Ancestor Approved Award

I am surprised/honored/humbled/pleased to be the recipient of the Ancestor Approved Award from Mary, my fellow Genea Blogger
http://marysellslv.blogspot.com/; and from Leah from http://shbwgen.blogspot.com/
My thanks goes to them, for sharing this award with me.

The Ancestor Approved Award asks that the recipient list ten things you have learned about any of your ancestors that has surprised, humbled, or enlightened you and pass the award along to ten other bloggers who you feel are doing their ancestors proud.
Here are the 10 things I have learned from my ancestors.

First off I have to say that I knew so little of the family, only snatches told me; and sneaks into the round robin packet that arrived to the family which was turned into the Meyer family book; and from a couple hours of intense relay of information in the form of associations by M&M, when I was age twenty nine. And then I began on my own in later years to find what fit with those associations.

1. I was enlightened to find and get a Meyer book. I am humbled by the thought and the production that went into the Meyer book done by contributions of all the family with several round robin packets sent all over the United States. And then published and sold to those who wished to have one. When I saw the work that changed into a book, I was excited, but I didn't know there was to be a book. My family chose not to get the book, but I am grateful, my father was able to ponder over the letters from the packet make notes and study it. I was able to sneak a little information which I used to ask my father and M&M a few questions here and there when I had a chance to do . And some of it would help me these past years, when I began my search. I learned from them that documentation of every fact is so very important. And to take an obituary with a grain of salt. I am humbled that though there were no more books, the family keeper of the 'family stuff' was able to give me one.

2. I was enlightened and delighted to have been able to try to add to the Meyer book information that spoke of the little known abut sisters, just as these had ancestors asked us to do. I did by consulting other descendants of those in the book. I was excited to receive documents from the German churches bringing the documentation of the great grandparents and their grandparents and proudly put it into the green book. I found that information of ancestors at AIDA that Mary and Leise Meyer came with Frederick. I also was enlightened of the process they went into in order to emigrate.

3. I will never forget how surprised I was to learn the 3- great grandparent Meyer was a Shepherd and came not from Oldendorf, but Radenbeck and there was not a wife's name listed.
I was again surprised and perplexed that no one of the Meyer name from Radenbeck was mentioned in any of the children's baptisms at Neetzendorf or Eichdorf. It seemed to be all about the wife's family. [However, there are still many names and other locations to be investigated.]

4. I was surprised that my first known Meyer Ancestors lived first at Radenbeck by Thomasburg as shepherds. Not at that moment living the interpretation of the Meyer name. That this Acestor's son went to many miles to work in Neetzendorf as a shepherd to work and eventually marry the daughter of Hans Behrens. Which made their sons Hauslings. The Meyer Hauslings married theLuhmann landowners daughters. Eventually one son Friedrich became a landowner himself, and he became a game warden at the royal game reserve. Had not each generation rose in their position, would they have been able to emigrate? And again humbled at the accompolishment of gr.Grandpa Willie in his long line of others especially Juergen Friedrich, his father.

5. I am humbled by the amount of children who were born, who just did not live long. Especially among the twins or triplets of birth. Accidents, deaths by Appendicitis and disease. I am so grateful, that those who did survive helped the rest of us be strong. I am grateful for the knowledge of the genes they carried. And sad at the lack of knowledge of genes in those of illegitimate births. I was so surprised to learn there were other Meyer of the family in Iowa, I thought there were only four plus my brothers. And one male of the family left in germany, I was told.

6. I had been enlightened that after the war the german people might not be receptive to my finding them. I was humbled and surprised at how gracious my ancestors German people and the German descendants of my ancestors are and were to me after they had received my funny translated letters in German asking if they are related to my Ancestor. Then later when requesting information. I mean they were so very kind. In general the others who understand the love of Genealogy such as Hans Peter Kregel went and looked up three or four pages of Luhmann family history from the earliest there was recorded to 1869 and sent it to me. Heinz Herman Luhmann a descendant of those Luhmanns answered my letter and welcomed me to visit anytime and wrote a gracious welcome.

7. I was enlightened and delighted to learn the customs of my ancestors in this Hannover region near the Elbe river on various Village chronik. Especially the Dahlenburg chronik by Charlotte Wodage, Barskamp, Bevensen, and the Tosterglop chroniks. I was eager to learn about the baptismal and marriage practices, including hereditary customs of the families. I was surprised and relieved to learn that in the Korn family that some were Roman Catholic living in a Lutheran Himbergen region the children could be baptized in that Lutheran church, the same for illegitimate births. Because babies should be baptized.

8. I was surprised, enlightened, and delighted that my Seil and Korn ancestors were living among those who left a paper trail for me to find in a Heinrich Porth book about Himbergen Uelzen. Prior to that there seemed to be no way to learn of them. Their paper trail led me to understand what August Seil and his wife and their daughter went through before she came to America. Their history and lives led me to the understanding on down to my own parents practices.

9. I was humbled as I saw how fast my mentor Tom Vogel was able to learn about his ancestors and mine as he uncovered His Vogel and our Anna Seil almost in a years time. I was touched by the video he sent, which shared his story of his trip to the Vogels Bohemian Homeland. I was humbled by the life and other ancestors who were made homeless. I am so grateful that those who left and stayed in America did not return to live there. I am also grateful that this descendant taught me so much about how to search. I was enlightened at the same time, of how cemeteries in europe deal with the growing amount of bodies. I was enlightened about this region.

10. I am humbled of the hardship in the life of my great grand father Juergen Hch Wilhelm Meyer. I was surprised to learn of his life as one constant military life. I think he had so much difficulty at times that he literally survived by just going one foot in front of the other until he managed to survive being a prisoner of war and typhoid fever. Wisely, he made an agreement with his brother who he helped emigrate in 1869. It is no wonder he disliked the growing confederation of Germany and wanted to leave too, and so his brother helped him emigrate in 1884. He having to endure all that he did is so humbling.

And it is humbling, exciting at the same time to be given this first award by other Genea bloggers.

I dislike the term 'Deserving' Genea blogger, cause were all deserving, just because we are. I can't say one is a favorite over another. Some are newer than others. Here are my ten picks of bloggers who would make Ancestor approved Award blogs. [If you receive it twice, I am sure you may still have other ten comments you didn't get to say the last time.] Just right click the award to get going and copy more or less my description as I gave it. See the X's of those I am still working on to find a comment area at some of the blogs, so not everyone was notified.

1. Rooting Around Genealogy
http://genealogyrooter.blogspot.com/2009/09/ahnentafel-roulette.html#comment-form

2. Blog of a Genealogist in Training
http://genealogist-in-training.blogspot.com/

3. Jennifers Genealogy blog
http://jennifergenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/King

4. The Research Journal
http://www.researchjournal.yourislandroutes.com/

5 All's Polish American Genealogy Research
http://polishamericangenealogy.blogspot.com/

6. Cambria co, Pa. My family of Bracken, Singer and Gabriel http://mycambriacoconnection.blogspot.com/

7. Scottish Genealogist x
http://www.scottishgenealogist.co.uk/blog/

8. Family Trees may contain Nuts
http://www.familytreesmaycontainnuts.com/

9. Acadian Ancestral Home
http://acadian-ancestral-home.blogspot.com/

10.Grace and Glory
http://beckysgraceandglory.blogspot.com/