Sepia Saturday - Your New Family #2

I once had a friend whose father always reconstructed their family Christmas tree, sawing off branches, drilling holes in the trunk and gluing the branches back in different places to create the perfectly symmetrical tree. It seemed wrong to me. Nature creates the tree and you're supposed to accept it as-is.

In genealogy, it would be the equivalent of discarding unfavorable relatives from your family tree and replacing them with imagined ones, or pretending to be related to the British royal family when you aren't (and why would you want that, anyway?) But, my thoughts about amending trees changed when  I met this girl:

I found her in an antique store. Somewhere along the line, descendants may have decided the picture wasn't worth keeping. So, there she was - abandoned. Not only is she captivating, she's much better looking than most of my early relatives and unlike them, she's actually smiling! Of course I immediately made room for her on the family tree. I didn't saw off any tree limbs, not even the one that includes the great-great uncle who allegedly died by falling into the Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone Park.  Nope, we're stuck with him, but I think we can find room for this unnamed girl too. I'll just drill a hole in the trunk of the family tree and glue in a visitors' branch.

To look at more old photos from organic, free-range family trees, visit the Sepia Saturday blog.

Mystery in Dresden

Franz Walther, architect and building contractor, sent this card to Helmut Zimmer in Dresden in 1938. At first I thought Franz Walther was a city building official, but that doesn't seem to be the case. More likely, he owned the building that Mr. Zimmer lived in.
The message reads:

Dresden, November 23, 1938

By now you will have received my card from November 17, 1938 regarding bankruptcy case K.-Csb.

For the last time, I ask that you submit your answer to me no later than Saturday, November 26, 1938, and send you my greetings  Master Builder  Franz Walther

I'm not sure his plea was effective, because here is another card he sent nearly a month later.

The message reads:

Dresden, December 23, 1938

By now you will have received my letter of December 2, 1938 regarding bankruptcy case K.-Csb.

I ask you urgently to give me your decision so I can get Mr. Laemmerhirt moved in and I send you my greetings. Master Builder  Franz Walther

It looks like the bankruptcy had something to do with an inheritance, but generally it remains a mystery.  Here's the front of the second card, included only because it has such a great airmail cancellation.

Note: Originally, I was sure that this correspondence had something to do with seizure of Jewish property. Just a few weeks before the first card was sent, the horrific Kristallnacht resulted in the destruction of hundreds of Jewish-owned buildings and the beautiful old synagogue in Dresden.  After that, the state also took measures to confiscate Jewish property. Zimmer is a name that can be Jewish - or not.  I sent the scans off to someone who knows about such things; he was unable to draw any conclusions, but thought this was probably not related to Jewish property seizure. I mention it anyway, because it gives you an idea of the tension in Dresden and other parts of Germany and Austria at that time.

Breakfast at the Frost Diner

Don't miss breakfast; it's the most important meal of the day. Just ask this Marlon Brando look-alike who's sitting down for his most important meal at the Frost Diner in Warrenton, Virginia. The diner was built in 1955, and is still serving up classic diner fare, though not at 1955 prices. This is one of those great old diners with lots of shiny stainless steel. In this early card, the diner appears to be all by itself on the side of the road; other buildings have since sprouted up around it.

Here's a recent picture taken by Michelle A. of her breakfast at the Frost Diner:

If this makes you hungry for more breakfast, head on over to the Theme Thursday cafe, where breakfast is served all day.