In 1997 I wrote to the Lutheran church in Wadsbek, Germany. After almost 6 months with no word back I had given up on hearing from them. Along with my letter I sent a photograph of Grace, hoping they might pass it among the churches members. I finally did hear from the church, but they had no further information about her.
Most genealogy sites have forum's and/or message boards where you can leave notes about looking for ancestors etc. And I have many out there looking for any information on Grace that is available. I have learned that there is a group of genealogist in the Hamburg area that are working on a data base which will provide information, however, it can take years and years for this work to be available. I did find an approximate marriage date for Grace, but still no information on her spouse or children.
As I mentioned in my last post, I check every site for "Bebensee" that I come across - surely there is mention somewhere. Then it happened in January 2008 I found a Bebensee link - not Grace but my Great Great Grandmother's family the Rebensdorf's. I had not been looking for her but there she was - Elisabeth Dorothea Frederika (Rebensdorf) Bebensee. My first thought was can this really be happening - my Grandfather's grandmother? 
Oh my! I was additionally excited to find contact information for the person that had recorded the information. In less than two minutes I was sending an email off. And by golly shortly after I get an email back saying "YES - WE ARE RELATED!" My newly found cousin, Manfred - his Grandmother, Charlotte was my Grandfather's cousin. We have corresponded and exchanged information over this last year - and I now have my Rebensdorf ancestors back to 1746. The picture shown here is of Manfred's grandparents - Charlotte and Johann Bünning, which I restored and colorized. Manfred has also been extremely helpful to me and has been kind to translate a few letters for me. One I will share in another post that is a real family treasure. In sharing information I also learned that Manfred's wife Doris was confirmed in the same church as my Grandfather, Gus Bebensee in Schwerin, Germany. Oh "The Ties That Bind" continue to be a blessing!
Oh my! I was additionally excited to find contact information for the person that had recorded the information. In less than two minutes I was sending an email off. And by golly shortly after I get an email back saying "YES - WE ARE RELATED!" My newly found cousin, Manfred - his Grandmother, Charlotte was my Grandfather's cousin. We have corresponded and exchanged information over this last year - and I now have my Rebensdorf ancestors back to 1746. The picture shown here is of Manfred's grandparents - Charlotte and Johann Bünning, which I restored and colorized. Manfred has also been extremely helpful to me and has been kind to translate a few letters for me. One I will share in another post that is a real family treasure. In sharing information I also learned that Manfred's wife Doris was confirmed in the same church as my Grandfather, Gus Bebensee in Schwerin, Germany. Oh "The Ties That Bind" continue to be a blessing!
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