We left the Siegen area on a Saturday, but on the way we went by Trupbach for a guided tour by Lars Bohn. Now Lars is rather thorough; it took us two and one-half hours, and we learned more than I can remember and met more people than I expected. I was even into a discussion with a man about the early Richter history. And Lars took us to the site of the old Richter house. The floor remains in place but a new roof has been installed and it is now an implement shed. We went by the old community bakery which is being restored, and being restored means that it must work. So we left with a loaf of bread under our arm. It is good to see and hear people who are interested in their history.
Our destination Saturday was Kettenbach, the home of Eleanor's ancestors, or least the Zerby part. We knew there was to be a violin concert at 7:00 p.m., and we had no trouble in making that. We got there early enough so that I could met the Pfarrer (I had written earlier), and he made the church book available which showed the baptism of Martin Zirbe in 1671. We photographed the page.
The next morning we were at the 9:30 a.m. service. Then our destination was Heidelberg. The miles roll by quickly in Germany and so we detoured slightly to go by way of the Rhine River. At one point, I believe it was St. Goar, I could see three old castles. These were one of the reasons that emigration was expensive. These petty fiefdoms wanted a "take" to let you pass by on the river. The marvel on the river today is the vineyards which run vertically, almost, on the hillside. I don't understand how they keep the dirt from washing down the slope. They represent a tremendous effort over the centuries to develop.
The reason Heidelberg was on the tour is that Eleanor celebrated her seventeenth birthday there in 1949, when the town was closed to outsiders. A military friend had been able to get her family in. Eleanor was curious if there were any changes. The short answer is yes. Today one doesn't count the tourists; one counts the busses bringing umpteen different nationalities. It is not my idea of a vacation yet the Heidelberg Castle was interesting. Can you imagine a wine barrel holding a hundred thousand gallons of wine? That is about as big as some of the ships bringing our ancestors.
We had a special treat in Heidelberg. Last April 1, the opening day of the season at Hans Herr House, a German student was a visitor there. I invited him home for dinner, a sleep over, and a trip to Longwood Gardens. In return, he said he would give us a tour of Heidelberg where he had graduated from the University. He was there so we had dinner, walked the Philosophers' Walk, and looked at the lighted castle, all the while talking a blue streak.
(09 Jun 00)
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.