8 september 2013, looking up

I have spent much of these new year days with my family, some living, but most dead, as I have been putting my hands into the magic box of family history I've been accumulating for at least a decade, and the magic box of the internet, which knows considerably more about my family than I do. My current investigative bout was sparked by relatives from australia and rediscovered memories of that big chunk of family that moved literally half way around the world after the war; though I've learnt most about my dad's family, and my namesake, my grandpa baron morris frankal, on the far left of the picture. Next to him is my dad and his cheeky grin, and then my (great) uncle joe, whom I remember very well. Then comes an older lady I don't know, then ivor, my dad's brother, my great uncle jack (see 17 november 2011) and harry, the also-remembered husband of pearl, who is sat in the middle of the front row, flanked I think by two sisters (dolly) and hetty, and there's my grandma eva on the left wing and my aunts olga and irene on the right. I've found that grandpa baron's father was leon haiman frankal (leon is my middle name), and his mother dora louise schneider, who I now know had two sisters (may and harritte). Her parents, and so my sons' great, great, great grandparents, were neimann schneider (born in preussen, germany in 1839) and rosetta lazarus. I'm also pretty sure, but seeking to verify, that rosetta's parents were joshua lazarus (born 1814) and rachel (1816) and she had four siblings: lewis, charles, mary and kate. Fascinating stuff, I've hardly started with, but am determined to continue.