Active Research

  • Three chiefs of the Huron
    Active Research,  New York- New England,  Quebec & Canada

    Native Peoples & Indian wars of 1665-1779

    I am in the process of gathering materials related to the North Eastern (New England/ New York & Bas Canada) Native Peoples, plus the wars between those Native Peoples and the European invaders encroaching upon them. My family, perhaps like yours, comes from both sides of that invasion. The libraries referred to on this page will change and evolve in the coming weeks. Currently our library is approaching 50 Documents (texts), images, etc., with more than 5,000 pages of information. I will publish another notice, both here and on social media, when I feel I have found the bulk of what I am likely to uncover.  As with most of…

    Comments Off on Native Peoples & Indian wars of 1665-1779
  • Fort Orange on the Hudson
    Active Research,  New York- New England

    Beverwyck, Rensselaerswyck, Fort Orange Research

    Long ago and far away, in an alternate universe, there were nascent Dutch Communities in what is today’s upstate New York. These were the communities of Beverwyck, Fort Orange, and Rensselaerswyck, all parts of New Netherland. My family (the Rabideau- Deyos) are directly descended from members of those early Hudson and Mohawk Valley European settlements. As with many communities which were absorbed and subsumed by others, plus with the advancement of time, materials and data become increasingly rare. Because I am actively researching this region, as well as, my ancestors of those times and places, I have scoured the Internet for useful materials. In order to make access to these materials…

    Comments Off on Beverwyck, Rensselaerswyck, Fort Orange Research
  • Active Research,  Henss,  Search Tricks & Tips

    Finding Wilhelm Henss

    To say that finding Wilhelm Henss (William Henss) was difficult is an understatement. It seems like his German home and family had been lost to the US Henss family from the very beginning. The why behind that fact remains a mystery. We will probably never know if William choose to keep his origins “quiet” or if at all happened just as a “matter of course”. To read the history of William and Katharine Henss as we have it documented, please read William & Katharine (Kämmer or Kemmer) Henss- a brief history. (Please be aware their “story” is being revised regularly now, as new data is evaluated and digested.) But as…

  • Active Research,  Search Tricks & Tips

    Examining Photos for Clues

    For a long time, I have been looking for a specific set of genealogy clues. (If you read this site, you might even be able to guess where this particular search belongs.) It is ‘safe’ to say that these images could be central to solving some of my mysteries. Because of this mystery and search, I thought I’d ask a knowledgeable population, what they saw in these images.  Would others see things that I’d missed.  The answer is, Yes, they did see many things I did not. What follows is a summary of what I learned from my discussions with several dozen genealogists.  Enjoy! Here’s what I gathered from the…

  • Active Research,  Mennonites,  Technology & Tools

    Anabaptist-Mennonite DNA project participation

    As many of you may have already guessed, our families and ancestries are crowded with Mennonite and Amish peoples- Anabaptists. For years, we knew of the Rich (Henss Family Branch)  connections to the Swiss- Elsass/Alsace,  Montbeliard/ Bern communities. More recently, we have come to understand quite a bit of the Senger (Rabideau Family Branch) connections to the West Prussian / East Prussian Mennonite communities. Because of the smallish nature of these original communities, we (Becky, my wife, and I) have elected to purchase DNA tests from 23andMe and submit our DNA test results for inclusion in the Mennonite DNA Project. This past weekend our 23andme DNA test kits arrived!  Now…

    Comments Off on Anabaptist-Mennonite DNA project participation
  • Active Research

    ManyRoads available FHC Films/ Tapes

    Because my local Family History Center is moving to a new ‘film’ filing system, I thought it would make good sense for me to explicitly track all the permanent films I have locally on file. Obviously, I hope to keep this list current so I can both find and access my tapes more readily. Eventually, I will add my short-term tapes to this list as well. Ahhhh, so many tapes & so few brains to track them…       Location Subject Location Film # Status Catholic Church. St. Joseph (Coopersville, Clinton County, New York) Baptisms, marr., burials 1896-1907 Baptisms 1912-1915 Marriages, burials 1913-1915 New York FHL US/CAN Film 1450735…

  • Active Research,  Senger

    Samuel Ferdinand Recht- Caroline Henriette Sczepanski

    Note: additional source materials are currently being sought. Aside from the birth records of Samuel Ferdinand Recht and Caroline Henrietta Sczepanski we have very sparse information regarding the lives and existence of our couple and their family/ children. Caroline Henriette Schepansky- Birth 16 March 1844 7.6 MB Samuel Ferdinand Recht- Birth 12 February 1841 7.9 MB The second place we find the couple mentioned with certainty is in the marriage record of their son Johann Hermann Recht to Auguste Kunz. There we find mention of them and their deaths having occurred before the Recht-Kunz marriage in Ellerwald, Kreis Elbing. Additionally, we have found evidence of one Samuel Recht living in…

    Comments Off on Samuel Ferdinand Recht- Caroline Henriette Sczepanski
  • Active Research,  Senger

    Johann Recht Family(ies)

    Note: This material/ history is incomplete. Any/ all suggestions or pointers are most appreciated! Johann Recht had two, perhaps three, marriages.  His first documented marriage was with Elisabeth Barwich (Baarwich)- our progenitor; his second documented marriage was with Florentine Barwich (a cousin? of Elisabeth).  As far as we can tell, Johann and his families lived in and around the Zeyer ev. Kirche until Johann’s death.  Johann’s death record indicates that he died on 7 September 1854 at the age of 54 years and 10 months (0 days).  He was buried evangelisch in the Zeyer ev. Kirche graveyard.  Based upon Johann’s documented age at death, we calculate his birth to have been…

  • Active Research,  Henss

    John Hall c. 1732 – 1794

    This page is under development; research is on-going Note: additional source materials are currently being sought. The Grandfathers Vol.I, The Hall and Overstreet Families Carrol Carman Hall, Springfield, IL, 1981 Section I Chapter 3, Page 19 From his will of 1794 John Hall c. 1732 – 1794 Miller on Rockcastle Creek It is common among Hall family searchers to say with a great deal of respect, ‘Our John Hall.’ This is the way they distinguish him from the numerous John Halls they meet with in their researches, within or outside the immediate family. Well, he was ‘quite a man.’ But — we are not descended from him. We are descended…

  • Active Research,  Henss

    William Hall 1707? – 1757

    This page is under development; research is on-going Note: additional source materials are currently being sought. The Immigrant Grandfather Source: The Grandfathers The death of William Hall on the first of May, 1757 at the hands of the Cherokee Indians, not only thrust upon John Hall, his oldest son, the responsibility of heading the family but also the settling and managing of his estate. Many of the old-timers made their Wills on their deathbeds, but in the case of William Hall, death came suddenly and as a consequence he had no Will. Fortunately, Bedford county which had been organized just three years prior to the fateful Spring of 1757 had…

  • Active Research,  Henss

    Christian and Mary (Roth) Wenger- A Brief History

    This page is under development; research is on-going Note: additional source materials and records are currently being sought. Christian Wenger was born 2 DEC 1799, Basel, Switzerland Mary Roth was born 15 NOV 1807, Dornach, Switzerland They were married 7 SEP 1830, Burgfelden, Elsass Christian Wenger and family migrated from Germany through Basel, Switzerland to near Hamburg, Ontario in 1835. The family lived here for 9 years. In 1844 they moved to Washington Co., Iowa north of Wayland by covered wagon, stopping overnite in Chicago where they could not find a place to stay. All the clothing they owned was on their backs as their clothing had been stolen before…

    Comments Off on Christian and Mary (Roth) Wenger- A Brief History
  • Active Research,  Deyo

    Francois Lafaye & Marguerite Foret/Forest

    I have encountered yet another Quebec genealogy mystery. As you might expect, this “new” mystery also involves the Deyo line. Nothing new there, I guess! Here’s where things stand currently. The family in question are the Francois Lafaye/ Marguerite Foret family- my gggg-grandparents down my grandmother’s maternal line (mid 1700s). Marguerite Foret/Forest appears ‘likely’ to have been the daughter of Bonaventure Foret/Forest and Marie-Claire Rivet. She as well as her entire Forest/Foret family were deported by the British ultimately landing in Louisiana as part of le Grand Derangement; deportation records (on Ancestry.com) support that assertion as does a database on the Acadian-Cajun website. Additionally I have found the following history…

    Comments Off on Francois Lafaye & Marguerite Foret/Forest
  • Active Research,  Deyo

    Alexis Menard- Louise Pageau family history

    Notes: For those of you who follow ManyRoads, you will recall that I have been looking for years for my great-grandmother’s family (Exina Menard- Deyo). I am sharing my work and data as it evolves (I hope much like a tutorial or case study.) for three reasons: to help me keep things in one place (a running log?) share the process of research with anyone interested in seeing my work as it stumbles, jerks and ultimately unfolds to use in my September tutorial Be aware, this page is being actively worked and its content will change! This material grew in large part from a forum posting originally created by Bev…

    Comments Off on Alexis Menard- Louise Pageau family history
  • Active Research,  Henss

    Keziah Hall (Musgrove)

    Keziah Hall (Musgrove) 1782 In her father’s Will of 1794, Keziah, his youngest child, was given ‘one Negroe Girl named Patt at my wifes death Likewise one Feather Bed & Cow & Calf.’ Since her mother lived to 1833, it is problematical that she ever received her slave. She may have received the bedding and livestock as wedding presents. Keziah, named for her aunt Keziah (Banks) Hall wife of Hezekiah, d. 1811, was married to Benjamin Barton Musgrove 15 December, 1796 at the age of 14. In spite of her youthful marriage, Keziah, according to a family descendant, ‘was quite a woman!’ She was to have a family of twelve…

  • Active Research,  Henss

    William Henss & Katharine (born Kämmer) Henss- a brief history

    The following, incomplete, history follows the life and times of William & Katharine Henss, the founders of our US based Henss Family. If you know of any additional history to support and expand our history, please use our contact page to share your information and/or images. William Henss’s family and birth location have been identified. We are in the process of gathering source images and details for entry into our family tree(s). Thus far we have added nearly 100 newly identified individuals and relevant source document links.  It may take several months to complete these tasks. If you are interested in learning more about this effort, you may contact me…

    Comments Off on William Henss & Katharine (born Kämmer) Henss- a brief history
  • Active Research,  Senger

    Adelgunde Senger (geboren Kiehl)

    This page is under development; research is on-going Note: additional source materials are currently being obtained. Adelgunde Kiehl History -as related to Mark Rabideau by Luise (Senger) Rabideau  (Aledgunde’s grand daughter) Jan 2006 She was born to a family of barge owners (the Kiehl’s)– her birth record we know her birth to have been on the 6th of October 1850 and baptized on 9 October of 1850 near Graudenz Mittelbezirk Westpreussen. It is believed that her mother (Esther Adelgunde geboren Grindemann) died giving child birth. Her father (Erdmann Kiehl) is believed to have died 6 days after her birth. Adelgunde was raised by relatives (an uncle?) near Tiegenhof, Westpreussen. Her…