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The Muschler group was known to me back in 1977 and it took several letters to get information out of members of this group. Like many relatives, they look at the last name of the person contacting them and right away they don't have any idea of who you are or if you are related as you state.
Most all do the usual ostrich immitation and hope you will soon go away and not bother them with such stuff as "family tree." The mere mention of those two words to many people is like you infected them with that mysterious ailment known as "total-silence." This begins by never answering any letters sent to them.changing addresses and even moving or simply returning your letter marked "unknown."
I was at the library and checked out the names of Muschler people in Aurora, Illinois. There was only 4 listed. I sent out letters to all four. Asking simply for information they might have on the two Muschler men that married sisters of my grand father.
"Come on fella, this is grabbing for straws a bit." Maybe so, but I had heard that Grand dad had two of his youngest sisters marry into that line and latter heard a tale of how them "Muschlers were close family friends both here and in Germany." Uh huh, maybe if someone in that Muschler line was or had done research on theit family ancesstry and knew the town in Germany the family was from, why it might lead me to locating the town that dear old gramps and family was from.
Little did I know at the time that this would prove out true, but it would involve a lot more "grabbing for straws" than just hoping to find a Muschler doing research work on that family, AND willing to answer a letter I sent them, and share what they had with me.
Two of the Muschlers never answered my letters. Another went to see his dad in Chicago, Illinois and told him about the letter he got from me. They quickly destroyed the letter and did not reply, no doubt in fear of catching that awful, "Share disease."
The fourth Muschler I wrote to was Alvina Muschler. Her reply supported what I had learned from relatives of what ever family line I might be researching. "I asked around and quickly learned that the Muschlers don't tell nothing to no one, not even me and I am a Muschler myself."
I had to have a "Carrot" to dangle about here. A year before, I had been to the library and I don't even recall what I was looking up but saw a list of four Muschler immigrants to this country and it showed the name of the town they came from. I made a note of it "for future reference" and like many of my notes, I filed it in that familar, "where the hell did I put it" location. Never figured it would be of much use at the time. So what If I were to tell this fella of the name of that town and simply say "I have the name of a town where some Muschlers came from in Germany and will exchange this for what ever information you have on then two sisters of my grand father that married into your family line."
"I heard there was a Muschler doing research on the family and his address is 55 Yorkshire,Oak Brood,Illinois."
Yorkshire what? No town in Illinois named Oak Brood. What zip code? Even If I got my letter to him there was a great chance he would not answer it.
I used a bad habit some people use when signing their names. They use just the the first initial of the name and then W~~~~.
Yorkshire what? became simply Yorkshire W~~~~. There was an Oak Brook in Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.OK, sounds good. The zip code for the Chicago area starts 606.... I had sent a Christmas card to a brother once and got it back because I had the zip code two end numbers inverted. This letter did not stand a chance of going anywhere but the dead-letter office at best.
55 Yorkshire W~~~, Oak Brook, Illinois, 60617 Is where I sent the letter and on the way home from the post office I laughed, feeling the letter would beat me home for some reason or other. It didn't. Ok, it will end up in the dead leatter office in Illinois then. I soon forgot about it.
55 Yorkshire Woods, Oak Brook, Illinois, 60621 is where the answer came from.Mr. Muschler sent me a pile of Information and concluded his letter with,"now tell me the name of that town."
This began a flow of information from Mr. Muschler and when I asked for additonal Muschler data I clearly recall his reply, "in as much as we are so distantly related, I can't see were exchanging such information would do either of our searches any good."
Another statement I would eventually prove wrong in many ways, all to the good I may add.
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