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Polt Family Photo - taken in 1905
Our grandfather, Joseph Polt, is the little boy on the left in the front row. He was probably 6 years old in this photo.Finding my roots in Austria
My grandfather was born in a small village in Austria, called Gebharts. Back in 1899, when he was just a baby, his family decided to immigrate to the United States to start their new life in Nebraska. Times were tough in Austria back then, and America was the "land of milk and honey."
I've always wanted to go to Austria and see the village where Grandpa Polt was born. While visiting my cousin, Whitney, in London a few weeks ago, I found out that she had the same idea! Whitney lives in Baltimore, but she's been studying architecture in London since January, and we decided to meet up in Vienna Austria and search together (Whitney's father and my father are brothers).
After arriving in Vienna, we rented a car at the airport and drove two hours northwest toward the Czech border. We were thrilled when we finally saw the sign for the tiny village of "Gebharts." We walked into the local restaurant to ask about lodging. They didn't have any rooms there, but as it turns out, they recognized our last name and even showed us where the "Polt" house was located!
While we were at the restaurant, Franz, one of the patrons, overheard us talking. He knew his friend Josef had relatives who immigrated to America, so he called him up, and as it turns out... they are related to us! Our great grandmother, Anna Polt, was born in the house where they live, in the nearby village of Kottinghoermanns. Her maiden name was "Pregesbauer."
The next day we met our long lost relatives. Our spontaneous, unplanned adventure was even more successful than we ever imagined!
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Rani Sampson
non-member comment
Home at last
You've gone around the world to find home. I loved each one of these pictures. You made the old folks happy that the youngsters care about their heritage. You and your cousin look deeply satisfied that you made the trip. You thought you knew your family before, but now you have an even better understanding. As the Aussies say, Good on you!