Postnote:

Besides identifying Fritz Ebgert as the Apgar family patriarch, the recent research on which this story is based also identifies his wives, and at least one of their set of parents, and allows conjecture about the identify of Fritz’s parents and cousins. This makes it possible to track our extended family, including Fritz’s in-laws and cousins in America. It also clearly identifies the location from whence the Apgars came in a corner of present-day Germany. This raises the possibility of finding descendants of our ancestors (our distant cousins) who remained in the Old Country. After centuries of separation, including several world wars in which we were opponents, wouldn’t it be intriguing to locate and correspond with our surviving cousins in Germany? What became of them and what sorts of lives did they lead through tumultuous events? Answers to family history always lead to more questions. We’ll need the continued dedication of a family posse to pursue these matters.