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My mom's mom

Grandma

This is where I get my blond hair and blue eyes

This is my mom’s mom. She died when I was six. Wasn’t she pretty? Last night my mom sent my sister and me some old family photos and letters which she’d just received. It’s pretty sobering stuff. My grandmother made it to America from Vienna right as the war broke out but her brother and parents weren’t so lucky. Her attempts to bring her brother over here and the eventual discovery that her family had  been killed—just as she’d raised enough money to secure her brother’s transport—is all detailed in there. Perhaps I’ll share some of it here. I haven’t figure it out yet. What’s a little atrocity in between fart jokes? Exactly.

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20 Responses to My mom's mom

  1. MikeyRosen September 6, 2009 at 12:48 pm #

    May I ask what her first name was?

  2. alisonrosen September 6, 2009 at 1:09 pm #

    Yep. It was Helene but she went by Helly. Changed to Helen when she came to America. This isn't the Rosen side of the family though. They've been here forever. What's your Rosen story?

  3. MikeyRosen September 6, 2009 at 1:59 pm #

    I just visited my Dad in Florida this past week and tried to get some info about his family history, and surprisingly he didn't know a whole lot. And what he did know and told me, I didn't write down and don't remember much. I can tell you this much though: My father (Samuel)'s parents were from Russia / Poland. He said that the border between the two kept getting changed due to wars, so they called it Rus-Poland or something like that.
    Their names were Rachel & Abraham, and they lost a lot of family in the Holocaust. They had 2 daughters and 3 sons,and my Father was the middle son, and is the only surviving son at this time. One daughter is also still alive (Freda) and just celebrated her 94th birthday, My Father (88) & Mother (deceased) had 3 sons,of which I am the youngest.
    Was this more info than u wanted??

  4. mykey_moon September 6, 2009 at 11:48 am #

    May I ask what her first name was?

  5. Alison Rosen September 6, 2009 at 12:09 pm #

    Yep. It was Helene but she went by Helly. Changed to Helen when she came to America. This isn’t the Rosen side of the family though. They’ve been here forever. What’s your Rosen story?

  6. mykey_moon September 6, 2009 at 12:59 pm #

    I just visited my Dad in Florida this past week and tried to get some info about his family history, and surprisingly he didn’t know a whole lot. And what he did know and told me, I didn’t write down and don’t remember much. I can tell you this much though: My father (Samuel)’s parents were from Russia / Poland. He said that the border between the two kept getting changed due to wars, so they called it Rus-Poland or something like that.
    Their names were Rachel & Abraham, and they lost a lot of family in the Holocaust. They had 2 daughters and 3 sons,and my Father was the middle son, and is the only surviving son at this time. One daughter is also still alive (Freda) and just celebrated her 94th birthday, My Father (88) & Mother (deceased) had 3 sons,of which I am the youngest.
    Was this more info than u wanted??

  7. Joe September 6, 2009 at 5:16 pm #

    She was beautiful!

    I wish I knew more about my ancestors. Imagine if they had the internet and things like Twitter, Facebook and email a hundred or two hundred years ago. My great great grandfather might have tweeted, “Damn potato famine! Well, we might as well pack up and move to America. Maybe we'll meet the Rosens.”

  8. boinkity September 6, 2009 at 7:12 pm #

    My father was adopted, so there isn't much known about the history of his family. I only know that his family originated in Hawaii, and there are many known and unknown siblings. My mother's family has a little more history, but it's mostly forgotten over the years. I do have pictures of my great grandparents, and it is fun to look at their pictures from time to time. I wish I had their eyes. They all seemed to have these fantastic light grey/blue eyes.

  9. Joe September 6, 2009 at 4:16 pm #

    She was beautiful!

    I wish I knew more about my ancestors. Imagine if they had the internet and things like Twitter, Facebook and email a hundred or two hundred years ago. My great great grandfather might have tweeted, “Damn potato famine! Well, we might as well pack up and move to America. Maybe we’ll meet the Rosens.”

  10. boinkity September 6, 2009 at 6:12 pm #

    My father was adopted, so there isn’t much known about the history of his family. I only know that his family originated in Hawaii, and there are many known and unknown siblings. My mother’s family has a little more history, but it’s mostly forgotten over the years. I do have pictures of my great grandparents, and it is fun to look at their pictures from time to time. I wish I had their eyes. They all seemed to have these fantastic light grey/blue eyes.

  11. Ted_Goodlove September 6, 2009 at 10:42 pm #

    It may come as a great surprise to you minions but I am a decedent of Sir William Wallace! I'm not bragging or anything…just saying! This explains why I walk around the house and scream “Freedom” in the mornings.

    Your mom's mom…or I think your Grandmother was stunning!

  12. Ted_Goodlove September 6, 2009 at 9:42 pm #

    It may come as a great surprise to you minions but I am a decedent of Sir William Wallace! I’m not bragging or anything…just saying! This explains why I walk around the house and scream “Freedom” in the mornings.

    Your mom’s mom…or I think your Grandmother was stunning!

  13. tinakubala September 7, 2009 at 1:13 pm #

    Beautiful. Except for coloring, you do look a lot like her. Thanks for sharing her story. Now back to fart jokes, please.

  14. tinakubala September 7, 2009 at 12:13 pm #

    Beautiful. Except for coloring, you do look a lot like her. Thanks for sharing her story. Now back to fart jokes, please.

  15. BrettJones September 8, 2009 at 10:11 am #

    She is pretty. You can see some resemblance between her and you in the photo you have at the top left of the page. I love these photos from the 40's and 50's and I love the hair styles from back then.

    Both sides of my family made their way to the US between 1900 and around 1920. German, Irish and Welsh. are the largest blocks of my family heritage. My great grandfather (dads side) found himself in Port Angles WA by mistake and ended up staying there. He was intending to go to Canada. My mom's dad's family came over just after WWI thankfully, otherwise I'm sure my grandfather would have be on the wrong side of things during WWII. He served in the US Navy in the Pacific instead.

  16. BrettJones September 8, 2009 at 9:11 am #

    She is pretty. You can see some resemblance between her and you in the photo you have at the top left of the page. I love these photos from the 40’s and 50’s and I love the hair styles from back then.

    Both sides of my family made their way to the US between 1900 and around 1920. German, Irish and Welsh. are the largest blocks of my family heritage. My great grandfather (dads side) found himself in Port Angles WA by mistake and ended up staying there. He was intending to go to Canada. My mom’s dad’s family came over just after WWI thankfully, otherwise I’m sure my grandfather would have be on the wrong side of things during WWII. He served in the US Navy in the Pacific instead.

  17. BrettJones September 8, 2009 at 5:11 pm #

    She is pretty. You can see some resemblance between her and you in the photo you have at the top left of the page. I love these photos from the 40's and 50's and I love the hair styles from back then.

    Both sides of my family made their way to the US between 1900 and around 1920. German, Irish and Welsh. are the largest blocks of my family heritage. My great grandfather (dads side) found himself in Port Angles WA by mistake and ended up staying there. He was intending to go to Canada. My mom's dad's family came over just after WWI thankfully, otherwise I'm sure my grandfather would have be on the wrong side of things during WWII. He served in the US Navy in the Pacific instead.

  18. Dave Smith April 4, 2012 at 1:21 pm #

    She's a GILF.  Very Barbara Stanwickian.  

  19. Dave Smith April 4, 2012 at 12:21 pm #

    She’s a GILF.  Very Barbara Stanwickian.  

  20. Dave Smith April 4, 2012 at 8:21 pm #

    She's a GILF.  Very Barbara Stanwickian.  

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