Email From Gary Aden to Gary Aden

Email dated 11/1/2001     

      Sufficient data could be developed through research or the prior
efforts of others to develop narrative sections on the following
branches and twigs with special attention devoted to the  old world
roots and new world settlements of each, our pedigree line, any
patriotic( Daughters of the American Revolution, United Daughters of the
Confederacy, Daughters of the Republic of Texas) membership links,
websites, familial illness, family reunions, any old world or new world
geographically related sites of interest, and any literary reference(s)
or works: 

          I. ADEN BRANCH
              A. 1st degree twig: MECHLING
              B. 7th degree twig: LAUER
          II. ALLEN BRANCH
              A. 1st degree twig: YOUNG, HUN(t)SUCKER
              B. 2nd degree twig: BURLESON
              C. 3rd degree twig: CAMP
              D. 4th degree twig: RAGSDALE, OLLIVER
              E. 5th degree twig: TARPLEY, BARCLAY
              F. 6th degree twig: OLDHAM

      Information could not be developed, was incomplete, or could not
be substantiated on the following surnames, thus leaving plenty of work
for budding family genealogical researchers:

          I. ADEN BRANCH
              A. 2nd degree twig: WILTS, RUMBAUGH
              B. 3rd degree twig: HABBEN, EICHER
              C. 4th degree twig: SLONECKER, IMMEL
              D. 5th degree twig: THOMAS, FIETER
              E. 6th degree twig: HAMAN

          II. ALLEN BRANCH
              A. 3rd degree twig: BOGARD
              B. 4th degree twig: BROWN, STRINGFIELD
              C. 5th degree twig: BREWER, WISE, CHARLTON, GAGE
              D. 6th degree twig: JONES, BIDDLECOMBE, BARRON, MARSHALL,

BATTE, GREY
              E. 7th degree twig: WELTI, SHERWOOD, BRASSIEUR
              F. 8th degree twig: WILLIAMSON, EWENS, HEATHCOTE
             G. 9th degree twig: FARMER

      It should be stated for the sake of clarity and completeness that
not all surnames could be discovered even within the last several
generations and that those cited above are based upon the best available
information which may or may not conform to the traditional standards
and/or  requirements for  genealogical proof. For example, at the third
degree twig level, the surnames of the mothers of Hixsea
Wilts(1852-1894) and Malinda Rumbaugh( 1849-1884)  on  the Aden-Mechling
side and surnames of the mothers of Eliza Burleson( 1854-1893) and John
Albert Young    ( 1830-1889) on the Allen-Young side could not be
discovered. 

      From a familial illness standpoint, it is important to gather the
"proved" pedigrees of as many twigs as possible. One of the
disappointments of my research was failure to discover any further data
on the RUMBAUGH line as I came to strongly suspect that the colorectal
marker for colon cancer was introduced into the Aden line from this
pedigree. PROVED IS THE OPERATIONAL WORD HERE! Recently, Ross Pruden,
using a computer program and Gen-Connect on the Worldwide Web, has
presented a magnifying-glass-visible-only chart covering a pool table of
Martha Camp Allen's ( 1814-1906) pedigree which shows her to be a
descendant of Charlemagne( 742-813), Edward I "Longshanks"( 1238-1307),
Henry I "Beauclerc"( 1070-1138) and Fernando III Alfonso Castille(
1201-1252) to name a few of the many notables and Crowns of England,
Italy, Switzerland and Spain in her regal ancestorship( and mine as
well, if true). Obviously, lost records and inability to document such
data make these claims gist for cocktail parties more than genealogical
journals. Even generally accepted pedigrees may provoke controversy for
lack of documentation. For example, the marriage of Thomas Camp II(
1691-1751) and Mary Marshall Camp( 1697-1757) is generally accepted by
concensus, but lacks documentation. If true, then the Martha Camp Allen
descendants including yours truly are related by marriage to Chief
Justice John Marshall, Thomas Jefferson, Martha Custis and George
Washington. If untrue, well....
.
      Another disappointment was failure to successfully establish
William Allen's old world roots. I have not yet completely checked the
ship lists at Savannah and Charleston. Also, I recently learned that
some of his kind settled near Abbeyville, South Carolina for a time. I
am told by seasoned genealogists that it is the very nature of genealogy
that the job is never completed. 

      Conducting the research that led to the completion of the
narrative reports on the various pedigrees above was tedious, but
meaningful. When I had gone as far as I could go, I wrote an imaginary
itinerary through the old world roots and the new world settlements of
my forefathers utilizing the information that I had acquired. It begins
in Switzerland and goes up the Rhiine into Germany and East Frisia. I
then proceed to Hollland, England, Scotland and Ireland. In the New
World, I begin at Battery Park in Manhattan, then to Benson, Illinois,
western Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Virginia, North
and South Carolina, Georgia, Texas and finally end up in Montana. It is
unlikely I will ever take this trip. However, the joy of outlining the
itinerary and imagining what it might be like was reward enough in and
of itself. If you take this trip, reading the pedigree sections before
you go will enrich your experience. 

      I wish to acknowledge the contributions of those pioneer
chroniclers of the family history. On the Allen side, L.P. Allen
(1839-1914) gave me insight into the psychology of the early Allens in
America. On the Aden side, Hiyo Aden (1874-1961) and Fred Aden
(1890-1965) provided the basic beginnings of the Adens in America and
the hardships. Reverend J. W. B. Allen's (1819- 1890) book "Lessons for
Youth" (1883) set the tone for honest family biography as well as laying
out the remarkable story of his mother, Susannah "Susan" Olliver Allen
Bradley ( 1802-1885), which might well serve as the format for a
Hollywood movie. 

     Throughout, I readily consulted by the internet or with
correspondence with other researchers too numerous to mention. However,
I received special assistance from Betsey Dykes, Sally Jennings Aden
Hawkins, and Dwight Allen. 

      Gary Carl Aden, M. D. - original April 5, 2001- Revised: November
1, 2001