Oland, Sweden
The roots of my family tree have spread from the lost German lands of East Prussia and Pomerania, from the green fields of Sweden, from the valleys of Slovenia.
Branches have spread across the ocean and spanned the North American continent.
My mission is to dig ever deeper in search of our ancestors -- but also to seek out and contact living relatives wherever they may be -- so that these names from the past are not lost to the future. In that spirit, these pages are dedicated to the memory of my grandmother,
whose devotion to the family and its history got me started!
OUR MOM
Read Mom's EULOGY to see what I mean.
Tessa Marie Aardsma was born March 11, 2013 to Danielle Aardsma the daughter of Walter Aardsma and granddaughter of the late Joan Olson Aardsma. Little Tessa is five generations removed from her Swedish forebears the immigrants John Olson and Mathilda Bredberg.
Annalyse was born at 1:37 a.m. on October 21, 2010, the first child of Jenafer Ferrara and William Shevlin. She is the granddaughter of Dawn Ziemer and Michael Ferrara, a descendant of Pomeranian immigrants Martin Ziemer and Caroline Bonow, and of the native Prussians Fritz Heinrich and Theresa Roloff.
Born on October 4, 2010, at Palos Community Hospital was Savannah Rose, daughter of Jason Aardsma and Megean Blair, grandchild of Walter Aardsma and great-granddaughter of recently-departed Joan Olson Aardsma. Savannah Rose is five generations removed from her Swedish immigrant ancestors John Olson and Mathilda Bredberg.
July 19,2010, Duncan Luke came into the world of his parents, Eric and Shannon Wynstra Olson; his older sister Madeline; and his proud grandparents, Richard and Elaine Geelhood Olson. Duncan descends from Luther Olson and his forebears, immigrant ancestors John Olson and Mathilda Bredberg.
Feb. 13,2010, Ashlynn Joy was born to Doug and Jacquelyn Ipema DeJongh, daughter of Benjamin J. Ipema and granddaughter of Sharon Olson Ipema Lettinga and the late Henry Ipema. Ashlynn is descended from Luther Olson and his parents, immigrant ancestors John Olson and Mathilda Bredberg.
Born Jan, 24, 2010, Tayler is the first child of Heather Ferrara and Tony Schultz, granddaughter of Dawn Ziemer and Michael Ferrara. She is the 6th American-born generation descended from our immigrant ancestors Martin and Caroline Bonow Ziemer, and Frederick and Theresa Roloff Heinrich.
Loraine H. Schwartz, Joan L. Aardsma, Donald William Soldan, Alice M. Radovan Ziemer, Ruth Norway, Jacqueline Murphy, Evelyne Stoeckig, Pearl Soldan, Adeline Hennig, Shirlee Taylor, Jeffrey Ipema, Ruth Paula Gergolla, Bojan Mozina, Donald Martin Ziemer, Pearl Lydia Hoffman, Thomas J. Burke, Marilyn J. Warnke, Janice A. Vervlied, Ronald Lee Ziemer
See Obituaries
Press CONTENTS to see roots and branches of Ziemer's Tree
THE FAMILIES:
- ZIEMER ,
BONOW ,
and KRUCKOW
from Pomerania.
- Explore our POMERANIAN ROOTS
"Sweet Home Pomerania" DISCOVERED AT LAST -- The villages of Martin Ziemer and the Bonows in the Old Country. Marriage records have identified their homes in the decades before immigration to the U.S. - Rediscover the ZIEMERS in Chicago
- Browse through a Ziemer
Family Photo Album
We still look forward to a Ziemer family reunion with the "Lost Tribe" of North Side Ziemers - Glad to know they are growing and prospering!
-
BONOW, SCHNEIDER, MOLL, and ROEPKE
- Learn about the BONOWS OF CHICAGO
JUST POSTED! - Well, the true identity of "Buck" Bonow has proven elusive, but many of the Bonow Clan have been identified - including the Schneider, Roepke and Moll families who all lived as neighbors in the Fuller Park neighborhood of Chicago's South Side.
I am still hoping to connect with present-day descendants of Frederick Bonow and Louise Krueckow. - HEINRICH, HARDT, ROLOFF, BAER, GERGOLLA: East Prussia.
- Search for our PRUSSIAN ROOTS
- HEINRICHS and ROLOFFS in AMERICA Fritz Heinrich's Excellent Adventure and the Romance of Fritz and Theresa. The tale of Fritz's immigration adventures is also a story of young love; this tradition has always been a cornerstone of our family history. Some of the truth is revealed here. Also, find out about the relationship with the Gergolla and Zulewsky Families.
- Take a trip to SOUTH DAKOTA Visit the prairie land settled by our Roloff and Gergolla relatives in this photo essay and album.
- AT LAST! A PHOTO GALLERY OF THE HEINRICH FAMILY Includes photographs of the Roloffs, Zulewskys, and Gergollas as well as maps and pictures of the German homeland.
- HARDT Family Relatives of the Chicago Heinrichs We enjoyed our visit with Herbert HARDT of Fish Creek, WI during the summer of 2006. Herb is not only a great guy and fun to know, he's a wonderful storyteller, and has shed a lot of light on relations within our family and city life back in the 1920's and 30's.
- OLSON and BREDBERG from Sweden.
Swedish Ancestry of John OLSON and Mathilda BREDBERG- Photos and More: Öland Album and
Västergötland Album
- OLSONS From Michigan to Colorado - Descendants of Nels Alfred OLSON
- ECKLUNDS from Michigan and the Chicago Area - Descendants of Emma Christine OLSON and Adolph ECKLUND
- The Memoirs of Effie Lerner, "A Saga of Swedish Immigrants" Edited and Published Complete in 8 Chapters
- OLSON FAMILY OF CHICAGO: Descendants of John Olson and Mathilda Bredberg.
OLSON FAMILY PHOTO GALLERY
- RADOVAN, REDEK, and MOZINA from Slovenia.
- Discover our Slovenian Roots
- Maria Redek Radovan Zupan
See our
family's Celtic BRENNAN Connection in RESEARCH
Our German ancestors have left us with several mysteries -- perhaps someone out there can help?
- Carl Ziemer - could this be the father of Martin, our immigrant ancestor?
- M.I.A. -- Whatever Happened to Friedrich the Prussian? Friedrich Robert HEINRICH, the immigrant Fritz's father, was said to have died when Fritz was a year old. What happened to him?
- "Prussian Roots" pages explore the background of Fritz Heinrich and his parents, as well as the Roloff and Gergolla Families. But we still have not identified Carl Roloff's brickyard in Elbing or Augusta's home in Marienwerder.
- The Lost Grave of Carl Albert Roloff. Lost in a Dakota Territory blizzard? Eaten by wolves? Or just buried out on the prairie and forgotten? We may never know, but many details have come to light about the pioneering Roloffs and Gergollas. Read about them in HEINRICHS and ROLOFFS in America!
Our visit to Sweden led to the exciting rediscovery of the family in Öland -- but there is much more to research. Cousins Kjell Oscarson and Mildred Gröndin continue to come up with more items of interest, such as the old photos of the Olson family and Emma Christine. I've also been in touch with other Swedish-side relatives on the Olson line.
- Karl Bredburg's parents are still unknown
- More on the history of the Family Home at Askelunda in Öland
- The History and Genealogy of the ECKLUND Family from Charlevoix, Michigan is on line, but is always in need of updating.
- Likewise the History of the Nels Alfred Olson Family deserves attention - I still would like to contact descendants of John Olson's daughters.
- The History of John OLSON and Mathilda BREDBERG has been up and ready for viewing. Thanks to Richard Olson for always keeping me up to date.
- Radovan, The Runaway Overseer -- Louis's father was found at last! But what of the Radovans he left behind in Slovenia. I'd like to find some of the relatives on that side of the family.
THE LATEST FROM SLOVENIA -- I haven't heard much from our Mozina relatives since our cousin Bojan of Ljubljana passed away last year. We hope to keep up the relationship with brothers Joze and Tomaz and their families, as well as Bojan's children. I'm having a Trska Gora Slivovitz toast this Christmas to remember them all!
Last Updated on Sunday, 17-Mar-2013 16:17:02 MDT
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