Ceske Budejevice

We started today in Prague at the church and the home of Grandpa's father, Josef Antonin Ziegelbauer.

From there we made the trip down to Ceske Budejevice, the region the Ziegelbauer family called home.  I've been here once before and there is something about this place that brings a feeling that I find hard to describe. It's like the relief of finally coming home after a long trip. I had that feeling before and I have it again.

We spent the afternoon winding through the countryside, hopping from village to village, discovering family homes and churches from as far back as the mid 18th Century.

It's one thing to learn about your family history and come to know your ancestors through the information and the stories you find but actually being here and seeing these places is like the familiarity that comes with putting a face to a name.

In the 18th Century, Edmund Burke wrote:

"People will not look forward to posterity, who never look backward to their ancestors."

I feel blessed to be here to look back...
-Josef Ziegelbauer