Its been a long year

Circumstances being what they are I have not posted anything on the family in a long time. Mostly because I do not have new info. I have been improving my German langauge skills slowly and surely and totally obsessed with Matthias Reim's music. Talk about taking a detour! But also the family past has had to take a back seat to the present. I am so jealous of people who get to invest 40 hour work weeks on their family history. I just do not have the that kind of time while I am wrapped up in surviving.

That said I was surprised to find that we have two new followers... Laura and Fritz. Google was not able to connect me to a profile so I know nothing of them except that they are here and they have some sort of interest in our goings on. So "Wilkommen!" And "Veilen Dank" I am glad you are following. Feel free to leave comments. I activated the post moderation so that anyone who shares personal contact information doesn't get hassled. I know that makes it a hassle for everyone else. But telephone numbers and such posted on the internet is a bad idea and I just can't get some people to understand that. So please.... please... please keep leaving comments. The moderating is just for your personal saftey.

A sheild

I don't know what the source for this is. I suspect it comes from a better version of the Wappenbuch that I mentioned before. I haven't made much progress here lately. Been a hectic year. But I do hope to have more to offer soon.

This strikes me as a bit of a "Do'h" kind of a thing. A scriptorium monk in the sheild confirms what the author of Dirty German says... Germans are geeks. I guess it's in the DNA or something. So if you obsessively collect anything, spend a lot of time in your head researching things in depth on subjects that seem rather archaic and pointless to others while hanging your hat on obtaining every piece of new technology that you can afford.... you gotta know that you are definately, unabashedly and irrevocably German.

Huh...

Remember when I said I thought that there might be a connection to Wallachia? encyclopedia.kids.net has an article on the Lechfeld battle of 955. It's a bit earlier than I was thinking. Basically the Thuringian Knights, part of the Lauenstein regency from 1222 and so on, apparently went galavanting into Transylvania to route a Magyar incursion on orders from Otto I the Great. There was a decisive battle at Marienburg. And Andrew II of Hungary brought the Tuetonic Knights, of which there would have been some Thuringian knights, back in 1211. The knights occupied Burzenland in Transylvania. Andrew's daughter was supposed to marry the Landgrave of Thuringia to solidify some borders.

I keep finding names that dance around Lauenstein but no real solid links. Grrr..... I am getting tired of sitting in the library with the screen floating in and out of focus!!!!!

Exciting Times

Hi All,
Blogs in brief: a blog is an online journal that is either self built or uses a company's predetermined template. Blogger has free templates and offers a variety of settings to make it easy for you the writer to use and the reader to navigate. I have this set to notify me in my email account when new comments are posted. So no worries about your comments not being seen. I left things really open on my end because I know that the way they keep enhancing search engines is going to bring people to me since getting to them has been so frustrating and tedious.
Blogger also allows you, the readr, the option of following the blog so that you will be notified by email when there are new comments.
Personally, I can't wait to talk to Barb. I believe we knew each other in a past life (current) from either my days at a rubber stamp store or through Tim. I used to sit for Tim and Sue's kids. I don't want to publish my phone # here. But I can be found on Facebook if you guys have accounts there. Facebook has a fairly adequate instant message system that would let us chat in real time.

We Have a Hit

Well, its been a crazy kind of busy since the last time I posted. And I have a bite here. It looks like there are tons of questions all around.

Dear Edith,
I will call your mom soon. Work has been nuts and I want to be able to talk to you guys with all my concentration. I wasn't really certain I'd ever get anything but a good base in the family tree. I am so happy that you found this and contacted me.
Sherry

Dear Family,
The Erna Gerbstadt I found was indeed Grampa's sister. She passed at 100 years old. The family found the blog and has contacted me. As I said to Edith, its been nuts so as soon as I get a solid block of time to call I will. And I'll publish the results here. With luck we can all get together soon.

Translation update

I am almost done translating the first half of this thing. I've got the words fairly accurately thanks to my Cassells that I unearthed from the depths of dad's living room. But I am uncertain of the proper application of the words. So I'm kinda stuck at the moment. But I will be posting the word for word soon.

there ain't enough Excedrin on the planet

Okay, my zeal for the translating has completely degenerated into a headache the size of... well what's bigger than the Universe? So i decided to try to find more Gerbstadts by using some married names as bait. Guess how you know you are the only one interested in a topic. The answer:
Because your own blog is the number two find on a search engine.
Yeah... hilarious. Apparently the Heupels that Erna married into aren't looking for the rest of the nuts on the tree. I did find a few people with the surname: reporters, geneticists and a couple of bankers. Mostly links to a geneticists trying to uncover the link to hydrogen peroxide in the body.
Yeah... who knew our bodies made THAT! And that is why our hair goes grey. Apparently the older we get the less we cvan get rid of so it just discolors our hair. Like it does right out of the bottle.
I must be insane or tired to be that interested in these kinds of tangents. No, wait. I'm a geek. That would explain some of it. Not enough of it though.

Partial transcription. Abbreviations are a killer

68 IV 925/53 Abschrift
betr. die Verfugung von Todes wegen der Erleute, Kaufmann Armin Gerbstadt und Anna Gerbstadt geberene Meyer, Hannover, Nieschlagstrasse 13.

Eroffnet am 13 Juli 1953
Das Amtsgereicht Hannover, Abt [my guess(Arbschrift)] 68
ges. Kuhlman, Justizinspektor als Hechtspfleger

Nr. 266 der Urkundenrollen
Jahrung 1942

Geschen zu Hannover, Am 5 August 1942

Vor mir, dem Dr. Jur. Walter Geiss mit Amsaitz in Hannover erechiegen, mir von Person bereitz bekannt:
1.) der Kaufmann armin Gerbstadt
in Hannover-Linden, Nieschlagstrasse 13

2.) desen Khefrau Lina Gerbstadt geb. Meyer, erbenda.

Dieselben erauchten mich em die Beurkandung ihre gemeinschaftlichen Testamentes, indem sie baten, von Zeugen Abstand su nehen.

Die Erechienenen erklarten, mir, dem Notar dass Folgend mundlich als ihren gemeinschaftlichen lahten willen:

I wir setzen uns gegenseiti zu Erben ein dergestallt, dass der belebe de von ins Erben des seurat Versterbenden von uns wird.

II Nach dem Tode desLetztversterbenden von uns soll unser beiderseitziger Nachlass fallen an unser Kinder Frau Martha Holze geb. Gerbstadt in Hannover, Burgermeister Fink-strasse 7 und den Tischler z.Zt. Soldat Willi Gerbstadt in Hannover, Nieschlagstrasse 13, Feldpost numer L10271.

zu Erstzerben jedes unserer Kinder bestimmen wir deren Erben.

III Wir setzen folgende Verasschtnisses aus, mit denen unsere in II 2 genanten Kinder MArtha Holze beg. Gerbstadt und Willi Gerbstadt besw. deren Ersatzerben bescwert sind:
Unsere Kinder Drogist Alfred Gerbstadt und Frau Erna Heupel geb. Gerbstadt, beide in Detroit (U.S.A.), Pasadena 1926, sollen jeder ein Vermachtnis Erhalten, das einer Zahlug von 1/4 des Wertes des gesanten [ ]achlassen besteht. Diese vermachtniser sollen aber Vermachtnis[ ]mer nur dann erhalten, sofern und sobald eine Ausgablung der Vermachtnisee nach den zu gebender Zeit bestehenden gesatzlichen Besti mungden und vererdnungen zulussig ist.

Unter denselben veraussetsungen erhalt Erna Heupel geb. Gerbstadt ein Weitres Vermachtnis von 500.00 Reichmark.

zu ersatzvermachtnisnehmen bestimmen wir die Kinder der Vermachtnisnehmer.

Sollen die fur das wirksammenwirken der vermachtnisse eben angegebenen Vorasusetzungen nicht binnen 6 Jahre unsere in II genannten Kinder Martha H. geb. Gerb. und Willi Gerb. besw. deren Ersatzerben bescwert sind:
Unssere Kinder Drogist Alfred Gerbstadt und Frau Erna Heupel geb. Gerb., beide Detroit (U.S.A.), pasadena 1926, sollen jeder ein vermachtnis erhalten, das einer Zahlug von 1/4 des Wertes gesanten { }achlassen besteht. Diese Vermrechtisre sollen aber die Vermachtnis[ ]mer nur dann erhalten, sofern und sobald eine Ausgablung der vermachtnisee nach den zu gebenderZeit bestehenden gesatslichen Besti mungen und Verdnungen zulussig ist.

Unter deselben Veraussetsungen erhalt Erna Heupel geb. Gerbstadt ein weitres Vermachtnis von 500.00 Reichmark.



End page one

Also found...

A last Will and Testament for Armin and Anna (Lina) Gerbstadt. It turns out that Grampa had another sister, Martha. Erna married a guy named Heupel. And according to the will, Grampa and Aunt Erna lived in Pasadena in 1926. Stunner! The real stunner was the other sister. It makes me wonder how many sibs Grampa really had. And why we didn't know about them.
I am working on a better, detailed translation but that is the highlights. I sent James a more detailed list as he is going to be in Berlin. But I will put as much of the document up to this site; ya know, just in case any one knows someone who knows more German than I. Geez, I better make some German friends.

MIssing HAnnover tape FOUND!!!!

Hey guys: tape was uncovered in a box of gifts that were never sent and stashed under the stairs. Will send it along to whatever address you tell me.

About yeast cake

I found this recipe, nearly word for word, in a jewish cookbook. This is called a strudel and it is credited with an Askenazi heritage. Unfortunately there is no picture in the book so that I can see how the finished project will look to confirm. But the proportions were exact, the instructions were the same so it should be the same thing.
I haven't seen anything in another cookbook to confirm it's origins.

finally!

A hundred thousand apologies! You all live here so you know what the weather has been like.
Anyway, here it is:
Grampa Gerbstadt's Holiday Raisin Rolls (yeast cake)

I
1/2 pound margarine
2 Tbs sugar
pinch salt
3 egg yolks beaten to a light color
2 1/2 cup sifted flour

II
I pk. yeast
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup milk

III
3 egg whites beaten to peaks
1 C sugar
1 C walnuts coarse shopped
1 pound Golden raisins
cinnamon

Mix groups I and II seperately.
Combine I and II. Roll into a ball and refridgerate covered overnight.
Except the egg whites, combine ingredients in group III and set aside while you roll out the dough. Beat whites and set aside.
Divide dough in half. Roll each half on a lightly floured surface to approximately 1/8th thickness. The rectangle should be about 8X16 inches in size.
Spread the egg whites onto rolled dough, sprinkle one half nut and raisins combo over whites. Roll as in a jelly roll, making sure to keep the seam to the bottom. Seal ends.
Repeat with the other half of dough.
Allow rolls to raise 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Bake @ 325 for 25 minutes.
Cool.
Sprinkle with cnfectioners sugar before serving.

been sick and forgot my recipe book. Will get it out soon.

retreat

Yes, I have been a bit distracted in my research. With Christmas (Weihnachten) upon us it is time once again to think back to the special things that keep Gramma and Grampa alive for me. It is especially important this time of year because the weather is so frightful and the memories keep me warmer than a roaring fire. The foremost memory, beyond the Christmas balls from Wollworths and Kresge's, beyond the silver tinsel and the decorated styrofoamballs hanging in the dining room window is the strudel at the end of Christmas dinner.
Eggnog really was too rich an accompaniment to such a decadent desert even if one had only a single slice. But who could eat only one? The butter, the sugared sultanas and all the powdered sugar.... mmmmmmmmmmmmm. I think what made it most special was that it only appeared at Christmas. And it took 3 months to make.
I thought that would get your attention. It didn't take 3 months from mix to bake. That is only a short prep, an overnight trip to the fridge and a quick assembly the next day. If you don't include the resting time it only takes about 40 minutes and the recipes makes two loaves. Just before he had that last bout, Grampa promised me that he would teach me how to make it since mom was never interested. He said that he always made it the last week of October so that it had a good eight weeks in the freezer. A day in the fridge and then the rest of the time in hte freezer. It is called mellowing.
This extra step is what allowed the raisin and nut flavor to penetrate the dough from the inside out. It is also most likely what made it taste so heavy. I don't think it needs that long. I made that loaf in 2005 three days before the dinner. The other reason for freezing it is so that it can be cut while still fairly rigid and thus would not crumble as badly on the plate as if it were cut and served "fresh". Since it turned out so well, I don't feel bad about not putting this out there until now as there is still plenty of time to churn out a loaf or two before Christmas.
I also have to admit I almost lost the recipe with my last disorganized move. So in the next post I will publish the Holiday Yeast Cake recipe and tell you again what I know about it. I would have loved to have a photo but I am not able to make one this year and it never occurred to me that it would be necessary to photograph something like that. But if we don't then what happens when we lose our marbles later in life? or worse... a recipe book as priceless as our family traditions?
It was almost losing the recipes, Grampa's, Dad's, Mom's and some of my favorites from my friends' families that inspired me to post. But I also don't want to be the only person who knows how to make it. Brian's reaction when he saw it was priceless... something I wish I had a photo of. It's the kind of reaction everyone in this family is entitled to have and experience. I have found too much divisiveness within the parts of our story I have found. It should not remain a generational burden. So, don't hold your breath but tune in tomorrow or Saturday for the recipe.
Frohe Weihnachten Familie!

Search I: 2000

I spent a few years in college. During the first few classes we were supposed to get familiar with search engines. Google was still refining its engine and we were playing with dogpile and others that are rarely used now. So the first thing I did was plug in Gerbstadt for a people search.

In 2000 there were 11 people living within reach of Google's search engine with the surname Gerbstadt. Genealogic research indicates all 11 of those people to be related. Among those Gerbstadts: Dr. Christine Gerbstadt, dietitian and published nutritionalist; David Gerbstadt of Pennsylvania, artist and blogger; a couple of Wayne County, MI realtors; and a physicist or genetic engineer... I couldn't pin point him.

clarification

The Gerbstadts that I have traced are from North/Northwestern Germany while the names originate in the East. There is at least 600 years of migration to get from Thuringa/Sachsen/Bayern to Hannover and Hamburg. The names and places were the result of trying to document my guess as to the sefinitions of the surnames. I did not expect to find castles and cities and such.
I have written to an administrator in Gerbstet with the hope that he can put me in touch with the organization that erected miniatures of famous but ruined places in that region and within the city itself. If anyone can tell me where and when the name started and who the cities' founders and protectors were it would be that historical society. Will let you all know when a response arrives.
As for the particulars that I know, I am still trying to write something up regarding the research. Even though this is for the family, I'd hate to plagerize.

A new lead

So Kevin tells me that the only other thing he knows for certain is that Gramma was originally from Leipzig.

Leipzig is just a few minutes from Merseburg. Merseburg at one time was the Rieger-Bezerk of Sachsen. That is to say, a regional seat of the district of Saxony, Prussia. This is the information contained in the Wappenbuch under the heading of Gerbstaedt. A town of Gerbstadt lies just north and west of Leipzig in a region of Mansfeld. Schloss Lauenstein lies about 200 miles south of these cities.

This connection, though tenuous, leads me to believe that I have been on the right track as far as locating the origins of Gramma's family name. I had not suspected to find a historic connection between the two families. I had thought due to the creation of a Gerbstadt crest, that the Gerbstadts were ennobled before the Lauensteins. Now I see that is not the case due to extensive quartering of the Lauenstein crest which pertains to this region of Lauenstein. The Gerbstadt crest is not quartered though two shields appear next to each other on the field. Either the crest began with a blended family or the family blended with another after its initial creation. In either case, the crest indicates that the landed status of the Gerbstadt family did not continue into another generation.

So what is the likelihood either set of grandparents belonged to a noble family? Excellent, though not in a way that you might imagine. I doubt, given Gramma's Jewish heritage, that she herself is descended from nobility. It is most likely that they belonged to a German noble through acquisition, the surname indicating possession rather than birthright.

time to play "What do You Know?"

"Not much. You?" Is the audience response for the NPR talk show. I feel like it should be mine for anything that has to do with this quest. It would seem from the last family conversation that i can't trust some of what mom told me. She's the one who said that Gramma never learned to speak English. In the follwing I will list what I heard by accident that has always stuck with me, the things that were direct answers to questions and some of the cryptic things Grampa said to me.

• Grampa had a brother Wilhelm: served in WWI, and was lost. Naturally I assume that meant that he had died. The helmet and service revolver that Grampa kept in the third bedroom was said to have belonged to Willie.
• David Gerbstadt said his uncle was Wilhelm, that he emigrated and that he worked in a bakery in dearborn in the 1930's
• Grampa talked with Marty Killian about several places in the old country associated with the family: Schwabia, Bavaria, Bohemia, Hamburg, Hannover and a large old church there that was kitty corner from the family bakery, and a place called Sachsen.
• Grampa's dad was a baker
• Grampa worked in the bakery as a kid and hated math, especially math involved in recipe division and multiplication
• Mom called Gramma a Bohemian when I was being just like her and mom didn't like it. She called Gramma a Bavarian when we did homework.
• Grampa talked a few times about Orlamunds.

What does it all amount to? Leads to be sure... but beyond that only time will teall.

Dredging the past

Many would say that the past is best left in the past, that it can serve no purpose to expose the pain and misery that our descendants suffered. I have always advocated knowing the truth, past to present. The past is a complete education; an ancestor's misery can be our road sign to avoid pitfalls. The past can also inspire and instruct. A family history is so much more than a bunch of facts and figures, though those are important too. I have always believed that. Until I talked to Kevin last night.

He didn't know that Grampa had a sister.

You see, I always have assumed that because Anne's kids are older than us, that they knew more about the family than did we. After all, they had years with Grampa when he was younger, more vibrant and capable of remembering in greater detail... not that his mind was ever dull. They would have done the same homework requiring the construction of a family tree... I thought. Apparently that was not always the back to school assignment of choice for teachers then. So I tell Kevin about Erna as he had not read the blog yet. And he didn't know.

How could he not know about her? How could he not know about Willie either? And this makes me wonder how much more I want to know. I mean, what could make siblings disavow any knowledge of each other? I was told it was about a recipe and working in the bakery. David Gerbstadt of PA said the same thing. But since I didn't know that Gramma Ada was Jewish, I wonder if the recipe was just a convenient disguise for bigotry in the family. And here is the thing... David knew about Grampa. We just didn't know about David and his family. so I wonder, again, what keeps you from acknowledging your siblings to your children and grandchildren?

It is sad. And I don't think I want to know. I almost idolize Grampa for the contributions he made to my becoming who I am. How will I feel about him if I find out that he was the reason there was a fight and he was the one who would not forgive? But what if I find that I like these other cousins and we become friends? Would Grampa think it was betrayal to like someone he clearly did not? Is even looking a betrayal of Grampa's love?

Of course, I could be too close to the whole thing since it is my family and there are generational patterns playing out even now with my own siblings. Grampa had told someone about Willie... mom and Anne fought about namesakes. And I remember several occasions where Gramma Olive rode Grampa about it, resulting in better details for the homework. I just wish that I remembered more than I did. I think. But still... no one mentioned Erna except to tease Aunt Anne about a name she said was not hers. How does this happen? Do I want to know?

The Traveling Gerbstadts

Moris Gerbstadt born in 1901: departed 24 August 1905 aboard the "Blucher" bound for Germany had been residing in Detroit MI.

Frieda Gerbstadt born in 1865 accompanied Moris on his overseas voyage.
No further information for either of them is available at this time. I do not know if they returned and no reason for their departure is listed. But I suspect that this is the boy for whom Brian acquired the M. on his birthcertificate. Although, I have seen a german birthcertificate and the M. appears before a boy name because so many germanic names are actually transgendered. Little girls have F. in front of their names. It's just a german thing that might have tripped Grampa up with lasting consequence for Brian.

Emma Gerbstadt born in 1888 departed Hamburg aboard the "Cincinnati" and arrived in NY, New York 19 September 1909. No further information was taken by the purser on this voyage.

I have no further information on this group of Gerbstadt immagrants with these spellings, no point of origin, no year of emigration; I only know at this point that the 1900 Wayne County census listed the following family: Amiel H. (father) and Fredreska (mother). Children listed are Emma b. Feb. 1888, George b. Oct 1889, Freddie b. Sept. 1893, Frank b. Dec. 1885 and Hugo born in 1898/99.

An Elfreidt Gerbstadt b. 26 April 1906 was naturalized 29 August 1935. No immagration records are available at this time.

Emil and Amiel are variations of the same name as are Frederika and Fredreska. These could be the same people. I think that they are because the consistant information is the child Hugo born in 1998. At the time of the 1930 census he was 31 years old and the only child listed living with the parents. The 1900 census in which I found Amiel and Fredreska asks what age the children were the year prior to the census being taken; Hugo's age is listed as 1 year. The difference between 98 and 99 is the time of year in which the form was sent in relation to when Hugo was born. Undoubtedly these are the same people.