von Fircks

Blogs which describe people or events related to my paternal line.

An ancestor from the 1600s plus a duel equals a story

As a family historian and writer, I am always keen to discover stories about my ancestors. So when I stumbled upon the story of one of my ancestors fighting a duel, I just had to find out more! It was not the easiest task, as the original story was in

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Unidentified Fircks photograph

The frustrations of old unidentified family photographs

Is there anything more frustrating than inheriting a lot of family photographs which are not identifiable? I almost think it is worse to have photographs which only have one word on the back – and especially when that word is illegible. Such is the case with the photograph above. On

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Postcard of Empress Alexandra

What’s in a Name? Was I named in memory of the Empress?

Was I named after Empress Alexandra (pictured above), wife of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia? It is a question I have been asked time and time again. It was not something I ever discussed with my mother. How do parents decide on names for their children? I had a few

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He Protected His Family and Estates from the Ravages of War

One of my more interesting ancestors, who I must do more research about, is my six times paternal great grandfather, Carl von Fircks. Thank goodness my cousin Wolf Lackschewitz published the Fircks genealogical records, from which I have taken information below. Carl von Fircks was born, married, died and was

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