Our Family History

Beloved, the data before you on these pages is the result of a labor of love. If nothing else, I would have you remember that we come from hardy stock; we are survivors. Collectively, our mutual ancestors overcame the ravages of the black plague in Europe, the floods and famines which struck down so many in the world, and did not succumb to the ravages of worldwide pandemics. We are also the offspring of adventuresome and courageous ancestors who struck out from their European homelands and came to The New World to avoid privation, and religious persecution, enduring untold hardships on their journey across the Atlantic (and not just a few once they arrived).

As Eugene Peterson chronicles the life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in his “The Message” he paraphrases the first three verses of Luke's gospel with these words.

“So many others have tried their hand at putting together a story of the ... history that took place among us, using reports handed down by the original eyewitnesses.... Since I have investigated all the reports in close detail, starting from the story’s beginning, I decided to write it all out for you ... so you can know beyond the shadow of a doubt the reliability of what you were taught.”

After more than 65 years of persistent digging, and just plain ol' hard detective work, Peterson's language pretty well sums up what I’m trying to do. "So you can know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the reliability of what" I have recorded for, and am passing on to you, data which I have researched, gleaned, conjectured, and construed about our (your) family's history.

Beloved, I have tried to present more than just the date and place of birth and death of our forebears. Alas, that has not always been possible. I've come to realize that as much as many in the world around us would love to claim descendancy from a King or Queen back there, the vast majority of the world's population has been slugging it out in the everyday grind of just staying alive for the last several millennium. For me then, putting our ancestors in those muddy and weary footprints is really more important than claiming the right to foist a family crest and assert that it's really and truly ours. I hope you find (as I have) that our family is a microcosm of American (even World) history contained in the journeys of our ancestors, and in the footprints they left behind on the landscape of our land (here and abroad).

I am now and always shall be your loving brother, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, cousin, and uncle.

Please create a user account to the left in order to access our family records. If you have any photos, notes, or stories to add to our database please use the contact form below.

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If you have any questions or comments about the information on this site, please contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.