But back to the beginning of the day, when we were quite downtrodden . . .
When we mentioned our dismay that the churches in town were locked, someone suggested trying the side door. Bless whoever that was! The side door was indeed open because there was a lady vaccuuming. She went for the pastor, and he came bearing a name and address of the man who knew everything about the the history of the town.
We went and knocked on the door, and his wife rode off on her bike to fetch him home. Thereafter followed more than four hours with Gerd conversing about a wide range of topics, including emigration, immigration, the changing channel of the Rhein, and the importance of the customs house (pictured below) in the development of Neuburg am Rhein.
We were also given lunch, a personal tour of the village museum, and finally a ride to the train station with a promise of doing it better the next visit.
Oh and that book, wherein there are over 4000 names from the village with their genealogy from 1900 to the beginning of the town's records. And a map that made my jaw drop! Gerd started working on the records in 1979. He was also instrumental in the creation of the museum.
What luck for us that he was home yesterday!
Since the genealogist is also a cartographer, you are probably right! Well done! ... and huge thanks to Gerd, one of the authors of the book! (And he wasn't even home, if his wife went and got him. How generous of him to give up his time!) Just ... Wow.
ReplyDeleteJust amazing! What a wonderful adventure and so good to meet such a generous individual in Gerd. I actually just emailed a "Wow" of my own to the genealogist. I can attest to her delight.
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