FAMILY. 5 



the existence of a reliable genealogical tree, somewhat 

 | rare in middle - class families, proves, there has always 

 prevailed a certain cohesion in the Siemens family. In 

 recent times the gathering taking place every five 

 years in some spot of the Harz. as well as an insti- 

 tution founded in 1876. have contributed to confirm 

 this cohesion of a family now very widely distributed. 

 As most of the Siemens my father was very 

 proud of his family, and often told us children of 

 members of it who had in some way or other distin- 

 guished themselves. Of these celebrities, save my 

 grandfather with his fifteen children, my father being 

 the youngest. I remember only a military councillor, 

 who held a position of authority in the council of the 

 free town of Goslar at the time when the town lost 

 its direct connection with the empire. My grandfather 

 had rented the estate of the Baron of the Empire von 

 t Grote. consisting of the manors Schauen and Wasserleben 



o 



at the foot of the northern part of the Harz moun- 

 tains. Wasserleben was my father's birthplace. Of the 

 stories which my father loved to recount to us children, 

 two have remained vivid in memory. 



About 120 years ago the petty court (Duodez- 

 hof) of the Baron of the Empire von Grote was 

 startled by the intimation that King Frederick II of 

 Prussia was about to trespass on the imperial-baronial 

 domain in his march from Halberstadt to Goslar. The 

 old baron of the Empire awaited his powerful neigh- 

 bour in befitting manner along with his onlv son, at 



o O f 



the head of his customary contingent to the imperial 



