing of Swiss Black Powder, that mysterious substance that appeals to all men (but not so much to women). Naturally, I knew absolutely nothing about it. And here, with that not-so-inert substance, began popping the final phase of discoveries.
It was as if God Himself were figuratively sweeping me along across the Atlantic Ocean deep into Europe, and flinging wide open the door to Switzerland, where He selected the only person in the world, an expert who was capable of helping me think through and process the discovery of facts in Switzerland.
Well, I don't mean I had any visions, because of course, I did the practical thing, checked the Internet (which by now was quite developed). There I found the excellent website of Ulrich Bretscher. He declared in his home page, that if anybody had questions, that person should write to him. Accepting his invitation, I wrote an email to him, and he wrote back. I sent him easy questions at first, but as he could answer them quickly and easily, I began to think of harder questions for him. There were no challenges too difficult for Herr Bretscher. He was determined to answer each question, and he did. If he didn't know for certain, he would give me his opinions and Swiss sensibilities about the subject, being my Swiss mentor from then on.
As I have related, I decided to give up finding anything personal about Friedrich, but to attempt to find out something about his profession in the manufacturing of Swiss Black Powder, that mysterious substance that appeals to all men (but not so much to women). Naturally, I knew absolutely nothing about it. And here, with that not-so-inert substance, began popping the final phase of discoveries.
It was as if God Himself were figuratively sweeping me along across the Atlantic Ocean deep into Europe, and flinging wide open the door to Switzerland, where He selected the only person in the world, an expert who was capable of helping me think through and process the discovery of facts in Switzerland.
Well, I don't mean I had any visions, because of course, I did the practical thing, checked the Internet (which by now was quite developed). There I found the excellent website of Ulrich Bretscher. He declared in his home page, that if anybody had questions, that person should write to him. Accepting his invitation, I wrote an email to him, and he wrote back. I sent him easy questions at first, but as he could answer them quickly and easily, I began to think of harder questions for him. There were no challenges too difficult for Herr Bretscher. He was determined to answer each question, and he did. If he didn't know for certain, he would give me his opinions and Swiss sensibilities about the subject, being my Swiss mentor from then on.
66. Finishing the first phases of research in Texas
The beginning of my search was at the tombstone of Friedrich, my great-grandfather, who was lying in a grave at my feet. That day I learned his name, birth and death dates.
In 2008, the first two phases of the Treuthardt family research had been accomplished in Texas. First, among the Kriegs, by 1997, all the information had been gathered from my extended Krieg family. Interest in family history was percolating; but mostly they were questions. The second phase happened after 1997, among the Treuthardts and the Truehardts. Those three families are all the descendants of Friedrich and his three children who immigrated to Texas. The job of finding people to visit with about the Swiss history of the Treuthardts was reasonably complete.
One of my near-cousins, Sue, was meanwhile occasionally doing research on Friedrich's Switzerland family at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, locating some valuable records and sharing them with me. Besides the memories and continuing support of my cousin Margaret; another cousin of my father's, Marguerite, lived to be past 100 years old, and she recounted to me a few of her remembrances of her grandmother, Friedrich's wife, and her own trips to Switzerland. Their input contributed factually and emotionally, as well as affectionately, to my perception. What lovely people we have in our family!
The pursuit in Texas for Friedrich was concluded. The rest of the story to be revealed to me came from Switzerland, where Friedrich's history began.
In 2008, the first two phases of the Treuthardt family research had been accomplished in Texas. First, among the Kriegs, by 1997, all the information had been gathered from my extended Krieg family. Interest in family history was percolating; but mostly they were questions. The second phase happened after 1997, among the Treuthardts and the Truehardts. Those three families are all the descendants of Friedrich and his three children who immigrated to Texas. The job of finding people to visit with about the Swiss history of the Treuthardts was reasonably complete.
One of my near-cousins, Sue, was meanwhile occasionally doing research on Friedrich's Switzerland family at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, locating some valuable records and sharing them with me. Besides the memories and continuing support of my cousin Margaret; another cousin of my father's, Marguerite, lived to be past 100 years old, and she recounted to me a few of her remembrances of her grandmother, Friedrich's wife, and her own trips to Switzerland. Their input contributed factually and emotionally, as well as affectionately, to my perception. What lovely people we have in our family!
The pursuit in Texas for Friedrich was concluded. The rest of the story to be revealed to me came from Switzerland, where Friedrich's history began.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)