FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC

This history of family “roots” that go back to the year 1500 AD in Norway, with many of the descendants alive and well with interesting occupations and careers and are prospering. Many of the homes and farms are still in place; most modernized that family as well as the family farm owned in 1500 AD. When our family members immigrated to the US and Canada, jobs were scarce and there were not many opportunities to improve individual or family living standards, Families in many cases were large which compounded the problems. The contrast between now and then is staggering. Norway is debt free and has lent over 30 billion dollars to other nations and are exporting their deep sea oil drilling technology through nationally owned companies as well as being involved in foreign deep sea oil drilling ventures. Our Danish ancestry goes back five generations of tailoring with the first generation travelling in other parts of Europe promoting and selling clothes. The last of the five tailors died in the fall of 2010 at 97 years of age. Our grandfather who also was a tailor as well as a chiropractor moved his family of five children three times across the Atlantic as well as within North America. He finally moved back to Denmark to be reunited to our grandmother leaving all five children in Canada, one of whom was supposed to join him later but didn’t go back. He practiced chiropractic for about six years and passed away in his early 50’s in 1942 and our grandmother died in 1948 at around 60 years. All their children lived in Alberta and raised families and all have passed away. The Klumbies have a comparatively short known history, living in different parts of Germany. They lived through World War II, losing one of Bill’s brothers and a brother-in-law, Bill’s Wife Madeline who are parents of Yutta and Kurt. They personally got “caught up” in the War. Bill got conscripted to serve the German army and was assigned to be a valet for an Army Commandant Servicing and driving his car as well as cooking, caring for his uniforms and other personal matters. Later on in the war, they were sent into Russia in early winter, which was very cold. They penetrated deep into Russia and they “fell” into a trap and the Russian Army surrounded them. Bill managed to escape and walked about one thousand miles back to Germany. He didn’t talk much about the war except to talk about humorous stories or jokes. Meanwhile, his family was in East Germany under control of the Russian Army. Madeline had Yutta and Kurt with her at all times. She was forced to work for Russians who were dismantling large factories, removing machinery and anything of value and loading it on the railway cars. When all was loaded she then had to help load rail bed and load them on cars as well to be sent to Russia. This went on for months. Yutta would be scared her mother might not come back because she saw able bodied people loaded up on trucks and taken to Russia. In the evenings she would anxiously await her mother return. Madeline finally had an opportunity to get across the border and cross into West Germany. Just before the border crossing they piled freight and personal items on top of her camouflage. She was almost asphyxiated by the time they safely crossed the border. Bill was employed by his army commandant on his farm and later in a brick factory. They started planning to immigrate to Canada for two years and in 1952, they arrived in here. The book has about 215 pictures of all families involved which is about 130 people.