Let me try this again..... I found this but I don't know what it means. When I went to the link it didn't say anything about "Truchsess" nor did the other ones. Here are just two that have the name. At least it's more than I had before. Thank you for your help. Georg IV. Truchsess v.Waldburg zu Wolfegg u. Zeil (1523-1556/57) Franz Eusebius, Graf Truchseß v.Waldburg-Wolfegg-Waldsee (1661-1724) When I looked further I found George III and Georg IV, but in some places it drops the "Truchsess" or in the case of Georg III, the "Erbtruchsess" like it's not a surname, but maybe a title or something. Georg III. Erbtruchsess v.Waldburg zu Wolfegg u. Zeil I'm really at a loss here because I don't read German. I took four years of German, because that was the only language my father would allow me to take, but I don't speak or read it very much at all. The reason being that my father came from Hamburg and my teacher came from somewhere in Bavaria. You can probably imagine what the differences in dialects was like between her and my father. My father had his accent until the day he died and he had lived here since he was 17. In high school , my girlfriends all thought my dad had a sexy European accent. LOL Anyway, it was a real struggle to learn German from a Bavarian teacher and a father from Northern Germany. I would come home and say something in German to my dad and he would say "Ach, that Schuablander has been teaching you again" Then I would go to school and say something the way my dad taught me and my teacher would say "Ach, your father's been teaching you again." Unfortunately, I ended up learning very little German. Everyone on this list is so patient with this American, and I really appreciate it. Janiece ----- Original Message ----- From: "Don Buchwald" <buchwald@earthlink.net> To: <SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN-ROOTS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, March 03, 2004 11:18 PM Subject: Re: [S-H-RTS] I'm searching for.... > Hi Janiece, > > In doing my research today, I came across the following website regarding > the Truchsess. Hope this helps: > > http://www.gen.heinz-wember.de/waldburg/ > > Don Buchwald > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "fredpfeiffer" <fredpfeiffer@comcast.net> > To: <SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN-ROOTS-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2004 10:27 AM > Subject: [S-H-RTS] I'm searching for.... > > > > > > information on my father's family. > > > > Hi, I just found this group and I've never written anything here before. > My > > name is Janiece Pfeiffer and my family and I live in the San Francisco Bay > > area of CA, USA. > > > > >From what we know, from information my dad gave my sister one day when > they > > were just talking several years before he died in 1990, our family name > was > > changed sometime in the 1600s. I discovered this when I was trying to get > a > > family crest made for my dad for Father's Day one year and our name wasn't > > in any of the Germanic name books. Of course I was looking for it spelled > > the way I knew it, not like, as I explain below, it is most likely spelled > > in Germany. > > > > Sometime in the 1600s, my great great great grandfather was in some > position > > of authority in Schleswig Holstein. During an uprising/war he and his > family > > fled their castle and land, left behind all their belongs and fled to > > Germany to spare their lives. They also changed their name to Trucks, or > > more probably Truchses, I have recently learned from a German man who > lives > > in the area and has his own family story on a website. He actually called > > the two families by the name of Trucks who live in Hamburg now and they > said > > the spelling was probably TRUCHSES, which means governor. > > > > I don't have their names or anyone earlier than my great grandparents. > > > > My great grandparents were Anna and Heinrich Trucks (or Truchses) > > they lived in Schleswig Holstein > > I only know of one son. We think he was an only child. > > > > > > My grandparents were Olga and Ewald Heinrich Trucks (or Truchses) > They > > lived in Harburg/Hamburg He was born May 11, 1886 in Schleswig Holstein > > Hohenaspech (Prussia Germany) > > > > He was a mechanical engineer for the research division of Damiler Benz. > > He left his job 3 months before WW I began to join the German army. He was > > declared Missing In Action 3 months after actual combat began and declared > > dead by the German government one year after the war ended. My > grandmother > > came to the US, and settled in Cleveland, Ohio, sometime around 1916. > > My father was their only child. > > > > My parents are Lillian Hawley and Dr. Helmut Ewald Heinrich Trucks > He > > was born May 11. 1911 in Hamburg. When his mother came to the US, she > left > > him with his Tante Anna and Uncle Gustav Liedtki, her sister and > > brother-in-law, who became his guardians. She left him in Germany because > he > > appeared to be of very high intelligence (it was confirmed a few years > later > > that he was a genius) and they felt that boarding school in Germany would > be > > the best place for him. She wasn't sure what she would find in the US. She > > was going to live with some of her family who had come to the US earlier. > At > > age 11 he entered the University of Jena (not sure of the spelling) but > soon > > was taken out and sent to study with Albert Einstein for several years, > > before returning to the University for a year to get his degrees, which > > included several PhD's and MS degrees in subjects such as Mathematics, > > Physics, Engineering, and other sciences. Later, when I was a young girl, > he > > earned an honorary MDiv in Theology from Augistana University. He said > that > > Albert Einstein was a wonderful man and teacher and much different than we > > hear about. He immigrated to the US in 1917 or 1918. He settled in > > Cleveland, Ohio. He married a friend of his family here and had 2 > children, > > a boy and a girl. He was divorced at some time, but I have no idea when. > > In 1945 he met my mother in Detroit, MI and they were married in 1946. > > > > They have 2 daughters, myself and my sister Linda. My sister was > contacted > > by our half-brother several years ago but he has no interest in getting to > > know us. Linda and I didn't even know our dad had been married before, > until > > my grandmother died and we saw some pictures she had, of our dad and 2 > > children. My father was too embarrassed about being divorced to tell us. > > > > I know my father's story is hard to believe and as a teen I thought it was > > just family talk. That was until I saw his resume which listed all of his > > degrees and during the years of WW II there was a blank area that said Top > > Secret. For further information, contact the Dept. of Defense. What we > > didn't know, until about 1985 when he could finally reveal the facts, was > > that during those years he was working on the Manhattan Project, with his > > old teacher, Dr. Einstein, who had recommended him for the team. He later > > did top secret work for General Dynamics in their Atomic Boat division and > > after retirement did research and taught engineering. He was called the > > "grandfather of cryogenics in the U.S." in the area of metal fabrication. > > > > I have a very interesting family history but a large part of it is > missing. > > I would very much like to be able to fill in those blanks. Part of the > > reason is because my dad was receiving an inheritance until W.W.II . When > he > > was contacted and told to return to Germany to be a scientist, he refused. > > At that time his checks stopped coming. If there is any way to find out if > > that money is still in Germany I would love to be able to get it for my > mom. > > She has been living on a fixed income since my dad died and I wold love to > > be able to help her. > > > > If anyone has any information on the Trucks or Truchses family it would be > > gratefully appreciated. Also any information on where I can look would be > > great. I am aware of the LDS genealogical website and ancestry.com but > that > > is about the extent of my knowledge in this area. > > > > Thank you, > > > > Janiece > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ==== SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN-ROOTS Mailing List ==== > > Eine Erklaerung von Fachbegriffen und die Regeln der SH-ROOTS finden Sie > hier: > > http://www.genealogy-sh.com/faq-sh-roots/regeln.htm > > > > > > ==== SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN-ROOTS Mailing List ==== > Technical Terms and Rules of the S-H-ROOTS: > http://www.genealogy-sh.com/faq-sh-roots/index.htm >