The Story of the Signet Ring

The Story of the Signet Ring

“I wonder where this ring came from; it was my dad’s; no, it is too small for his pinkie.” I turned toward where my husband sat; he was recovering from a broken ankle and not much help in preparing my dad’s house for sale! My husband looked at the small golden signet ring with the weird design on it; then returned it: “Hold onto it, you never know what or why it was in that box. I looked down, as I held onto the cedar box with the American flag across the top. I returned the ring to the box, and continued going through Dad’s things, my heart breaking. I found his discharge papers and dog tags in the cedar box also, but I was drawn to the ring. I was intrigued with the thoughts and possibilities. Dad had given me a few details about our family history on his side: “My dad and his brother used to argue about who the next baron would be.” I stared at my dad: “Dad, was the family rich or something?” Dad shrugged his shoulders: “I don’t know. Here is the address for my cousin; write to her; she knows more than me about the family.” I did that; I had a project in school to find out about my ancestors. I kept the information, telling myself that eventually I would find my cousins in Wyandotte, Michigan. When my dad passed in 2000, I was devastated. I made a promise that I would find those cousins and finish the family history I had accumulated over the years. I began my search looking for cousins up in the Wyandotte, Michigan area; Dad told me there were quite a few up there. I had been corresponding with a cousin in Pennsylvania, who gave me the name of a cousin in Wyandotte. Step one was completed. I sent him an email. Much to my surprise he answered, and we began corresponding. He told me about the research he did and his discoveries. The research began with discovering that our great-grandfather came to America first, seeking an opportunity after his father passed away. I discovered that Trier was on the Belgium border, in the area of the Battle of the Bulge. My dad had been there and never realized how close to his ancestors he really was. Trier, is also grape vineyard country, apparently when Nicholas’ father passed away, there vineyards had failed, there was a title of baron, which went to Nicholas, perhaps that is where the ring began its journey. Like most people when Nicholas arrived in America, he Americanized the spelling of the last name, dropped the von, dropped the “ht” evolving into the “k” that remains today. Nicholas prospered during a short span of time after settling in Wyandotte. He began courting a beautiful German girl, until a letter arrived from his brother Matthias, he was in deep trouble. Apparently he joined the army, discovered he was not cut out to be a soldier, he went AWOL. Nicholas, was the older brother, Matthias was his responsibility. He booked passage on a ship returning to Germany. He arrived there and began his quest in Trier, Germany. It took him sometime to locate his brother Matthias. Nicholas, I think must have done some hard bargaining but he got Matthias out of Germany. Nicholas had made provisions for the return trip, he booked a stateroom on a ship returning to the United States. Matthias, wanted part of Nicholas’ inheritance: “no Matthias, I won’t give you one red cent.” This angered Matthias: “I need money to live.” Nicholas: “not from me, I spent most of the inheritance getting you out of the predicament you were in.” The argument continued, Matthias, kept the “h” at the end of his name, while Nicholas kept the “k”. Matthias was so angry with Nicholas, he refused to ever speak to him again, to the day he died they never spoke again, although they only lived a mile apart. Nicholas, went on to marry a beautiful German girl Katherine, they had nine children: Nicholas Jr/, Samuel, John William, Anna, Delia, Margaret and Joseph. Nicholas and John were boilermakers, they worked on the big ships in Bath, Maine. The two brothers married two sisters and began enlarging the family tree. Nicholas returned to the Wyandotte area where he and his wife Anna resided. John, my grandfather married Eva, they had six children: Kathryn, Fredrick, John, Louis, William, my dad, and Ruth. The two brothers often argued about who the next baron was to be. Age played a large factor in their discussions. Nicholas was born in 1890, John was born in 1876, ergo my grandfather John would have been the next baron. Family stories centered around this tale for a good number of years. Before I began this essay/story I decided to look up dates, imagine my surprise when I discovered that first of all Nicholas passed away after my grandfather, the story that says they both died the same day, proven wrong. I am not sure exactly what my thinking is about that, Also, John I think may have been disowned by his father Nicholas, no doubt because he would not return to Wyandotte to raise his and Eva’s children. The signet ring belonged to Nicholas, when he passed. It must have been removed after his death. When I found it in the cedar box I realized finally what it was I had in my hand. Nicholas, from what I understand, was a harsh embittered man toward the end of his life. He made his wife miserable, according to my cousin. I found a picture of the young Nicholas, there on his left pinkie. Nicholas must have had small hands, I tried the ring on my pinkie, it fit. The more information I find the more I share with my cousins. The family name traces back to the 1500’s in Germany. Trier is wine-making country, with vineyards. There are several streets that contain the name of my rather illustrious ancestors. I did take the signet ring to a jeweler, it is an old ring and it does have our coat of arms. The signet ring is in my care and will remain so.