FROM SOUTH CAROLINA TO MISSISSIPPI

Part I
A History of the Presley Family by Arthur Bennett Presley

(continued on page five )

Our annual Financial Report is in this issue. Treasurer Ed Singleton suggests that some members may question why we have not spent more and have allowed our account to grow. The question is a legitimate one, and is answered by several factors at work. Initially, we had hardly enough to print the newsletter, pay the postage to mail it, and do a minimum of research. We needed to allow the account to grow sufficiently so that we could conmission a researcher and not fear that we would have inadequate funds to pay the bill.

Secondly, over the past four years the several officers have contributed financially (in addition to their time) to the Association. Ed Singleton has donated money towards advertising and promotion; Anne Greer has bought supplies from her own pocket; Jim Anderson has copied at his own expense material for our archive and our Newsletter - in addition to using his personal computer; and no one has used a postage allowance, except for your editor, who has used it solely for Newsletters and forwarding packets of material to our archive.

Thirdly, we have had a very slow, but steady, growth in our membership, which has helped to improve our financial status. A minimum number of Newsletters must be printed each issue (more than needed for members), so additional members means added dues, added postage, but no added printing costs.

Fourthly, we have been blessed with generous members who have shared and donated information to our files, so that the need to commission research has been less pressing than it might have been. Your officers have had limited time - even to spend money - and finding and hiring reliable researchers does take time. It is our hope that the election of a new president will result in her being able to "take charge" and correct this situation by the broadening of our research program.

One of our new members, Johnnie M. Johnson, address withheld, had this to say to your editor in a note dated 22 June 1989s

"I have just received my two issues concerning Union Co., N.C., Vol. IV, Nos. 2 & 3. I see on page 49 that you printed the church roll I sent you from the High Hill primitive Church now still in Monroe, N.C. I would have appreciated being credited in sending [it] to you, as well as the newspaper clipping you used for the article .... I paid a lot of money to get that copy of the list of persons in church and made a trip to Monroe where I got the news clip, and would like to be sure my descendants see that I did - some years down the road. I have quite a bit of info I would like to share but do at least want my name on it for my descendants who may research me 111"

Perhaps the oversight, Johnnie, was due to your wish in 1987 not to have any of your research on the Anson Co. (Union Co.) land records, or any free queries, published in the Newsletter, your decline to become a member of our Association at that time, and your lack of further correspondence with this editor. We don't wish to include anyone's name in the Newsletter who doesn't want it there, but records of a public nature (court records, church records, newspapers, etc.) which are forwarded to this editor are considered available for publication. Although research is expensive, individuals do riot acquire proprietary rights over such records they may obtain.

Of course, we believe that it is only proper and courteous to extend acknowledgement and credit - and gratitude - to individuals who contribute their research and information to this Newsletter. Regular readers of this Newsletter will know that we try to adhere to this policy. Should we inadvertently fail to do so, we will try to correct the oversight, when we are gently reminded.

However, our philosophy is that we share our research with others through this Newsletter so that others — including our descendants — don't have to repeat our efforts. Our Newsletter is not copyrighted, and the information therein, which was obtained through the hard work, expense, and contributions of members and correspondents, is free to be used by anyone as they see fit — now or in the future. We hope they will thank us and pass the information along, and if in doing so, they should mention our names, we will be grateful, but if they don't, then our reward has been in the joy of discovery and in the joy of sharing.

If any of you have subscribed to "The Presley Family News," or have had any correspondence or contact with that publication, please let us know. I have received no reply to my written attempt to contact the editor of the "News." This Association welcomes and supports all serious attempts to promote and increase knowledge about the Presley/Pressly/Preslar/Bressler families, wherever and by whomever they are made. However, this editor was dismayed by the lack of informational content in the first issue of the "News."

I read through the first issue of that publication and mentally substituted another surname everywhere I saw PRESLEY. Any Scotch-Irish surname works and makes equal sense, and many of you know that such a substitution can very easily be done with the use of a computer.

We have been notified that the South Carolina Dept. of Archives & History in Columbia, S.C., may be closed for four to eight months beginning in the fall or i winter of 1989 for "asbestos abatement and building renovations'.1 Access to records will be severely limited, mail requests will be limited, and visitors should write ahead before planning a visit. With so many Presley/Pressly records in South Carolina, we hope members don't encounter too many delays.

For those of you with family photographs who don't want to risk the mails, or who can't afford the expense of having duplicate photographs made in order to share them with Newsletter readers, I suggest you look for a very good copying service. Excellent photocopies of photographs can be made here for 75$ each, and even good • ordinary photocopiers may be adequate if you have a clear photograph to begin with. Send us copies of your photographs, and we'll try to include them in the Newsletter.

We are products of our families and our ancestors, and we share many personality traits with them — those who passed this way long before we did, and those distant cousins we have never met. I have had this shown to me through correspondence with cousins I have never known, but there is yet another way to investigate this possibility. Several months ago I received an advertisement/suggestion from Joan M. Winkelman & Associates, handwriting consultants of Amherst, N.Y. The suggestion was that personality profiles of ancestors based on graphoanalysis would not only reveal interesting data about the personality of ancestors, but would make an interesting feature for a family newsletter. I questioned a local handwriting analyst who has worked for the legal community here who confirmed that this is a unique way to discover information about a forebear. All one needs is a sample of the ancestor's handwriting. At my request Miss Winkleman, a master graphoanalyst with six years experience, provided a very favorable and enthusiastic reference from another family newsletter editor who had used her services. She also sent along her rate schedule, as follows; 1) For a Glimpse into an ancestor's personality, which consists of a very brief check-list form plus additional limited comments, send handwriting sample and $8.00
2) For a Profile, consisting of a single-spaced, typed sheet, covering emotions, goals, thinking patterns, etc., send a five-line minimum sample of handwriting, plus signature, and $10.00.
3) For an In Depth Profile of three typed sheets, send a handwriting sample of at least one page, or more, plus signature, and $35.00.

Send the handwriting sample, the ancestor's name, your name and address, and a check payable to Joan M. Winkleman for the appropriate amount to this editor. I will forward the order to her, and then forward the reports to you, using what can be used in the Newsletter. This sounds like fun!!!

"Mr. Presley told me that the men in the family wanted to keep all the land in the * family, all the money in the family, and also all the women in the family. That explains why they kept marrying cousins."

- quote from Barbara Williams, 1974

FROM SOUTH CAROLINA TO MISSISSIPPI (continued):
records in the old Bible were written in a beautiful hand and that was evidently her work. Her father, Abraham Sandifer, was of French Huguenot descent. She evidently had Negro slaves for household work as the family owned at least three women at that '(• time.

On a flyleaf of the old Presley family Bible I found recorded the births of slaves as follows;

The love and esteem in which Eleanor was held is borne out by the fact that two of her grandsons carried the Sandifer name as middle names. They were James Sandifer Presley, son of Uncle Richard H. Presley, and Ira Sandifer Presley, son of Uncle William Presley. The latter is still living at this date (1960) but is totally blind. On her deathbed Eleanor is said to have remarked that the room was full of angels.

Two brothers of Eleanor Presley moved from South Carolina to the state of Illinois long before the Civil War. They broke land in Illinois with wooden plows for their first crop, so says Ira Sandifer Presley.

The John Presley Estate, November 28, 1856

Now, just who was Miss Mary Sandifer? Was she the "Aunt Polly Sandifer" I used to hear so much about? Aunt Polly was a sister to grandmother Eleanor (Sandifer) Presley, and she evidently lived in the John Presley home. Later she lived in the home of our grandfather, James T. Presley. My father could remember her.

John and Eleanor's family consisted of seven sons and one daughter as follows; Hosea L. Presley, William A. Presley, Hannah C. Presley, Thomas D. Presley, John S. Presley, Richard H. Presley, Ira Presley, and James T. Presley.

Hosea (Dec. 30, 1818 - July 8, 1843) and Thomas (Dec. 22, 1824 - July 7, 1852) never married. Both were tall and fine looking young fellows. Hosea made a trip from South Carolina to Mississippi and return on horseback. He probably visited relatives in Leake County. Thomas attended a wake for one of his neighbors. The weather was cold and all the people could not get in the house. So a big fire was built in the yard. Thomas stayed around this fire with friends and contracted a severe cold from which he never recovered.

William A. Presley (Nov. 18, 1820 - Jan. 10, 1894) was the second son of John & Eleanor Presley. He moved to Leake Co., Mississippi. I am unable to say in what year. When our grandfather was moving to Mississippi with his family, they stopped over at Canton, Miss, and went out to Carthage to visit Uncle William and family. They had a good country home on a farm some two or three miles west of Carthage and located on the old Canton to Carthage road. One day when there was no one home, a Negro robbed the place and burned the house in an effort to cover up his crime. But it was proved on him.

Tom J. Cooper of Coldwater has told me some interesting facts in regard to the William Presley family in Leake Co., Miss. He says Uncle William moved to Miss, in a big Conestoga wagon that required four mules or horses to pull. Mr. Cooper said he knew that wagon was used 40 years. It served as a conveyance to take the family to church every Sunday morning. Mr. Cooper said that William Presley was an upright man. His word was his bond. He never went in debt. He paid in cash or did without. His wife was a Boyd. j

His farm consisted of 240 acres on which stood a big eight room country home j two and a half miles west of Carthage — later burned as mentioned above. !

His children were William, Ira, Eugenia, Melia, and Mollie. There may have ' been another daughter (Ed. Note: There was a daughter named Hannah.). Melia was born without fingers on either hand. Eugenia married an Alien and their son, Hugh Alien, is living at Carthage at the present time. He is said to be rather wealthy and never married. Melia married a Flowers; Mollie married a Humphries, a deformed man. Ira Sandifer Pressley (he spells it that way) is still living at Elkridge, Maryland at the age of 92. He is now almost totally blind. He is a well educated man and was a school teacher. He married a music teacher named Virginia Stuart, I think they met while both were teaching at Como, Miss. They have one son, Stuart Pressley, who is married and who owns and operates a big automobile business on Highway #1 at Elkridge, Md.

Hannah C. Presley (Oct. 25, 1822 - Feb. 6, 1905), the only daughter of John & Eleanor Presley, married C.L. Boyd, and they moved to Leake Co., Miss. She was the mother of several sons. I was told by T.J. Cooper of Coldwater that typhoid fever cost the lives of two or three of her boys.

This family lived near Uncle William Presley not far from the town of Carthage, Miss. Cousin Ira S. Presley of Elkridge, Md. told me that his fataher and "Uncle Charles" did not get along well with each other. He said these two old fellows were in church during a protracted meeting and Uncle William climbed over several benches to shake hands and make up but Uncle Charles refused to shake or make up.

I am lead to believe Aunt Hannah led a hard life.

John Shelton Presley (Mar. 23, 1827 - Feb. 13, 1905) was the fourth son of John & Eleanor Presley. His first wife was Nancy Catherine Sanders whom he married in South Carolina. They were the parents of James A. Presley, John R. Presley and Mary Ellen Presley, who married Joe Prichard.

His second wife was Elizabeth Boyd, sister of John L. Boyd and William Boyd. I can remember when they were living in the town of Coldwater and Uncle Shelton was operating a cotton gin. He later sold this gin to his son, John, who operated gin until the Coldwater Cotton Oil Company was organized. This company bought both

the Presley gin and the Jackson gin and employed both Presley and Jackson to help operate their new plant.

After the death of Aunt Lizzie our Uncle Shelton married a third time to Mrs. Sallie Davis of Arkabutla. Her maiden name was Henderson. His death occurred at Arkabutla, and I can remember attending his funeral in bitter cold weather at Cold-water Magnolia Cemetery.

Richard H. Presley (May 15, 1829 - Sept. 25, 1886), fifth son of John & Eleanor Presley, was twice married. His first wife was Eliza F» Turner, married Feb. 16, 1854, They had two sons, James Sandifer Presley and Thomas Henry Presley. After the death of this first wife, he married Margaret Williams on Nov. 5, 1857. The sons of this marriage were Samuel R. Presley and Jesse Presley, also a daughter, Dora, who married Ben Savage. Miss Mamie Presley, daughter of James S. Presley, says the following is correct: Thomas Henry, James S., Samuel R., William, Jesse, Dora. (Ed. Note; Our records agree with this latter list and also show a daughter, Eliza.)

Uncle Dick was a big cotton farmer. My father told me that the four sons of Uncle Dick would take a wagon to the field in the morning and bring in enough cotton in the evening to make a bale. I have recently had in my possession an old cash record book dated 1880 that belonged to a Coldwater cotton buyer and merchant, J.Jo Thornton. It shows that R.H. Presley sold a lot of cotton that year. It brought an average price of about $45.00 a bale.

Uncle Dick is buried in Brooks Chapel Cemetery. The farm he operated was in the Singleton Springs community and was later owned by Sam Presley, who was also a big cotton grower.

Ira Presley (Nov. 20? 1831 - Oct. 18, 1897), son of John & Eleanor Presley, was perhaps the most prosperous Presley of his generation. He lived about four miles west of Chester and had an excellent home on the south side of the road. His wife was Martha Ann Darby. He accumulated enough land to leave each of his sons a good farm. Uncle Ira and his wife are buried at Capers Chapel, a Methodist church where all the Presleys of that time attended church.

It was my good fortune to visit this spot on Oct. 24, 1953, together with Metra Presley, my wife Katherine, and O.K. Presley, a grandson of Uncle Ira. Nearby I found the graves of John A. Darby and his wife, Sarah Jones Darby. I remember well this man who visited relatives in Mississippi when I was a boy. He must have been a brother of Mrs. Ira Presley.

The sons of Uncle Ira were Adam, John T,, Frazier, and Thomas J. Presley. All of them lived and died in or near the old neighborhood. (Ed. Note: Other children were Richard Holmes, who died in childhood, Mary Ellen, Ira Ann, and Hannah C.)

Adam at one time came to Memphis and served for a while on the police force. He returned to South Carolina and married a Kirkpatrick. They lived on the old Ira Presley homeplace. They had one son and five daughters. Tnis son joined Ringling Brothers Circus and traveled with them for the excitement and adventure it afforded. He contracted tuberculosis and returned home. The family was unwilling to admit that he had TB so he died and three of his sisters went the same way. It was a very tragic blow to the family. Then another disaster struck. The old home burned, and the barn caught fire from the house, and it also burned. But cousin Adam built a new home and a new barn and carried on his successful farming.

Both Adam and his wife have passed away, and the house is occupied by his daughter and her family. The daughter is Annie Hayes, and one of her two sons is Fields Hayes. I cannot recall the name of her husband. Annie has one remaining sister named Christine, who is married and living in Spartanburg, S.C.

John Templeton Presley was one of the sons of Uncle Ira, and he is the one who lived the longest of any Presley we have record of. I visited his home on two occasions. He was living at the time of my first visit, but he died before the second visit. He was a businessman of unusual ability. In addition to farming, he owned and operated a saw mill and a cotton gin. When he was about forty-five years old, he lost one arm as the result of an accident at his gin.

He owned a big country home on Presley Road and perhaps a mile from the Adam Presley place. He was much interested in family history, and also talked about his trees and the squirrels that were playing about his yard. One of his daughters was Evelyn, and I believe there were four others, all married. Evelyn was at home, and a very pretty woman she was. One son only and named Lucius. He was in the auto- ! mobile business in Chester, and also helped manage things on the farm. The family had two or three Negro women servants around the place.

The family of Thomas Jefferson Presley, another son of Ira, lived at Lawries (Ed. Note: ie. Lowrys), next town north of Chester, S.C. This Tom Presley seemed very close to me on the one occasion I was associated with him. He came to visit with us along with Cousin Adam, the latter's daughter, Christine, Mrs. Fannie Ross and Christine's chum, Ruth Brawley. That was during my mother's lifetime, and we were living in the big house. Cousin Adam, Cousin Tom and Mrs. Ross also made a trip to Leake Co., Miss, and left the two girls with us for several days.

Cousin Tom married a KirKpatrick, sister of Cousin Adam's wife. They had a son named Oren, who was a football star at Clemson University in South Carolina. He alsc served in the Marines. Another son was Tom and these two brothers made a trip to Mississippi to gather information about their relatives. Still another brother named James was present at a family dinner and reunion we attended at the Thomas Presley home on Sunday, Oct. 25, 1953. His wife, one daughter and three sons were present. A sister, Inez Presley Crocker, her husband; Presley Minter and wife; Ira Minter and his son; Mrs. Adam Presley and daughter, Annie Hayes were all present. O.K. Presley's wife was Virginia Guy. One son and one daughter. Wife of Tom named Frances and they had three lovely young daughters.

Pressley Minter (he spells it that way) lives in the city of Chester, S.C. and works for Springs Cotton Mills. His wife is Janie Mae. His mother was a daughter of Uncle Ira Presley. His father was a close neighbor of Cousin John and Cousin Frazier out west of Chester. He is related to us on both sides, since the Minters were grandmother Presley's people. His mother was Elvira Minter.

During our first visit to S.C. he and his wife were among the first to greet us at Chester Hotel. And he took us on a long tour of the old neighborhood the next day. He and Janie Mai then made us a visit some time later and invited us to attend the annual Presley reunion at Chester and be their guests while there. We accepted that invitation and made the trip. Pressley took us on a tour of the big plant where he works, and likewise to Columbia where we visited the State Capitol and went out to the home of Henry Wilkins Harden, who was reared at Coldwater and who operates a drug store in Columbia. We attended the Presley family reunion which was held in the lodge of the State Park a few miles from Chester.

When Pressley was visiting our home, I introduced him to Bennett Darby, and I could see a very strong resemblance between them. The father of Pressley Minter , was George Minter and his mother was Ira Ann Presley. George Minter's mother was i a Harden. The church he attended was Liberty Baptist church. George Minter and wife and also his father and mother are buried there.

Frazier Presley was one of the sons of Uncle Ira, and he lived not far from his brothers, Adam and John. He visited relatives in Mississippi when the writer. was quite young. I do not have much information about his family and no dates on him. However, I do know that his direct descendants outnumbered all others at the reunion we attended at the State Park.- These included two very attractive sisters who had never married and who were employed as teachers in Columbia. And I recall hearing that one of Cousin Frazier's grandsons was a flyer in World War II. He was shot down over the Pacific Ocean and his body was never recovered.

(to be continued)

In the beginning the universe was created. 'This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move. (Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe).

- Fred Alan Wolf, Parallel Universes. N.Y., 1988.

1850 Census

(Ed Note: Data from the 1850 census is presented as follows: Page, dwelling number/family number, name, age, sex, color, occupation, value of real estate, birthplace.)

                       ILLINOIS

ADAMS COUNTY 
210  179/183   William Presley  37 M W Teamster       MS(A?)
               Catherine "      25 F W               England
               Charlotte A. "    5 F W                    IL
               Mary Smith       16 F W                Canada
               Augustus "     7/12 F W                    IL

CLARK COUNTY 
274 1537/1537 Ruth Pressley     30 F W                    OH
              Cyrus Whitman     11 M W                    OH
              Fiorilla "         9 F W                    IL
              Sylvester "        7 M W                    IL
              Augustus           5 M W                    IL

HAMILTON COUNTY 
199   99/99   Thomas Presley    40 M W Laborer            TN
              Rosa "            20 F W                    IL
              James "            6 M W                    MO
              Mary A. "          1 F W                    IL 

199 100/100   Charles Presley   25 M W Laborer            TN
              Rachel "          26 F W                    TN
              Jashua "           7 M W                    IL
              Candice "          5 F W                    IL
              Levi "             2 M W                    IL
              Nancy "            1 F W                    IL

222 403/403   John Presley      38 M W Laborer            TN
              Prudence "        35 F W                    NC
              Robert H. "       14 M W                    TN
              Sarah E. "        13 F W                    TN
              Lucinda E. "      11 F W                    TN
              Prudence E. "     10 F W                    TN
              Mary A. "          8 F W                    IL
              Rebecca A. "       4 F W                    IL
              Mahala J. "        1 F W                    IL

HANCOCK COUNTY 
325 791/792  John Bresler       25 M W Shoemaker     Germany
             Lucetta "          25 F W               Germany
             John W. "           2 M W               Germany
             John Parr          52 M W               Germany
             Charity "          55 F W               Germany

 
JO DAVIESS COUNTY, Galina
284 2920/2924 Joseph Presley    23 M W Cigar Maker   Germany
              Mary "            21 F W               Germany

KANE COUNTY, Blackberry
167 104/74  Florinda Prestley  16 F W   -                 NY
             living with David & Rachel West

OGLE COUNTY, Monroe
79  1/1     Robert Bressler    29 M W Farmer              PA
            Susan "            37 F W                     PA
            Sarah "            11 F W                     PA
            Phebe A. "          8 F W                     PA
            Catharin "          5 F W                     PA
            Hannah "            2 F W                     PA 
            Elizabeth "        20 F W                     PA
            Sophiah "          18 F W                     PA
            Edward "           15 M W                     PA    
 

RANDOLPH COUNTY 
29  447/451   Thomas Pressley    27 M W Carpernter  400   SC
               Living with John & Mary Parks

31  479/481   Wm. Morris Jr.     31 M W Farmer   1200     IL
              Catherine "        28 F W                   IL
              George H. "         8 M W                   IL
              William M. "        4 M W                   IL
              James M. "          2 M W                   IL
              Reuben L. Pressley 10 M W                   IL
              David "            19 M W Farmer            SC

45 686/691    Elizabeth Pressley  7 F W                   IL
               Living with Charles & Hannah Beaty

46   /697     Theophilus Pressley 5 M W                   IL
               Living with Robert C. & June N. Mann

47   /718     Samuel Pressley    32 M W             300   OH
              Nancy J. "         28 F W                   KY
              Elizabeth E. "      6 F W                   IL
              Henry M. "          5 M W                   IL
              Cephus "            1 M W                   IL

47   /719     Robert Pressley    32 M W                   OH
              Eleanor "          33 F W                   KY
              Robert "            5 M W                   IL
              Mary J. "           3 F W                   IL

TAZEWELL COUNTY 
127 1757/1757 David Presley      64 M W Farmer            SC
              Mary "             33 F W                   IL
              John W.M."         13 M W                   KY
              Sarah "             9 F W                   KY
              Betsy Ann "         2 F W                   KY
              Alexander "      6/12 M W                   KY
              Jane Boggs          8 F W                   SC

UNION COUNTY 
195    /129   Elizabeth Presley  12 f w                   MO
               Living with Wilby & Deborah Davis 

WINNEBAGO COUNTY 
106 119/128   John Presby(ley?)  40 M W Laborer      England

431 201/217   Elizabeth Presley   - F W -            -


                      INDIANA COUNTY 
BENTON COUNTY 
2   17/17    William Presley     30 M W Farmer 800   Ireland  

CLINTON COUNTY 
347   -/59   Joseph Pressley     67 M W Farmer  400       SC
             Mary A. "           45 F W                   SC
             John Harris         14 M W                   IA

CROSSING THE ATLANTIC TO GERMANY
An Update

Retracing the family of Valentine & Christina Bressler, the "Palatines" who arrived in New York in 1710, back across the ocean to their home in Germany has been a very difficult task. Arthur Bennett Presley in his 1960 history of the ; Presley family,- which appears earlier in this issue, stated that Thomas Preslar/ Presley had said that his grandfather was a "little crooked-legged Dutchman," This family tradition was also reported by genealogist Leonardo Andrea of South Carolina in his 1961 report of research on the Chester Co., S.C., family.

Presumably, the reference was to Andrew Preslar (1701-aft. 1759), the oldest son of Valentine Preslar. The early Germans in America were often called "Dutch", eg. the Pennsylvania Dutch, when in fact they should have been referred to as "Deutch", or German. The question, of course, has been where in Germany "the little crooked-legged Dutchman" and his father and family began their travels which led across the Atlantic.

New member, Kathryn Presley Campbell, address withheld, who is a direct descendant of Anthony Pressler, another son of Valentine who settled in Ulster Co., New York (Kathryn's father still maintains a home in upstate New York), located in the New York Biological & Genealogical Index, vol. 13, p. 17, the marriage record of Elisabeth Bressler, the oldest daughter of Valentine. John Kimball from "Jamaijka, opt L. Ysland" married Elisabeth Bresseler from "Hoog Diuts-chland" on 17 Dec. 1718 in the Reformed Dutch Church in New York City.

"Wishful thinking" helped this editor to note that "Hoog" in Dutch means "High", and "Hochstadt" in German means "Hightown", Elizabeth Bressler Bunting of Malvern, Penn., wrote in the Dec. 1987 issue of this Newsletter about the village of Hochstadt as the ancestral home of her Bressler family which came to Pennsylvania in 1749, and as the possible ancestral home of the Valentine Bressler family which came to New York in 1710. She noted that Valentine was a recurrent given name amongst the Presslers of Hochstadt, but also pointed out that the Reformed Church records do not begin until 1708 and 1727 in Nieder and Ober Hochstadt respectively.

Henry Z. Jones, Jr., address withheld, the author of The Palatine Families of New York who has traced so many of the so-called 1709ers to their ancestral homes in Germany, had this to say in a letter of 7 June 1989 to this editors

" 'Hoog Duitschland', unfortunately, does not imply a reference to Hochstadt, sorry to say. It was a very common reference at the time in the 18th century for "Germany1 in general ... meaning 'High Germany' as opposed to 'Low Germany' - which referred to 'Holland1 or the low countries. Countless families originating in Germany are noted in colonial American records as 'Hoog Deutsch'". So much for "wishful thinking."

He goes on to state that "many more families who arrived in 1710 have been documented by Carla [Mittelstaedt-Kubaseck] and my other researchers overseas; it will be material enough for a new book! We are hot on the trail of the Presslers. Much time and money was spent extracting data on the Presslers of Ottweiler (Saar). The material looked so promising, as one of the patriarchs of the village was an Andreas Pressler! However, after diligent investigations, nothing turned'up (as yet). I enclose a xerox of Mr. Dirk Zimmer's findings there ... also ... a wine label from the Pressler vineyards [in Hochstadt], sent by my researcher Bernd GSlzer."

"Carla will be going after Catholic registers at Hochstadt [Ed. Note: Valentine and family were listed as Roman Catholic when they arrived in London in 1709] by summer's end (I meet with her in Germany in July for consultation on further searches). I have just reprinted 700 more sets of The Palatine Families of New York."

These are available from the author at the above address for $85.00, plus $4.50 postage & handling, for the two-volume set (1,350 pages, clothbound), which this editor can confirm is an extremely scholarly work covering all 847 of the "Palatine" families who arrived in New York in 1710. Those of us who are descended

from the 1709er, Valentine Pressler, are very fortunate, indeed, to have Hank Jones "hot on the trail" of our immigrant ancestor!

Also, Elizabeth Bunting reports (26 Apr. 1989) that she will be "going back to Germany this Fall — am partnering with Annette Burgert - she's the expert in American-German research (before 1780) who does all those books for the Pennsylvaif German Society — a good friend of Karla M-Kubaseck. We will be seeing her and I will certainly check if she has uncovered anything more re the P/Bresslers."

Finally, here is a note (dtd. 4 June 1989) from one of our members, Jackie Terrell, who is currently living in Ruppertsweiler, W. Germany (her husband is in the U.S. Army): "Several weeks ago on a beautiful, sunny afternoon I drove about 40 mins. down the road to Hochstadt, home of the Pressler/Bressler families. The first place I saw was the small, well-kept cemetery, so stopped to walk the tiny rows of neatly decorated graves. There were about six Brassier tombstones, the earliest grave bearing a birthdate in the mid-1800's. I saw no Pressler stones. Based on this, I began asking townspeople where the Brassier winery was. I pronounced the surname clearly as Brassier. Would you believe when I arrived at the winery, the name was Pressler (Otto)? No wonder the name appears with both spellings in the yesteryear. It is obviously still happening today. The winery is located behind the family's two large multi-story dwellings. I went into the office spoke with the office manager (I suppose), and was shown an array of 100 bottles — all vinted and bottled by Fressler. I chose a red and a white variety. 'They are still chilling in the frig. Wish I could send you a bottle, but you realize customs prevents my doing so."

Above: Wine label from Pressler vineyards, courtesy of Henry Z. Jones, Jr. Right: Cases of wine for shipment, Pressler Winery, Hochstadt. Photo by Elizabeth Bunting.

WHAT'S IN A NAME, CONTINUED!

We've had much to say about spelling variants of surnames, but recent letters from two members show 'how this continues to be a problem in research. Their comments are worth repeating so as to alert others to the possibilities.

Joseph D. Horned (address withheld) says "... I'm still working on my Presley-Pursley connection [in Ga. & S.C.]. I have ordered some records of John and Moses Pursley which I hope will connect with my John and Moses Presley. I do wonder if because of an accent, did those copying information being given by John or Moses ... think they were saying Pursley instead of Presley. There were a lot of Pursleys in South Carolina in the Abbeville area."

It isn't too difficult to imagine that a southern frontiersman or farmer in the 18th or 19th century — perhaps with a mouth full of chewing tobacco — might pronounce his name so that it sounded like Pursley to the recording clerk. Often times, the clerks weren't all that well-educated, either. Now, shift to New York to an area where German accents could still be heard, and you can imagine the problems that Kathryn Presley Campbell (114 So. Hill Rd., Colonia, N.J. 07067) is encountering.

"'Parslow' is a name I watch for, with 'Preslow, Parshale, Persel(o), Parsel(o; etc. Regarding the odd spellings - I bear in mind that there was no English taught in the colonial period of English government of New York, except possibly privately. A history book here says that the only education at all available for poor children, where offered, was in Dutch in the church schools organized by some Reformed churches. Also, I read the Germans had little regard for last names. Then, too, the immigrants learned, upon entry, to change their names, and to anglicize them. [I note] 'Blessing ... Besly ... Prester and Presser', particularly where they situate geographically close to, even next door to, Preslers. I try to imagine saying 'Presler' without enough teeth or in trying to slur it to cover up not knowing how to spell it, etc."

FINANCIAL REPORT

Withheld

1874 he was engaged in the mercantile business, and has been postmaster of Alabama for a number of years, the position now being filled by his son. May 9, 1847, he was wedded, in Tennessee, to Nancy (Terry) Walden, a native of that State, born December 22, 1828. This union has been blessed with eleven children, ten now living: Mary E., Alien W., William T. (deceased), Dicy J., James B., Sarah A., Henry M., Catherine T., Wiley B., Martha A= and Francis J, Politically Mr. Presley has always been a Democrat, and during the Mexican War was first lieutenant of a company which went to Nashville, but was not mustered in, Mr. Presley is a well-known and respected citizen, and has a pleasant home,,"

Sanders (Saunders) M. Preslar/Presley received on 29 July 1837 a grant for 100 acres on Mill Creek in Anson Co., North Carolina (N.C. Land Grant Office, Anson Co. File #7115, Grant *4370). However, on 15 Feb, 1837 he was living in Jackson Co., Tenn., and granted power of attorney to M.W. Cutnbertson to sell the Mill Creek tract (Anson Co. Deed Bk. Z, p. 521), which he did on 12 Aug. 1837 to Peter Preslar/ Presley (Anson Co. Deed Bk. 11, p. 38).

The 1840 census of Tennessee shows in Gainsboro, Jackson Co.:

p. 305. Elizabeth Prestly, with 1 male 0-5, 1 male 5-10, 2 males 10-15; 1 female 0-5, 2 females 5-10, 1 female 30-40.

The 1850 census of Jackson Co., Tenn., includes:

p. 247.    159/159         Malimion Prisly    21   M   W   Farmer    b. NC
                           Nancy "            21   F   W                TN
                           Mary "              1   F   W                TN        

It should be noted that Clay Co., N.C.,was not formed from Cherokee Co. until 1861; Cherokee Co. was formed from Macon Co, in 1839; and Macon Co. was formed in 1828 from Haywood Co. )

A PRESSLER FAMILY IN GERMANY & TEXAS

(Ed. Note: Carl Wilhelm Pressler immigrated from Germany to Texas in 1845. He became a distinguished surveyor and cartographer of Texas. His biography and a copy of a long letter which he wrote to his family back in Germany and in which he described his impressions of Texas have been provided to us by his great grandson and member of our Association, Judge H. Paul Pressler III of Houston. (

The planned inclusion of his family group data in this issue has been made doubly exciting by the receipt of a telephone call from Judge Pressler who has just returned from a visit to Kindelbruck in East Germany, the first of his family line to have visited the ancestral home since 1847. Besides meeting and visiting with family relatives and seeing the old family home, he was able to discover some additional facts about the early family history. We hope that he will find the time to write to us and tell us more about his visit to Kindelbruck.

He reports that the family left Breslau in Silesia around 1390 and went to the village of Neumarkt. In the 1500's they moved to Nausiss in Thuringia, a village about seven miles from Kindelbruck. Sometime before 1680, they moved again to Kindelbruck, where a stone slab over a doorway of a house reads, "Johann Jakob Bressler Anno 1680". He is thought to have been the father of Johann Georg Bress-ler, a master butcher of Kindelbruck.)

Johann Georg Pressler, b. abt. 1660 prob. Nausiss, Thuringia, d. 12 Oct. 1732 Kindelbruck, Thuringia; m. 26 Nov. 1689 Kindelbruck, Thuringia, Anna Scherlitz, b. Nausiss, Thuringia. Children;
1) Johann Martin Pressler (see below)
2) Maria Magdalena Pressler, b. 26 Mar. 1697 Kindelbruck, Thur., m S. Lausse
3) Anna Margarethe Pressler, b. 14 July 1700 Kindelbruck, Thur., m Johann Andreas Seidenzahl, a cement mason
4) Georg Christoph Pressler, b. 17 Jan. 1703 Kindelbruck, Thur., m. Susanne Elise Forster on 8 June 1723 and moved to Weissensee
5) Hans Jakob Pressler, b. 25 Oct. 1709 Kindelbruck, Thur., d. 20 Jan, 1770 Kindelbruck, Thur., m. Anna Elisabeth Lausse

6) Anna Elisabeth Pressler, b. 7 June 1712 Kindelbruck, Thur., d. 3 Feb. 171 Kindelbruck, Thur.
7) Konkordia Katharina Pressler, b. 6 Nov. 1716 Kindelbruck, Thur., m. Samuel Christian Knoll

Johann Martin Pressler, b. 30 Jan. 1694 Kindelbruck, Thur., d. 6 Apr. 1733 Kindelbruck Thur.; m. 12 May 1723 Kindelbruck, Thur.. Maria Katharina Esperstadt, dau. o Hans Michall Esperstadt, schoolmaster. Children:
1) Johann Christoph Pressler, b. 4 Oct. 1725 Kindelbruck, Thur., d. 30 June, 1729 Kindelbruck, Thur.
2) Jakob Daniel Pressler (see below)
3) Johann Andreas Pressler, b. 27 July 1732 Kindelbruck, Thur.

Jakob Daniel Pressler, b. 2 Jan. 1729 Kindelbruck, Thur., d. 29 Aug. 1811 Kindelbr Thur.; m. 3 Oct. 1756 Kindelbruck, Thur., Eva Sophie Christine Riedel, b. Kindelbruck, Thur., d. 19 Oct. 1808 Kindelbruck, Thur. Children:
1) Eva Margaretha Maria Pressler, b. 16 Aug. 1757 Kindelbruck, Thur., d 1761 Kindelbruck, Thur.
2) Christine Magdalene Louise Pressler, b. 4 May 1759 Kindelbruck, Thur 26 Jan. 1833 Kindelbruck, Thur., m. Georg Muller, a professor of music of Weissensee
3) Marie Margarethe Pressler, b. 4 Feb. 1762 Kindelbruck, Thur., m. Johann Andreas Rodiger, master baker of Kindelbruck
4) Christine Margarethe Pressler, b. 29 Apr. 1764 Kindelbruck, Thur.
5) August Nathanael Jakob Pressler (see below)
6) Eva Magdalena Christine Pressler, b. 2 Mar. 1769 Kindelbruck, Thur., m. 31 Jan. 1798 to Christoph Grimmer, locksmith

August Nathanael Jakob Pressler, b. 13 July 1766 Kindelbruck, Thur., d. 6 Mar. 184 Kindelbruck, Thur.; m. 28 Jan. 1795 Kindelbruck, Thur., Marie Christiane Hermann b. 1777 Heynrode, Harz, Germany, d. 7 Dec. 1830 Kindelbruck, Thur. Children:
1) Eva Marie Christiane Pressler, b. 5 Dec. 1795 Kindelbruck, Thur., d. 2 Fe 1802 Kindelbruck, Thur.
2) Heinrich Christoph August Pressler (see below)
3) Johanne Marie Christiane Pressler, b. 8 Mar. 1800 Kindelbruck, Thur., m. 1832 to Johann Heinrich Kanngiesser of Kindelbruck, a rope maker
4) Christiane Louise Pressler, b. 5 Mar. 1802 Kindelbruck, Thur., m. Mr. Burge a master butcher of Erfurt
5) Christoph Gottlieb Jacob Pressler, b. 31 May 1804 Kindelbruck, Thur., d. 16 July 1843 Kindelbruck, Thur., m. Eva Magdalena Wolffon on 6 Jan. 1836; ancestor of the present Presslers of Kindelbruck
6) Hanna Marie Elisabeth Pressler, b. 30 Oct. 1806 Kindelbruck, Thur., 21 Apr. 1826 Kindelbruck, Thur.
7) Heinrich Friedrich Pressler, b. 4 Sept. 1811 Kindelbruck, Thur., d. 1844, m. Mathilda _. He was a doctor in Lenzen.
8) Hermann Friedrich Carl Pressler (see below)
9) Philippine Bernardine Pressler, b. 11 Feb. 1817 Kindelbruck, Thur., Berlin, m. __ Schwanebeck 10) Carl Wilhelm Pressler (see below)

Heinrich Christoph August Pressler, b. 20 Feb. 1798 Kindelbruck, Thur., d. 22 Feb. 1864 Torgau a/d Elbe, Saxony; m. 11 Nov. 1829 Torgau a/d Elbe, Saxony, Hermii Uhlisch, b. 5 Dec. 1806 Torgau a/d Elbe, Saxony, d. 29 Mar. 1884 Torgau a/d Elbe, Saxony. Children:
1) Anna Pressler, b. 8 Jan. 1831 Torgau, Saxony, d. 9 Sept. 1862 Torgau, Saxony
2) Hedwig Pressler, b. 11 Oct. 1832 Torgau, Saxony, d. 25 Feb. 1866 Torgau, Sax.
3) Paul Pressler, b. 3 Jan. 1835 Torgau, Saxony, d. 24 Apr. 1894 Austin, Texas; ml. 6 Nov. 1866 Austin, Texas, Clara Marie Pressler (his first cousin see below), b. 6 Apr. 1846 Eisleben, Saxony, d. 7 June 1877 Austin, Texas m2. 25 July 1879 Austin, Texas, Anna Isabella Schmitz, b. 27 Jan. 1847 Cologne, Rhinish Province, Ger. Nine children by both wives,

4) Franz (Frank) Pressler, b. 23 Oct. 1836 Torgau, Saxony, d. 14 Apr, 1889 Burnet, Texas, buried on ranch near Willow, Texas; ml. 6 Nov. 1866 Austin, Texas, Charlotte (Lottchen) Wilhelmine Loeschman, b. 12 Mar. 1846 Pudewitz, Posen, Ger., d. 24 Jan. 1872 Austin, Texas; m2. 2 Oct. 1873 Austin, Texas, Dora Schenck, b. 24 Dec. 1853 New Braunfels, Texas, d. 20 Mar. 1930 Fredericksburg, Texas, bur. at Pressler Ranch and then at Youngs Chapel. Ten children by both wives.
5) Ernst (Ernest) Pressler, b. 25 July 1840 Torgau, Saxony, d, 29 Jan. 1875 Hockley, Texas, bur. Austin,^Texas; m, 27 Apr. 1867 Cypress, Texas, Annie Steussy, b. 1 Apr. 1847 Austin, Texas, d. 10 Jan. 1918 Houston, Texas, bur. Austin, Texas. Four children-
6) Marie Pressler, b. 26 Apr. 1846 Torgau, Saxony, d. 23 Aug. 1925 Torgau, Sax.

Hermann Friedrich Carl Pressler (Rev.), b. 28 May 1814 Kindelbruck, Thur., d. 22 Sept. 1865 New Orleans, La., bur. in Austin, Texas, in 1873; m. 6 Aug. 1838 Torgau, Saxony, Marie Pauline Franz, b. 7 Dec. 1818 Torgau, Saxony, d. 11 Aug. 1881 .., . Austin, Texas. He was a seminary teacher in Eisleben. Children:
1) Paul Hermann Pressler, b. 26 Sept. 1839 Eisleben, Saxony, d. 1853 New Orleans, La.
2) Clara Marie Pressler, b. 6 Apr. 1846 Eisleben, Saxony, d. 7 June 1877 Austin, Texas, m. Paul Pressler (her first cousin, see above). Six children.
3) August Nathanael Pressler, b. 28 Dec. 1856 New Orleans, La., d. 14 Sept. 1859 New Orleans, La.

Carl Wilhelm (Charles William) Pressler, b. 26 Mar. 1823 Kindelbruck, Thur., d. 6 Feb. 1907 Austin, Texas; m. 18 June 1849 Eisleben, Saxony, Clara Johanria Doerk, b. 29 Mar. 1827 Quedlinburg, Saxony, d. 29 Aug. 1917 Austin, Texas. Children;
1) Lucie Pressler, b, 11 Apr. 1850 Austin, Texas, d. 29 May 1850 Austin, Texas
2) Sophie Pressler, b. 29 Apr. 1851 Austin, Texas, d. 6 May 1852 Austin, Texas
3) Agnes Frances Pressler, b. 13 Oct. 1853 Austin, Texas, d. 22 May 1938# m. 5 May 1874 Austin, Texas, Herbert Frederich Sterzing, Seven children.
4) Rudolph Moritz (Maurice) Pressler, b. 21 Mar. 1856 Austin, Texas, d= 7 Jan. 1938 San Antonio, Texas, m. 15 Feb. 1885 Willow City, Texas, Pauline Luckenbach, b. 29 Jan. 1865 South Grape Creek, Texas, do 7 Oct. 1945 San Antonio, Texas. Five children.
5) Carl Otto Pressler, b. 7 Feb. 1858 Austin, Texas, d. 11 Nov. 1861 Austin, Tex.
6) Herman Paul Pressler, b. 7 Apr. 1861 Austin, Texas, d. 30 Jan. 1937 Austin, Texas; m. 6 Dec. 1899 Austin, Texas, Vedie Maddox, b. 21 Dec. 1876 Bosque City, Texas, d. 19 Aug. 1975 Austin, Texas. Three children.
7) George Edward Wilhelm Pressler, b. 30 Oct. 1870 Austin, Texas, d. 15 Dec. 1928 Austin, Texas

Carl Wilhelm Pressler arrived in Texas on 1 Feb. 1846. He returned to Germany in 1849 where he married, returning to Texas in the same year with his wife on the Neptune. His brother, Hermann Friedrich Carl Pressler, is said to have come to America in 1848. His three nephews, Paul, Franz, and Ernst, sons of his brother, Heinrich Christoph August Pressler, also came to Texas: Paul in 1851 on the Republic, and Franz in 1849 on the Neptune, probably with Carl Wilhelm and his new wife.

CURRENT FAMILY NEWS

Member, Mary Landes, reports that her sister, Myrtle Rotan, died on 31 Mar. 1989 at Novato, Calf., just eight months after sister Dorothy Mae Ocejo passed away. She was buried at Bakersfield, Calf. Mary's son, David Landes, received an award from the Yuma School System as the volunteer of the year. He will retire on 1 Sept. after 20 years service in the U.S. Marines. Also, her grandson, Douglas Twaddell, married on 17 June to Jill Dunn.

- Mary Landes

UNION COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, KIN

This series of articles will be continued in a future issue. In the meantime, the following extracted data illustrates that when browsing through a genealogy ; library, the most unlikely sources may yield information about a family line.

THE PRESLEY/PRESLAR/PRESSLY PRESS

Cherokee by Blood. Records of Eastern Cherokee Ancestry in the U.S_. Court of Claims, 1906-1910. Vol. I: Applications 1 to 1550. Compiled by Jerry Wright Jordan. Heritage Books, Bowie, Md. , 1987, p.' 41. (Ed. Note: Information inserted in brackets is taken from Cherokee Blood , Cherokee Indian Genealogy Based on Records of the U.S. Court of Claims, Vol. I. Shirley Hoskins, Chattanooga, Term. , 1982-83, pp. 49-50.)

(Ed. Note: As a result of a suit decided in favor of the Cherokees on May 18, 1905, because of grievances arising from treaty violations, Congress appropriated one million dollars for compensation. Those entitled to a share had to establish that they were members or descended from members of the Cherokee Nation at the time of the treaties. )

77. BARBRA A. PRESLEY, Ladonia, Texas. Rejected. It does not appear that ancestors were ever enrolled or were parties to the treaties of 1835-6 and 1846. Applicant shows no real connection with Eastern Cherokees. (Misc. Test. P. 2222)

MISC. TEST. P. 2222. #77 - Barbra Allen Presley:
"That I am 73 years of age and live in Fannin Co., Tex. I claim my Indian descent through my mother [Rachel Harget]. My father [Abe Funderburk, son of Barbara ( __ ) & Jake Funderburk] was a full blooded Choctaw. My grandfather [Joe Harget] and grandmother [Hanna ( __ )] were both Cherokees, but I don't know how much Indian my mother claimed. My mother was born in N.C., Union Co., I think. She died in 1854 and was 54 when she died. She went to S.C. after she married my father. There -were eleven children ahead of me and I was born in 1835 [in S.C.]. My grandparents • on my mother's side were living when my mother was married. My grandfather died before I was born, I think. I don't know whether my parents ever lived with the Indians as members of the tribe. I never lived with the Indians as a member of the tribe. I am recognized as a white woman in the community but I claim Indian blood. My husband [Noah Presley, b. 1837] was a white man. If he had any Indian blood, I don't know of it. Don't know whether I, my mother or her parents were ever on any roll. Never received anything from the government by reason of our Indian blood. I never received anything from t,he Choctaws. I made application to them but never got anything from it. They said the outsiders if they did not live in the Choctaw Nation could not get anything. I never lived with the Choctaws. My grandparents never had any other name than that of Harget." SIGNED: Barbra A. Presley, Bonham, Tex. , Aug. 24, 1908.

(Ed. Note: Noah Presley, b. ca. 1838 Mecklenburg Co., N.C., was a son of Alvin Preslar, b. ca. 1816, d. 1857. See March 1988 Newsletter, pp. 31, 33-35, for more on this family line.)

The Goodspeed Biographical £ Historical Memoirs of Western Arkansas . Yell, Pope, Johnson, Logan, Scott, Polk, Montgomery , & Conway Cos. Chicago, 1891 (Repr. Easley, S.C., 1978).
"William L. Presley, a popular and successful physician of Solgohachia [Conway Co.], was born in Mississippi, May 14, 1855. His parents, Thomas H. and Julia Presley were natives of South Carolina. To their union was born two children, David W. , who is now a most successful planter in Lonoke County, and William L. , ^ the subject of this sketch. Thomas Presley was a planter and merchant, and emi- 9 , grated from Mississippi to Arkansas in 1873, when he settled at Beebe, in White

County, and resided there until his death, which occurred in 1878. Mrs. Presley, his excellent wife, had departed this life in 1873. After her death Mr. Presley had married the second time to Miss Annie Hendrix. He was always a popular citizen, and had been respectively elected to the office of Justice, and was also Mayor of the City of Beebe. William L., the subject of this sketch received rus literary education in Mississippi and Arkansas, and his medical education at Nashville, Term., where he received his diploma in 1882, and at once returned to Arkansas and began the practice of his profession. On October 22, 1883, he was united in marriage to Miss Coleman, a native of Marshall County, Mississippi. To this union there has been born one child, Hugh L. Dr. Presley, in connection with his practice, also conducts a drug and grocery store at Solgohachia, and has held the office of Postmaster of that town since 1888. In politics he is a staunch and strong adherent to the Democratic party. In religion he is a member of the M.E. Church, South, while his wife holds membership in the Advent Church. The family are of Scotch-Irish descent."

(Ed. Note: Thomas H. Presley was a son of Lewis Presley, b. 1799, of Union Coo, South Carolina. See Richard C. Fulcher's The Presley Saga, Vol. Ill, Appendix A, pp. 3a-4a, 9a-10a.)

A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT

I want to thank each of you who have renewed your subscription for another year, and I would like to encourage those of you who are hesitating to give us your support for another year- We all need each other's help and support very much if we are to keep this Association going.

I am asking each of you personally to donate one hour a week to do research at your county courthouse. This will be a great mutual help to other members. By donating just one hour a week, you could be helping someone find the lead for which they have been looking for a long time. You never know when someone else could find that lead, or clue, that you've been looking for. With this small effort on your part" we could do a lot for each other. I realize that some courthouses won't have anything, while others will have a great deal. I also know that with busy schedules it will 'be hard, but if we do what we can, when we can, it will come back to us to help our own research. I also know that some could do more than just one hour, and if you can and do, we would be very grateful for that, too. Just do whatever your schedule will allow.

I would love to hear from anyone about problems in your research that you're having, any suggestions for areas to be researched, or just anything we as an Association can do to help out. This Association belongs to everyone, so we'd like to have your input.

In the next Newsletter I will have an outline of what kind of research the Association is going to get under way. in this next year. I hope we will be able to get researched some other archives in the "key" states. This will be quite a job to do.

As your President I hope that in this next year every single one of us will put our best efforts forward to continuing this great Association and improving it as much as we can, I will try always to do my best for the members of this Association, because I truly love genealogy and the research it entails.

Please let us all be proud of our ancestors, as they gave up a lot to come to this country. They gave their best; they deserve our best!

Lillian L. Stumpp