4. September 2002
Children of Emigants on the Trails of their Ancestors
Family Meeting with 60 Relatives from Germany and the USA - City Walk and Exhibition Visiting
“For more than 100 years we had disappeared and we thought
we should come back and give a report” Ken Roffmann from St. Louis in the
USA told and he smiled. At the Roffmann family reunion 60 relatives came
together, 10 of them from the USA. Aboard ship “Seute Deern” the members
of the family met again or became acquainted with each other. Sitting together
in a familiar atmosphere Jörg Roffmann informed about the genealogical
research and about the city of Bremerhaven. The emigration of their ancestors
around 1850 was very important especially for the American family members.
Ken Roffmann sensed the reunion in Bremerhaven wonderful. “It is as a big
circle”, he said, “my ancestor left Bremerhaven 1852, and now I have come
back”. The family members commemorated their brave ancestors who started
out for an exhausting voyage to the New World. Now, in Bremerhaven, they
walked on the trails of their ancestors and they were busy with the matter
of emigration.
Being interested in this Jörg Roffmann had begun with genealogical researches intensely 4 years ago. He rolled german telephone books, sent letters and researched in the internet.
Finally after he had made contacts to the german “Roffmanns” he focused his investigations upon the oversea relatives. Jörg Roffmann knew that there must be someones. The name Roffmann is verifiable in Hildesheim since 1620 and spread during the next centuries in whole Germany and around 1850 by emigration also in North America, Canada, and Australia.
To contact the far relatives Jörg Roffmann started his website in the internet. Penelope Roffmann in St. Louis found it by chance. The contact among the Roffmanns continued. In the year 2000 the first family reunion happened in Hildesheim. Then was decided the next reunion to be organised in Bremerhaven with the topic “emigration”.
One Year Organisation
One year ago the preparations for the meeting at the lower Weser river began. Organiser was Dieter Roffmann who is living in Bremerhaven. World-wide there are around 200 living members of the Roffmann clan, around 60 of them were come. 10 of these came from North America, among them Ken Roffmann with his wife Penelope: “We are the lost relatives”. The longest way had Amy Roffmann from Arizona. The Roffmann family members visited the emigration exhibition “Aufbruch in die Fremde” (Departure abroad). The reunion was finished officially with a veritable “lobscouse” eating. Now the American relatives are on a Germany-trip. The time for the next reunion is not fixed yet but the contacts shall be continued.
Being interested in this Jörg Roffmann had begun with genealogical researches intensely 4 years ago. He rolled german telephone books, sent letters and researched in the internet.
Finally after he had made contacts to the german “Roffmanns” he focused his investigations upon the oversea relatives. Jörg Roffmann knew that there must be someones. The name Roffmann is verifiable in Hildesheim since 1620 and spread during the next centuries in whole Germany and around 1850 by emigration also in North America, Canada, and Australia.
To contact the far relatives Jörg Roffmann started his website in the internet. Penelope Roffmann in St. Louis found it by chance. The contact among the Roffmanns continued. In the year 2000 the first family reunion happened in Hildesheim. Then was decided the next reunion to be organised in Bremerhaven with the topic “emigration”.
One Year Organisation
One year ago the preparations for the meeting at the lower Weser river began. Organiser was Dieter Roffmann who is living in Bremerhaven. World-wide there are around 200 living members of the Roffmann clan, around 60 of them were come. 10 of these came from North America, among them Ken Roffmann with his wife Penelope: “We are the lost relatives”. The longest way had Amy Roffmann from Arizona. The Roffmann family members visited the emigration exhibition “Aufbruch in die Fremde” (Departure abroad). The reunion was finished officially with a veritable “lobscouse” eating. Now the American relatives are on a Germany-trip. The time for the next reunion is not fixed yet but the contacts shall be continued.
Family Archive / Family Research Roffmann