Tomorrow is a birthday. Yes, it is the birthday of the nation. It is also an important birthday in my family. My Great Grandfather was born on the fourth of July in 1870. He was the first Reichart of my line born on American soil. How fitting it should have occurred on that day. Serendipity. That is the word to describe it. Serendipity is defined as a happy accident. I'm sure it was a happy time for my family. As for Great Grandfather his life turned out not to be so.
He was named Christian, after his father. Born in Greenport on eastern long island. Greenport is a small fishing village and that was his life in the beginning. The water and boats were an integral part of his existence. Great Grandfather had nine brothers and sisters in total. A large family but not unusual for the times. He married at the age of 26. Katherine was her name and the year was 1896. Great Grandmother Kate came from a prosperous family. Shipbuilders and engineers. They had two children together. A boy and a girl. My grandfather Elwood Christian and his sister Mildred.
After eighteen years of marriage Great Grandmother Kate passed away. She was thirty nine years old. Great Grandfather spent the rest of his life as a widower. He worked the water and lived in boarding houses. The how or why of this lost to time. Why his connection with the rest of the family was lost I will probably never know. Growing up, I was never aware of any of his siblings or their siblings. That was due, as least in part, to my grandfather passing at a young age. He passed away at the age of 32. His sister,my Great Aunt Mildred, never spoke of him. I'm not sure she had any connection with Great Grandmothers family.
As for Great Grandfather Christian he spent his last years in the Alms house at Brookhaven on Long Island. This was in the days before medicare and social security. The Alms house, also known as the poor house, was a place for those without any means of support to go and be cared for. They would receive medical treatment, food and lodging. They had to work, if they were able, and abide by a host of rules and regulations. It was not a nice place to be. He passed away there on Aug 29, 1940 of stomach cancer. A slow and painful death from all accounts in the medical journals. Whether he had visitors I do not know. Why his sister, a woman of some means, allowed this I can not say. He was laid to rest alongside his beloved Katherine.
None of this was known to me until recently. How much of this other family members knew I can not say. Where are the descendants of his brothers and sisters ? Surely they are out there somewhere. One day I hope to connect with some and maybe fill in the blanks. It would be interesting to hear the story.
He was named Christian, after his father. Born in Greenport on eastern long island. Greenport is a small fishing village and that was his life in the beginning. The water and boats were an integral part of his existence. Great Grandfather had nine brothers and sisters in total. A large family but not unusual for the times. He married at the age of 26. Katherine was her name and the year was 1896. Great Grandmother Kate came from a prosperous family. Shipbuilders and engineers. They had two children together. A boy and a girl. My grandfather Elwood Christian and his sister Mildred.
After eighteen years of marriage Great Grandmother Kate passed away. She was thirty nine years old. Great Grandfather spent the rest of his life as a widower. He worked the water and lived in boarding houses. The how or why of this lost to time. Why his connection with the rest of the family was lost I will probably never know. Growing up, I was never aware of any of his siblings or their siblings. That was due, as least in part, to my grandfather passing at a young age. He passed away at the age of 32. His sister,my Great Aunt Mildred, never spoke of him. I'm not sure she had any connection with Great Grandmothers family.
As for Great Grandfather Christian he spent his last years in the Alms house at Brookhaven on Long Island. This was in the days before medicare and social security. The Alms house, also known as the poor house, was a place for those without any means of support to go and be cared for. They would receive medical treatment, food and lodging. They had to work, if they were able, and abide by a host of rules and regulations. It was not a nice place to be. He passed away there on Aug 29, 1940 of stomach cancer. A slow and painful death from all accounts in the medical journals. Whether he had visitors I do not know. Why his sister, a woman of some means, allowed this I can not say. He was laid to rest alongside his beloved Katherine.
None of this was known to me until recently. How much of this other family members knew I can not say. Where are the descendants of his brothers and sisters ? Surely they are out there somewhere. One day I hope to connect with some and maybe fill in the blanks. It would be interesting to hear the story.
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