Hello to all: I subscribed to this list but have not seen any mail yet, and I don't believe I have posted yet either. So this is a good opportunity. Am researching a HENNIG family that has some seemingly high brick walls. My grandfather, Heinrich (Henry) Emil HENNIG b. 12 FEB 1893, in EauClaire County, WI, and d. 06 JUN 1976, was christened "Heinrich" according to local church records that confirm his parent's names. He spelled his name HENNING, howeve, and went by Henry, not liking his nickname "Heinie." He married Myrtle FITCH in 1920, EauClaire County, WI. They had one daughter, my mother. Henry's father, F. Wilhelm HENNIG, per gravestone, also went variously by HENNIG or HENNING, and by Wilhelm or William. He was b. 23 AUG 1845, probably in Prussia, d. 16 MAY 1905, Fall Creek, WI. He married Ernestine TESKE, date unknown, before coming from somewhere in Germany together, family state they were honeymooning as they sailed on an unknown ship to the USA, arriving ? I find them on the Winnebago County, WI census of 1880 with 5 of their children. "William" worked on the R.R. His place of nativity is stated as Prussia, as was Ernestine's, and her birthplace per obit. was Posen. All the children, beginning about 1872, were born in WI. I find them in 1900 on the EauClaire Cty., WI census with the rest of the children, some having already left home. Wilhelm/William is my current brick wall as to his ascendancy. I have queried pre-1907 records and there is no death record for him. His death is metioned in Lutheran Church records locally, but no parentage listed. And, this is the wall. I have corresponded with another HENNIG researcher, who thinks our lines are related, but without a father's name, it is difficult. Family tradition has it that his father and two brothers came to WI, to the GreenLake and Princeton area later. I DO have a copy of a will written by a "Christof" HENNIG, of Princeton, WI dated May, 1900 bequeathing to his wife Henriette, and sons, Julius E., John, Christof, Jr., Wilhelm, Michael, Augusta Hammler and Eliza Zenke, daughters, as well as to Cornelia Becker's children as she was deceased. Problem is, I do not know for sure that this is William/Wilhelm's father! And so far, cannot prove it. Collateral surnames, resulting from daughters of Wilhelm's marriages include: INGLE, CAMPBELL, MAIK, MOON, and SEYBERTH. The range of the children of Wilhelm and Ernestine is so wide, age-wise, that some didn't really even know some older siblings very well as they had struck out on their own, and moved to other areas. One brother was running a business in another state, hired a woman named Emma, and didn't find out until pay day that she was his sister! Family oral history has it that the passengers and crew of the ship coming to America were about to mutiny, but Wilhelm calmed them all down to avoid a worse disaster. Ernestine's obit. cites a brother Martin TESKE, who is said to have immigrated later than she, and that when Ernestine came to America, she left behind a "mean" step-mother. I have found a Martin TESKE on a census record, and her obituary states that her brother Martin attended her funeral here in WI. More about TESKE some other time! Thanks listers, for patiently reading this! The Green Lake and Princeton areas of WI apparently attracted many German immigrants. Worse yet, there is another Wilhelm Hennig, I am told. Thank you in advance for any ideas! Jeanine Theiler