American Essence

A Time Capsule Into the WWI Generation: Old Letters Reveal the Strong Familial Bond Between My Grandfather and His Siblings

Letter correspondences between my grandfather and his siblings reveal how their strong bond helped them overcome a war and a global pandemic.
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A Time Capsule Into the WWI Generation: Old Letters Reveal the Strong Familial Bond Between My Grandfather and His Siblings
The Schmid siblings, 1959. Courtesy of Krista Thomas
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I never knew my grandfather, but both of my parents valued family history, and they shared stories and memories from generations past. Growing up, those stories deeply shaped me, creating a bridge that connected me to ancestors I never had the chance to meet.

The son of Swiss and French Canadian immigrants, my grandfather, Benjamin Kaufman Schmid, was born in 1891 in Dallas, Texas. One of 11 children—he had a mix of five brothers and five sisters—his whole family lived on Swiss Avenue, now a historic landmark, where they formed a close-knit family bound by love, friendship, and fellowship.

Krista Thomas
Krista Thomas
Author
Krista Thomas is a publicist, writer, and consultant. A native of Texas and graduate of Texas A&M University, Thomas is married with three children, whom she homeschooled for 20 years. She resides in the Black Hills of South Dakota.