The first connection was to a descendent of Bertha (Stange) Collatz, the sister of my great-grandfather Hermann Stange. Tthe second connection was to the daughter of George Stanley, the brother of my grandmother Marideth (Stanley) Blickhahn. After being somewhat depressed with the loss of my job, these connections were just what I needed to revitalize my genealogical research and give new purpose to my life. I now feel that I am ready to jump back into my genealogy,. I believe genealogy will fill the void that my job once filled.
Genealogy is more than just names on a page, it is the stories behind those names. For all my parents, brothers, aunts, uncles, and cousins out there reading this blog, get ready for a writing challenge. My plan is to provide one or two writing prompts each week and hopefully you will respond. The prompt is to jog your memory and write about memories you may have. For example, a writing prompt may be: "How did your parents meet?" or "What do you most remember about your grandparents?" Is there anything that triggers memories of a family member?" I have found how important it is that we get some of these memories and stories written down before they are lost.
This weekend I spent time scanning old family photos. I found one of my Grandpa Henry Blickhahn. I've had this picture of him in my possession for many years, but I never really LOOKED at it. Grandpa Blickhahn was a very handsome man (I had never really thought about it). He also had an impish side to him. I wish now that I would have had more time to get to know him. Unfortunately, he died of cancer when I was 8. The only way I'll really be able to get to know him now, is through stories others may have of him and are willing to share. Its time to we put the stories to the names.