Why
I believe that learning about family is my second strongest connection to the world I live in, second only to my faith and connection to our Creator. I can know myself more fully if I can see how I fit into my genealogical context.
From this Why comes the desire to build an enduring repository of the present and past of this Zehnder family, especially branching down from Johann Stephan Zehnder (b1810).
What
I’m collecting information about you, your parents and any other family members you know about, including:
Name (first, middle and last)
Birthdate
Spouse(s), dates and locations of marriage, as well as spousal parents (This information is useful for public records research and census cross-matching.)
Children’s names, birthdates, birth locations
Primary occupation(s)
Current contact information
Death date, location, burial location
Pictures: beloved photos, family group pictures, wedding photo, gravestone photo
Health issues, especially congenital ones
23&me or other DNA related results
Boundaries
I will not publish sensitive information about living people on this website in a way that is publicly searchable. Even though much of this information can be discovered through the internet (thanks f-book), it’s another thing entirely to publish the information in one place.
Goals
I would like to eventually build a searchable family tree here for information on those who have passed on. If it’s possible to build a strongly protected site that can contain continually updated information on living family members, that may become a future goal.
Currently, one paper published resource exists, 90 page “The Zehnders of Frankenmuth A Family History – 1981” produced by Connie (Zehnder) Prok. Another unpublished resource exists; “The Zehnders of Cleveland – A History of the Children of George and Anna Zehnder” compiled by Ken Fraiburg around 2014.
Going forward, my hope is to keep this website updated, pick up the latest family data, and publish paper or PDF copies. As Ken Fraiburg’s edition is in the 300 page range, it may make sense to produce family-specific editions tracing the line down from Johann Stephan to a more recent branch and detailing the generations from there.
Eventually, this project and website will be handed down to someone interested in continuing this work.
Feedback?
Awesome. Send any questions, concerns, thoughts to admin@zehndertree.com
Zehnder Genealogy 