NOW that we enjoy low, low international telephone rates, you can call
anyone in Germany that you think you might be related to and talk for 5
minutes using 10-10-987 or 10-16-868. If you don't speak the language, find
someone who does. If there are 10 persons with your surname in the German
telephone directory in the location your ancestors came from, you can call
them ALL for $5.00 to $5.40, TOTAL!
If you find a "cousin" you can talk for an hour for $2.20 using 10-10-987.
10-16-868 will cost you $6.00 for one hour.
This method removes all the questions about return postage, sending cash,
and so on, when writing personal letters. It can even be used to telephone a
church or civil archive. Just make sure you speak German or know someone who
does; that you have your information ready: name, date and location of
birth, parents, children.
DON'T GET WINDY! Be brief! They don't need to know which ship they emigrated
on, where they landed in the USA or Australia or any other country, where
they settled, etc. Talk about who, where, when, their faith or confession,
and what you need to know IN GERMANY! And make sure you remember that
Germany is 7 hours ahead of the USA! Don't call at 8pm USA time for sure!
Whoa! Not a nice way to make friends and influence people!
If you call someone who has no information or is not related or whatever,
they will cut you off long before you deliver your entire speech <grin>.
Don
"No snow falls lighter than the snow of age;
but none lies heavier, for it never melts."