SEEING RELATIVES IS ONLY PART of the plan on our Grand Tour and when it comes to Connie’s family there is still much to be discovered. Now that Ron, the family genealogist, is hors de combat we have to go to the horse’s mouth for the stories.
Hazel, the Matriarch at 97
Connie’s Mom Hazel, the Lintz/Ulrich matriarch, was the logical starting point but even at 97 years young, she was hard to track down. We knew she had moved from Michigan with daughter Diann and crew but we weren’t sure where. We finally ran her to ground in Illinois just across the border and in a different time zone from Indiana where we were staying.
The Lintz Women; Diann, Connie and Mom
Keepsake from Days Gone By
She and Connie poured through a box of memorabilia that Bonnie had given us on our Omaha visit. We were amazed that she could recall names from funeral books and newspaper clippings from more than fifty years ago and even remembered keepsakes Connie’s Dad sent home from the Pacific during the war.
Swope Art Museum in Terre Haute
"Route 6, Eastham" by Edward Hopper
Stanley Lewis in Black & White
While we were in the area we visited the surprising Swope Art Museum in Terre Haute. A chance to view paintings by Edward Hopper, Thomas Hart Benton and Grant Wood drew us in but the special exhibit by very talented and equally quirky artist, Stanley Lewis, really caught our attention. Best-in-Show, according to John, was “Between Neighbors” by American Impressionist Mary Mac Monnies.
Covered bridge in Centerville, MI
"High" Street, Constantine
A sunnier view of Constantine
Brother Ken has taken over the Ancestry.com chores but Connie was stuck with the grunt work. While we stayed with them in Kalamazoo, she combed through box after box of faded photos, dog-eared yearbooks, yellowed news clippings, letters and handwritten notes from both the Ulrich and Lintz branches. Instead of filling in blanks in the historical record they raised more questions than they answered. Time for a visit to "Lintz Country" in St. Joseph County and Cousin Larry.
Larry Know!!!
The Lintz Family with Plus Ones
Larry has lived his entire life in the ancestral town of Constantine. He knows—and is known by—everyone in the county. He is a natural-born raconteur and even his digressions are relevant. He spent most of his life collecting and repairing antique clocks but despite being surrounded by ticking and tocking and hourly chimes, I hardly noticed time passing as he filled in pieces of the family puzzle. All future ancestry conversations will include, “Larry said . . . .”
Brad, Ann and the next Generation
The most exciting part of our visit, relatively speaking, isn’t the family past, but the Family Future. Connie’s niece Ann and hubby Brad are expecting! Soon! And I think Auntie Amber is as excited as “Brann” are. There still may be questions about the past but it’s about time to start a new chapter.
