“Names of the Fallen” #403 “Samuel Ebner”
Travel Tuesday
Many of us family history buffs have relatives/ancestors who fought in World War I and/or II, and if they died in those wars, it’s likely we might find their names on a memorial in their home town, on a plaque in a church, or eulogized in a newspaper article.When we visited Grosspold in Transylvania (prior to 1914, part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) to find my great-grandfather’s house, we weren’t looking for a memorial, but we unexpectedly found one.
In the courtyard of the church my grandmother had attended, we saw this memorial. The following is inscribed on one side (photo) “Our fallen Heroes in the War 1914-1918, The Church Community of Grosspold”
“Names of the Fallen”
Samuel Ebner #402, 2nd from top
On the other three sides are listed “Names of the Fallen,” including my grandmother’s brother, Samuel Ebner, born 1894. His name is the second from the top (left photo. Close-up at top of this post).
But it wasn’t until several of the letters in my collection were deciphered from the old German script that I made some astounding connections, both about this monument as well as the last words the family ever heard from young Samuel. Watch for “His Final Words,” coming up.
I look forward to your hearing from you. Please leave me a message.
Hello Linda, I just caught on to your blog this morning from The Armchair Genealogist’s mention and I’ve spent all morning catching myself up. All I can say is Wow. You are a beautiful writer and I’ve become enthralledby your Josef and Lisi story. Every post’s ending leaves me excited to read the next and you’ve managed to make me tear up and laugh multiple times in the time it’s taken me to read everything. It has been exciting to read about Transylvania as my own great-grandparents migrated from there to Ohio and it’s amazing to see their homeland through… Read more »
Dear Monica,I am truly so moved by your response to my blog stories! It’s the kind of feedback that makes me want to keep going — especially when I’m not sure I’m connecting. Thank you so much. For those who didn’t see an earlier post, Monica is an expert in the history of Siebenbürgen Germans who emigrated to America and she helped me discover the ship my grandfather too to America, for which I am so grateful. See Mystery of the Missing Mest. Thank you, Monica. Also, thank you to Lynn Palermo at The Armchair Genealogist (http://www.thearmchairgenealogist) for adding my… Read more »
Hi Linda, You have me confused with your other Monica. I am not an expert in anything, certainly not the Siebenburgen Germans. I’m just a reader who enjoys your posts. Sorry for the confusion! 🙂
Sorry about that confusion, Monica! I’ve been out of town for more than two weeks now and didn’t have a chance to respond to your note on this blog post. In any case, I’m just as thrilled to have received your response. Back now and must get going on the next blog posts.