This message is being posted for the notice of all descendants of the 1663 immigrant David Demarest, owner of the "French Patent" in Bergen County, New Jersey. A new genealogy of the Demarest family is in preparation and descendants are requested to share their Demarest-related family history with the Demarest Genealogical Society's editorial group. In addition, researchers of the family are invited to share information which amends and/or corrects Voorhis Demarest's 1964 genealogy. Instructions for submitting data are below, and at bottom is a press release, provided for informational purposes. For more on the Demarest Genealogical Society please go to http://demarests.com WANTED: YOUR DEMAREST FAMILY HISTORY There is still time to submit your Demarest family history for the Demarest Genealogical Society’s December ’05 publication of the new Demarest genealogy. Demarest descendants are requested to send their information to the address, or email address, below. Data from ALL Demarest descendants, of all surnames, will be gratefully accepted into The Demarest Project, which includes the new genealogy and the Demarest Database. Additional information will be provided to anyone who requests it. Memberships and publication offerings will be made available in the near future. CONTACT for family history submissions: Nancy Terhune Morrison, Eastern Regional Director & Materials Editor 316 Howard Avenue, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410 [email protected] CONTACT for membership and other information: Marc Demarest, Executive Director, at [email protected] PRESS RELEASE: For Immediate Release Contact: Nancy T. Morrison The Demarest Genealogical Society 316 Howard Avenue Fair Lawn, NJ 07410 [email protected] ph 201.797.9196 fax 201.797.3065 DEMAREST GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY’S NEW GENEALOGY, HISTORY, PUBLISHING IN 2005 Executive Director Marc Demarest of the Demarest Genealogical Society (DGS) has announced that the updated and corrected genealogy of the Demarest family is on track for a December 2005 publication date, and that the organization is still seeking and accepting contributions of family data from all Demarest descendants living in the United States and Canada. The revised genealogy will additionally include significant new research on the European origins of the Demarest family in the US and Canada, and offer new insights into previously published theories that the family descends both from Charles the Great, or Charlemagne, and from the desMarest family of Cambresis in what is today northern France. “Research methods have changed significantly in the past forty-odd years, as has access to primary records in the US and in Europe,” remarked Marc Demarest. “We now have the ability to extend and enhance Voorhis Demarests’ monumental 1964 work with new information, to extend his work to cover fully both Canadian family members and those Demarest family members not descended directly from David Demarest, and to enrich people’s understanding of the family’s European ancestry.” The Demarest family in the United States and some parts of Canada, is descended from David Demarest and his wife Marie Sohier, who held the 17th century “ French Patent” in Bergen County, New Jersey. The Demarests, who emigrated in 1663 from the Netherlands, were Huguenots – Protestant Christians from an area of modern-day France that was controlled by Catholic states – who moved from that area to the Dutch Republic, then the Palatinate (modern-day Germany) and finally to the United States in an effort to practice their religion unmolested. The family initially lived on Staten Island (New York), then owned land in New Haarlem, now the northern end of Manhattan, and finally relocated to New Jersey. They were among the founding families of Bergen County. Their descendants – at least 3000 US residents bear a version of the family surname – now live in every state in the US and most Canadian provinces. The last Demarest genealogy was published in 1964 by Voorhis Demarest and was a complete re-working of an earlier genealogy, published by Mary and William Demarest in 1938. The new genealogy project, approved by the heirs of Voorhis Demarest, will be available in both printed and database form. All descendants of the immigrant David Demarest are encouraged to contribute their family histories to the new Demarest genealogy project. Anyone who wishes to submit information may send it to Nancy Morrison, the materials editor, at 316 Howard Avenue, Fair Lawn, NJ, 07410 or [email protected] Submitters are requested to provide the sources or stories of the information they submit and any related information they would like to contribute. The deadline for submissions is February 1, 2005. For more information on the Demarest Genealogical Society, go to http://demarests.com #