While visiting Switzerland, I asked Max, “How would Johannes have come to America?”
Max lives in Still, Switzerland, about 2 miles from Rein (where Johannes lived – go figure!). His house actually sits on the Aare River.
This is Max and me, ‘getting into it,’ – researching family history. That is the Aare River in the background.
The Aare River, in turn, empties into the Rhine River which flows northward to the North Sea. Max felt that (most probably) this was the way Johannes would have traveled – North, by river, to Amsterdam. From there he would have taken passage to America. His other option was to travel overland to Le Havre, France. He said this would have been a harder way to travel, and more dangerous. So, “I’m good” with this explanation…
I have yet to discover the actual ship he came over on, or his port of entry. The “Green Book” tells us that he landed in Washington, DC. But I don’t think Washington was a port of entry. I think Arlington was, but again, I can find no evidence of his arrival…
Bob, I find it interesting that you are tracing your family tree. I don’t think I ever told you I was adopted and have no idea who my birth parents were. Since I was a product of the imfamous “baby mills” in Kansas City all those records are sealed so no way no how can I ever find out who they were or even a family medical history. But I don’t care. In today’s world I would have been an abortion. I had “real” parents who loved me and gave me every opportunity. I was no “accident” to them, there were a lot of “hoops” they had to jump through to get me. Since I was only about 3 months old I have no bad memories. I never got along with my dad, he was a tough disciplinarian but he meant only well for me. He is the only man I’ve ever met whose moral compass never EVER deviated from “true north”. He just couldn’t grasp the fact that I would find satisfaction in a life different from his. So we were never the “buddies” he hoped we would be and although when he died I felt a huge weight liftet off my shoulders I still couldn’t ask for a better role model, one which I have failed more than once. And for many reasons I have always felt like an outsider, even now as #73 at Delta I fell I don’t belong. Has nothing to do with adoption, I think maybe because we lived outside of town and I was not interested in sports may have something to do with it. But I never went through anything like you went through with your dad and moving all the time. I never can remember my parents arguing about anything with each other. The only thing I can tell you is that even if you were the only one in the world that ever committed a sin, Jesus would still have hung on the cross for you. I can’t imagine anything else to comfort you than to know that God loves you.
And so do I,
Ron