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.
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