Descendents honor area's founding families

Descendents honor area's founding families

BY CONNIE MCFALL CLARK Star Contributor

Descendants of Kendall County’s founders and early settlers gathered at St. John Lutheran Church on Saturday to participate in the 23rd annual First Families Celebration.

The purpose of the program, hosted by the Genealogical Society of Kendall County, is to recognize direct living descendants of persons instrumental in the founding and settling of the area and to preserve the history of their families.

This year, 12 families were inducted. Their ancestors settled in Kendall County prior to December 31, 1862, known as “founders,” or between January 1, 1863, and December 31, 1900, known as “early settlers.”

Kathryn Adam-Hurst’s family, from founders Conrad Adam and Adalbertha Bergmann, included 12 adults and children, the largest single turnout this year.

“Our family has continued to grow,” Adam-Hurst said. “I am a second-generation great-granddaughter, and we have today the third and fourth generation great-grandsons.

We come to this event every year to honor our first families.”

The presenters, usually a family member, provided names and dates, family histories, various documentation like land grants and birth certificates, and photos of the family.

There were a lot of interesting stories told about family members who died from Indian attacks; a livestock brand 5-5 of a Comfort family who settled in 1855 that is still being used today by four families; a Welfare postmaster in 1886; and a family that was part of the first wave of immigrants with German Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels.

Other Founders recognized were August Gustav Vogt I and Anna Werner; Heinrich Seidensticker and Juliana Saur; Andrew Wilson and Nancy Elizabeth Brashear; Johann Carl “Charles” Bonnet and Anna Elise Klemm; Christian Kaiser; Mathais Baumann and Anna Katherine Hutzler; Ignatz Minnich and Barbara Kindler; and Anton Bohnert and Federicke Schellhase.

Early settlers recognized were Gottfried Knoepfli and Justine Helene Groenke; Heinrich Phillip Christian Schwethelm and Teresa Kleck; and Otto Rust and Wilhelmine Dorothea Bartels.

Jan Carr, a Texas transplant, is president of the Genealogical Society this year.

“I’ve been into genealogy for 60-plus years and when I found this group, I knew I was home,” Carr said. “It is a great thing to remember those who went before us.”

The First Families recognition project began in 1999. Thus far, 586 applications have been approved for 318 different individuals -- 170 “Founders” and 104 “Early Settlers” have been documented and recognized. They represent 135 different families in Kendall County.

There are 262 volumes of First Families notebooks on the shelves at the Family History Place. Hal Harwell, Genealogical Society chairman, acted as host for the day.

“Individuals from newly discovered first families apply each year,” Harwell said, “and if authenticated, are inducted.”