A New Land

One of my immigrant ancestors is Gepke Janssen Smit Wessels. She is my 2^nd Great Grandmother. She was a woman whose husband, Heije Renken Wessels¹, had died in Germany in 1854. Two of her sons had also died at a young age in Germany. She left her homeland, memories, and life as she knew it in Neermoor, Ostfriesland, Germany and came to America in 1860 at the age of 56. She traveled on the ship Bremen with her four youngest children. As indicated on the Passenger list, she traveled under the name of her husband, Heye Wessels and her children are enumerated: Jantjen, 18, m, farmer; Jana, 16, female; Gretje 13, female; and Gerd 13, male.²

When she arrived in Illinois, Gepke was able to live on farmland with her family in German Valley, Winnebago Co. Her four older children had come separately to the area earlier. She lived in Illinois for about three years before moving to Timbercreek Township, Marshall Co., Iowa. In her lifetime, she was able to see her children marry and begin their families in a new land.

Laurel Methodist Cemetery is a small cemetery amid the cornfields in Laurel, Marshall Co., Iowa. Here lies the grave of Gepke Janssen Smit Wessels, 1803-1872.

It is so humbling to stand before an old tombstone of an ancestor and reflect. Thinking about who might have come to gather around there for the burial. Who has visited since? How many descendants have come from that one person? How many have made the pilgrimage to the site to pay their respects?

Well done, Gepke, well done.

________________________________________________________________________________

¹ Thorsten Harms, editor,  (Die Familien der evangelisch-reformeirten Gemeinde Neermoor (1669-1900), Emden, Germany. T. Harms 2007), p1280, #4965.

² "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957" (Ancestry.com. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.), Year: 1860; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: M237; Microfilm Roll: 206; Line: 12; List Number: 1086.

Welcome!!

I first started doing genealogy research many years ago when a cousin gave me her hand written scribbles of census's pieces. I took on the challenge and discovered microfilm readers.

What a surprise to discover that with each “find” I was led to more names and places. This was getting fun. Awhile later I branched out in my research, writing letters, going to courthouses, visiting cemeteries and any place else where I could find the tiniest bit of information.

Cemeteries, ahhh, I was on a mission. I loved the beauty, the search and the ultimate discovery of tombstones. Courthouses were a joy. I wasn't even experienced enough to look farther than the item I wanted, it was still fun. Each courthouse was run a little differently but still the same. What an exciting moment to open those large books filled with handwritten information. And the people! Along the way on my journey, I met so many wonderful people, and made so many terrific friends.

My searches grew and grew. Of course, when I lived in Illinois, my searching was needed in California and Washington State, and once I moved to Arizona, I found that most of my research was in Illinois. Isn't that always the way!

Over the years, my “few” family members became hundreds, my searching states became many and even reached to Germany and the UK. Research and documentation have changed with the times and my skills have honed as I continue to learn. I love the tools on the internet, yet still favor personal visits to courthouses and cemeteries and societies.

I have learned patience. Often times the answer takes years but the time factor makes the victory so much better. It is humbling to compare my life to that of pioneers and early settlers.  I have learned regret that I found some information too late to share with the one person who would have loved it. I have learned the humility of being one person in a long line of people, each special in his own way. I have learned so much history as it came alive with my research. I have learned hope, that our grandchildren and their families will find an appreciation of their family history.

I enjoy this adventure and hope to share some of it with you. Welcome to my blog. I am excited to begin this new journey of writing about examining and researching genealogy.