Where it started

I, Teresa Cristina Hendrich, was born in Glendora, CA on July 28th 1981 to Robert and Teresa Hendrich. I didn't remember much about my paternal grandfather, H. Alfred Hendrich, whose surname was passed down to me, other than he lived in the same town as we did up until his death in 1987, and that he enjoyed taking photos, like this one of me here:

Largely due to proximity, my father ended up inheriting many of his belongings, such as an upright piano and a big antique clock that we were told once hung in Heidelberg Castle. How they came into our family's possession and through whom they passed from generation to generation, was not so clear until I discovered within the first few weeks of 2018 that these were not the only items of importance that my father had inherited. It is in this corner of my family's cluttered garage, inside suitcases that had been tucked away for decades, that my paternal genealogy began to unfold.