Peoria, Ill. Dec.15, 1911 To my Sons. Your father, Nicholas Julius Filzen, who writes this; was born March 12th 1866 in an old country town named Punderich on the right hand bank (south) of the Moselle River, a sidesrteam of the Rhein (the two meet at Koblenz). I was the 4th child and second son of my parents. They had been married on the 26th of Nov 1847. My father (Mathias) was born 11 Nov 1829. His father Nicolaus Jules Filzen was born May 6 1791 [married Angela Catherina Hulten whose oldest son Peter Philipp 6 Sept 1827 is the great grandfather of Alois presently (1993) living in Punderich] went in 1806 with Napoleon I as a soldier all over Europa. After the disaster of the Franch Armee in Russia, he with many others joint as a light Hussar the forces of Marshall Blucher untill peace was declared in 1815. My father was a Barker and winedresser (?). In 1826 he married Cathrerina Hulten the schoolmaster's daughter. To them were born 5 children, my father later. Mathias then Katharine, died as Mrs Muller 1876. Phillip died 1867 left 1 daughter and 2 sons. Dristine m. Dahms left 1 daughter and 3 sons. and Matilda wife of Jacob Klaes, they have two girls and 5 boys. [1993 notes are in these brackets throughout: The schoolhouse still exist, the entrance door being only a little over 5 feet high. It is now an apartment building. The Klaes home was torn down and rebuilt in 1963. The Klaes, Hulten, Rockenbach, Muller and Dahms families still either are remembered or live in Punderich, along with 2 Filzen families. I. Ted W. Filzen, climbed thru the schoolhouse and met the Dahms and Mullers or Hultens. The text of this letter is transcribed just as it was written.] My Mother a winefarmers daughter was born to her parents, Johannes Rockenback and his wife Heronika on 23 July 1828 and died on 23 July 1879. Her father had died in 1848 being 76 years old and her mother which I remembered died in the spring of 1869. My parents had 5 children - Clara born 1858 died 1 & 1/2 years old. Josephine born 1860 was one year old when Grandmother Filzen [Catherina Hulten] died, she herself in May 1866 on the colera when whole towns died out on that pest. On March 26th 1863 my brother Karl was born but could not walk or talk yet when March 12th 1866 I come as my Father's Hope, but on Nov. 2nd 1869 my brother Joseph was born. Karl, the older brother, born 3/26 1863 is a Monk of the order of Brothers of Mercey in Louxembourg 1887. The younger brother, Joseph J. 4/2/1869 is a sculpture in woodwork in Hanover, Germany. Mathias, my father was born November 1st, 1828 (note that official German records show Feb 11, 1829 as his birth. His brother, Peter Philipp, 9/6/1827 - 3/24/1867, is the father leniage of Alois still living.) the oldest son of of Nicolaus Jules Filzen and Angela Catherina Hulten Filzen. He lived until 4/2 1872. Boys, here is a chart of my little hometown and others all close together on the same side of the river on the right shore, there is the 3rd town just a little bigger than my hometown known as Merl. There lived when I was twenty a girl, a dressmaker her name was Margareth Muhl. She rented a room of some distant relative which she had furnished with remnants of her parents household. Both were dead then. Her parents had maried right after when her father came home from the war Prussis had with Austria in 1866. So Margarethe was born July 14 1867. Her mother Helena nee Pelenz bore 3 more children to Johann, 2 girls which died before they were 14 years old and a boy Joseph in 1868 who married Anna Baur from Zell Jan. 1 1890 and died about 1894 leavcing his widow, a son, a daughter and a then unborn child. N (Koln) KOBLENZ * W E . S . Cocheim * . . . Zell * Punderich . . . . Bernkastle-Kues . . Neu Filzen Brauneberg . . Filzen . Trier * Well, Johann Muhl served in the Army during the France-German War as Grenadier ( he was more than 6 feet tall) his wife got sick with consumption of the throat and died soon after he came home in 1871, age 27. He married again soon but the efforts and hardship of 3 wars had undermined his robyst health and in 1876, he died of the same sickness as his wife Helena. The Sisters of Charity (Bermhezige Schwestern) took Margarethe right after her mother's demise and raised her getting one hundred marks a year (about $65 in 1993 $) for it until she was 14 years old, when they placed her with auld maid in Zell for 3 years to learn the dressmaking. [THIS IS ALL THERE IS FOR THIS LETTER. NICHOLAS WRITES AGAIN ON FEB. 2 1936] [MY FATHERS NOTES ARE PUT IN () THROUGHOUT THE LETTER AGAIN] Wichita Falls, Tex., Feb. 2, '36 Dear Grandchildren. N. Joe Jr. and Sister Margereth Filzen, Your letter of about a month ago was a very pleasant soprize to me. Thanks. I had in mind then to write back to you at once, but... lungs the Flu this winter malaty took hold of me, now I try hard to shake off the last of it but that cough what almost strangles me still persists and after each coughing spell I am too weak for anything, well your grandpa is not getting any younger. I went to the shop every day and done some and now the fur season is almost past and it will be a while untill the spring tailor season gets in full force, meanwhile I will try and rest some. I hope your each and every one of your family is in good health and spirits. You both want to know more of our Filzen history or what went before you so here: Now my dears, learnt what was of the Filzen in Europa. My father was a soldier in the France army as had been his father under Napolean I for eleven years. 1870 the War between France and Prussia forct him to army. In the battle of Mas la Tour he was shot..., above right hip to below left hip and sustaint a double rupture wich never healt. In March 1871 Elsas and Loraine where taken over by the Prussian, that left my parents house inside the German line by a 100 meters, about a city block. Then I had to go to the German school and my mother send me to a priest to study Latin and Greek. My grandonkel Peter (Alois' Greatgrandfather) at that time the richest man on the Mosell River, insisted that I should also learn the Italian language as I would need it later. We in Loraine speak a mixture of France-german and.... July 22nd 1879 my mother died, a Prussian, an Unkle by marriage, got to be us boys gardian. We all were wine farmers. November 1st 1879 I was told to go and learn the trade as a tailor. May 18th 1882 I walkt the last time on two good legs, for the next day my right leg bend double and my gardian took four doktors and told them to do their best for the boy has plenty money. My parents were well off folk as it was in Loraine they had two big houses build of slaterock, each with a big garten and 139 different pa5rcels of land, vineyards, timber and grasslands. So those four doktors made money from me and left me a kripple on my right side. After my 3 years as an apprentice I get a workbook as a Journyman, with that I travel in Belgium, Louxembourg, France, Algerian Africa then Italia ( It is my understanding that he did most of this travel, with one stiff leg, peddling a bicycle. It was during these travels that he was also introduced to other forms of govrnment, an event that would soon lead to potential disaster). I spent five months as Marchesse De Marrini but did not want the title as I was a Union member of the Fur and Tailor Trades since Nov. 1884 in Lyons France. After Italia I went to the Schweitz (Switzerland), Austria, Hungaria, Poland, Munich in Germany, Denmark and Sweden, coming back south to Hanover, Holland to Duisburg on the Rhein up stream till home August 1886 I caught teaching Republican Form of Government to my friends, we were grown up together, they was to go to the German Army in Sept. So the Prussian said I had committed high treason to the Prussain Crown, punishable for two years.... So I came Sept 1886 to New York America! Some day I tell you more. ( Great Grandfather Nicholas Julius Filzen, author of the above, escaped to America, sending for his new bride a few months later, Margareth Muhl from the town of Merl just on the northeast side of Zell/Mosel. He never was able to tell my father more as he was stricken with tuberculosis at the time of his writing and died shortly thereafter. I, Ted William Filzen, who write this, lived for seven years in Germany and Italy spending much of my free time researching our family history and actually living with Alois and making Filzen wine in the town of Punderich/Mosel. Having previously passed our German ancestor's "Marchesse De Marini" claim to fame as unfounded hearsay, my little "inner voice of wisdom" has once again come to the rescue in solving this family mystery. - Neither Alois, his cousins, nor the Bonn Government records that sent us our lineage dating from the last of the 18th century could show any family tie to Italy. Alois had never heard of it prior to my mention of it! - When Nicholas J.'s mother died he was given to a Prussian Unkle for gardianship and told by his grandunkle Peter to learn Italian as "he would need it later." - The Austrians were ruling much of northern Italy at the time by bringing Germans down to "carry a big stick" for them over the then, still floundering, unorganized peoples of the region. Titles granted to these Germans by the Austrians, in order to help establish authority, was common practice. - Italians were trying to become a unified nation at the turn of the century leaving these "intruders" in a less than friendly environment. It was extremely likely that Nicholas' gardian Uncle was the family tie to the title. Both of these two possibilities would explain why someone would pass up such a prestigious title in order to return to a trade position as a furier. I am, therefore, convinced that the title of "Marchesse De Marinni" has no ties to the Filzen family. Nothing, records, family memory from Filzens currently living on the Mosel, nor historical data support anything to the contrary.) I presently close this letter, March 3, 1995, while writing to Nicky, she having been named after the Nicholas'. Nicky, I know that I was "lead" to the Filzens on the Mosel by our ancestor's thoughts as there were just too many uncanny coincidences that led me to my job at AFN- Europe; the things I wrote of in my magazine article were all true, including my son, Tim, finding that 1875 silver coin in the vineyards (I believe dropped by Nicholas Jules!). And now as of this date, both Nicholas Jules and Alois' grandfather were born 1866, both died 1936. My father, Joseph N. and Alois were both born within one year (1923), now both have passed over within one year 1993 - 94. Strange isn't life? Someday, when you have the time, I'll tell you more!)