The Official Genealogy Thread.

[AlternateSteve90]

As my first contribution to this website, I'd like to start this thread.

I've become a genealogy nerd over this past year and a half, and you guys wouldn't believe just what I've found in my family tree. I am apparently related to Revolutionary War heroes, a famous Western trailblazer(J.M. Bozeman, the namesake of Bozeman, Mont.), several old Southern families, a couple of singers, and even a couple of Presidents, amongst others.

To get this started, I'll offer up a few surnames in my tree, and some history along with them:

Land-First arrived in New Castle, Del. in the 17th century. Most notable direct ancestor that I know of from this line was one Col. Joseph A. Land, Revolutionary War hero.
Spitznogle-Funny German name.....possibly Amish? One of my 19th century great-great-something-uncles married a cousin of Herbert Hoover.....yes, that Herbert Hoover.
Eddy-Possibly one of the most well-known of the old Yankee families that ain't the Kennedys, Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, or the Roosevelts.
Holderby-Mostly ordinary, but one branch founded the little town of Carmi. Ill.
Williamson-Old Virginia family; not that famous, but they married into a few that were, and one of them was the.....
Carters-Yeah, you mighta guessed it: the same Carter family that brought us Prez Number 39, and
Dezotell-Quebecois Canadians. Can't really trace them much farther back than 1800 or so, but the one who first immigrated to the U.S., lived to be almost 100.....also may be related to "Red" Dezotell, the early baseball player. May have originally been Desautels. 
Cherry-Anglo-type Canadians. Couldn't trace them back beyond 1800. The lady who brought the line to the U.S.
might have been only about 16 or so when she came here from Welland, Ont. Married into my branch of the Eddy family.
Taylor-No direct descent from them, but they're well known for being amongst the first Mormon pioneers in the 1830s.
Harrison-Yep, I had the Harrisons, too, the ones who gave us 2 Presidents.
DuBois-Louis DuBois, one of the founders of New Paltz, N.Y. There is some research that strongly indicates he may be an ancestor of the famous African-American activist, W.E.B. DuBois.
Bozeman-Dutch, probably. Lots of them apparently in Ala. and Miss.
Rodgers-Jimmie Rodgers, the early country star, is also in my tree.

Okay, there we are. Can't wait to hear your discoveries as well.....

[Indy Texas]

These are from the family tree one of my aunts on my mom's side sent me that she was working on. They're the earliest individuals that have complete biographical info:

Jean Placet: b. 1699, Trois-Rivieres, French Louisiana (modern Quebec); d. 1765, Kaskaskia, French Louisiana (modern Illinois)

Marie Rouensa: b. 1662, Kaskaskia, French Louisiana (modern Illinois); d. 1725, same place

Johannes Eberwein: b. 1564, Frankenburg, Hesse-Nassau (modern Germany); d. 1640, same place

Godert Kuntze: b. 1610, Niederndorf, Westphalia (modern Germany); d. 1667, same place

Thomas Fears: b. 1635, York County, Virginia Colony; d. 1707, same place

One of the things genealogy can do is help kill the persistent myth propagated by those who don't understand how life expectancies are calculated that everyone died in their forties prior to the 20th century.

[Hatman 🍁]

Quebec was never called "French Louisiana". I believe in 1699 it was called "New France"

[ilikeverin]

Holderby-Mostly ordinary, but one branch founded the little town of Carmi. Ill.

I see nothing "ordinary" about a family that helped build a town that my great-great-great grandparents settled in in the 1860s   (Okay, well, they mostly lived in Enfield and Norris City, but a few relatives moved to Carmi.)

I think I'm the only forumnite who's aware of another forumnite writing a thesis about a great-great-great-great-great-great-grandpa.  (Which I still need to read the intro chapter of!)

[AlternateSteve90]

Holderby-Mostly ordinary, but one branch founded the little town of Carmi. Ill.

I see nothing "ordinary" about a family that helped build a town that my great-great-great grandparents settled in in the 1860s   (Okay, well, they mostly lived in Enfield and Norris City, but a few relatives moved to Carmi.)

I think I'm the only forumnite who's aware of another forumnite writing a thesis about a great-great-great-great-great-great-grandpa.  (Which I still need to read the intro chapter of!)

Very interesting. In addition to New Paltz, N.Y., and Carmi., Ill.,  I may also have some connections to the founding of Maquoketa, Iowa, Scituate, Mass., and even perhaps.....wait for it......New York City(Wolphert Gerritse).

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

My maternal family all came over about a hundred years ago and has been mostly based in the Springfield, Massachusetts area (and, lately, Cape Cod) ever since. We're from both Northern and Southern Italy and a few different parts of the Russian Empire, with both Litvak Jews and Gentiles (Great Russian, Polish, possibly Turkic if you go back far enough) in our ancestry. We do know through tracing the etymology of a surname that the Litvak Jews came from a place called Turau, on the Pripyat in what is now southern Belarus about as far west of Homiel as it is south of Minsk. Some of the Mezzogiorno blood might or might not have been noble (there's a bit of French and Corsican in that strain too) but the Northern Italian is unambiguously not.

My father's side I know less about, save that it includes both Protestants and Catholics from both Ireland and Scotland. (Currently the family on that side is Catholic.) A great-grandfather was a Knight of the Order of St Gregory the Great and knew Nancy Pelosi's father somehow.

[AlternateSteve90]

My maternal family all came over about a hundred years ago and has been mostly based in the Springfield, Massachusetts area (and, lately, Cape Cod) ever since. We're from both Northern and Southern Italy and a few different parts of the Russian Empire, with both Litvak Jews and Gentiles (Great Russian, Polish, possibly Turkic if you go back far enough) in our ancestry. We do know through tracing the etymology of a surname that the Litvak Jews came from a place called Turau, on the Pripyat in what is now southern Belarus about as far west of Homiel as it is south of Minsk. Some of the Mezzogiorno blood might or might not have been noble (there's a bit of French and Corsican in that strain too) but the Northern Italian is unambiguously not.

My father's side I know less about, save that it includes both Protestants and Catholics from both Ireland and Scotland. (Currently the family on that side is Catholic.) A great-grandfather was a Knight of the Order of St Gregory the Great and knew Nancy Pelosi's father somehow.

I've got a fair amount of Irish in me, so there's a good possibility of some Catholics in there, though most are/were Protestant, as far as I know.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

We have a book on this that a great Uncle wrote about ten years ago, but it only focuses on my mom’s side. I do know that I am descended from the Compton family, and one of my ancestor’s brothers was the second Prime Minister of the UK.

[AlternateSteve90]

We have a book on this that a great Uncle wrote about ten years ago, but it only focuses on my mom’s side. I do know that I am descended from the Compton family, and one of my ancestor’s brothers was the second Prime Minister of the UK.

Were they, by any chance, the namesake of Compton, Calif.? Or was that another, unrelated Compton?

Also, I also descend from another great Virginia family, the Estes'.....who may have originally been of Italian descent originally, if some sources are correct(and it would seem so from my reading).....though whether or not they are related to the d'Este noble family remains hotly contested(though I lean towards no).

[Dr. Cynic]

Glad to see a thread for this

Furthest back I can go on one side of the family is my 14th or 15th Great-Grandfather Thomas Hungerford, the first Speaker of the House of Commons. His wife was the heiress of Sir Edmund Hussey. One of his sons, though not in the direct line, Walter, was also Speaker in the House of Commons.

Matthew Quintal, is also my 2nd Cousin 5x removed. He was a Cornish sailor who was a most eager participant in the Mutiny on the Bounty.

[badgate]

I. Deacon Thomas Adgate, b. ca 1620, England; d. Jul 21, 1707, Norwich, CT.
II. Deacon Thomas Adgate, b. 1669, Norwich, CT; d. 1760, Norwich, CT.
III. Thomas Adgate, b. Feb 9, 1702, Norwich, CT; d. Dec 13, 1736, Norwich, CT.
IV. Thomas Adgate, b. Jun 9, 1734, Norwich, CT.; d. Mar 3, 1777, New London, CT.
V. Thomas Adgate, b. Mar 20, 1755, Norwich, CT; d. Sep 19, 1847, Bethany, NY.
VI. Thomas Adgate, b. Jun 3, 1784, CT; d. after 1860, probably MI
VII. Joseph Johnston Adgate, b. Apr 21, 1823, Bethel, NY; d. April 4, 1903, Middletown, NY.
VIII. Joseph J. Adgate, b. Apr 9, 1859, Stevensville, NY; d. Feb 27, 1914, Mt. Vernon, NY.
IX. Joseph Johnston Adgate, b. Sep 18, 1891, Mt. Vernon, NY; May 17, 1960, Clearwater, FL.
X. Joseph Johnston Adgate, b. May 8, 1921, NY; d. Mar 10, 2002, Fredericksburg, VA.
XI. My dad
XII. Me

[AlternateSteve90]

@badgate: Think I had a couple of Yankee deacons in my tree as well.....

Well, if you thought the DuBois connection was interesting.....I think this may also be the same DuBois family from which W.E.B. DuBois, the great African-American Civil Rights leader was born into. If my research is indeed correct, then this would be the most interesting milestone yet, in my book.

[Dr. Cynic]

The Watson Line

1. Alexander Watson (Sep. 1756 in Isle of Wight - 1791 Newchurch, Isle of Wight)
2. James Watson (Oct. 1786 Newchurch, Isle of Wight - Sep. 1837 Newchurch, Isle of Wight)
3. James Samuel Watson (Dec 14, 1814 Southampton - Jan. 1844 in Portsea Island, Hampshire)
(Mariner. Married Harriet Amelia Kendall)
4. Philip Samuel Bowden Watson (June 3, 1843 Stoke Damerel - Feb. 4, 1899 Devonport, Devon)
(Leading Man of Shipwrights, Devonport Dockyard. Married Elizabeth Ann Splatt)
Children:
Frederick William Splatt Watson (1870 - Bef. 1922)
Alfred Splatt Watson (1872 - 1959)
Rodney John Splatt Watson (1878 - 1931)
(Philip) Owen Symonds Watson (1882 - 1960)
5. Percy Bowden Watson (Feb. 10, 1875 Devonport, Devon - Nov. 28, 1950 New Eagle, PA)
(Plumber/Steelworker. Married Ada Alberta Fugler)
6. Frederick Percy Watson (Aug 23, 1912 Donora, PA - May 30, 1997 Salt Lake City)
(Steelworker/Minister. Married Jean Lucretia Sellman)
Children:
Dorothy Jean Watson (1938 - 2006)
Brian Frederick Watson (1940 - 2000)
Ronald William Watson (1942 -)
Pam Ellen Francis Watson (1949 -)
Barry Glenn Robert Watson (1955 -)
7. Kathleen Lynn Watson (April 30, 1959 New Eagle, PA -)
(Paralegal)
8. Lawrence Joseph Michael Watson (Feb. 11, 1988 Monongahela, PA -)
Me.

The Fugler Family

1. Amos Vogler (1715 Cornwall, England)
2. John Vogler (1740 Cornwall, England - June 1, 1783 Veryan, Cornwall)
3. Thomas Fugler (Aug. 19, 1778 St. Gluvias, Cornwall - Jun. 27, 1808 Veryan, Cornwall)
(Farmer. Married Mary Johns.)
4. John Johns Fugler (Oct. 3, 1803 Veryan, Cornwall - March 11, 1868 Veryan, Cornwall)
(Master Mason. Married Mary A. Rundle)
Children:
Elizabeth J. Fugler (1831-1831)
Thomas Fugler (1834 - 1910)
Jane Fugler (1836 - 1842)
John Johns Fugler (1839 - 1909)
William R. Fugler (1841 - 1843)
James William Fugler (1842 - 1917)
Hannah R. Fugler (1844 - 1893)
5. Samuel Peter Fugler (Oct. 7, 1849 Veryan, Cornwall - Nov. 8, 1929 Devonport, Devon)
(Mason. Married Martha Jane Williams)
Children:
Richard John Johns Fugler (1874 - 1899) (Died in the Second Boer War)
Mabel Mary Fugler (1875 - 1876)
Florian Martha Rashleigh Fugler (1877 - 1916)
Bertha Louise Fugler (1879 - 1958)
Clara Ilonia Agnes Fugler (1882 - 1940)
Cora Mabel Annie Fugler (1884 - 1967)
William Archibald Algernon Keith Fugler (1885 - 1888)
Norman Arthur Fugler (1888 - 1968)
Leopold Algernon Fugler (1890 - 1933)
Mary Hannah Trounce Fugler (1893-1910)
6. Ada Alberta Fugler (Dec. 25, 1872 Veryan, Cornwall - Jun. 1, 1960 Ginger Hill, PA)

[Dr. Cynic]

I'll have more on the others if anyone's interested in reading it. I know there's a small market for it, most likely, but I also have pictures if anyone would like to see them. I've been at work on this since 2011.

[AlternateSteve90]

I'll have more on the others if anyone's interested in reading it. I know there's a small market for it, most likely, but I also have pictures if anyone would like to see them. I've been at work on this since 2011.

Definitely. Might the Voglers have been German, originally, btw? My Estes family came to England as merchants originally, and from what I know, there were at least a few merchants & people in similar trades who regularly lived in or around the port cities, like Norwich in East Anglia, Portsmouth, Plymouth, etc.

[Dr. Cynic]

I'll have more on the others if anyone's interested in reading it. I know there's a small market for it, most likely, but I also have pictures if anyone would like to see them. I've been at work on this since 2011.

Definitely. Might the Voglers have been German, originally, btw? My Estes family came to England as merchants originally, and from what I know, there were at least a few merchants & people in similar trades who regularly lived in or around the port cities, like Norwich in East Anglia, Portsmouth, Plymouth, etc.

From what I understand they were a German family who came to England as members of William the Conqueror's army. That's what was told by my great-grandmother to my aunts and uncles. I've only recently been in contact with Cora Fugler's granddaughter and Norman Fugler's last living daughter (through her nephew). Both are in Central England and I'm trying to fill in the gaps with them, the ones I have anyway.

[Dr. Cynic]

Philip Samuel Bowden Watson

Percy & Ada Watson

In this photo, my great-grandfather is sitting front and center with Ada directly on his left. Percy is with his brothers in this photo. From the left to the right are Alfred, Rodney, Owen and then on Percy's right is Frederick wearing the straw hat.

Ok, that's all I'm gonna put up tonight...

[AlternateSteve90]

Good stuff. I think I might have a few pictures received on my Ancestry.com account.....I'll see if I can access any of them.

[Dr. Cynic]

All the pictures there are also on my ancestry.com tree. I will get around to filling in the families of the other people listed though.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

We have a book on this that a great Uncle wrote about ten years ago, but it only focuses on my mom’s side. I do know that I am descended from the Compton family, and one of my ancestor’s brothers was the second Prime Minister of the UK.

Were they, by any chance, the namesake of Compton, Calif.? Or was that another, unrelated Compton?

No, but my great uncle (times 8 or 9) was the Earl of Wilmington during his brief government under George II, so Wilmington, Delaware and Wilmington, NC, are named for him.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

I don't know much about my genealogy (where they came from & settled, etc.), but I do know a little about my ancestors.  They primarily were Scottish and orange Irish, with a little Pennsylvania Dutch thrown in.  A number of my Irish ancestors migrated to Canada during the Potato Famine, and my great-grandfather (who was descended from them) came to America alone with his brother at the age of seven (with sheltering along the way.)  My great-great grandmother and her family were from Orkney (in Scotland), and her father was a sea captain there (we still have his chair in our house.)  I believe they came through Ellis Island, because her name is included among the various immigrants listed at the base of the Statue of Liberty.  Her family settled in Omer, Michigan, which is near one of the prisons where the federal government considered deporting some of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay.  I am also distantly related to Neil Armstrong through my great-grandmother.  (I believe one of her ancestors was also a Mennonite deacon.)  Her family primarily settled in and around Lima, Ohio, but she also spent a few years of her childhood in Iowa.  Much of her family later located to Florida, and a lot of them still live there.

[AlternateSteve90]

I don't know much about my genealogy (where they came from & settled, etc.), but I do know a little about my ancestors.  They primarily were Scottish and orange Irish, with a little Pennsylvania Dutch thrown in.  A number of my Irish ancestors migrated to Canada during the Potato Famine, and my great-grandfather (who was descended from them) came to America alone with his brother at the age of seven (with sheltering along the way.)  My great-great grandmother and her family were from Orkney (in Scotland), and her father was a sea captain there (we still have his chair in our house.)  I believe they came through Ellis Island, because her name is included among the various immigrants listed at the base of the Statue of Liberty.  Her family settled in Omer, Michigan, which is near one of the prisons where the federal government considered deporting some of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay.  I am also distantly related to Neil Armstrong through my great-grandmother.  (I believe one of her ancestors was also a Mennonite deacon.)  Her family primarily settled in and around Lima, Ohio, but she also spent a few years of her childhood in Iowa.  Much of her family later located to Florida, and a lot of them still live there.

My pop says there's some Amish in his family, too.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

I don't know much about my genealogy (where they came from & settled, etc.), but I do know a little about my ancestors.  They primarily were Scottish and orange Irish, with a little Pennsylvania Dutch thrown in.  A number of my Irish ancestors migrated to Canada during the Potato Famine, and my great-grandfather (who was descended from them) came to America alone with his brother at the age of seven (with sheltering along the way.)  My great-great grandmother and her family were from Orkney (in Scotland), and her father was a sea captain there (we still have his chair in our house.)  I believe they came through Ellis Island, because her name is included among the various immigrants listed at the base of the Statue of Liberty.  Her family settled in Omer, Michigan, which is near one of the prisons where the federal government considered deporting some of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay.  I am also distantly related to Neil Armstrong through my great-grandmother.  (I believe one of her ancestors was also a Mennonite deacon.)  Her family primarily settled in and around Lima, Ohio, but she also spent a few years of her childhood in Iowa.  Much of her family later located to Florida, and a lot of them still live there.

My pop says there's some Amish in his family, too.

I don't know that they were Amish, but they were Mennonite.  There are a wide variety of Mennonite sects, and Amish are just one of them.

[AlternateSteve90]

I don't know much about my genealogy (where they came from & settled, etc.), but I do know a little about my ancestors.  They primarily were Scottish and orange Irish, with a little Pennsylvania Dutch thrown in.  A number of my Irish ancestors migrated to Canada during the Potato Famine, and my great-grandfather (who was descended from them) came to America alone with his brother at the age of seven (with sheltering along the way.)  My great-great grandmother and her family were from Orkney (in Scotland), and her father was a sea captain there (we still have his chair in our house.)  I believe they came through Ellis Island, because her name is included among the various immigrants listed at the base of the Statue of Liberty.  Her family settled in Omer, Michigan, which is near one of the prisons where the federal government considered deporting some of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay.  I am also distantly related to Neil Armstrong through my great-grandmother.  (I believe one of her ancestors was also a Mennonite deacon.)  Her family primarily settled in and around Lima, Ohio, but she also spent a few years of her childhood in Iowa.  Much of her family later located to Florida, and a lot of them still live there.

My pop says there's some Amish in his family, too.

I don't know that they were Amish, but they were Mennonite.  There are a wide variety of Mennonite sects, and Amish are just one of them.

True, true. I might possibly have a few Mennonites on my mother's side as well, as there are a fair number of Germans in there, and I know of at least one direct ancestor who lived in close proximity to what is often considered the heart of Amish Country(referring to Lancaster Co., Pa.).

[AlternateSteve90]

to John Nance Garner, Vice-President of the U.S., through another family line that was, until recently, hard to track down. I don't know if it'll pan out, but I'll let you fellas know ASAP.