It's the fourth of July. My great grandfather was born of the fourth of July in 1870. He was the first Reichart to be a natural born citizen of America. Well, at least the first in this line of Reicharts. His father, also named Christian, had arrived at Castle Garden, New York in 1856, along with his wife Maria. They had left their home in Bavaria to make a new life in America. Each eventually became a citizen of this land. So here it is one hundred and forty nine years later and I'm thinking about him. He lies in Sterling cemetery in Greenport on Long Island. His family surrounds him. His life is a bit of a mystery to me, certain details being lost to time. He had brothers and sisters but spent his last days in the alms house at Yapank, also in New York. Stomach cancer was the cause of his demise. I lost my sister to the same, back in December last.
Although Christians' father, my great-great grandfather was the first to settle on Long Island, I think of my beginning with the birth of Christian Jr. As I said that was July the fourth, 1870. Born an American he never knew anything else, no longing for the homeland, as this is his homeland. It is something I live with, an awareness of. If you weren't born there, you are not a native! It's like growing up in a town. When people say to you, where are you from, you will answer with the place of your birth or were you grew up. Christian could answer, America! I'm certain his father and mother still spoke German, or at best, spoke English with a German accent. They would have been called Huns back then. I'm certain that Christian did not have an accent. I have no proof of that, no recordings, no first hand accounts, but I'm certain he didn't. He was an American!
His father had arrived in 1856 at Castle Garden, New York. Castle Garden was the point of entry before there was an Ellis Island. He was met there by a fellow German and was employed in New York City as a cigar maker. Eventually he had enough money and a sponsor to move to Greenport, out on the Island. He was a farmer back in Germany and a farm required land. From what I can figure out he never had a farm though, he was a torpedo maker at one point in his life. That was during the civil war. Yes they had torpedoes and deployed them. They were basically the same thing we use today, although stationary. But whatever else he did, I don't really know. I do know he had a son named Christian that became my great grandfather.
My great grandfather married Catherine Gaffga, a prominent family in Greenport on Long Island. They had two children, Elwood and Mildred. Elwood is my grandfather, his sister Mildred is the one my own sister was named in honor of. Now I never met Grandfather Elwood as he passed away with when my Father was about ten. Aunt Minnie, as we called her, I did know quite well. Strangely at the time I wasn't aware that she was sister to Grandfather Christian. Kids are so often unaware of familial relationships. Sometimes I think that is simply because of the " adults " that don't get along. Families can be filled with landmines! Following the death of Catherine, Christian seems to have been left on his own. What I mean is, he became stricken with stomach cancer and was in and out of the Alms house. The Gaffga family were quite well to do and he did have a large family of his own, yet I can find no records of anyone helping him. That's the mysterious part of his story. This man was still alive in the early 1940's and I don't believe my own father even knew that! I don't think he had a clue that his grandfather was alive at all.
Now his son, my grandfather Elwood married Clara and they had two sons, Austin and Elwood. Elwood was the eldest son and Austin, my dad, the youngest. Clara passed three days after my fathers birth. The two boys are then placed in the care of my great grandmother, Lucy, who raises them both to adulthood. Elwood, the father, does remarry and have two more sons. Then on a trip to Florida were he was going to meet with Great-Grandmothers Lucy's brother, Fred, he develops appendicitis and goes septic. He passes away.
On July the twentieth nineteen hundred and fifty three I was born at Southampton hospital. I am the end of the line. Well I am the last Reichart of that line to be born on Long Island anyway. East Hampton is my land of the free and home of the brave! That land has certainly changed over the years as has the entire land. On this fourth of July I am reminded of all those that came before. I am reminded of all the contributors. Yes one line originated in Bavaria, another line finds it origins in Sweden, and the other two are Europeans. My maternal grandfather came from English roots. His family had settled this new land, now called Long Island. His roots go that far back in the land. And I have been the beneficiary of all that. It is the heritage I received.
So today I will celebrate that heritage, that gift from the past. Hot dogs, potato salad and an apple pie. There is no parade in Greensboro but the Lions club is selling there famous chicken. My porch is undergoing repairs so no bunting on the rails this year, but old glory is still flying! God Bless America. The America I inherited has changed, it's a shift in time and makes me uncomfortable. It has been so for every generation. But I think the important thing is to remember, remember what came before and learn from that history. You can't rewrite history, you can't change the past, the only thing you can do is work for the future. And sometimes the future should be like the past. What is old is new again. Patriotism isn't waving the flag, having a parade and a barbecue. Patriotism is putting your nation before your needs! That's what Patriots do.
Although Christians' father, my great-great grandfather was the first to settle on Long Island, I think of my beginning with the birth of Christian Jr. As I said that was July the fourth, 1870. Born an American he never knew anything else, no longing for the homeland, as this is his homeland. It is something I live with, an awareness of. If you weren't born there, you are not a native! It's like growing up in a town. When people say to you, where are you from, you will answer with the place of your birth or were you grew up. Christian could answer, America! I'm certain his father and mother still spoke German, or at best, spoke English with a German accent. They would have been called Huns back then. I'm certain that Christian did not have an accent. I have no proof of that, no recordings, no first hand accounts, but I'm certain he didn't. He was an American!
His father had arrived in 1856 at Castle Garden, New York. Castle Garden was the point of entry before there was an Ellis Island. He was met there by a fellow German and was employed in New York City as a cigar maker. Eventually he had enough money and a sponsor to move to Greenport, out on the Island. He was a farmer back in Germany and a farm required land. From what I can figure out he never had a farm though, he was a torpedo maker at one point in his life. That was during the civil war. Yes they had torpedoes and deployed them. They were basically the same thing we use today, although stationary. But whatever else he did, I don't really know. I do know he had a son named Christian that became my great grandfather.
My great grandfather married Catherine Gaffga, a prominent family in Greenport on Long Island. They had two children, Elwood and Mildred. Elwood is my grandfather, his sister Mildred is the one my own sister was named in honor of. Now I never met Grandfather Elwood as he passed away with when my Father was about ten. Aunt Minnie, as we called her, I did know quite well. Strangely at the time I wasn't aware that she was sister to Grandfather Christian. Kids are so often unaware of familial relationships. Sometimes I think that is simply because of the " adults " that don't get along. Families can be filled with landmines! Following the death of Catherine, Christian seems to have been left on his own. What I mean is, he became stricken with stomach cancer and was in and out of the Alms house. The Gaffga family were quite well to do and he did have a large family of his own, yet I can find no records of anyone helping him. That's the mysterious part of his story. This man was still alive in the early 1940's and I don't believe my own father even knew that! I don't think he had a clue that his grandfather was alive at all.
Now his son, my grandfather Elwood married Clara and they had two sons, Austin and Elwood. Elwood was the eldest son and Austin, my dad, the youngest. Clara passed three days after my fathers birth. The two boys are then placed in the care of my great grandmother, Lucy, who raises them both to adulthood. Elwood, the father, does remarry and have two more sons. Then on a trip to Florida were he was going to meet with Great-Grandmothers Lucy's brother, Fred, he develops appendicitis and goes septic. He passes away.
On July the twentieth nineteen hundred and fifty three I was born at Southampton hospital. I am the end of the line. Well I am the last Reichart of that line to be born on Long Island anyway. East Hampton is my land of the free and home of the brave! That land has certainly changed over the years as has the entire land. On this fourth of July I am reminded of all those that came before. I am reminded of all the contributors. Yes one line originated in Bavaria, another line finds it origins in Sweden, and the other two are Europeans. My maternal grandfather came from English roots. His family had settled this new land, now called Long Island. His roots go that far back in the land. And I have been the beneficiary of all that. It is the heritage I received.
So today I will celebrate that heritage, that gift from the past. Hot dogs, potato salad and an apple pie. There is no parade in Greensboro but the Lions club is selling there famous chicken. My porch is undergoing repairs so no bunting on the rails this year, but old glory is still flying! God Bless America. The America I inherited has changed, it's a shift in time and makes me uncomfortable. It has been so for every generation. But I think the important thing is to remember, remember what came before and learn from that history. You can't rewrite history, you can't change the past, the only thing you can do is work for the future. And sometimes the future should be like the past. What is old is new again. Patriotism isn't waving the flag, having a parade and a barbecue. Patriotism is putting your nation before your needs! That's what Patriots do.
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