Finding my brother – Part 2

Having written the story of Finding my Brother from my side of the ocean, I thought it time to try and write the story of Franz from his side. Understand that most of this information has come from his wife Cathy through conversations and other text interactions with them both. I apologize ahead of time for any inaccuracies.

As I wrote before, my father became romantically involved with Franz’s mother Raymonde Gérard when he was living in Bordeaux, France in 1937. Raymonde was a pianist/composer and author under the name Mily Gérard. In 1938 my father decided to move to the United States where his brother, Kurt, lived and escape from the ever present threat of Germany’s growing power and anti-semitic political views. In fact in my readings I discovered that a number of French political figures held similar anti-semitic views; another reason for my father to leave Europe. On reaching the United States he received a postcard from Mily stating that she was pregnant. Correspondence about Mily’s pregnancy and subsequent birth of Franz might impact how she and her child were treated had it been discovered that there was communication between Mily and my father considering the political state of Europe, so communication was limited. My father came to the United States in April of 1938 and in August of 1938 Franz Elie Gérard was born.

Mily’s mother was violently opposed to Mily acknowledging who the father was as they were not Jewish. To have an unwed mother with a child of a German Jew was extremely dangerous. Despite the fact that Mily wanted to acknowledge my father, she acceded to her mother’s wishes and on Franz’s birth certificate, “Unknown” is listed as father.  How much communication between Mily and my father up to and following the birth is unknown.  No letters were kept, with good reason on Mily’s side.The only evidence we (the American side) had was a picture, which unfortunately has been lost, that had the words “Votre Franz” (Your Franz) on the back.  On the French side there is a picture Mily had kept of my father and uncle taken in Atlantic City dated September 1938 with the words “pour ma chère Mily” (for my dear Mily).  The photo was signed Walter with both my father’s and uncle’s address written on the back.  As the war began all correspondence between Mily and my father ceased.

A picture of my uncle and father from Atlantic City

The back of the picture

Franz grew up during World War II in France, living with his mother and grandmother. His mother traveled a lot as a musician and the war years made living in France difficult. She contracted tuberculosis and spent much time in her later years in a sanatorium.  Franz and his mother rarely had time together to talk. When he did get a chance to see his mother he never asked any questions about his father.  In 1951 when Franz was only 13 years old, his mother died of tuberculosis. His mother never married or had another man in her life which, as Franz states, demonstrated the love she had for our father. Growing up, his mother mentioned to him that his father was a soccer player and told him my dad’s name. He didn’t get possession of the picture Mily had until the death of his grandmother.

When his mother died he was without a parent and would have been sent to a public assistance  orphanage had he not been adopted by his grandmother, Léa Fisse (after divorcing her husband Léa changed her married name, Gérard, back to her maiden name, Fisse). Franz, on being adopted, retained his mother’s last name and appended it with his grandmother’s name and was now Franz Elie Gérard-Fisse. It was hard for Franz to grow up without his mother and not knowing his father. Franz didn’t discuss his father with his grandmother. He has no explanation as to why he didn’t. Perhaps he had too much respect for his grandmother, or because he was afraid of the answer she would give him.

When Franz was about 24 years old, he had a colleague who was visiting the United States try to find his father. His friend’s search was successful. He managed to find our family. He discovered  that my father was married and had three children, two girls and a boy. He contacted my father. I was 11 years old and was not aware of anything that was going on. I would not learn about the rumored existence of Franz until much later. On returning to France, his friend gave Franz my father’s address. Franz immediately wrote a letter to my father trying to make contact. The letter was returned “address unknown”. Was it an incorrect address? Or had the mail been refused? Franz never tried to contact his father again. According to Franz fate had decided, he assumed his father wasn’t interested. As time passed he destroyed the letter.

…to be continued in part 3