Obviously my thoughts are starting to calm down, and writing on the blog has organized them into a semblance of order. Last night was one of the first nights that I slept without waking up to write down a new idea or thought about the outline or plot.
But what has also made the tornado turn into a fierce wind driving me forward is that I finally quit relying on manila envelopes, paperclips and thin notebooks designed to hold an invoice rather than the entire history of my family.
Last night, on a short visit to the local office supply, I solved the problem, and created two binders that make it extremely easy to access the page or section I want, along with protecting individual maps, photos, and documents.
Although this post may seem a little mundane, the easy reference access is just as important as character analysis and even writing an outline. Plus, when a museum director calls me next time to find out why Jacob Meier was not listed on the Dresden's passenger list, I will be able to flip easily to the page in his journal where he describes begging the captain for crew's quarters, and not keep her waiting while I embarrassingly searched my mess of papers.
Friday, May 28, 2010
The biggest piece of the puzzle so far
I started this blog out of a need to process and organize my thoughts while compiling the historical documents, researching and analyzing the social structure, and evaluating the character and actions of Jacob Meier, Jr. However, this epiphany didn't come at the same time as the decision to write the story, so I will be posting a mix of old and new discoveries until I have caught up, so to speak.
Although I thought I had a plethora, with diaries and stories of family members, deeds; all I had from Jacob was an abbreviated journal. From that, and interviews with Jacob's daughter Ella, and some of his grandchildren, I found the things I had been hoping for in a lead character. Strength, cunning, the ability to think under pressure, a strong marriage, determination, and the ability for self sacrifice. I also had the hunch that he was against the communist/socialist revolution, as he had made the decision to leave Russia, but to what extent? I also felt there was more missing from the narrative, something that may make it vivid in my mind, and help the plot and dialouge and words of the story flow from my mind.
A few weeks after I began researching, an interview with Cousin Larry finally convinced me to write to Cousin Tim. I'll be honest, I wasn't as familiar with Tim, having only met him when I was a small child, but I took a leap of faith that the reception would be welcome. I shouldn't have been so surprised that he was helpful and sent me the translated journal of Jacob Meier; after all, he was family. What he sent was amazing, and overwhelming, and I was beside myself, as when I read all the entries, I was overjoyed. As I wrote in a letter to my family, only choirs of angels could have described how I felt as I read and re-read the journal entries. I found not only was I right, but that he also described his fears, his love for his family and God, his shortfalls and determination. This journal was written when he was an old man, so I'm sure the family thought some entries seemed a little senile, until I explained that many journals I have read are not in chronological order, that some of the seemingly paranoid passages about communism weren't attributible to senility but to the psychological damage inflicted by soviet government of the time. Put in historical context, this journal is quite lucid, and gives an account the correlates well with other family member's recollections.
That night, I was so emotionally and mentally exhausted, I could hardly sleep. This journal is key to understanding Jacob Meier, and I had hit the proverbial motherlode. Even now, I still delight in the discovery, and keep finding new intrigues every time I read it.
Although I thought I had a plethora, with diaries and stories of family members, deeds; all I had from Jacob was an abbreviated journal. From that, and interviews with Jacob's daughter Ella, and some of his grandchildren, I found the things I had been hoping for in a lead character. Strength, cunning, the ability to think under pressure, a strong marriage, determination, and the ability for self sacrifice. I also had the hunch that he was against the communist/socialist revolution, as he had made the decision to leave Russia, but to what extent? I also felt there was more missing from the narrative, something that may make it vivid in my mind, and help the plot and dialouge and words of the story flow from my mind.
A few weeks after I began researching, an interview with Cousin Larry finally convinced me to write to Cousin Tim. I'll be honest, I wasn't as familiar with Tim, having only met him when I was a small child, but I took a leap of faith that the reception would be welcome. I shouldn't have been so surprised that he was helpful and sent me the translated journal of Jacob Meier; after all, he was family. What he sent was amazing, and overwhelming, and I was beside myself, as when I read all the entries, I was overjoyed. As I wrote in a letter to my family, only choirs of angels could have described how I felt as I read and re-read the journal entries. I found not only was I right, but that he also described his fears, his love for his family and God, his shortfalls and determination. This journal was written when he was an old man, so I'm sure the family thought some entries seemed a little senile, until I explained that many journals I have read are not in chronological order, that some of the seemingly paranoid passages about communism weren't attributible to senility but to the psychological damage inflicted by soviet government of the time. Put in historical context, this journal is quite lucid, and gives an account the correlates well with other family member's recollections.
That night, I was so emotionally and mentally exhausted, I could hardly sleep. This journal is key to understanding Jacob Meier, and I had hit the proverbial motherlode. Even now, I still delight in the discovery, and keep finding new intrigues every time I read it.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
A New Flame
I was elated today to receive my membership to Germans From Russia Historical Society, as the thick envelope enticed me with a gluttony of knowledge so rich, it almost made me faint with intellectual hunger. This particular historical society is based in Bismark, North Dakota, and was recommended to me by the director of the Marion Museum in Marion, KS. She also recommended the other society, but tomorrow and following days I will be anticipating another feast.
This hunger and passion and burning desire for knowledge is nothing I have ever experienced outside Love or God, which may be one and the same. The closest I ever imagined anyone feeling this way was Moses before the burning bush, but even he may have been overwhelmed by the fire in his heart, hotter and more demanding of mind and spirit than the amazing flame before him.
The fire is contagious, and I can see it create sparks of passion in others to help me find what I am looking for; to quench and satiate my appetite, until another unanswered question fuels the fire to a roaring inferno again.
So with delight, I quickly studied the entire packet of information, finding two small tidbits of info about the Meiers, but little to no info about the town of Fransozen or Grimm where the Meiers called home. But, I also learned that this particular society focuses on the catholics and sutterites that left for America in the 1800's, and settled on the northern plains of the United States. However, I won't discredit it as a source of useful information, as their geneological library may have more of what I am looking for in terms of family history.
The one disquieting thing in the packet was the youth brochure. It seemed all so-matter-of-fact when it was describing how the Russian Government under the Bolsheviks and Stalin managed to renenge on all the promises made to the Volga and other Germans, and forced them to flee in fear. Many escaped, but anyone that foolishly stayed behind in the hopes that the political targeting of German settlements would get better once the government was in power found themselves at one of three ends: first, a slow death by starvation, a quick death by the hand of a soldier or criminal leader in the area, or forcibly removed from their homes and relocated to a concentration/work camp where they were worked to the death. Very few Volga Germans survived this attempt of eradication by the Russian government. So on that cheery note, the brochure reminded the Youth to take pride in their heritage, and find out more! Yes, disturbing, isn't it?
This hunger and passion and burning desire for knowledge is nothing I have ever experienced outside Love or God, which may be one and the same. The closest I ever imagined anyone feeling this way was Moses before the burning bush, but even he may have been overwhelmed by the fire in his heart, hotter and more demanding of mind and spirit than the amazing flame before him.
The fire is contagious, and I can see it create sparks of passion in others to help me find what I am looking for; to quench and satiate my appetite, until another unanswered question fuels the fire to a roaring inferno again.
So with delight, I quickly studied the entire packet of information, finding two small tidbits of info about the Meiers, but little to no info about the town of Fransozen or Grimm where the Meiers called home. But, I also learned that this particular society focuses on the catholics and sutterites that left for America in the 1800's, and settled on the northern plains of the United States. However, I won't discredit it as a source of useful information, as their geneological library may have more of what I am looking for in terms of family history.
The one disquieting thing in the packet was the youth brochure. It seemed all so-matter-of-fact when it was describing how the Russian Government under the Bolsheviks and Stalin managed to renenge on all the promises made to the Volga and other Germans, and forced them to flee in fear. Many escaped, but anyone that foolishly stayed behind in the hopes that the political targeting of German settlements would get better once the government was in power found themselves at one of three ends: first, a slow death by starvation, a quick death by the hand of a soldier or criminal leader in the area, or forcibly removed from their homes and relocated to a concentration/work camp where they were worked to the death. Very few Volga Germans survived this attempt of eradication by the Russian government. So on that cheery note, the brochure reminded the Youth to take pride in their heritage, and find out more! Yes, disturbing, isn't it?
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Starting Out
The third hardest place to be in a project is at the beginning. The second hardest is when you are almost at the end, but the hardest place to be is right after you dip in a foot, get a rough outline, and realize, holy crap, this is huge project with thousands of leads, and no clear direction on what would be the best part to tackle first. So once you take a deep breath, quell the panic, maybe even wheeze into a paper bag, something becomes clear.
One of the first items to stand out was that Jacob Meier was considered a Volga German. Direction at last! As I started with wikipedia, historical societies, and tons of time trying to wrap my mind around the idea. The short mantra is that Katherine the Great invited Germans to the southern part of Russia, making large promises of low taxes, no conscription, plenty of land, etc. At the time, the Seven Years war left the economy of Germany in tatters, so many Germans saw it as a huge opportunity to become landowners, to start over on fertile ground, and to have more freedoms that weren't available in Germany. Yet, like any political leader, promises often fall short of reality, and omissions were made. The southern part of Russia along the Volga River was a place of refuge for thieves and outlaws. It also wasn't uninhabited, as groups of indiginous people still roamed the area, and frequently raided the settlements. It was also not a perfect area for farming, as many areas were naturally low in rainfall, or frequently suffered drought. Even with these shortfalls, the areas were settled and over time, thrived.
One of these hardy settlers was Johanes Meier, who with a wife and nine children, walked over 2000 miles for a new opportunity. He settled in Franzosen, on the west side of the Volga. History says he made it, as he had over 1000 descendants living in and around Franzosen at the beginning of the 20th century.
Currently reading From Catherine to Krushchev, by Adam Giesinger.
One of the first items to stand out was that Jacob Meier was considered a Volga German. Direction at last! As I started with wikipedia, historical societies, and tons of time trying to wrap my mind around the idea. The short mantra is that Katherine the Great invited Germans to the southern part of Russia, making large promises of low taxes, no conscription, plenty of land, etc. At the time, the Seven Years war left the economy of Germany in tatters, so many Germans saw it as a huge opportunity to become landowners, to start over on fertile ground, and to have more freedoms that weren't available in Germany. Yet, like any political leader, promises often fall short of reality, and omissions were made. The southern part of Russia along the Volga River was a place of refuge for thieves and outlaws. It also wasn't uninhabited, as groups of indiginous people still roamed the area, and frequently raided the settlements. It was also not a perfect area for farming, as many areas were naturally low in rainfall, or frequently suffered drought. Even with these shortfalls, the areas were settled and over time, thrived.
One of these hardy settlers was Johanes Meier, who with a wife and nine children, walked over 2000 miles for a new opportunity. He settled in Franzosen, on the west side of the Volga. History says he made it, as he had over 1000 descendants living in and around Franzosen at the beginning of the 20th century.
Currently reading From Catherine to Krushchev, by Adam Giesinger.
Welcome to My Journey
Welcome to the diary blog of my journey to discover the full account of the journey of one of my ancestors, Jacob Meier, Jr. to America.
My journey officially started late one evening, when I turned to my husband, and said, "I'm going to write the story of Jacob Meier." Although mildly supportive at first, as it was not the first novel I had proposed, he listened intently when he heard the rough story. It has all the makings of a great adventure, as it has sacrifice, war, famine, and escape from two of the most destructive forces of the twentieth century.
I had learned the love of history and adventure from my Grandpa Jack. For years I listened, enraptured, while he spun tales at the kitchen table at his house, and later in his college classroom. Whether it was recounting the campaigns of MacArthur in the Pacific theater, explaining the mummification process of the Egyptians in minuet detail, or sending me to the library to explore the process of research (to find the elusive dodecahedron), he instilled a passion in me for learning, researching, and writing that today remains unquenchable.
Years later, when I decided to eschew a doctorate in physical therapy to pursue my true passion of writing, I flitted from subject to subject, publishing short articles in my field, doing research on history and politics, writing on my blog and living my life. The Jacob Meier story didn't even register on the radar until recently, when I was mentally ready to begin a novel, and began actively pursuing a story idea. The remembrance of those times with Grandpa lead me to this journey.
So, I invite you to share this journey with me as I find out not only what Jacob Meier, Jr. experienced in his life, but I find my family, my history, and myself.
My journey officially started late one evening, when I turned to my husband, and said, "I'm going to write the story of Jacob Meier." Although mildly supportive at first, as it was not the first novel I had proposed, he listened intently when he heard the rough story. It has all the makings of a great adventure, as it has sacrifice, war, famine, and escape from two of the most destructive forces of the twentieth century.
I had learned the love of history and adventure from my Grandpa Jack. For years I listened, enraptured, while he spun tales at the kitchen table at his house, and later in his college classroom. Whether it was recounting the campaigns of MacArthur in the Pacific theater, explaining the mummification process of the Egyptians in minuet detail, or sending me to the library to explore the process of research (to find the elusive dodecahedron), he instilled a passion in me for learning, researching, and writing that today remains unquenchable.
Years later, when I decided to eschew a doctorate in physical therapy to pursue my true passion of writing, I flitted from subject to subject, publishing short articles in my field, doing research on history and politics, writing on my blog and living my life. The Jacob Meier story didn't even register on the radar until recently, when I was mentally ready to begin a novel, and began actively pursuing a story idea. The remembrance of those times with Grandpa lead me to this journey.
So, I invite you to share this journey with me as I find out not only what Jacob Meier, Jr. experienced in his life, but I find my family, my history, and myself.
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