RETURN TO FRANKENSTEIN

Frankenstein, Saarland, Germany

On June 4, 2010, I returned to Frankenstein, Saarland, in Germany.  It might be more correct to say that I traveled to the village where my earliest known ancestor, Johaan Konrad Nabinger, was born in 1796, because I certainly had never been to Frankenstein before and in fact until recently didn't even know that Frankenstein played a part in our Family History.

One of many Nabinger Tombstones in the Church Cementery 

But Frankenstein, a small village of only a few hundred people, today has 67 telephones registered to Nabingers who are living in or near the town. On June 4 I visited a Mrs. Manfred Nabinger, 80 years old, whose grandfather told her the story of 3 Nabinger brothers moving to Frankenstein from Switzerland in the mid 1600's. Unfortunately, no-one seems to know the names of the 3 brothers.  The story tells of the 3 brothers arriving in Frankenstein where 2 stayed and one brother left for America.

Houses & Gardens of Frankenstein

Today, Frankenstein is a quiet village on a stream through the steep hills of southeastern Saarland.  The highway passes through town and though the railroad passenger station is now closed, one can purchase train tickets from an automatic ticket dispenser for the occasional trains that still stop there.

Above the town stands the ruins of the Frandenstein Fort/Castle, a remnant of the days in the 1600s and early 1700s when the Nabingers left for America to escape the domination of the Palatine (palatinus in Latin, plural palatini). The Palatine was the local high-level official attached to the regional ruler or court.

Since the 1600s Frankenstein and Saarland were at times controled by various rulers from the east in what is now Germany and at other times controlled by rulers from the west in what is now France. At times parts of Saarland were independent.  Today Saarland is a state of Germany and the people are German speaking. Unfortunately, the residents of Frankenstein have little knowledge of what happened to their long lost relatives who left for "America".

VISITS TO GRANPA and GRANDMA PENCE

During my childhood years most of our trips were to visit either the Novinger Grandparents in La Plata, Missouri, or the Pence Grandparents in Steffenville, Missouri. These trips were only 60 to 125 miles long, but due to bad unreliable roads and car tires, they sometimes turned into all day trips.

Our visits to Grandpa and Grandma Pence were always fun because of all of the adventures to be had. There was the big garden, the hen house, the pond for fishing, and squirrel hunting with Grandpa. Then the meals were great. Grandma made chicken and hand rolled egg noodles, fried fish, fried squirrel, soda biscuits, and apple pie! Then for breakfast there were always lots of eggs with bacon, fried salt pork, pork chops and always soda biscuits and white gravy. And I got to sit on the white wooden bench.

This old picture is not so great, but it is the only one I have and it really looks just the way it did. None of the buildings were painted, but the house was covered on the outside with grey roofing shingles. In the building in the center of the photo Grandpa parked his Ford Model A car, the only one I know he ever had, during his long life. He was still driving it when it was an antique by age.

Eggs and chicken were a staple at the Pence farm. Here in a photo taken in approximately 1917, Grandma Pence feeds her chickens with her oldest son, Joe, and her second daughter, Eula Maude, my mother. The chicken coop in the background was given to my Mom and Dad and I remember it on our farm in Iowa until I left for college in 1957.

Here I am, on Grandpa's left knee, with my cousins, Larry & Gail. I always loved my Grandpa Pence. This photo was taken in the yard of my Mom and Dad's farm south of Gibbs, Missouri.

From the time I was born until I left for college we spent most holidays with both of my grandparents and I remember them fondly.