The Region
Around Kusel
Niederbexbach
Selchenbach
Dennweiler
Gumbsweiler
Buborn

Introduction to our Tour

Heinrich had invited his friends Micheal and wife, Rita, to accompany us on our tour. Michael, on the right, was quite good at speaking English, and he wanted this opportunity to travel with us so he could practice his English. It was decided that Michael and Rita would go in the Opel with Vicki and me, while Tom would ride in Heinrich and Erika's car. Being curious about many things I had seen in Germany, I plied Michael with questions, but he didn't seem to mind. Only once did he say that something was just too complicated to explain.

My specific goal was to tour an area of the German state of Rhineland-Pfalz where several of my great great grandparents were born. This region is about 45 miles southwest of Frankfurt am Main between Luxembourg and Heidelberrg. If you are using Internet Explorer 4.0 or later, you can see the map by holding the mouse over "The Region" above. Otherwise, click here. The five communities that we wanted to visit are labeled in red in the map Around Kusel.

The first place we headed for was the southwesternmost point of our trip, Niederbexbach. To the left, you can see the three of us standing in front of the city limits sign at Niederbexbach, which is a tiny "Dorf" south of Bexbach, just a few miles east northeast of the French border in the area of Germany known as the Saarland. Andreas Noe was our great great grandparent who was born in Niederbexbach in 1835 and came to the U.S.A in 1854 as an 18 year old man with his parents, brothers and sisters. Earlier, I have written about the entire saga of Andreas and his wife, Carolina Harth Noe. For a picture of Andreas Noe and a more detailed map of Niederbexbach, point to the name above or take this link.

On to Selchenbach | Back to Europe