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't Old World Discoveries Robert Worts stands in front of a sign designating the location as Worth, Germany. Worts, whose family were pioneer members of the McHenry area, resides in Worth, III. Above is a pastoral scene near the town of Kirchweiler, where Worts and his wife, Barbara, spent considerable time during their trip to Germany. Robert Worts of Worth, ill , has many close family ties with McHenry In f.-ct. his interest m the early ,,istory of Ins family often brings him to the microfilm files of the Plain dealer, where he painstakingly searches out material of special interest relating to some of them Recently. Worts and his wife, Barbara, took a four week tour of Kurope There he found a Worth. Germany, an industrial community near the city of Karlsruhe and the French Ixirrler . Hut Worts found more. In Kirchweiler. he found several families with the name of Wirtz. who in turn established their relationship to the family members who left for America 135 years ago A festive family reunion took place The couple rented a car in Luxemborg and toured on their own through many European countries, but the high point 01 the vacation was the time spent in Kirchweiler, a small town of about 300 people in the Eifel area of the Khineland There he traced his family from the time Tils' greaT-"grandfaiher nn~ migrated to this country in 1843, at the age of •> years, along with his mother and stepfather They were pioneer farmers in what is now McHenry Kirchweiler. translated literajlv. means Chur chtown", and reminded (he Wortses in many ways of Johnsburg and Volo as they are in the older sections of the villages Many of the names on tombstones in the Kirchweiler churchyard are also to be found in the churchyard cemeteries of St John's in Johnsburg. St Peter's in Volo and St Mary's in McHenry. Worts' great-grandfather was Theodore Wortz. who at 91 was killed, along with his son, Jacob, in an auto accident in 1927 Theodore and his wife, Katherine (Schneider), also an immigrant from the Kir­ chweiler area, had four sons and five daughters. One of his sons. Michael, along with Patsy Holey, owned and operated the old McHenry Brewery for many years shortly after the turn of the century. Worts' father, Peter Worts, worked in that brewery. => i Kirchweiler was in the path of the American Army's ad vance through Germany in 1945 and some fighting took place in and around the village Frau Katherine Wirtz, in whose ime the Robert Wortses ,for five days, laughingly ToTtT how one day she was lodging and cooking for two German officers and the next day, after the fighting, she was doing the same for two American officers, one of whom spoke German. Safety Hints By Alan J Dixon Secretary of State Motorists are urged to exercise extreme care in regard to railroad crossing safety The ever present railroad crossing poses special problems lor drivers, especially in poor weather, night driving or driving in unfamiliar territory Here are some of the common causes of crossing accidents: 1 The motorist, driving at night or m a location which is not familiar, travels too last and may drive into the side or in front of a tram 1 The motorist overdrives his headlights or fails to reduce speed to night or weather conditions .1 Dirty or frosted up win (lows obstruct clear vision 1 Carrying on conversations with passengers or listening to the radio diverts the attention of the drive resulting in ignored signs and warnings ."> As the train clears one set of tracks, the motorist mi mediately starts across the tracks w ithout looking for other trains, and is struck by a train running on an adjacent track *i Drivers fail to observe and obey posted warning signs and other signals A train is a very unforgiving vehicle and demands respect and caution on the part of motorists and passengers alike (A copy of the Rules of the Road will be sent upon request Write Alan .1 Dixon. Secretary of State. Springfield. Ill , ti275f>) Italian Ceppo Before The Tree The Ceppo was the early I t a l i a n e q u i v a l e n t o f t h e C h r i s t m a s t r e e M a d e o f cardboard and three or four laths or canes, it was pyramidal in shape, about three feet high, with shelves rising to three or four levels At the top of the pyramid was placed a pine cone or a pup­ pet Wax candles were lit along the cane side of the pyramid, and at the lowest level an Infant Jesus made of wax or plaster lay i n a c r a d l e s u r r o u n d e d b y shepherds and saints and angels The shelves above held candy, fruit and small presents ABOUT YOUR I HOME By April Rhodes The juice from canned vegetables adds vitamins, minerals and flavor to soups and gravies. By Merle Kingman, Ed. American Collector Ever wonder if that old dictionary, box of coins or china gathering dust in your attic or basement is worth anything? All of us from time to time ask ourselves 4 that question, particularly when we stumble upon an almost forgotten possession while looking for something else. You may own something a collector might want to buy. But don't get your hopes up without playing detective. If you have an item you believe may be of value, write and tell me about it. Enclose a picture of it, if possible. While I probably would be unable to put an exact value on it, I may be able to give you the name of collectors or dealers of your collectible who might be able to provide you with some helpful infor­ mation. So start your treasure hunt. Check inside old suitcases, dig deep into desk and dresser drawers, and look on base­ ment shelves. What are you looking for? Old road maps, padlocks, ice skates, masquerade costumes, mouse traps, college humor magazines and similar items begging to be thrown away. Just remember, many of the popular collectibles today are things most people would never imagine anyone would ' want to collect. (If you have questions on collecting or collectibles, write Merle Kingman, American Collector, 740 Rush St., Chicago, IL., 60611 ) Install storm windows on the side of the house facing the wind if you can't afford to install them all at one time. Holiday Tips For The Busy Chef • To toast blanched almonds, arrange the nuts in one Lay er in a shallow pan. Hake at 325 to 35G degrees until gulden broun Stir of­ ten and uatch carefully or they 'll bum • A measuring teaspoon may be used to form melon balls. • If rolled cookie dough seems dr\, u ork in a tablespoon of butter or cream • 7\nted coconut makes a child s cake more festu. e fill a pint jar a third to half full of coconut Add a feu drops of cake coloring to one to tu o tablespoons uattr, and add to coconut, cover jar and shake u ell to distnbute color er enh • To make a successful uhlte s a u c e m e l t b u t t e r i n a saucepan, then remot e from heat t o b l e n d i n f l o u r a n d a d d l i q u i d I ' s e c o l d m i l k ; a d d i t gradualh, stimng it constantly Hilurn to heat, cook, stimng constantly until mixture thick ens and bubbles. Add seasonings and cook at lea.«* five minute\ again stimng constantly Pregnant, NEED HELP?* CALL 'BIRTHRIGHT! 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