Someone put them in boxes years ago. These were not "ours". They had been left by the previous owners. Forgotten, left to collect dust and become dull & faded were pictures; yellowed, some tattered and worn around the edges; of adults, children and pets in and around the house - mostly standing stiffly & statuesque as many pictures appeared in the early days of photography. A moment captured in time.
I remember coming across the box in the attic of the Oscar Whitaker house, our home in Cannonsville NY for a few hot summers and as many winters in the late 50's & early 60's. The pictures must have been setting in the attic twenty or thirty years. As I looked over the old black and whites I wondered what a story they could tell; if someone were around to tell it.
About twenty years ago I started accumulating pictures and stories and information about my own family. Just people I knew, family and relatives. A few questions led to more questions and more pictures and then letters and government inquiries and archives. A short trip to the library, a longer trip to Brooklyn and the island. The website is only the tip of the iceberg so if you are connected, write me a few lines and we can compare notes.
The familial names are primarily of German, Irish and French origin with some English. They include GROSSMANN, ZEISSER, WEISINGER, REIS, BEIRMANN, BENSON, ERDMANN, LYONS, FARR, BROWN, DOWNING, FINLEY & VILARD.
"I am not a citizen of Athens or Greece, but of the world." -- Socrates.
There are at least 10,445 Grossmann family units scattered around the world in 13 countries from Germany with about 8,362 to New Zealand with only 1. The United States has 436 Grossmann households. There are 36,221 people on the planet who carry the Grossmann surname. Births and deaths are a constant of life and the numbers are always changing.