Tell us about yourself, where you
were born, your schooling, work,
family.
I was born in Saginaw, Michigan,
which is where my grandparents
settled when they came to America.
I actually grew up in Beloit,
Wisconsin and later moved to
California. I’ve had two years
of college and have worked as an
Administrative Assistant, but I’ve
been a hausfrau for quite a while now.
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Chuck and I met when we
both worked in a
downtown Los Angeles
bank and we have one
daughter, Laura who is
married to Larry.
They have two daughters
and four grandchildren
who are a delight.
We also have Angelo, our
wire fox terrier.
Angelo has some
grandchildren, too. |
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Do you have any hobbies, Beth?
My primary hobby is genealogy, which
has pushed everything else into the
background; my other interests are
travel, miniatures, reading,
stitchery, oil painting, classical
guitar, and collecting.
(See Beth's
miniatures)
It doesn’t seem possible, what
with your DVHH participation and
your hobbies, but do you do any
volunteer work?
I’ve also done a bit of volunteer
work with nonprofit organizations
such as the Arthritis Association of
Kern County and the Child Guidance
Guild, where I served several terms
on their Executive Board; I’m also
very active in my church.
What got you started in doing
genealogical research?
After years and years of wondering
about family, I actively began
asking questions of older relatives
whenever I could. My big break
came when my Aunt Helen shared her
childhood memories. She also told
me what she knew about her parents.
Have you been successful in your
research?
Yes, far more than I ever dreamed I
would be. Armed with the village
name Apatin, I searched for my
grandparents in the Apatin church
records at the local FHC and found
my great-grandparents, too.
Who or what has been most helpful
in your research?
The DVHH without a doubt! Finding
the DVHH was the beginning of my
education, not only about my family,
but about the Donauschwaben a word
I’d never heard before then.
DVHH volunteer Ron Gretz did a
lookup on my family and the
floodgates were opened. I can never
adequately express my gratitude to
the DVHH and Ron or to Josef P.
Schwend. Some of what I’ve found
about my family can be seen on the
DVHH Apatin Village website where
I’m coordinator, thanks to Jody
McKim’s very persuasive abilities!
Have you hit any brick walls?
Yes, a high one! While my
grandfather Podolski’s family shows
up in Apatin records in 1817,
I believe they were there earlier,
but I can’t find their pre-Apatin
origins. One suggestion has
been Silesia. However, I
simply don’t have enough information
to begin a search.
Do you use software for recording
your family history?
Yes, I use FamilyTreeMaker.
Tell us a little bit about the
villages you have researched for
your family history?
Most of my DS ancestors have deep
Apatin roots; however, some early
branches of my family had ties to
the villages of Bacs Brestowatz and
Filipowa.
If
you were to create a family crest,
what would be in it?
Humorously: a
bowl of Goulash
and a plate of
Mushkazone!
Seriously: the
Danube, a
fishing boat and
fish
representing the
profession
shared by my
grandfather, as
well as his
father and
grandfather. I
would add a
cross because of
their deep
religious
faith.
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Interviewer: how’s this
for your crest? |
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Have you been
able to visit
your ancestral
village?
In 2004 we were
able to visit
Apatin. And
thanks to Hans
Illik, the
then-President
of the Apatin
HOG, and Boris
Masic, President
of the Apatin
German
Community, we
packed a lot
into our short
visit. A
further
description and
pictures can be
seen at
www.dvhh.org/abthausen.
Who of all
your ancestors
has made the
biggest
impression on
you? Why?
Perhaps my
grandfather who
had many
difficulties in
his life,
including
physical
disabilities,
but he worked
very hard to
provide for his
family and still
was able to
bring joy to
everyone with
his music.
What is your
most remarkable
find in your
roots research?
That would be
verifying a
family story
that an aunt and
cousin had died
in Tito’s camps
after WWII. That
really brings it
home!
Has your
world opened in
that you have
found living
relatives you
didn’t know
existed?
Well, I’ve
certainly found
some cousins I
didn’t know I
had. And what’s
more I’ve met
many wonderful
DS descendants
through the DVHH
and through my
village page.
It’s fun to be
in active
correspondence
with fellow
researchers in
Germany,
Hungary, Serbia
and all across
the U.S. and
Canada.
If you were
confined to only
one tip
for a fellow
researcher, what
would it be?
Talk to older
family members,
listen to their
stories and make
notes. Ask
questions!
Do you have a
motto about
genealogical
research?
Genealogy is
addictive. It’s
a bit like
putting together
a big jigsaw
puzzle where you
are looking for
just the right
piece to fit
into and help
complete the
whole picture.
Thank you so
much, Beth!
Thank you as
well for your
active
participation in
the DVHH—it’s
people like you
who make
DVHH.org one of
the very best
research sites
on the
Internet. We
are proud to
call you our DS
cousin!
Crest design by
Rose Mary Keller
Hughes.
Beth
& the DVHH ...
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Beth
is
the
DVHH
Secretary,
serves
on
the
Volunteer
Support
Committee
and
is
the
Apatin
Village Coordinator.
Beth
initiated
the
first
contact
with
Tom
Thornton,
which
led
up
to
our
participation
in
the
Landesverband
der
Donauschwaben,
USA
Tag
der
Donauschwaben
USA
&
Kanada
2007,
hosted
by
The
Mansfield
Liederkranz.
Beth
was
a
very
good
advocate
for
the
DVHH
and
for
our
Donauschwaben
heritage
at the event.
Fortunately,
she
brought
with
her
a
large
notebook
filled
with
information
about
Apatin;
and
thankfully
so,
as
she
met
many
people
who
actually
immigrated
from
that
town.
She
stayed
on
her
toes
during
the
entire
two day
event. Thank
you
Beth
for
all
your
hard
work
in
making
the
debut
of
the
DVHH
a
special
event
for
us
all
to
remember.
Thank you
Beth for your contributions to the DS community
and the DVHH
Project! |
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Last
Updated:
02 Mar 2019
