RR3 FRANSEN

Good morning:

Those on the east coast(we do have some) will be awakening while those on the west coast (and we do have some) are still fast asleep. I have always thought that a middle of the road approach to most things in life is preferable and so we live in the middle of the country (sort of).

I am beginning to like the idea of "the Blog" more and more Sandra (&David). I do wonder how Sandra (or others) will keep us on the straight and narrow, meaning whereas sausage may be a wonderful treat at times, the making of it has been generally agreed to be less than appetizing.

I am anxious to expound more on "Zerbst" because I have some interesting stories to tell relating to our work with Aussiedlers in Germany 1993-1995 regarding Zerbst but before I do that I need Ted to explain to me how Stettin, where Catherine the Great was born is or once was part of the principality of Anhalt-Zerbst. It may of course be true but is new to me.

The question has been raised as to exactly where did Grandpa Fransen live in Mariawohl and did we correctly identify the ruins of that exact building. Even though NA Fransens have been to Mariawohl at least four times now it would be a first to have exactly identified the ruins of that particular building. I am confident that we have indeed identified that building/yard and would hope that others who have pictures of that location offer them to this Blog. There are some additional ways in which to confirm these findings. Keep in mind that we know that when the Nicolas Fransen family left Mariawohl in 1926 they sold the place to GF Fransen's brother Jakob. We also know that later a "chapel" was build on that yard where people of the village worshiped in those difficult times in the early thirties. The ruins(particularly cellar) that is currently being dismantled were not of Ukrainian construction but dated back to Mennonite times. This then was the home in which Jack Fransen(California) was born as were some of the other "cousins" that were present in Rehe. Edith were they all born there?

Remember when we stopped in what once was Schardau and where Johann Dueck was particularly interested in digging around. Barbara identified a driveway, Johann identified several wells and a few other remnants of concrete. In addition to this former village being the place where the Duecks came from it was also the birth place of our ancestor Nicolas Fransen (1851-1922) whom we celebrated in Rehe. Mariawohl dates back only to 1857 (one of the last Molotschna villages) and so most of those settling in Mariawohl did not come directly from Prussia but from other already established villages in Molotschna.

Do we know the exact location of the attractive village gate/portal and brick fence that heads up this Blog? Whereas there is a similar fence next to the property that we have identified as GF Fransen's yard I suspect this picture comes from elsewhere. 

In Fuerstenau I wonder whether anyone has a picture of Mr Wallman in whose house we visited and who wanted us to stay longer. He apparently is the oldest resident of Fuerstenau, having been born there in 1926 and with whom we were able to visit easily in German.

herb