What Do You Know About Your Ancestors?

Most Americans know little or nothing about their ancestry. If it were not for websites such as ancestry.com, most of us would find it difficult to trace our lineage. Recent immigrants, of course, have no problem. They, or their parents and grandparents, have in recent years become part of the traditional culture and fabric of American society. For the rest of us, knowing whence we came into our skin often remains a mystery.

In Wedding Tales, Rebecca Butler, like millions of Americans in the twentieth century (remember, the current time of the story takes place in 1966), knows only that she was born from a mixture of German, Irish and Scottish parents and grandparents. The rest is wrapped in mystery for her as well as for countless others whose ancestors immigrated to the U.S.

This is certainly true of Rebecca until her parents, her aunt and uncle, and a close friend of her family—a parish priest—are stranded together in one of Washington, D.C.’s premier hotels, The Georgetown Inn. They are trapped there due to a sudden and unpredicated blizzard that marks the wedding day of their second oldest daughter Rebecca. They use this opportunity to record stories of their ancestors from the German side of the family, the Kringles. They discover that the ship in the above picture is the one that Rebecca's great-grandfather, Karl Kringle, took when he fled from Wattenscheid, Germany in 1882. In Antwerp, he boarded a Belgium steamship, the PLANTYN, and crossed the great Atlantic Ocean on the adventure of a life time.

Khalil is somewhat more fortunate. He is at least familiar with some of his mother and father’s stories as late nineteenth century immigrants from Lebanon. Just as with Rebecca, however, most of the good as well as gory details are lost in the past, seemingly never to be recovered. However, the D.C. blizzard that accompanied his wedding proved somewhat a blessing in disguise. Members of his family, snowed in at his sister’s home for almost a week, happily decide coincidentally to record intriguing memories of his ancestors, just as Rebecca’s family did.

In Rebecca’s family tales, you will learn intimate insights into the hardships and struggles of the late nineteenth century German so-called peasants faced daily. At the same time, you will get intimate details of how the “other side” lived, especially the wealthy and the nobility. They, too, faced enormous challenges that their position in society brought with it.

In Khalil’s case, during the same period in history his ancestors also had to deal with extreme hardships and struggles as well. As Christians, they find themselves in a land trying desperately to throw off the stranglehold of the late Ottoman Empire. Life itself becomes a mere chance of survival from bands of Muslim renegades who defy Turkish authority by raiding Christian villages.

Several almost miraculous “coincidences” bring both sets of ancestors (Rebecca and Khalil’s) to nearby towns in northeast Pennsylvania. Are these merely "chance encounters" that both Rebecca and Khalil’s families experience? Or, is a higher power drawing these people together that will ultimately result in a more perfect union of their families as represented by the marriage of Rebecca and Khalil as described in Wedding Tales? Will they come to recognize these “coincidences” that fill their lives are more than simply chance encounters?

Do you know when and why your ancestors left their homelands to come to America (substitute the name of your country here, if you're not living in the United States)? Have your parents or other family member passed down to you the stories of their transition from their native land to their new home? Can you think of any instances that at first appeared to be a "coincidence" but later made you think you may have been guided by a higher power.

Share Rebecca and Khalil’s journey of love as told in Wedding Tales, Book One: Love’s Journey and Wedding Tales, Book Two, Honeymoon Caper.

WRITING EXERCISE: Write a story of when, why and how your ancestors came to America: Were they seeking a better life, fleeing from persecution, etc.? Include any humorous or sad events connected with their travels. Research the period of time: What was happening in the world, what celebrities were making the news, what songs would they have listened to? Allow your characters to meet well-known people on their journey. Dress them in the clothing appropriate for that time period. Give them dialogue that makes them sound alive and real. Embellish it as needed to involve your readers. I like to say: if it’s not true, make it sound as if it is, or could have happened. Have fun!