Just a little Romance

The marriage of Frank Miller and Anne Elschner would become the pivotal point for the eventual development of this online site. Through their marriage, two extensive family lines were joined and perpetuated through their five children, of which this web master is the eldest. In view of the importance of their union it is only appropriate that their story begin our journey.
Anne and Frank were married twice. The required civil ceremony took place on 19 Oct. 1953 in Frankfurt Germany. Frank left immediately for maneuvers and on his return they had a religious ceremony,( of which we find photographs, check out the gallery section). On February 3, 1953 they arrived in New York City after an eventful flight on a Lufthansa , 2 propeller plane. In flight one of the engines broke down and they had to make a forced landing for repairs. Anne was convinced they would never make the states. They spent approximately two weeks in New York City while awaiting arrival of Frank's car, 'Betsy' a Studebaker. They 'did the town' in a honeymoon fashion. Anne still remembers the extravagant mink earrings Frank bought her at the Empire State Building. After 'Betsy's arrival they drove to North Carolina where frank received his discharge. For two weeks they slept in an Army 'Hotel' with 'awful wall partitions'. They then headed south. The heat began to get to Anne. They at one point stopped for gas and Anne mad her way to a water fountain. Her first encounter with Southern racial bias, Frank hurridedly explained that she could not drink from the "Black" fountain. Appalled and confused, Anne was to add this to a long list of "New" experiences in the US. Frank was made and 'offer he couldn't refuse' for 'Betsy' and after some consideration sold her. He in turn bought a cream and black Keyser in which to complete the trip. They stopped in Carolina to see Jack and his new wife D.D.,presenting them with a german coo-coo clock. They stopped for a month for a visit with Pete and Frank in Marietta. Finally they settled into an efficiency apartment in Atlanta. The bath room facilities were down the hall, and Anne, being pregnant and often sick, went one night to the sink in the bathroom where she encountered a very large georgia roach. This prompted her to run crying from the apartment. In her pajamas, she encountered a police officer who escorted her home. In her broken english she explained what had happened. Unfortunately, it too a lot of explaining by Frank to convince the officer that he was not the "monster" the she refused to 'live with' any longer. While Anne, due to her advancing pregnancy, was not working and oft times got lonely while Frank was away, Frank bought her a gift to help with this loneliness. Frank bought her a small puppy, 'Pinky'. The problem arose with the rule against pets. While sneaking Pinky out for a walk one day, the puppy hidden in the folds of Anne's maternity blouse, the landlord's wife stopped her. She had heard the puppy crying. On sight of the puppy and understanding Anne's condition and boughts of homesickness, she relented and allowed them to keep the dog. The first pregnancy ended abruptly with the onset of toxemia and a kidney infection which forced the doctor to induce labor. The chances of the baby surving were small, but survive she did. That baby was yours truly, the author of these books. Many more adventures became a part of the Elschner-Miller history. One of these was an event involving raw oysters in Panama City, Florida. This nearly ended in a divorce, but they smoothed ruffled feathers and continued to make their own history. I, for one, am glad they did .

Now (March 2008) they are united again in death.