I don’t who I am.

I think I may be a Giese or a Petznick, but even that’s really just a guess (based on the stack of pictures I was in). As long as we’re guessing, I might as well add that someone suspects my family came to America from Germany sometime between 1881 and 1885 (according to US Census records). I’m told this same “someone” has spent months (not all at once) looking through immigration records and passenger rolls looking for a good match, but there were a whole bunch of folks with the name “Giese” arriving in New York at the same time, making it pretty much impossible. And it’s not like the boy Wilhelm’s first name, or date of birth, is helping much either. There were several.

It’s a little frustrating to see the care that went into preserving my picture: carefully wrapped up and protected from the elements – without a hint to suggest who I might be.