Email From Gary Aden to Gary Aden
Email Dated 6/25/2001

      CHILDREN OF HEYE AND CENTE HABBEN ADEN(from incomplete data
supplied by Hiyo Aden's 1936 Report on the Family, Fred Aden family
history and miscellaneous records in Woodford County, Illinois)

          i. Ella^Etta(1839 Prussia-1930 ? Illinois)-never married.

          ii. John( ? Prussia- 1889 Illinois)-married to Sena
Wilts^Wiltz; died of appendicitis. 

          iii. Anna/ Antje(1848 Prussia- ?  ?)-married March 3, 1876 to
Thomas Garrels; mother of John Aden of Clayton, born 1864 out of
wedlock, and raised as Heye's own son. 

          iv. Eilt/Eirt( ? 1848 Prussia- ? Illinois or Nebraska)-
married to  December 3, 1874 to ? Hilke Peters. 

          v. Mimke^Memke(4/9/1849 near Jever, Prussia-12/12/1913 Hemet,
Riverside County, California) married January 3, 1873 to Hiskea^Hixsea
Katherine "Katie"  Wilts^Wiltz.

         vi. Rachel/Gretje(1853 Pruss ia- 1937 Bruming, Nebraska) married
January 18, 1872 to Jacob Reinholz; no children. 

         vii. Katie^Trintze(1/6/1856 Prussia- 1/25/1927 ? Illinois)
married January 22, 1877 to Jost Schoeder); died of "stroke." 

       viii. Hobbo^Habbo(1862 Prussia- 1898 Illinois or Nebraska). 

          ix. Heyo J.^Heie(6/5/1861 Prussia- ?  Sidney, Nebraska)-never
married. 

           x. John Aden of Clayton(1864-1888) married Katie Doorn(See
iii. above and comments below).

      Records at Saint Peter's Lutheran Church, Route 1, Benson,
Woodford County, Illinois 61516 show that Heye Aden signed the church
registry as follows: Heye J. Aden giving his place of birth as
OSTCHD--ZON, OSFFRIESLAND[letters omitted because they were illegible}
and cause of death was filled in with DELIRIUM bLANDUM( in fiber
Jeffernsa). Centa Aden, geb. HABBEN< geb. den 5th Jan. 1819
Germany<Married to Heye Aden<(Died) October 14, 1875< Cause of Death=
Nerven Fieber. 

       The town  in Lower Saxony with a spelling even close to the town
spelled above is OCHTERSUM, OSTFRIESLAND 26449, pop. 402. The town has a
city hall and is a 30 minute drive from Bremen. A railroad is located
five miles away in the town of Esens. Even if this is not the town we
seek as the birthplace of our progenitor, it is certainly in the
neighborhood. Of course, all the towns mentioned, especially Jever, are
close to Bremen and the jumping off place, so to speak, for the NEW
WORLD  and New Opportunity while avoiding the wars that had entangled
Europe and would eventually threaten the entire world. 

      The cemetery across the road contains the remains of our
foebearer. A large, polished, granite, obelisk with the name ADEN at its
base stands out. Closer inspection shows the inscription to read HIYE J.
ADEN< GEB< DEN 25. SEPT. 1817< GEST < DEN 7. APR. 1894

       I have no idea whether this headstone is original or not, but it
looks like it could have been placed there yesterday. There is no sign
that any other immediate relatives are buried nearby although other
Adens are buried in the cemetery. 

       The old world morality of Heye and Centa was tested when Anna,
their second eldest daughter, became pregnant out of wedlock by a man
from Clayton. Heye compelled his daughter to return home and undertook
raising the child himself. This son became known as John Aden of
Clayton. Eventually, Anna married the father of the child, but Heye
continued the child rearing. My Nebraska sources imply that this was a
very embarrassing episode in the family's new world beginnings. 

       Currently, efforts are underway to cooperate with the Ellis
Island Memorial Foundation to either honor Heye and his family's
immigration to America with a plaque containing our progenitor's name on
it or placing the Aden pedigree line on the list of contributors. The
question has arisen in light of the conflicting spellings of Heye's
first name as to how it should read. By way of review, his 1870
Declaration of Intent to become a citizen shows a spelling of Heye with
two dots over the y; Janssen with two "s" and a coma over the second
"s"). His signature on the paper bears the same spelling and
annotations. His will in 1892 show a spelling of Heye Jansen Aden, the
annotations are not there and it looks like he dropped one "s" in his
middle name. Another observer has opined that the Hiye spelling might
have been a misinterpretation of a skinny "e" with the two dots over the
"y" looking like a loosely dotted "i". So I think we'll just go with the
Americanized version- HEYE JANSEN ADEN.