Visiting Devon's Ancestral Homeland: Blessing or Total Bust?

[@cathyc6725]

Your ancestors saw the church being built so they saw scaffolding too! I😁

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

Ha, ha! I hadn't thought of it like that! You win a gold star for changing my perspective.

[@maureenvandinter6227]

Good way to understand the environment and impact on ancesters. I found many people in those towns loved to talk about what made their town special. Glad that you got to see the area the the fami;y lived in.

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

It was fun to stand where they stood and look around. I doubt much has changed since my ancestors lived there. However, I really need to discover the location of the 'old church'

[@SheCreatesStuff2]

Hilarious race! You guys take "good sports" to new heights! Well done!

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

Thanks so much!

[@CyndiDavis-ep1jp]

A trip is what you make of it. Unfortunate that the church was closed, but you were able to see the town and cemetery, and enjoyed that.

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

You're so right Cyndi. Thanks for making me feel better.

[@simonsheppard491]

🤣🤣😂🤣😂 Bless you both, Finland was a scream! But my hat off to you both for doing it.

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

Glad you liked that part of the video.

[@fredericdouglas3574]

Don't be so hard on yourself about that physical competition. You did it, you completed it, didn't quit. Well done for doing that.

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

You're so right. We did do it even if we're a bit out of shape. However, we're using this to motivate us to get healthier. Devon's parents died in their late 50s due to poor health choices. We're both hoping to live much longer and if a wife carrying competition is the motivation to get fit, then we'll use it. Right?

[@em4steam896]

In May, I visited my ancestral hometown in Bavaria Germany. It was a small village that went back to the 900's. It was humbling to walk the streets where my ancestors walked centuries ago. The village cemetery had flowerbeds with the headstones too. I thought it was beautiful. So that must be a German thing to do with graves. I met a few distant cousins. It was a dream come true trip for me. If you have ancestors that were Catholic at one time. Matricula online is the catholic diocese archives website . Hildesheim Diocese has 2 villages that is near Gillersheim that have catholic churches. One in Lindau and one in Gieboldehausen. They may have records of your ancestors. I use Google translate to read the Latin. Remember people in Germany were Catholic before Martin Luther began the Protestant reformation. If no ancestors were Catholic, maybe this website will help someone else. Also, do you know that Norway has a wife carrying contest too. Maybe next time you can do wife carrying in Norway?! Great video and anytime you can go to an ancestral hometown it is a Blessing!!

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

So many great tips!!!! My ancestors from Gillersheim were Lutheran. My ancestor from an unknown town in Baden was Catholic. So I'll have to check out the websites you shared. Thanks for the tips

[@twistednerve74]

I have just traveled to France (currently here) and went to the listed burial of my relatives...turns out they moved the remains and someone else bought up the plots. There was no further details of where my relatives remains are.I wouldn't call it a "bust" because this was the sae plots they were once buried...It certainly would have been better to see the current burial though.

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

Oh no! That is a disappointment. But you got to stand there.

[@maciej_viking]

Next time you are around Düsseldorf/Essen/Cologne, write me a line. There is a lot more to see here and I will be very glad to guide you around (guiding is my hobby). I'm glad you had a beautiful time in Europe! 😀❤

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

Thanks so much. First, we have to get in shape. Then we need to plan our trip and we'll let people know when we come back. We won't bring the monkeys with us this time which gives us more options.

[@godisloveireland]

Galway is pronounced Gaulway. Last yr mom drove us down to Cork where my paternal ancestors are buried. We stayed in Carrigaline where my mom's uncle lived. It was a good experience apart from mom not being so well so I was rushing to take photos of the gravestones

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

Thanks for helping me know how to pronounce things. Since I'm hearing impaired, I love when people write things out for me.

[@godisloveireland]

@@FamilyHistoryFanatics my pleasure!!

[@whychromosomesmusic5766]

Kind of a strange thing but I have found watching "QVC in Italia" to be very good immersion in the language. They are mostly common everyday words so it's something easy to identify with. So maybe there are similar online channels in other languages?

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

Oh. What a great idea! My friends learned various languages by watching Dora the Explorer.

[@maciej_viking]

Oh no. You were in my city - Essen (the city where I work to be exact) and we haven't met 😭

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

That's so tragic! Sorry we couldn't meet up.

[@MagnaMater2]

I knew I once heard about Gillersheim. - It has prehistoric gravemounds, though I didn't know where to put it. - EDIT: I just realized I not only heard about it. I was there on a prehistoric excursion some 30 years ago. O.O It helps to switch the language-bar to the country-language if you do research on your ancestor's birthplaces, and use a translator afterwards. The information you find suddenly triples.

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

Cool! Thanks for the tip.

[@whychromosomesmusic5766]

So is that plaque commemorating a death on 26 December? Just curious. That's what I'm reading in the Latin at the bottom.

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

Look at you paying attention!! I'm not really sure. Other commentors will need to look at it more closely.

[@whychromosomesmusic5766]

@@FamilyHistoryFanatics It looks like "obiit" [died] which I see in the death records for my Italian ancestors in the church parish records prior to 1838 when they started writing them in Italian. Funny story. I was seeing an abbreviation and could not figure out what it was. "oib." when I finally realized it was actually "o'ib." "omnibus" which just means "all" ;-) I think it is referring to the person having been given ALL of the final rites prior to dying.

[@ksto1427]

Fantastic Race you guys😂! you finished it 😅

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

Glad you liked it.

[@maciej_viking]

And you probably landed in the city, where I live just 1 mile from the airport - Düsseldorf 😭

[@maciej_viking]

I guess you landed in the Netherlands. Nevertheless you were near Düsseldorf - Neandertal. 😃

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

We flew into The Hague because Andy's cousin let us stay with her during part of our trip. We flew from there to Helsinki and back. But we did drive to Essen around the time we went Gillersheim.

[@anna-karins1176]

You where both very brave in Competing in wife carrying in Sweden. Next time you go to Europe you have to visit Sweden more than just Malmö ! Otherwhise we your swedish fans will feel neglected ! ;)

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

Ha, ha, ha! We can't have that, now can we?

[@debbieroot4618]

video

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

I hope you liked it!

[@debbieroot4618]

I did. I am glad you are feeling better.

[@ms.sojourner5495]

Greatly appreciate the information on this site, but your sidekick is too much of a distraction.

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

Are you referring to Devon or Andy?

[@LadybugBee51]

Interesting but the music and it being so long in the beg was awful to listen to and get thru. I rather hear you both talk.

[@FamilyHistoryFanatics]

If you watch the replay, you can skip through the beginning. It's usually 10 minutes long and you can use the slider bar to get to that mark. I hope that helps for the future.