Elsdon Smith in his book, New Dictionary of American Family Names, defines EIGNER as a Germanic name meaning " the peasant with a freehold, that is, land on which he did not pay rent." Smith does not list only common names and the fact that he includes this name at all means that there must be a number of us around. And since he does not include variant spellings I believe we can safely work with this definition of "our" name until another definition is found. THE EYGNER NAME IN AMERICA PRIOR TO 1790 The earliest records that fellow researchers and I have found in North America are concerning one PETER EYGNER who is listed in "Ration Lists of Palatine Heads of Families, June 1710 to September 1714" here in New York state. This EYGNER family resided in West Camp (near present day Kingston), Ulster County, New York and consisted of PETER, his wife and two children. His name appears as PETER EGNER on the "Colonial Census of 1710" for the same location. While PETER'S name appears on these early records of German immigrants from an area known as the Palatinate, no record of his emigration from Europe has presently been found. But church records show an obvious affiliation with this group since PETER and his family sponsored and baptized children from 1714 to 1718 in Palatine areas under the names, AIGNER, AIGNOR and EIGNER. Records for the period of the 1720's are scarce for this family but by this time other families with similar names were arriving in America. JOHN MATHIAS EGNER or EIGENER is listed as arriving in Philadelphia in 1727 and starting a family which is mentioned in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania records. JOHANNES AEGENDER arrived from Switzerland in 1731 again in Philadelphia and settled briefly in Allentown, Pennsylvania before moving to Rowan County, North Carolina. A correspondent has written to us that a JAMES AGNEW also arrived around this time from County Down, Ireland and started a family in Pennsylvania whose name would become AGNER when they settled in Greenville, South Carolina. Back in New York state family records appear under EIGENER, EIGINER and EIGNER. In the 1740's additional A's were added to the name in New York changing it to EIGENAAR or EYGENAAR. By the 1750's there appear to be a number of families with similar names on colonial census records ranging from EIGENAER in New York; AGNER, AIGNER and EGNAR in Maryland; to EGNOR, EGNORUM, and perhaps EIGAR and EICHINGER in Pennsylvania. Henry Jones of the Palatine Families to New York has suggested that one of the early PETER's sons purchased land in the 1760's under the name of JEGENER which leads to an even greater number of possible names. While military records for the period use the name EYGENAER. Descendants bearing our or similar family names obviously were caught up in the spirit of revolt sweeping America in the 1770's. The Daughters of the American Revolution's "Patriot Index" includes two individuals of our name, PETER EGGENAAR of NY and HENRY EIGNER of PA. Local records reveal even more names. Here in New York there are thirteen listings for EYGENAERS serving from Ulster County and two EGGENERS from neighboring Orange County. Records from the National Archives show the following variants for PETER's name alone; EGGENAAR, EGGNOR, EIGENER, EYGENAAR and EYGENER. In addition a bicentennial study of Hessian troops in America during the American Revolution done by the St. Louis Genealogical Society reveal a number of similar names. There were three EIGENAUERS serving in America from Germany as well as an ANTON EIGNER from Bohemia. Supposedly these soldiers returned to Europe with the exception of one CONRAD EIGNEAUER who deserted and settled in upstate Herkimer County, New York. Further information on the large family he raised is in the Latter Day Saints' extensive genealogical library. Thus we have a number of possible ancestors and descendants and we still have not considered the first U. S. of 1790 or examined variations of such early names as ACKER, AYGER, EAGLER, EGAN, EGNARD, EIGAR, EIGENHERR or EICHNER or examined alternate spellings like JAEGER, JEGENER, YEAGER or even WAGNER! E. Kay Kirkham in the report, "Census Records of America", lists AGNER, AIGHNER and AIGNER as variants of AGNEW an name representing 24 families in early America. Whether he included the 5 families of EAGENERS, EGNERS, and EIGENERS listed in the New York state section of this census in this number I do not know. Well, I am sure you have more names and spellings to add to this list and would be happy to hear from you about them. In our next issue, I hope to go more specifically into some of the people with these names.