Franziska helped us find out about my family and where my ancestors came from more than I could ever have imagined.  We were planning a trip to Europe to "find our roots" and I knew the name of the town where my Great-Great Grandfather came from in the mid-1800's, but not much else.  I contacted Franziska and she helped me find my 5 time Great Grandfather dating back to 1720. She also planned a day of our trip to northern Germany that we will never forget. She drove us around Mecklenburg, showing us towns, villages and churches where our ancestors lived.  She also found that several of my Great Grandfathers were blacksmiths and took us to the shop where my 4th-Great-Grandfather learned his craft.  We got to meet the family that lives there now and see the actual blacksmith shop.  It was surreal.  At each place we stopped, she gave us documentation of the information she found and what its significance was. We will never forget that day and Franziska's role in making it one of the most incredible days of my life.

Thank you Franziska for your research and for helping us reconnect to our past and bring us closer to understanding who we are and where we came from.

Mark Saltzman

Madison, Wisconsin

 The day in August of 2018 when Franziska gave us a tour of Mecklenburg brought alive for me a feeling of connection to my heritage I had never felt before.  She shared stories, food, history, traditions and real people to give us an experience of belonging – a “this is where I came from” feeling. 

               The farm we visited was much like the large gardens of our grandparents and parents in Wisconsin.  The satisfying feeling of eating your own produce, grown by your own hands in the rich soil of Germany.  She enabled us to worship in a church service in Granzin.  Franziska contacted the pastor who generously translated his sermon and scripture readings into English for us so we could better follow along during the service.

               Franziska contacted a family in Gammelin who hosted a beautiful tea for us in their yard—wine, coffee, two desserts, with lively combined conversations translated with her assistance.  We were welcomed into a Blacksmith shop on SchmiedestraBe and learned the passion that still exists for stoking a fire and forging metal into essential tools for farmers of the time of our ancestors.  The artist who lives at this location was so wonderful to share his passion with us for a trade he still practices.

               We visited cemeteries of the area and learned of their custom in maintenance and upkeep of the family plots which is taken very seriously by the families of the area.  The countryside reminded us of Wisconsin, where we were raised.  Our relatives may have felt “at home” here because of the similarity to their heritage of Mecklenburg.  Franziska brought all of this alive for us for a day – a day which is a gift that will last in my heart forever.

Kris Kane – Janesville, WI USA