Long before online genealogy services were readily available, George uncovered his distant German family by triangulating information from an Aunt who had traveled to Germany, a North Carolina-based Uncle who purchased German manufactured machinery for his American factory, and a bar owner named Ludwig in small-town Germany who was just kind enough to help out.

Back then, George took leave from his U.S. Army assignment on the then West Germany-Czechoslovakia border to make a surprise visit to 2^nd cousins on the other side of West Germany.

A short fifty years later, he resumed his genealogy research efforts. A still youthful 77-year-old traveling with two of his sons, traveled across the Atlantic to meet German relatives and visit his ancestors’ home and farm. This was just the beginning.

Including that 2012 trip, our Tennessee-based family and German cousins will have met in person on eleven separate occasions. Think about that, eleven meetings over 13+ years…eleven times! Missy now has relationships with four separate 3^rd-cousins and our sons have met two of their 4^th-cousins. Four young men connected by their great-great-great grandparents. Pretty darn cool.

George’s great-grandparents, Johannes and Eva, grew up in Germany. They would raise eight kids at the family home outside Geislingen, a beautiful town in southern Germany between Stuttgart and Munich, known for its five valleys.

One of those eight children and George’s grandfather, Johanne, immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1898, looking for the quintessential American dream of a better life. In so doing, he would leave behind his seven siblings. Johanne landed in the United States in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

37 years later in 1935, George was born in Philadelphia, but soon thereafter his family moved to Alabama when he was just two years old. Although not quite Southern at birth, he would become a Southerner for life. However, as you will learn, his true roots are an ocean away from the American South.

During the United States’ participation in World War II (1941-1945), approximately 10 million Americans were drafted into the military through the Selective Service System. A similar draft process remained largely in place through 1973 to supplement America’s military volunteers as the Cold War emerged.

After obtaining a college degree with ROTC training in 1957, George volunteered for military service in the U.S. Army. Being a volunteer with an ROTC background, George had some input regarding his eventual geography and role. After 16 weeks of basic training at Fort Benning in Georgia (recently renamed Fort Moore), young George was now heading off to Germany.

He was deployed overseas for more than 1 ½ years. His operating base was near Bamberg, 1 ½ hours from West Germany’s border with Czechoslovakia. Part of a four-person tank crew, George and two others were each capable of acting as the driver, gunner, and loader, working under the tank’s commanding officer. These tanks were fully equipped with explosives, cannon shells, and machine gun rounds, as the equipment provided both border security and an effective deterrent to military conflict.

Remember, this was West Germany, a decade after the conclusion of WWII. The world again faced significant uncertainty presented by the NATO alliance on one side and, on the other, the Soviet-backed Warsaw Pact involving most Eastern European countries, including Czechoslovakia. These global tensions led up to the Berlin Wall’s construction and the Cuban Missile Crisis in the early 1960s. This was the volatile backdrop during George’s service time in Germany.

Taking a small step back now… Germany became the central protagonist in two World Wars during the early-to-mid 1900s. Its lands were battlefields and bombing targets, and most of its population served in the military. During WWI, Germany joined Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire as Central Powers. In WWII, Germany was aligned with Italy and Japan to form the Axis. The United States would oppose Germany in both wars.

For those global history, military, and political enthusiasts, we have visited (and written about) both of the National World War museums in the United States, the WWI Museum in Kansas City, Missouri and the WWII Museum in New Orleans, Lousiana. And both are excellent!

For George and his family, two German cities carried particular relevance: Geislingen and Saarbrücken.

On the German-French border, the thousand-year-old city of Saarbrücken faced tremendous tumult during wartime. During the 2^nd World War, the town faced significant damage to 80% of its buildings amid 20-30 distinct Allied bombing raids. And following the war, the greater Saarbrücken region became a French Protectorate, separated from Germany as it had been previously after the First World War. Unbeknownst to George, one of his 2^nd cousins, Wolfgang, lived in Saarbrücken during this period of dramatic change.

During the late 1950s, while George served his military assignment 200 miles to Saarbrücken’s east, the city rejoined Germany in 1957. Two years later, Saarbrücken’s currency transitioned from the Saar Franc (or French Franc) back to the German Mark, thus completing its full reunion with Germany.

Saarbrücken today offers some unique history, charms, and authentic experiences for visitors, particularly for those travelers seeking a smaller German city away from larger tourist crowds.

As noted previously, George volunteered for the U.S. Army. He chose Germany specifically to find his family. Remember that during the late-1950s, George didn’t have access to the online genealogy tools we have today. But he was determined and fearless, and he had some help:

• Aunt Katherine – George’s Aunt Katherine had been to the family home in Geislingen, and she had compiled a rudimentary list of German relatives along with the name of the family home and farm, called Weilerhoehe. While George served in Germany, the two wrote letters back and forth, with Katherine providing a variety of names and addresses.

• Ludwig, German Bar Owner – During his stay in Bamberg, George frequented a small bar in the nearby town of Memmelsdorf. It was here that the bar’s friendly owner, Ludwig, would help George by providing a list of family names across Germany. His assistance was invaluable within a post-war society that had become increasingly private and protective of precisely this type of information.

• Uncle John – George’s Uncle John lived in North Carolina, where he was the co-owner of a sizeable hosiery mill, MoJud Hosiery, founded in the 1920s. Importantly, Uncle John’s cousin, Gerhard, also worked in the industry at a German machinery manufacturer utilized by companies such as MoJud. The first cousins forged a business and personal relationship over time.

George utilized these collective resources to locate a singular family member, Gerhard. Upon being granted a short leave from the Army, he immediately traveled to Gerhard’s hometown of Kornwestheim, 125 miles from the base.

Although he arrived unannounced and largely unknown to his relatives, he was accepted into their home and met Gerhard’s young children, Axel and Barbara, during the visit. For George, this entire German military assignment was now a major success!

America has always been recognized as a nation of immigrants. One of the harsh realities for American soldiers was that family members were indirectly fighting each other. For George’s extended family, this meant that Johanne’s children and grandchildren would fight on behalf of the Allied Powers (United States). In contrast, descendants of Johanne’s seven siblings would be fighting for the Axis Powers (Germany).

Uncle John’s only son was killed during WWII, shot during a bombing raid, while he served as the navigator on a B-17 bomber. John’s cousin, Gerhard, served as a major in an anti-aircraft battalion of the German military, charged with protecting the homeland by shooting down enemy bombers.

Separating nationality and family allegiances during wartime becomes a complex issue, further accentuating the horrible outcomes and costs of war.

He heard back from three second cousins, all sharing the same great-grandfather, Johannes, born in 1831. Each of these four men – George (U.S.), Axel (Germany), Peter (Germany), and Wolfgang (Germany) had a unique grandfather/grandmother from Johannes’ eight children. Of all of them, it was only George’s grandfather who had departed Germany for America.

Over the next 6-7 years, George actively communicated with his 2^nd cousins sharing old memories and talking about current families. He had met Axel, one of Gerhard’s children when he served back in Germany, but this had been nearly 50 years ago, while his interactions with the other two cousins represented first-time connections.

In 2012, a decision was made that would shape George in unimaginable ways. As a 77-year-old, he would travel to Germany with two of his sons. He would see Axel again and introduce himself to Wolfgang and his family for the first time. And they would collectively travel to his family’s hometown, church, home, and farm.

Straight from the 1980s movie, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, George and his sons traveled to Germany. A flight to Brussels, Belgium (Brussels beer and chocolate post here); a train to Koblenz, Germany; a boat ride from Koblenz to Bingen; and a car ride to Saarbrucken (and ultimately driving to the ancestral home in Geislingen).

On the final day of the visit, George and his sons would drive to Geislingen to see the town where George’s great-grandparents raised eight children. Their visit started at a Lutheran Church and included the holy water font where many of his relatives had been baptized over two centuries before.

An adjacent cemetery was a further reminder of his family’s legacy in the community: headstones of relatives and two special memorials to townspeople killed during World War I and World War II. Each stone memorial etched with names from George’s extended family.

The group’s final stop was the family home and farm known as Weilerhoehe. The historic home has remained in the family for approximately 200 years and is still owned by family members. The original structure was actually built from stones removed and recovered from the surrounding farmland.

The German and American cousins had dinner a final time that evening. In the morning, Wolfgang’s family headed west back to Saarbrücken, while George and his sons would travel another week in Europe before returning to the United States.

At this point, the American and German families’ reunion story was most likely over.

Alas, the story has not ended. And maybe it’s just beginning.

1. 2013 – Wolfgang and his wife come to Memphis, USA
2. 2015 – Brent and Missy travel to Frankfurt, Germany to meet Wolfgang’s family
3. 2016 – Wolfgang and his wife return to Memphis, USA a second time
4. 2017 – One of Axel’s daughters comes to Memphis, USA
5. 2018 – Axel’s daughters travel together to Memphis, USA
6. 2019 – Brent and Missy visit Saarbrücken, Germany
7. 2019 – Brent and Missy meet Axel’s daughters in Brussels, Belgium
8. 2024 – Brent and Missy return to Saarbrücken, Germany
9. 2025 – Wolfgang’s grandson visits Memphis, USA
10. 2025 – Wolfgang’s daughter meets American family at a U.S. national park
11. 2025 – Missy’s brother and sister-in-law see Wolfgang and his family in Germany

Count those meetings up. Three limbs on George’s family tree, sharing one great-grandfather. Collectively, the family followed up a once-in-a-lifetime meeting between cousins in Germany… with eleven additional visits over the next 12 years.

This is a collection of people who have always demonstrated a willingness to go out of their way to get together. During our quick stop-off in Brussels, one of Axel’s daughters flew from Germany to see us. On our last trip to Europe, we took a memorable side trip from Paris to Saarbrücken to spend 24 hours with our family.

And remember how languages were a communication barrier early on. Wolfgang taught himself English to better communicate with George. Wolfgang’s wife also put forth significant effort learning English before their final visit to the United States.

Up until George’s passing last year, he still actively communicated with his German relatives regularly through e-mail. Take a moment to consider the commitment and unwavering love demonstrated from people that didn’t know each other 15 years ago.