Sengers Unite!

I just returned from our first major Senger family reunion in Devils Lake, North Dakota, where my grandfather grew up and my father was born. I feel so lucky to have met all of my grandfather's siblings. One of his uncles was there, too - Frank Kuntz, currently 88 years old. Wow!

A bit of history about our origins (perhaps there are other curious relatives out there): I learned that the Sengers originated in Bavaria (S. Germany, Black Forest region). Later (sometime in the 1800's?) they moved to the Ukraine, Russia (Odessa Province) to take advantage of farmland the czar was giving away and escape the frequenct conflicts along the French border. Near the turn of the 19th century (and I'm fuzzy on these dates), the Russian goverment reneged on their promise to not conscript Germans into the Russian military, which apparently pissed our family off. They were so pissed, they decided to move to America, where you could have abundant farmland so long as you built a habitable structure on it. When they arrived, they claimed land in North Dakota by building a sod house there (yes, a house of dirt!). It was in this house that my grandfather's father was born.

We saw a few pictures of grandpa's dad, and he looked like a serious character. American Gothic comes to mind... He had six children: Grandpa Joe, Ed, Agnes, Bettie Ann, Dan, and Danielle (pics below). Growing up on a farm in N. Dakota was harsh by today's standards. They had to haul water for drinking and washing, because the local water was too salty. Their neighborhood was so dicey, the mailman left their letters at another house blocks away. But there was lots of fun to be had, too, according to Joe and Uncle Ed. They used to "hook" cars in the wintertime - grab their bumpers and skid along behind. They'd sneak into movie theaters by pleading to use the bathroom inside, or letting friends in through a side door after the lights dimmed. Sneaking into livestock pens was also popular - they would ride cows, sometimes ending up covered in manure. During the reunion we discussed what stories we would tell *our* children... "Life was rough in my day - only had one Blackberry... and no fancy virtual reality room in the house, just remote-controlled games... Had to walk 10 feet to the car... etc..."

Marc's pictures are posted here.

Some of my pictures are below, from top to bottom include:

Kim, Gayle, and Grandma at the white elephant auction table...

White elephants included some nice homemade quilted items, photos, hats, and a chamber pot!

Sample of cousin Jody's artwork, which won the highest bid. Yes, there is an art gene bouncing around in our family somewhere.

Cousin Steven serenaded us with a Broadway tune. For such a mild-mannered kid, he can sure belt one out!

Senior Sengers Joe, Ed, Danielle, Dan, Gladys, and Bettie Ann.

Corey spins some light sticks.

Fireworks are legal in the midwest. Mwahahaha...

Special 4th of July fire show!