This week or next I hope to make my annual drive up to Gettysburg and Sharpsburg, weather permitting. It's supposed to be considerably cooler this week, and I think the smoke from the Canadian wildfires should have dissipated by then.
As a reminder, my father was John Leland Black. His mother was Marguerite Black, née Miller. Marguerite Miller married Charles Black on Dec. 15, 1925, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Marguerite had two siblings in her family -- John and Leland. Hence her son's name, John Leland Black.
Marguerite Miller was born on Aug. 26, 1890, in Virginia City, Montana. Her father was John Hancock Miller, born in 1869 in Ripley, Missouri. His father, also John Hancock Miller, was born on Feb. 20 in Sharpsburg, Maryland. This is my great-great-great grandfather. His farm was located on the Antietam Creek only a few miles from the site of the Battle of Antietam -- the single bloodiest day of the American Civil War, in September of 1862. In fact, David Miller, his brother, lived on the northernmost part of the battlefield. Today his cornfield is called The Cornfield. This is where both armies first clashed on that fateful day.
John Hancock Miller's father was John Miller, who was born on Oct. 13, 1787, in Sharpsburg. He died on Mar. 27, 1883, and is buried in Sharpsburg. I have identified the cemetery and hope to visit his grave on my next trip.
Finally, John Miller's father David Miller was born on Dec. 5 in Rhineland-Pfalz, Germany. I know very little about David Miller and I am eager to rectify this situation. His birth in Germany confirms something I had long suspected, namely that my forebears were (at least partly) from Germany and indeed a part of Germany I know fairly well. When I was teaching at the Bibelschule Bergstrasse for 3 months back in the summer of 1978, Becky and I traveled to this part of Germany often. The Rhineland-Pfalz is famous for many things. I'll list just a few:
Its historic landmarks such as the Lorelei Rock on the Rhine.
Its rich history of viticulture (going back 2,000 years).
Its amazing landscapes including the Palatinate Forest (42% of the area is covered by forests).
Its rich cultural history, including cities like Mainz, Trier, Koblenz, and, of course, Worms, made famous by Martin Luther.
Its fairy tale castles like Burg Eltz, which has remained in the same family for over 800 years.
Its famous Speyer Cathedral, one of the largest Romanesque churches in the world and the burial place of numerous Holy Roman emperors.
And, of course, I'm sure you've heard of Gutenberg and his printing press. Mainz is where you will find his museum with showcase Bibles and really ancient printing equipment.
As a kind of language nerd, I've always been interested in the various dialects of German spoken in that country.
The dialect of German spoken in Rhineland-Pfalz is called Pfälzisch. It's a variation of the Rhine Franconian dialects. It's famous for its unique vocabulary and pronunciation.
It uses "Appel" for High German's "Apfel" (apple).
It uses "fescht" instead of "fest" (firm).
It uses "des Kind vun de Fra" instead of "das Kind der Frau" (the child of the women).
It says "em Haus" for "im Hause" (in the house), "Woi" for "Wein" (wine), "Grumbeere" for "Grundbirne" (potato), "Dach!" for "Guten Tag!" (Good day!), "Unn wie?" for "Wie geht's?" (How are you?), and "Hasche aa Hunger" for "Hast du auch Hunger" (Are you hungry too?).
One of my favorite expressions in Pfälzisch is "Kummgehfort!" instead of "Das ist kaum zu glauben!" (Hard to believe!).
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| A "schorle" is a popular German beverage that combines wine with carbonated mineral water. The above dialogue goes like this: "What does a schorle cost? "For you only a kiss." "That's great! I'll take 5 and my grandma will pay!" |
People love genealogical research for any number of reasons. For me, I think it satisfies a deep psychological need for identity. Who am I? What are my roots? What were my forefathers (and mothers) like? Genealogy is a thrilling real-life jigsaw puzzle, allowing people to uncover all kinds of interesting family secrets -- my paternal great-great-great parents actually worshipped in the famous Dunker Church on the Antietam Battlefield!
Otherwise dry history has become a personal quest. Now I can say, "I'm American, but my family's from Germany," which is something that would be impossible to gather just from looking at me. Is this partly why German is like a second language to me today? I don't know. But it sure is fun asking!
It goes without saying that if I'm ever back in Germany, I know I will have to try and chase down my German roots. I bet your ancestry is pretty interesting too.