I was intrigued by John Lupia's account of Frederick William Bernet. It seems that this individual had several parallels with my paternal grandfather, Walter Lange. Both were born in Silesia while it was still part of Germany, my grandfather being ten years younger than Bernet. Walter Lange was born in Hirschberg, and it was mentioned that Bernet returned to that town periodically to visit his family. While Bernet was a Polish Jew, my grandfather was a Lutheran, yet many people in my family have commented that he looked ethnically Polish, and I concur with that assessment.

Both men were interned as enemy aliens for a time during WWI, my grandfather having jumped ship in San Francisco to avoid being drafted into Germany's navy. He was held briefly on San Francisco Bay's Angel Island before being sent to Pennsylvania to pick potatoes for the duration. Returning to Germany after the war and finding it offered nothing but misery, he emigrated legally in 1924.

The most restrictive immigration law ever passed in this country went into effect that year. It was very difficult to become a legal resident, and the process was a messy one that lasted some months.

I have a small parcel of inflation notes he had in his pocket when arriving in America to stay in 1924.