Thank you for starting these articles. I have been looking forward to them. (Have been having computer problems and have missed reading from this list.) Dorothy Lowe (a Varble descendant) Celia, Ritch, & Beth wrote: > Hello listers, > > As promised, here (finally) is an article from the very first Eygner Eagle, > which Roberta Schwartz did Feb 1986. It is with Roberta's blessing that I > am able to pass these articles on to you. From time to time I will post > more of the articles that I think may be of interest. Please remember any > information that these articles may contain should be treated as CLUES to > your own research. > > =========================== > (begin article) > > EAGLE VOL.I, NO. 1 > > WELCOME TO THE EYGNER FAMILY ASSOCIATION!! In this our first issue, I > will try to introduce a few of our fellow researchers and show you how we > can all work together to start some family projects. > > I often remember a brief note I received from an EIGNER in Connecticut > after I had written inquiring about the origin of his family. He replied > that he was the only one of that name in America and that the rest of his > family was buried in Europe. I know his sentiments since I too have often > felt this way -- that I am the only person interested in this elusive and > often difficult family name. But over the past years, I have found that > this is not true. There are a number of us working to find more > information on our own and other families who share this surname. > > 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. > > This organization is my effort to unite us all with our varying > resources and talents to find answers to our many questions about our > families and their origins. I do not know at this time if all of us are > related but hope that together we can find the answers each of us is > seeking. [And I would like to continue Roberta's mission..........--Celia, > list owner] > > THE EGYNER 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. > > ============================== > (end of article) > > Note from the list owner: Anyone researching the name for long, has > already discovered the "joy" of the variants. I once typed out a list of > 50 variations, and I know that list did not include a few of these Roberta > discussed. For those of you who haven't encountered the name variations > yet, consider this forewarning! :o) --Celia H. > > ==== EGNER Mailing List ==== > Visit the Egner/Agner resource page: > http://resources.rootsweb.com/surnames/e/g/EGNER/ > Post your Queries, Bible Records, Bios, Deeds, Obits, > Pensions, and Wills on the appropriate GenConnect Board: http://resources.rootsweb.com/surnames/e/g/EGNER/#gc > > ============================== > Discover your ancestors and trace your family tree today at Ancestry.com. > You are invited to search our massive collection containing over 500 million > records, in over 1800 databases. Visit > http://ads04.focalink.com/SmartBanner/page?16226.4