Saturday, March 27, 2021

New photo

Now that I've seen several dozen photos of my Sandner relatives, I may be able identify the people in the photo below.



 





















Left to right:

Emma Sandner S., Homer Satterlee or a Sandner brother, Helen Sandner Satterlee, Anne Sandner H. 

Date of photo?

Unknown, but the styles look like late 40s and early 50s.


Back of Jenny and Alfred's postcard

Here's what the back of Jenny and Alfred's postcard looks like:



 













I find it almost impossible to read the German handwriting. Luckily my German professor has volunteered to transcribe these letters, trusting to her fabulous teaching that I can translate them. 

The script above reads:

"An unsere Lieben ein Andenken an unsern 40. Hochzeitstag am 25. März senden wir in treuer Geschwisterliebe und ewiger Dankbarkeit.

Allen ein frohes Osterfest!"

Translated and slightly paraphrased, it says:

"On March 25th, our 40th wedding anniversary, we are sending a little keepsake to our loved ones with sibling affection and true gratitude. Happy Easter, everyone!"

The photographer was Paul Biedermann, Auß Plauensche Straße 26, Zwickau, Saxony, Germany. A neat little fact is that there are still shops located at that address. 

If I recall correctly—not sure, have to check this—Alfred and Jenny got engaged in 1926 and married in 1927. Which means that the photo on the front of the card was taken about 1966 or 1967. Since my records state that Jenny died in 1971, the date is quite plausible.

Jenny was born in 1883 and died in 1971. Thus she was 21 - 25 during World War I (1914 - 1918) and 56 - 62 during World War II (1939 - 1945). Moreover, she lived behind the Iron Curtain from 1946 until her death in 1971 from ages 63 to 87. 

What a life. I am certainly glad that she and Alfred found joy in it.

Thursday, March 18, 2021

Jenny & Alfred

 One of the most fun parts of getting a box with jumbled photos is figuring out who the people are. Below is a photo whose subjects are probably Alfred and Jenny Sandner Naser on their 40th wedding anniversary (?). 














Let's assume for now that the subjects are Jenny and Alfred. Here's what I know about them. 

The source for the info below was my grandmother.

Jenny was born October 26, 1883, in Zwickau, Saxony, Germany. Jenny was the third child, second daughter of Albin and Ernestine Unger Sandner. Jenny remained behind in Zwickau when the rest of the family emigrated to the U.S. in 1892. That means she was just nine when her entire family left! 

Why did she stay behind? Where and with whom did she live? Mysteries abound.

The picture above is dated about 1966, if my rusty German is correct. This means that she married Alfred about 1926. They were together during World War II and while behind the Iron Curtain. 

My family tree says that Jenny died on April 10, 1971, but there is no source listed. Dang. Obviously this info was recorded at the beginning of my genealogy journey, when I wasn't as careful about listing sources. Another mystery. 

This is what I think I know about Alfred: he was alive in 1966. He married Jenny. He lived in Zwickau. One of the jumble photos maybe shows him as a soldier. What job did he work at? What did he do during World War II? What job did he work at when East Germany was divided off from West Germany? More mysteries.

Other photos from the jumble prove that Alfred and Jenny had a daughter or granddaughter named Kathe. Don't know which yet. She wrote several of the jumble postcards that haven't been translated. Hope to figure out her relationship soon.  (Mystery!)

Jenny resembles my grandmother so much! Same cheekbones, same nose, which they inherited from mother Ernestine. 

That's about all I have discovered from the front of this photo so far. Next, a look at the back and what it can tell us about Jenny and Alfred. 

Solving mysteries is my game!











Saturday, March 13, 2021

Shirley Jeanne Risch

Looking at old pix as time and allergies allow...slow going...

Below is a picture of Shirley Jeanne Risch, daughter of Gertrude Moeckel and John Risch. My best guess is that the picture was taken in her junior year of high school in Denver. 

She sure was pretty!