That could be difficult.

All my ancestors spoke German – I don’t. As I discovered when travelling in Europe, Entschuldigen sie bitte aber ich habe nicht die Frage verstanden doesn’t get you very far.

They were also very religious, maybe Pietistic. Most were evangelische, many old Lutheran, but some were Catholic. I am not sure how they would have accepted the New Year’s Day service I attended, which was contemporary Australian Lutheran, where we finished with my brother and the band belting out his song ‘Walkin’ Down the Road’ (My songs – Let’s Sing it Again – Walkin down the road (robinmann.com.au). I have a feeling they would have thought it was sinful, particularly the “Yeehahs”.

Speaking of which, where did the music come from?

I have the aforementioned brother, a prolific composer of Christian music, and 2 nephews, who are professional musicians. There may be more – I come from a very large family. Mum did perform at Young Peoples’ Society events and 21^st birthday parties, but what – I do not know. When they travelled to Hamburg on the barges from Tschicherzig, the old Lutherans who came to Australia on the Zebra in 1838 sang hymns, which entertained those on the shore.

Yes, I’d like to meet an ancestor who could clarify where the music came from.

Written for Week 1 – 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023 – Amy Johnson Crow.