Not much done.

Grandpa Max Pueschel

So this month is kind of a stall month since I am waiting for my birthday and can get my ancestry membership.  I did work on calling my Dad's cousin. That was a big deal. I hate talking to strangers. I know you are thinking, but you're a flight attendant and talk to strangers all day.  Yes, but they expect three questions from me 1) What would you like to drink? 2)Where are you going today? 3) How can I help you?  These people expect these questions.  I had to call pretty much a stranger and bug him for information that he may or may not know.  Some people are weird about giving family info out too, so it was a toss up.

This cousin found Grandpa Max's grave in Germany. He didn't know where the cemetery is in Germany, but they found his name.He did say he was sure the cemetery was near Dresden. I'm hoping to be able to find the name of the cemetery through ancestry's records.  There is a good story about his grave though.  I guess it wasn't marked and a common practice in German/Europe is if no one from the family claims the grave in X amount of years they dig it up and place the bones in a common plot (ask JK Rowling where her great grandfather is. Yep in a common plot because she didn't get there fast enough to claim him).  Well because Grandpa Max wasn't marked he had passed his years, but no one could see a head stone so he remained buried where he was.  Dad's cousin told the cemetery to keep him there and they made a makeshift head stone of rocks. Dad's cousin said that the grave had been blessed and he believes that is why it wasn't tampered with.  I find it interesting mostly because Grandpa Max wasn't religious or Mormon, but Grandma insisted that his grave was blessed. He died in December 1945 right as the war was ending; must have been a mess to bury anyone.

I also learned that Dad's cousin's mom, MaryAnn, wrote a small history book. She is my grandfather's older sister.  I asked if I could have a copy he said yes. I'm hoping she has some other details about her father and his family.  I am going to visit him in March so hopefully I get something good!

I thought I would add some photos of these people. I guess Grandpa Max never liked to look at the camera.  There is no a single full face shot.



William Lee, Sampson Lee's dad (Mr. Wildly Successful)