HANNB AND OUR SCHWARZWALDER BRANCHES

      The record shows that Hans Schuttenhelm moved from Nordlingen to Tubingen to advance his career and that his son, Heinricus, became a man of considerable influence in Tubingen and surrounding areas. As a graduate of Tubingen University, Heinricus caught the attention of Graf Eberhard im Bart, who rewarded for his work on the reunification of Wurttemberg with a great Coat of Arms and the position of Senior Judge. Thus, Heinricus' three sons- HannB, Burchard, and Georg- were blessed with a lot of social contacts and career options when they came of age. They could have followed in their father's footsteps and became lawyers themselves, or they could have followed in their grandfather's footsteps and pursued careers as master journeymen in one of the trades, but it seems that they became our first landowning farmers. We know that Heinricus' middle son was a Bauer (farmer) and that he died in Baiersbronn and that Heinricus' youngest son, Georg, was a Bauer who died in Dorhan sometime after 1562.
      It appears that farming land with tenants was in their best interest, and so it was with Heinrucus' oldest son, HannB, my 11x great-grandfather, who owned at least two farms in an area near Alpirsbach, Germany, which is in the heart of the Black Forest (Schwarzwald). We know this from a 1534 tax document in Alpirsbach which notes that "HannB Schuttenhelm and Jacob Ruoff, yearly renter, through their joint ownership of farms of Stueckhen and Guerttern" offered (among other things) "3 bushels of grain, ten hens, 9 chickens and 'joyful gift money' in the amount of 14 Batzen." (see Wilson, pg. 33) HannB Schuttenhelm lived in the Vogelsberg Congregation of the 24 Farms at Apirsbach, and he is the first recorded Schuttenhelm in the Black Forest. He is also the progenitor of the Schwarzwald line of Schittenhelms, which according to Wilson (pg.32), represents more than 75% of the Schittenhelms in Europe today.
      HannB was the first farmer in our family. He started the Schwarzwald branch of our family... and his three sons broke off into three distinct branches from there. HannB (HannB's first son) started the Vogelsberg branch of the family, which suggests that he stayed in the Alpirsbach area and may have even inherited his father's farms; HannB's son. Heinrich, started the Gruntal branch of our family (Gruntal is 12 miles north of Alpirsbach); and HannB's youngest son, Wilhelm, my 10x great-grandfather, moved to Aach, Germany (which is within walking distance of the Swiss border) and started the Aach branch of our family.
      HannB's son, Heinrich Schuttenhelm, is one of my great uncles and his descendants are my first cousins (many times removed of course). Many of these cousins were quite successful in their lives, becoming Mayors and Judges in their own right, The same thing can be said for "uncle" HannB's family. His progeny are also cousins of mine and perhaps yours too. Read Jean Sheathelm Wilson's book and you will be blessed to see some of what they accomplished... but to make my work somewhat manageable, I will focus primarily on Friedrich Schittenhelm's direct ancestors because he the Immigrant who brought us to America, Therefore we will turn our attention to Wilhelm Schuttenhelm and his descendants as we turn our attention to Generation 6 of the Schuttenhelm/Schittenhelm/ Shedenhelm family.
      As a minister myself, I can't leave the 16th century behind without mentioning the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation that affected the lives of most, if not all, Germans throughout the century. Religion is a sensitive subject in our own time, but it was downright sacred in HannB's time. HannB was alive when Martin Luther started the biggest theological fire that the world had ever seen by nailing his 95 theses to the door of a church in Wittenberg, in protest to the practices that he thought were contaminating the Catholic church. The Pope immediately labeled Luther's protestations as heresy and the fight was on. Luther went into hiding the better part of a year, but his teaching spread through much of Germany, dividing its regions into Catholic and Lutheran. Since the rule at the time was that the citizens of any region or state would worship as their ruler worshiped, many people who had been Catholic forever... became Lutheran overnight! And if their ruler died or was overthrown, the same citizens might well become Catholic again. It was a chaotic time and HannB's sons lived to see Europe's religious differences lead to war. We don't know how much our ancestors were affected by the Reformation (it must have been a lively topic in a University town like Tubingen), but we do know that, while Wittemberg opted for Lutheranism early on, its citizens were free to worship as their consciences dictated, especially if they were Catholic or Lutheran.
   

The Schwarzwald (Black Forest)

Alpirsbach

 

Heinricus Schuttenhelm... and our first coat of arms

       Hans Schuttenhelm's son, Heinricus, was a talented and impressive man. He was born before 1455 and he died after 1500, which means that he witnessed the birthing of the Renaissance in Germany and the dying of the Medieval period in history.
      Universities were appearing in Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries and in 1477 the University of Tubingen was founded by Graf Eberhart V (which is the same year he expelled all Jews from Wurttemberg). In any event, the university he founded exists to this day and the record shows that a list of its alumni includes men like Johannes Kepler, Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Hans Kung, Paul Tillich, and Heinricus Schuttenhelm. Schuttenhelm must have been a early graduate of the university and it is evident that he became a highly skilled lawyer because Graf Eberhart entrusted him with the task of providing the legal framework required to reunite the two divided parts of Wurttemberg, Germany. The record also shows that Count Eberhart im Bart rewarded Heinricus (whose name is a Latinized version of Heinrich) in three powerful ways: 1) he appointed Heinricus to the position of Senior Judge, which gave him substantial legal power; 2) he gave Heinricus the title of Ritter, that is Knight; and 3) rewarded him with a great coat of arms, which took its "Schildfigur" from the previously mentioned White Horse Tower.
   

      The family coat of arms, originally awarded to Heinricus Schuttenhelm in Stuttgart, Wuerttemberg in 1482. The family motto is "Shuns Vice like Poison," and the unicorn, a symbol of untamable power, was clearly based on the White Horse that Master Heinrich Schuttenhelm painted on the tower at Lauingen. Although German heraldry was not restricted to royalty, it was a significant recognition and something to take pride in. However, it should not blind us to Heinricus' work as a lawyer or the influence and power he would have wielded as a Senior Judge. It seems that Heinricus' father may have been a Master Builder in more ways than one.
      Interested readers should read Laurence M. Wilson's explanation of German coat of arms and the Schittenhelm coat of arms, in particular. Continuing a trend that we've grown accustomed to, Heinricus' wife's name is unknown to us. However, we do know that, together, they had three sons: HannB, who is the first Schuttenhelm ever recorded in the Black Forest; Burkhard, and Georg, all of whom became farmers. Together, they constitute the 5th generation of Shuttenhelm's.

Master Builders and Painters- Generation 3

      In the 3rd generation of the Schuttenhelm/Schittenhelm family, the story continues to unfold in and around Nordlingen, Bavaria. Details about our ancestors are sketchy of course, but the record shows that they continued to do well in their chosen fields of work. Given the growing power of the trades in Germany and the control which guilds exercised over the trades, it is not surprising that Konrad's and Claus' sons continued to make good livings as journeymen and master craftsmen.
      Claus had two sons to our knowledge. Caspar was his first-born and he made his living as a goldsmith. This seems a bit ironic since one of the main theories concerning the etymology of our surname is that the "Schutten" comes from the schutten (pours) that were used in the mining of gold. Caspar's younger brother, Ulrich, lived and presumably died in Nordlingen, but we know nothing else about him.
      On the other hand, Cunz (Konrad) had three sons, two of which left their marks in ways that have lasted to this day. Cunz's first son was Heinrich, was named after his grandfather, He was born before 1410 in Nordlingen and died after 1454 in Lauingen, Bavaria, which is 25 miles south of Nordlingen. Heinrich earned his living as a Baumeister (master builder) and as a Mahler (painter artist), and it appears that he fared very well. We know, for instance, that he painted the White Horse that gave the well-known Schimmelturn (White Horse Tower) in Lauingen, Bavaria its name. In addition, it is likely that Heinrich also painted the hospital in Lauingen and it is speculated that he also built the annex and cloister at Alpirsbach (see Wilson, pg. 21).
     However it was Henrich's youngest brother, Hans, who built the Schimmelturn (pictured below), and it is also suspected that Hans built the cloisters at the ancient monastery at Bebenhausen, which is on the edge of Tubingen, Germany, where Hans Schuttenhelm died sometime after 1455.

Monastery in Alpirsbach

Monastery in Bebenhausen

Monastery at Alpirsbach

Bebenhausen

WHITE HORSE TOWER
LAUINGEN, BAVARIA
BUILDER- HANS SCHUTTENHELM
PAINTER- HEINRICH SCHUTTENHELM

Tubingen on the Neckar River

      Peter Schuttenhelm was Konrad's middle son. He (born bef. 1414- died aft. 1444) was a painter/artist (Mahler). There is no reason to doubt that he wasn't every bit as talented as his brothers, but we don't know anything else about him, In sum, Caspar, Ulrich, Heinrich, Peter, and Hans constituted the 3rd generation of our family tree. Four of the five men stayed in Nordlingen, but Hans found his way to Tubingen, where his son, Heinricus, would be reared, go to college, make a name for himself, and be awarded the first Shedenhelm Coat of Arms!

CUNZ UND CLAUS SCHUTTENHELM- OUR 2ND GENERATION

CUNZ UND CLAUS

 The 2nd Generation of Our Family

                                                                   

      The world in the 15th century was filled with the same sort of breakthroughs and tragedies that we experience today. It was good and evil. It was filled with political intrigue as powerful ruling families struggled to grasp or maintain control, or there were also class struggles as peasants and an emerging "middle class" fought for a greater share of wealth. There were too many battles to recount or even keep track of and there were significant economic and social changes as well.  Cities were growing throughout Europe. Skilled labor was in demand and guilds protected their grip on the markets. Business owners and skilled technicians acquired greater wealth than they had known before and they also began to acquire political power, especially at the local level. Even a cursory glance at the history of the time reminds us that: 1) Jan Hus was ex-communicated by the Church in 1410 for espousing unorthodox views; 2) Constantinople fell to Ottoman forces in 1453, closing a land route to international trade that had been used for centuries; 3) Jews were forced our of Erfurt, Germany (where Luther attended college) in 1458, after their homes were taken from them and sold; and 4) the Gutenberg Bible became the first book printed with moveable type in 1455. It is unlikely that these world events affected the daily lives of our ancestors much- any more than they affect ours today- but it is important and helpful to keep things in context,
      Having said that, we will turn our attention to our family tree. Cunz (Konrad) Schuttenhelm is my 14th great-grandfather and it is not surprising that his father, Heinrich (Haincz) named him Konrad because Henrich and Konrad were two of the most popular first names in the Middle Ages. Konrad died in Nordlingen, Bavaria circa 1436. It appears that he was a successful painter (Mahler) because the record shows that he painted the frescoes in St. Salvador Church in Nordlingen Bavaria (shown below). We don't know that name of Konrad's wife. or the names of many of our distant female ancestors for that matter, because they're lost to history. Therefore, our family tree will not reflect our maternal lines for some time to come.

St. Salvator Church- Nordlingen

      Cunz's brother, Claus, died in Nordlingen some time after his brother did. We don't know what Claus did for a living, but it is likely that, like his father and his brother, he was also involved in one of the trades. Details of their lives are sketchy of course, but it appears that they made comfortable livings within the context of their times.They was tradesmen at a time when tradesmen were in demand. They were in a location where trade was a large part of the economy and the record shows that their children had successful careers of their own.
   

THE VOCATIONS WE FOLLOWED

      Recently, a relative asked me if we had any blacksmiths in our family tree, and I couldn't answer the question without doing a little research. So I reread Wilson's wonderful book on the "Descendants of Haincz Schutenhelm" and reviewed my own records in search of a blacksmith. Here is a summary of what I found about the jobs that the Schuttenhelms/Schittenhelms/Shedenhelms have held and the vocations that they have followed... since 1400.

Heinrich...SCHNEIDER (TAILOR)
Cunz...MAHLER (PAINTER-ARTIST)
Heinrich...MAHLER AND BAUMEISTER (MASTER BUILDER)
Peter...MAHLER
Hans...MAHLER
Caspar...GOLDSCHMIED (GOLDSMITH)

      Nordlingen was a center of trade in its day and many of our earliest ancestors (cited above) were involved in it.

Heinricus...OBERRICHTER (SENIOR JUDGE)
Burkhard...BAUER/FARMER
Heinrich...MULLER (MILLER) AND GROSSHANDEL (MAYOR)
Wilhelm...BAUER
Wendell...RICHTER (JUDGE)
Matthias...BAUER
Philipp...MAYOR OF AACH
Michael...BAUER AND MULLER
Philipp...MAYOR AND JUDGE
Adam...BAUER
Cyriacus...BAUER

      By the 1600s the most popular variation of our surname became Schittenhelm. Also, during this same time period, most of our ancestors were farmers- which held the top place among our family's chosen occupation until quite recently (and it still might). Also, please notice our family's involvement in civic service. They were mayors, city officials, and judges for generations in Germany and they continued to be involved in local government in places like Tiffin, Ohio and Ladora, Iowa. Finally, it is plain to see that many of our ancestors held two jobs or more.

Heinrich... METZGER (BUTCHER) AND MAYOR
Hann der Beck... BACKER (BAKER)
Johannes...BAUER AND KIRCHENPFLEGER (CHURCH CARETAKER)
Johannes W....WEBER (WEAVER)
Johannes...SAGER (SAWYER/LUMBERJACK)
Georg...SCHUHMACHER (SHOEMAKER)
Michael... FLOSSER (RAFTSMAN)
Cyriacus...WAGNER (COACH BUILDER AND WHEEL MAKER)
Johann Ludwig...WEINGARTNER (VINE PRESSER)
Johann Jacob...FORSTER (FOREST RANGER)
Adam...RESTAURATEUR (RESTAURANT MANAGER)
Jerg...BAUER UND GASTWIRTH (INNKEEPER)
Johann...ARBEITER (LABORER)
Jakob...ERBLEHENSBESTANDER (OVERSEER OF CASTLE PROPERTY)
Matthias...ERBPACHTER (HEREDITARY TENANT)
Friedrich...BAUER AND FLOSSER
David...FLOSSER, SACKWALTER (LAWYER), ZIMMERMANN (CARPENTER)

      A lot of research. Hundreds, even thousands, of names... but not a single blacksmith! Finally, I came to our family in America and I had better luck. The Shedenhelms/Sheetenhelms/Shetenhelms have been predominantly farmers since they arrived in America- in Maryland, Ohio, Iowa, Michigan, and wherever they have been. They pursued farming as a vocation, but in recent years, that has changed. Many of our family members have pursued careers as teachers, counselors, store managers, and businessmen and women. Others have become artists, musicians, publishers, entrepreneurs, computer wizards, and even ministers. Our vocations are as diverse as the workplace itself... and the record shows that we have two members of our family tree who were (at least part-time) blacksmiths! One of these was John Sheetenhelm, grandson of Jakob Sheetenhelm, George Shedenhelm's older brother. The other is Grafton Shedenhelm's older brother, Levi Adam, who joined the Rosenberger wagon train... as they moved from Ohio to Ladora, Iowa in 1853. Once he had settled in Ladora, the record shows that Levi Adam was a farmer, teacher, storekeeper, stagecoach station manager... and a BLACKSMITH. Can I get an "amen!"

SHEDENHELM-SIMMONS ANCESTRY- 1st FIVE GENERATIONS

SHEDENHELM-SIMMONS ANCESTRY

Ancestor’s Names             Dates of Birth            Place of Birth

Grandparents* (2)

Clarence M Shedenhelm               1883                           Seneca Co., Ohio

Myrene Simmons                          1887                           Marengo, Iowa

Great-Grandparents (4)

Joshua M Shedenhelm                   1861                           Seneca Co., Ohio

Elizabeth Johnson                          1857                           Burgoon, Ohio

Mervin A Simmons                       1843                           Edinburgh, MD

Mary V. Agnew                             1845                           Emmitsburg, MD

2^nd Great-Grandparents (8)

Grafton M Shedenhelm                 1813                           Apple Ridge, MD

Catherine M Schall                        1825                           West Virginia

Henry Johnson                              1817                            Jackson, Ohio

Isablle (Johnson)                           1827                           Ireland

Baker H Simmons                         1827                            Frederick Co., MD

Teresa Ann Jarboe                         1828                            Frederick Co., MD

John Agnew                                   1818                           Emmitsburg, MD

Catherine Redmond                       1825                           Frederick Co., MD

3^rd Great-Grandparents (16)

George Shedenhelm                      1778                           Frederick, MD

Catherine Lease                             1785                           Hagerstown, MD

“John” David Schall                      1795                           Jefferson Co., WV

Jane Margaret Blue                       1797                           Jefferson Co., WV

Isaac Johnson                                1780                                                                                      

Sarah Huff                                     1786                                                              

John Howard Simmons                  1771                           Maryland

Eleanor Howard                             1769                           Charles Co., MD

William B Jarboe                           1796                           Frederick Co., MD

Loretta Atwood                              1801                           Mayland

John Agnew                                   1777                           Pennsylvania

4^th Great-Grandparents (32)

FREDERICK SCHITTENHELM**1733                                       Aach, Germany

Maria Barbara (Schittenhelm)          1756

Jacob Lease                                      1755                                       Frederick Co., MD

Dorothy Davis                                  1755                                       Frederick Co., MD

Nicholas Schall                                 1764                                       Hecktown, PA

Elizabeth Benner                              1764                                       Jefferson Co., WV

John Salter Blue                               1765                                       Harlingen, NJ

Hannah O’Nann                               1767                                       Berkley Co., WV

Benjamin Johnson                            1749                                       Kent Co., RI

Mary Winsor                                    1755                                       Providence, RI

Samuel Simmons                             1737                                        Frederick Co., MD

Belinda Ford                                    1748                                       Baltimore City, MD

Baker Howard                                 1738                                        Charles Co., MD

Anne Phillips                                   1740                                        Queen Anne’s, MD

Raphael Jarboe                                1770                                        St. Mary’s Co., MD

Catherine Barnes                             1766              

John Atwood                                 c1755

Teresa Combs                                  1772

(Judge) John Agnew                       1732                                        Gettysburg, PA

5^th Great-Grandparents (64)

Friedrich Schittenhelm                   1704                                        Aach, Germany

Anna Schuhmacher                                                                        Dietsweiler, Germany

JACOB LEASE SR.                       1730                                       Baden-Wuettemberg, 

Samuel Davis                                 1730

NiICHOLAS SCHALL II              1734                                       Baden-Wuerttemberg

ANNA BECK                                1738                                       Oberriexingen, Germany

John Benner                                   1737                                       York, Pennsylvania

Anna Livingston                            1740                                       York, Pennsylvania

John Blue                                       1740                                       Blauwenberg, NJ

Catherin Sortore                             1748                                       Millstone, NJ

Dennis O’Nan, Jr                           1742                                       Haycock, Virginia

Isaac Johnson                                 1721                                       Kent Co., RI

Alice Spencer                                 1720                                       Kent Co., RI

Rev. Josiah Winsor                        1713                                       Glocester, RI

Deborah Mathewson                      1714                                      Provdience, RI

         

Abraham Simmons                        1710                                       Maryland

Abigail West                                  1723                                      Maryland

John Ford                                       1720                                      Baltimore, MD

Ruhannah Howard                         1725                                      Baltimore, MD

John Howard                                  1690                                      Pocomoke, MD

Rebecca Brooke                             1709                                      Brookfield, MD

John Baptiste Jarboe                      1731                                      Leonardtown, MD

Elizabeth Abell                              1740                                      Maryland

Abraham Barnes                                                                          Maryland

Catherine Rousby                                                                        Maryland

James Atwood                                1740                                     St. Mary’s Co., MD

Henrietta Jarboe

William Combs

Mary Elizabeth Hatton

James Agnew                                 1711                                    Gettysburg, PA

Margaret Ochiltree                         1715                                    Pennsylvania

SHEDENHELM-SIMMONS NOTABLE ANCESTORS

SHEDENHELM-SIMMONS NOTABLE ANCESTORS

      At our recent family reunion, someone asked me to mention a few of our “famous” ancestors and I was unprepared to answer the question- in part because I haven’t thought about this issue for quite awhile- and in part because “famous” is a loaded word. Still, it is a fair question, and beyond the hard-working men and women who are the backbone of our family... there are more than a few people who either earned, or were handed, a certain measure of fame. Many of these direct ancestors- but not all- are listed below/

Through the Shedenhelms, Schall’s and Hatzfeldt’s (note that Catherine Malinda Schall was Grafton Shedenhelm’s wife)

Charlemagne-16ggp-aka “Charles the Great” and “The Father of Europe”-died 28 January, 784- united a large part of Europe and laid foundation for Germany and France. my 36x great-grandfather
King Pepin i- 36th ggp- King of Franks
King Pepin II “The Short”- “Peppin der Kleine”- 37th ggp- Charles’ father
St. Gisela of Bavaria- 26th ggm- died 1065-daughter of Henry II, Duke of Bavaria, married King Stephen I of Hungary
Arnulf “the bad”- 32 ggp- died 14 July 537- said to have been “energetic and combative”
Heinrich “The Proud” of Bavaria- 25th ggf- 20 January 1139 in Ravensburg, Baden- Wuerttemberg, Germany
King Hermann de Salm- 27th ggf- died 1088
Emperor Berengar I- 34th ggf- Emperor of Holy Roman Empire, as are the others Emperor Conrad II of Bavaria- 32nd ggf- died 992- King of Burgundy, Italy, and Germany
Count Johann Drachenfels- 16ggf
Emperor Otto I der grosse- 32nd ggf- died 973 in Membien, Germany

Through the Shedenhelm-Agnew’s
First a word about the Agnew’s themselves. We are blessed with an unbroken “string” of Agnews from grandmother, Myrene (Agnew) Simmons to William d’Aignell, born 1290. The Agnews were hereditary

Sheriffs of Lochnaw, Scotland, for centuries and they were well integrated with the elite and royal families of their time.

King Robert ! of Scotland- 20ggp- aka “Robert the Bruce” King Robert II of Scotland- 19ggp- aka “Robert the Stewart” King Robert III- 18thggp- aka “Fiery Face”
King James I- aka “Black Knight”-16thggp- 1349-1437
King James II-17thggp- 1430-1460
King James III-18thggp- 1451-1488
King James IV-19thggp- 1473-1513- died in Battle of Flodden

Through the Simmons’ and Duvall’s (Mervin Simmons is my maternal great grandfather. It seems we are related to the royal Stewarts through 2 family lines. The Duvals and the Simmons were both respected Maryland families. The Simmons immigrated from England and the Duvalls immigrated from France).

King Robert Stewart II
King Robert de Brus I- 26th ggf
King Robert de Brus II “The Cadet”- 25th ggf Robert Brasseur “The French Hugenot”- 10th ggf King James I
King James II
King James III

Through the Simmon’s and Howard’s* (note that the Howard’s ancestry is in dispute when it reaches the Arundels)

King John “Jack” Lackland of England- 21st ggf, 1166-1216
King Henry II Plantagenet of England- 22nd ggf, 1133-1189
William the Conqueror- 23ggf- 1028-1087.
Also known as “William the Bastard,” he was the descendant of Viking raiders. King Hugh Capet of France- 27th ggf- 961-996
King Fulk V of Jerusalem- 24th ggf- 1092-1143
King Arnulf II- 28th ggf. Also known as Arnulf der Schlimme “The Bad”

Through Simmons and Wests
There are many “Knights” in our family and more than a few Sheriffs, but I can’t help but think of Robert Markham chasing Friar Tuck and Little John through Nottingham forest. Knights of the Bath took baths of purification before they were knighted. Knights of the Garter received the highest order of chivalry in the Medieval world.

Sir Thomas Lyttleton- 14th ggp- 1421-1481-Knight of the Bath Sir Robert Markham- High Sheriff of Nottingham

Through the Shedenhelms, Leases, and Davis’
Catherine Lease is my 3x ggm. She was married to George Shedenhelm of Maryland and many of her relatives married Shedenhelms in the early years of our family in America, Catherine’ mother was Dorothy Davis.

Crinan de Mormaer “The Hound”- 29th ggf- lay abbot of monastery of Dunkeld. Established the House of Dunkeld, which ruled Scotland for 250 years.
King Harald “Bluetooth” Gormsson- 36th ggf- King of Denmark and Norway. “The Viking King.” Called “Bluetooth” because of his ability to unite people.
King David I “Saint of Scotland”- 25th ggf, 1183-1253
King Henry of Scotland- 24th ggp- 1114-1152
King David II of Scotland- 23ggf- last male of House of Bruce

Through Shedenhelms/Johnson
Elizabeth Johnson is my paternal great-grandmother. She was married to Joshua Shedenhelm, and she is linked to any number of historical figures, including the men and women who founded America.

King Amyntas, Tetrach of Galatia- 63rd ggf-died 370BC
King Clovis I- 42nd ggf- 466-511- first King of Francs to unite all tribes Sir John Field “The Astonomer”- 10th ggf- 1512-1587proto Copernican Sir Wm. Mowbray, Crusader and Signer of Magna Charta- 26ggf
King Louis I of France- 34ggp- 778-840, aka “The Pious,” “The Fair” King Richard “le bon”- 30th ggf- engaged in War of the Roses

King Richard “The Fearless”- 31ggf- 993-996- owned all land in Normandy
King Wm. “Longsword” Beauclerc- 32nd ggf, 893-942, born to Viking King, Rollo King Rolo Rognvaldsson- 33rd ggf- 846-932- “The Viking King”
King Dagobert I- 38th ggf, 603-639, last Merovingian King with real power Empress Scibina Libo- 65th ggf, before 16AD-47AD, Father was stabbed to death by Tiberius in 16AD
King Flavius Ricimer, Chieftan of the Suevi- 44th ggf, 405-472, ruled through puppet emperors

DIRECT AMCESTORS IN COLONIAL AMERICA
Our family was deeply involved in Colonial America, especially, but not exclusively, in the north. Since the Shedenhelms, Schalls, and our Maryland ancestors were not in America during that time period, the following ancestors stem mostly from the Simmons, the Johnsons, and branches that come from them.

MY 8TH GREAT GRANDPARENTS
Rev. Roger Williams, 1603-1683, advocate for separation of church and state, and founder of Rhose Island.
Maj. John Greene, 1620-1707, deputy governor of Rhode Island
Phillip Sherman, 1610-1687, left Mass. Bay colony because of his dedication to yjr religious beliefs of Anne Hutchinson and then founded Portsmouth, RI.
Roger Mowry, 1612-1666, settled in Salem in 1628 and operated the first tavern John Rice, 1646-1731
Joshua Winsor, 1618-1679
Rev. William Wilkinson, 1612-1663, Virginia
Commodore Robert Brooke, 1602-1655. Brooke, who was wealthy in the first place, acquired 8,000 acres in Maryland
My 9th GREAT GRANDPARENTS
Roger Amidon, 1614-1673, French Hugenot who was an early settler in Salem and he received a distribution of land there in 1637
Dr. John Greene, the first settler in Warwick, Rhode Island
Captain John Johnson, 1590-1659, landed in Salem on June 22, 1630

Randall Holden, 1612-1692, co-founder of Warwick and Portsmouth, RI

Capt. John Whipple, 1617-1685, treasurer and clerk of Provdience, RI
Thomas Olney, 1600-1682, arrived on the ship, “Planter,” banished from Salem in 1638 for his religious views
Captain William Holbrook, 1620-1699, called “captain” and “deacon”