Your American Story

[wendybeth]

Originally Posted by TicTocDragon

All I know is that my family dates back too the 16th Century where there were no last names?

After dodging being apprehended by Hitler's Gestapo in the Friesland region of Holland,(with the help of his soon too be wife and mother) my grandfather moved the family over here in 1948.
My grandmother and my Great grandmother flirted with the Germans while my Opa was underneath the floorboards 6 ft under, staring up at the soldier's foot.
My Opa refused too register with the German requirements.
The thing is with anyone who went through this, they never want to talk about it.
So for some reason lately we have been getting a story here and there. They just celebrated 60 years of Marriage back in May.

The economy in Holland after the war seemed too be slow to recover, so my Opa decided to move on to America.
Funny, a year later the Holland's economy improved after his family left.
My dad was born in Winschoten with a mid wife present. The home they lived in has some historical architecture that in 2004 was made into a museum or historical monument of some sort, a year after we visited.
My Dad and two of his 4 brothers were born in Holland. The others were born here. The rest of my Opa's brothers and sisters toughed out things in Holland.

Sponsored by another Dutch American, my grandfather(Opa) immigrated with his family moved over to Ripon, California. (Little Holland as we call it here.)

My Opa was a meat cutter, then moved on too start his own business.

My mother's side is unknown, she was adopted with her sister, and unfortunately a fire took out the records of her real parents in Iowa.
The sad part was one day my mother was told in elementary school by some kids who knew her real parents. (At least that was what we were told)
Kind of vicious isn't it?
I truly envy those who know more about their families. I would love too know more about mine.

My Aunt Liliana is an Italian Jew and one of the few to survive from her hometown, which was near Florence. She seldom talks about her experiences, but last week we visited her at the hospital where she was holding court after a big surgery. Hopped up on morphine, she told us about when her cousin was shot dead in front of her and his parents by the Nazis, and then she went on to relate some of the other atrocities she saw committed by those sick bastards. She's such a cool lady, and she seems to bear no ill will or bitterness for her ****ed up childhood, but just listening made my blood boil. I want to get her to start recording her experiences- I think she wants to talk about them, and her family should have a written record on a big part of their history.

Kudos to your Opa.