Moin!

Moin is the Ostfriesland word for Hello. I recently traveled to Ostfriesland, Germany, the homeland of my mother's maternal ancestors.

Ostfriesland is located in the northwestern part of Germany.  It lies along the North Sea coast and is bordered on the west by the Netherlands.

Norden and the North Sea

The Friesian's were people of the sea; fishing was their livelihood and they lived with the constant fear of catastrophic flooding from the North Sea and the river Ems.  They reclaimed land at low tides and built farmland.  They built dikes to control the waters and to help to prevent flooding. The land was fertile but soggy.  They had to dig canals and waterways to carry the water back to the sea.

There is a church on the highest ground in the every village, also a safe haven for the people during flooding.  Many of the churches were originally Catholic churches but after the Reformation they became Lutheran or Lutheran Reformed.

Backemoor

Windmills can be seen throughout Ostfriesland.

Nendorf

 The buildings and homes are built of characteristic red brick and red tiled roofs for shelter from the weather and floods.

Neuburg

It was a harsh life for our ancestors, but they were strong, determined and hard workers.  Their religion sustained them and they were persistent to survive.