When you are listening to stories from somebody elses family, it is easy to wonder if what you heard is correct or not. I can tell you that there are many stories told in this family that I don't think are right.
My father-in-law tells a story about this cemetery. He told us that his father said, "Bury me near "dot waalll". I don't think that this quote is about his father but about his grandfather.
His grandfather and his father came here from Nova Scotia in the 1890s. I would expect his grandfather to have the heavily accented and not so educated voice. But, since it is this headstone next to the wall and it reads "Father", then we have some evidence that it is Joseph who wished to be buried near the wall. Look how close it is to the stone wall.
My father-in-law insisted that their roots are Dutch. They are not. They must have seen the word "German" written in the German language at some point to infer that. A fellow researcher, who is now deceased, went to Germany and found a Leopold Frauzel born about 1755 and then hit the brick wall.
My father-in-law also insists that his grandmother, Joseph's wife was an Indian princess. (Did you giggle?) This needs more investigation. He based his knowledge on the fact that she always wore her hair in a braid. (Hmmmm...)
Family lore is interesting but can keep you awake at night.
2 comments:
Never give up on family myths! They always lead you to something interesting. In my case the Indian Princess story was true (well, she was Hawaiian, but close enough!) There really was a pirate in the family, and although I really doubted it there was a place called "Billtown" in Nova Scotia. I'm glad I followed up on all these stories!
I love the way you connected the legends with hard stone reality (the photos of the graves and wall). Oral history is so much more interesting when you get out in the field and try to prove if it's right or wrong.
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