European Family History Trip: Day 5 – Last Day in Falkenberg Germany
Day 5 (Saturday) Falkenberg, Germany — David received so much information on his Kuhns line from the Falkenberg church he hadn’t had a chance to read through it all. He had planned to leave studying the research until we got home, but the night before the day we would be leaving Falkenberg, he kept feeling like “You HAVE to go through that information!” It wouldn’t leave him alone. Finally, first thing in the morning he looked at it. When he read through it, he realized that there were two living Kunz descendants. One was currently living on the property that his 3rd great grandfather (Johann Kunz) grew up on as a child.
We had checked out of where we’re staying and thought we’d gotten everything to be had from the records. But NO! So much more.
We tried to stop by and see the Kunz descendant on our way out of town but she was playing at a musical event. So we did some driving around the town and had lunch with the Rasps and came back to Falkenberg on our way out of town to go to Poland.
When we arrived back at the Kunz ancestral home, the woman who owns the house with her husband (Monika Kunz-Fischer) was there to greet us along with her sister Agnes Kunz and Monika’s daughter Waldtraub. They were so excited — downright jubilant — that we came.
Immediately they brought out homemade apple cake and another fried pastry along with an old family photo and a pedigree chart of a line of the family Dave didn’t have yet. Monika and Agnes are descended from Johann Kunz’s father’s brother (Dave’s ancestors’ uncle).
They told us the reason they have these records is because during WW2 the German government made them prove they had no Jewish ancestry.
Agnes told us she was so grateful that Dave spoke German because she didn’t know how they would get through this information with an English speaker. Dave said his German was better on this day than it had been the whole trip. He felt he had Divine help.
Also, Agnes’s kept staring at Dave the whole time and shaking her head. She said he looked, laughed, smiled and had mannerisms like her uncle “Seph” (Joseph).
Another day of miracles!
Video from Our Day with the Kunz Sisters
Kuhns (aka Kunz) Love Water No Matter Where They Live
Anyone who knows the Kuhns family knows they’re all water bugs. David Kuhns’ grandparents had a cabin and boathouse on Lake Winneconne Wisconsin. Dave’s dad, Gene L. Kuhns, has a lake house there. Dave’s brother, Gene Kuhns, lives on an island. We have a creek. It’s little wonder that as we visited Falkenberg where Johann and Viktoria Kunz came from, we saw they were in a land of lakes and rivers. There’s so much water and fishing going on in that area, each community creates their own decorated carp statue.
The photos above show the backside of Johann and Viktoria Kunz’s home in Falkenberg before they came to America.
The Falkenberg Burg
When we stepped outside the door of where we were staying, this was our view.
The castle is across the street from Johann Kuhns and Viktoria Mark’s house.
The Falkenberg castle (aka Burg) on the river.
Sunflower Fields
There were fields of sunflowers around the outskirts of Falkenberg. I finally had a chance to get out of the car and photograph some. We spent the rest of the day driving to Poland to research Dave’s Starke line (his father’s mother’s side of the family).
Click here to continue with our adventures as we explore cemeteries in Poland.
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