Heritage Saga

On either side of the Apennine Mountains, two southern Italian towns of three to four thousand inhabitants sit about thirty miles apart as the crow flies. Bagnoli Irpino in the province of Avellino, and Campania region, and Bovino in Foggia province and Apulia share more than size and proximity. They are also bonded by family both near and afar. In 1799, while shepherds herd their flocks in the foothills above Bagnoli, the Kingdom of Naples contends with French incursions in the capital city. Prejudice, subjugation, poverty, disease and wars mark the plight of the South. Disparities persist after Italy is unified in1861. Former northern Italian states progress while the lower half of the peninsula is perceived as backwards in view of the "Southern Question". Rural families unite as well. But the great emigration at the turn of the 20th century is underway, and events in 1926 will impact The Ties That Bind ~ Abiding Fate on both sides of another mountain range. Are the Appalachians separating Pennsylvania from New Jersey enough to stave off destiny? And could music and an old document close the circle?

The time is ripe for the hunt for missing Irish ancestors to begin. A present-day research journey fraught with obstacles, seeming almost purposeful in nature and insurmountable at times, is undertaken with a determination that will leave no stone unturned before the truth is known. Simultaneously, in 1889 the historic saga of Rose, the girl from Donegal, her plans to lead a new life in America and those who touch her along the way, unfolds in parallel with the uncovering of family history puzzles. She will come to learn life is never so simple and straight-forward as were the dreams that set the plans in motion in the first place. Twists and turns abound around every corner in finally reaching The Way Back Home ~ Finding Rose, where each mystery solved and each bend in the road taken leads to another challenge in unraveling the complete story, spanning the Atlantic Ocean from Ireland to New York, onto the South and from there to California and beyond.

For centuries, the remote enclave of Dithmarschen on the edge of the North Sea weathered storms-both natural and political. A free farmer's republic during medieval times, the management of storm surges and repulsion of threats to autonomy kept the region safe and out of the hands of surrounding interests; until freedoms were ultimately lost to Danish forces in 1559. Piece by piece, ancestral history is methodically, unearthed by a researcher intent on pursuing every lead. Arriving from the Duchy of Holstein, now part of the northernmost state of modern Germany, from North-Rhine Westphalia and from Pomerania, a Low German language bond is, formed on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in the Midwestern states of Iowa and Illinois. Decisions to forgo homes during turbulent times, do not come easy, but the reasons for leaving will final, gain traction after the saga commences in 1634 despite those, who remain behind. But, all is not sunshine and roses after immigration as The Bend of the Road ~Tiding Westward continues to unwind. Family hardships will come in equal measure to newfound opportunities.