Schmidts familietræ (www.sm1.dk)

Hi Kaj, yes please do show Svend Jacobsen what I have given you. As I mentioned in my other note just momentarily ago, I will follow up with more of my own family details. As for preserving Peder Troelsen's tombstone, if the names of more Canadia n descendents would be of assistance, I can email those with whom I have contact and ask them if I can share their names with you. Do you have a list of what information you might require for each of Troels Winther's descendents to assist in Svend 's project?

Should I ask Claus Bruun if I can share his email address with you? He lives in Denmark but I've either forgotten where or he never told me. Similarly to how I found you, I stumbled across Clause's tree on Google a few months ago so I sent hi m a note and he responded..

I see what you have shown for us. It looks good. Grandpa's sister Helene had 7 sons plus 3 daughters that died young. Here is a list I got from Knud. All are gone now; I might have their death dates somewhere so will send them along when I can. If I say I will do something and forget, please re mind me! The daughter of Helene's youngest son, Alfred, lives in Canada. She moved here with her husband and young family in 1988. Her brother lives in Graasten and her sister lives in Germany. We met her brother in 2019 because we overlapped ou r trip with Margot and her husband. I made contact recently with Knud's help with Grandpa's brother Peter's granddaughter. She lives in Denmark too.

A few of my Canadian cousins have been paying to preserve Ole Marinus Steffensen and Jensine (nee Larsen) Steffensen's gravestone at the Hæstrup Kirke for a number of years. Jensine died in 1919 so at one point we were told when it reached 100 ye ars old, we wouldn't have to pay any longer. But, by the time 2019 arrived, the church said we still had to pay. Last year though, for some reason, either the pandemic or some bank rule....I couldn't send a draft in DKK. Instead, I had to sen d a draft in Euros. By the time the draft cleared the French bank that clears such things in Europe, the cemetery manager at the Hæstrup Kirke told me the church only received 1/3 of the total. Two thirds of the draft was consumed by fees! So th e cemetery manager decided not to invoice us for 2022 and will keep an eye to try to protect their stone. I'm not completely comfortable with this plan; I'd rather pay my dues, but I cannot seem to determine a way that the service fees will not ea t up the funds. One cousin that used to collect from us and pay the cemetery used PayPal but I'm not 'brave' enough to go that route - yet. I might have to if the bank never starts again to sell bank drafts in DKK. There are other cousins in Denma rk but I feel they are likely already paying to protect their own parents so we haven't asked them to contribute. Here in Canada, graves are never disturbed for reuse - but we have much more land than Denmark! We visited my great grandparent s at Hæstrup Kirke in 2019 and placed a little Canadian flag in front of their stone. We asked the cemetery manager to remove it when it looks tired and worn.

Well, I will go for now, Our little one will be waking soon!

Best wishes, Donna (22/10 2021)