Jürgen Trapp- Texting My German Cousin

 

Jürgen Trapp, son of Emil and Elizabetha Trapp

One of the greatest joys genealogy has given me was discovering my cousin, Jürgen Trapp, who lives in Sasbackwalden, Germany along the Black Forest. He is my 6th cousin 1X removed.  We connect through my 5th great aunt, Christiana Rosch, when she married Josef Bruder, his great grandfather, on February 26, 1781. Their daughter, Hermine, was his grandmother.

It has been such a joy getting to know him and his family, his wife Elke, three daughters. Anna, Lisa, and Lena, and son Alexander. He has shared stories, pictures and legends of the homeland. Some of which I have written about in my book " Forever Laced, A Journey through Two Centuries, but had never actually seen until now through his pictures.

My third great grandparents, Mathias Rosch and Magdalena lived in Sasbachwalden, a Black Forest municipality in Western Baden-Wurttemberg Germany.  It is located on the western slopes of the the Hornisgrinde Mountain located in the Northern Black Forest and belongs to the district of Ortenau. More than 70% of the town is forest.  They lived along the Oos River at the bottom of the Black Forest. Jürgen has brought my German ancestry to life.

Jürgen has a big heart. When Russia invaded Ukraine and the people had to flee to other countries, many Ukrainians went to Germany, Jürgen took in Tetianna, and her two children, Anna and little Alex while her husband was fighting the war.  Then he also worked to find apartments for the refugees .

                                                           

  Christiana Rosch and Josef Bruder 

       parents of Hermine  

                                                      

            

 Home of Christiana Rosch and Josef Bruder, 

Marberg, Germany

   (Today it is a hotel)

Following, are various views of Jürgen's ancestral home. He is the third generation to live in this house.  Painted on his house is evidence of the love of his family and his history.  The first two names side by side are his name, Jürgen Trapp and his wife Elke. Next are his parents, Emil and Elizabetha Trapp, then his grandparents Hermine and Emil Trapp.

Below that are two Coat of Arms in memory of his grandparents and parents who built the house. The Coat of arms of Sasbachwalden with the fir tree is for his grandparents Hermine, Emil and himself. The second Coat of Arms of Lauf is for his parents, Emil. Elizabetha, and his wife Elfe who are all from Lauf.

Below that is a saying by Hoffmann Von Fallersleben, who also composed the German national anthem.

"Like the oaks striving towards the sky, despite the storms, we want to be like them, free, and firm, like Germans oaks lifting out heads."

                       

 

His text messages always begin with,  

"To My Dear Cousin." He became a grandfather for the first time this year, 2022.

He shared with me his Christmas and Easter traditions:

"You can say sauerbraten, is our national dish here in the southwest of Germany, especially in our region here.  At Christmas the children are all there and Elke's parents, of course. It has always been like this at Christmas and Easter".

"On Christmas Eve, we traditionally serve sauerbraten noodles and potato dumplings. This is a festive meal with a long tradition here in the Black Forest, Sauerbraten ..... is a piece of beef that is pickled in red wine vinegar with bay leaves for a few days. After souring, the meat is seared and then left on the fire for a long time.

Everyone is already looking forward to it".

"With all that we have shared, and yet to share, me learning more about my German ancestors, he learning more about his American ancestors, has brought us closer together. We are both enamored with our family and its' history, indeed we are, dear cousins.