When we left the Illenschwang church service, we drove back to Obermichelbach so we could say goodby to all of the Garrs Friedrich, Gisela, Martina, Silke, and Norbert. Then we left for Nürenberg where we planned to stay two nights. We had an appointment at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday to call on the Plankenbühlers. The grandfather and grandmother are Richard and Gisela. They have one son, Roland, who also lives in Nürnberg with his wife, Renate, and children, Kathrin (16) and Thomas. (Incidentally, there is only one other Plankenbühler in Germany. There are about fifteen Blankenbühlers.)
I had deliberately asked in advance if we might not come on Sunday hoping that Roland and his family could join us. In fact, Roland did even more. He picked up us at our hotel and took us to his parents. The afternoon, and on into the Sunday evening snack, was filled with conversation and questions. Richard and Gisela can converse in English. Roland is fluent in English and speaks the language better than many Americans do. The children are learning English now. Roland and his family have taken a month’s vacation in the U.S. in an RV.
Richard and I are half-ninth cousins. If each of us counts back ten generations, we come to our common ancestor, Kilian Planckenbühler, who lived on the Plankenbichl farm outside Gresten, Austria. It was Richard and Gisela who provided the positive evidence that ties the Blankenbakers back to Austria.
By the end the day, Sunday, we were exhausted and drained. We had visited two families that have known ties to Germanna people.
About a year ago, I had told Richard of my interest in Illenschwang and the Gaars. Richard phoned Friedrich Gaar and learned a little information. This was amplified by my friend Eva May, here in the States, who talked to Friedrich and Martina Gaar on the phone. It was also Eva May who originally put me in contact with Richard. I tell this to show my gratitude to all of the people who have helped me.
Monday was a free day in Nürnberg, but unfortunately many museums are closed on that day. We still found plenty of things to do. The wall of the old city is nearby and largely intact. The cathedrals have been rebuilt. We went to a special exhibition outlining with words and pictures how the Nazi party had come into power during the 1930’s. The Albrecht Dürer house exists but is undergoing repairs.
Tuesday was devoted to driving south, almost out of Germany; however, we have to take a break tomorrow for the half-century explanations.
(05 Jun 02)
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.