Emile

Emile was born in Saulcy-sur-Meurthe, Lorraine on March 12, 1872, to a family of miners.

In 1894, he fell in love with Paulien in Rotterdam, a Dutch laundress and a strict Roman Catholic. The couple married in 1895 and settled into a quiet life dairy farming near Saint-Mihiel, France. Three years later, Paulien died giving birth to twins, only one of whom, their daughter Marie, survived. After a life resolutely dedicated to his work, God, and the rearing of his daughter, Emile was called-up on August 13, 1914, just a few days after the declaration of war. While fighting on the Western front, he became a prisoner of war after his first battle.