Mr. Roy, I think it could be one of two things.

Papa did not have a German accent, he had a Southern accent. His father had a German accent.

Papa very, very rarely spoke German to his children or grandchildren. Occaissonaly, he would call us grandchildren "liebcen" (SP?) that means "loved one". Or, when he was in a hurry, he would holler "schnell, schnell", which means "quickly, quickly". His attitude was that we were Americans, and would speak like them. He didn't talk about the old country or even his own parents.

BTW, maiden name HAUN/HAWN

Respectfully,
Sandy Bennett