A "family secret" that was quite openly discussed, though in hushed tones, can now be thoroughly debunked — thanks to the wonders of FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com.
Unsettling facts
Apparently much-feared for an upstate New York family of a certain vintage, Jewish blood in the line was reputed based on three unsettling facts:
- the presence of a Kissinger in the line;
- my grandfather's middle name was Isaac; and
- his brother, Ray, who had done some research into the family history had kept the result to himself.
The second point is most easily dismissed as it was not unusual for American families to use biblical names, especially in earlier days. In the Farrand line it was also quite common to take names previously used as first names and slide them into the second spot. As an this example, my grandfather Robert Isaac Farrand got his middle name from his grandfather, Isaac T. Farrand (1828-1904) — who did indeed marry a Janette* Kissinger (1836-1909).
Another Jewish carpenter?
Thereby creating the crux of the controversy. But Janette's father, Daniel, was a carpenter, according to the 1860 U.S. Census taken in Seneca Falls, New York. Anybody know of any Jewish carpenters (other than the ONE)? Kidding aside, Daniel hailed from Berks County, Pennsylvania, a particularly German region at the time. And his father, Abraham Kissinger (1755-1833), served proudly in the Revolutionary War, something Germans and German-Americans have been particularly known for — proud military service. And we can trace his family straight back into deepest Germany.
Straight-up Germans
The Kissingers in my family line were straight-up GERMANS. As for former Secretary of state, Henry Kissinger, the surname in his line was adopted in 1817 by his great-great-grandfather Meyer Löb, after the Bavarian spa town of Bad Kissingen.
So why was my grand-uncle Raymond so quiet about what he found in our family history? That's a family secret I very well see him taking to his grave.
*also "Jeanette" (and other variants).
No comments:
Post a Comment