The Diary, Part 1: We meet an angel in Germany

It’s a grey December day in Saarbrücken, Germany, not far from the border with France. Nicole and I have just stepped off a train, and are now standing in a plaza in front of Saarbrücken’s old Rathaus (town hall). It’s cold, and a slight wind sends dead leaves scuttling across the cobblestones.

We’re waiting for ‘Karl,’ a German man whom we have never met before, but has something of the utmost importance: the long-lost diary of my great uncle Adrian, who died at the age of 26 more than 100 years ago. Here he is on the right, standing with my grandfather:

Even though he died young, Adrian was a legend in our family. All of his siblings looked up to him. His friends from his hometown, college, and the Army adored him. He was just starting his career at an electric utility in Erie, Pennsylvania, when he developed appendicitis. His condition worsened, and he died the day after Christmas in 1921.

His hometown paper published this article:

There is another person who is not mentioned in the obituaries, but is central to Adrian’s story, and to the story of this diary. Her name was Yvonne.

Adrian was planning to get married in June of 1922. He had met his bride-to-be while stationed in Luxembourg following World War I. After he left the Army, she was still in Luxembourg. They kept in close contact through frequent letters, exchanging more than 100 according to notations in the diary.

Yvonne was devastated by his death, and never married. A small portrait of her was folded into the pages of the diary, along with the newspaper obituary.

We had no idea Adrian’s diary even existed until earlier this year, when Karl posted an online message in a discussion forum used by historians, describing the diary he and his wife had inherited from his brother in law.

Two people eagerly responded: a distant cousin and myself. We had questions. What was the diary doing in Germany? How did this diary come to Karl? What was inside? And how could it be returned to the family?

You may have heard the term “angel” used in family history contexts. A genealogy angel helps people research their roots or connect with their families, for instance by interpreting DNA results or identifying relevant record repositories of people who were adopted.

There are also angels who return found items to family members. Photo albums. War medals. Family bibles. For various reasons, these heirlooms end up in thrift stores, storage units, or the trash. Sometimes angels discover them and try to do the right thing by returning them to the family, even distant family.

Karl is an angel. After his brother-in-law died, the old diary was given to him because he was the only one with English proficiency. He was curious about the contents, but realized that this artifact would likely be appreciated by the family of this young man who died so long ago, leaving broken hearts on both sides of the Atlantic.

It didn't matter that Adrian and his own ancestors had fought on opposing sides of the war. Karl resolved to return the diary.

And on that cold December day in Saarbrücken, he did.

Read Part 2 here: The Diary, Part 2: Tracing the book's long journey