What is a Family?

We often think of “family” as being those who are connected to us by some sort of “blood” relationship and with whom we share some DNA. But sometimes people come into our lives by other means and we think of them as family too. I’d like to recount some individuals whom I consider to be family – from five different generations – and why they are special to me as well.

Grandparents

“Bampa” Rogers

My father had a very difficult life when he was younger (*1). His parents separated when he was only 2, got back together again for a short time when he was in first/second grade, then divorced. A few years later his mother remarried, so for his pre-teen and teen years his step-father, Charles Rogers (*2), was prominent in his life. By the time I was born, my father had reestablished a relationship with his birth father so I knew him, but I had a better relationship with my step-grandfather. As a young boy, I didn’t yet have the pronunciation skills to say “grandpa”, so it came out as “bampa” – and the name stuck.

I can never recall ever having grandpa Russell play with me – he wasn’t terribly friendly toward children, but I always enjoyed the times with my “Bampa” Rogers. Despite the fact that he was already in his 80’s when I was born, he taught me to play cribbage and I always enjoyed our visits to him in his latter years in the nursing home.

Bampa passed away at the age of 93 when I was only 10. Even though he was only a “step” grandfather and far too old to be my biological grandfather, I still enjoyed my relationship with him!

Parents

Don and Katy Kilwin

My wife, Donna, grew up in a home with an abusive father. As soon as she graduated from high school, she left home and began renting a room in town. She found work at Kilwin’s Bakery and the couple who owned the bakery, Don and Katy Kilwin, took her under their wing. They encouraged her to start taking some classes at the local two-year college. Having no children of their own, she became like a daughter to them.

When I met and married her a few years later, it was obvious the place that they occupied in her life. My wife even stayed at their house the night before the wedding. During the wedding ceremony the typical arrangement at the time was that one side was designated the bride’s side and one side the groom’s side and that’s where our parents sat. But with a two-aisle setup, we placed Don and Katy in the front row just like our parents, but in the center section.

When we began having children, they called this wonderful couple, Uncle Don and Aunt Katy – a practice that continued with the eventual arrival of grandchildren. Don passed away in his 50’s from a heart attack, but our relationship with Katy continued through her widowhood and eventually a second marriage. They were so much a part of our life that when Katy was in her final days, Donna made the trip to Michigan to be with her (*3). We were also honored to be mentioned in her will as she had named us as beneficiaries of an annuity. We love you, Uncle Don and Aunt Katy!

Siblings

Bruce Hill

Bruce was technically my cousin’s cousin as my father’s sister married his father’s brother. But since my father and his father were also best friends for many years the relationship was much closer than that. We lived in the same town and were about the same age. But as Bruce’s parents had a somewhat rocky relationship, there were a number of occasions where Bruce came to live with us for extended periods.

My mother wrote about this in her memoirs (*4), and I have also written about it previously (*5), so I’ll not repeat all the details here. Although we were much like brothers while growing up, when I went off to college and he went his own way we did not have much contact after that. He died at the age of only 44, nearly 30 years ago.

Ingrid Klykken

Ingrid was the first exchange student for our family. When I went off to college, she “replaced” me and occupied the room that had been mine. So, I got relegated to the basement for the rest of that summer until I left, then again during the Christmas break, and again from when I returned home in the spring until she returned to Norway. While that made her more a sister to my siblings, she also became a sister to me (with the exception that I took her to the Christmas dance at school – something that I would not have done with my biological sister).

Relationships with exchange students can take many forms and the one with Ingrid was a very close one. My parents visited Norway and spent time with her and her family, my sister also visited Norway, and Ingrid has returned on a few occasions to visit us. With the advent of social media, she remains close with all of us and I am proud to call her a sister!

Children

Lynnette Cruff

Much like the relationship with Don and Katy Kilwin began at a time of need in Donna’s life, we acquired our first “daughter” in a time of need. Lynnette’s father, Curt, began his ministry as a pastor in the little church which Donna was attending as a teenager. He was only 10 years older than Donna, so became a friend as well as her pastor. When he and his wife moved on to a different church a few years later, Donna took care of his young children, including their daughter, Lynnette, during the transition. When Donna and I got married, she chose Curt to be the pastor to conduct the ceremony, so we went to their home in southern Michigan for our marriage counseling and he made the trip back to northern Michigan for the wedding. We continued to visit them during our regular trips back to Michigan during the early years of our marriage.

It was on one of those trips that we learned of a need in Lynnette’s life. She was in her 3^rd year of college at Palm Beach Atlantic college in Florida at the time and no longer had the funds to pay for the remainder of her degree program. Curt and Mary had just left the ministry due to burnout and had purchased a small farm so he did not have the means to help her with tuition expenses. She sadly told us that she was going to have to drop out of school. My wife and I talked it over that evening as we lay in bed together and the next announced that we would offer to pay the tuition for her remaining time in school. With tears in all our eyes, she gratefully accepted and promised to pay it back when she was able (which she did). And so, we acquired a new daughter!

When she graduated and got married a few years later, we were delighted to be invited to participate in her wedding. We and our young children flew to Florida (their tickets being paid for with box tops from Chex cereal) and we spent the night before the wedding staying in her fiancé’s apartment and the night after the wedding with another relative in the area.

We have remained in touch over the years, although they live in a different part of the country and our communication is primarily limited to our annual Christmas cards. Lynnette and Tom have four children and now two grandchildren as well. We are proud of our first daughter!

“Noon” Tabtimdaeng

We have had a number of exchange students who stayed with us over the years. Our contact with them after they returned to their home countries varied. Some never contacted us again, others treated us like a nice memory. But a few became more like family. One of the latter was “Noon” (her English nickname, real name being Jiraporn Tabtimdaeng) from Thailand. Noon fit right into our family well and, even though she was a very quiet person, we thought of her as a daughter from the beginning.

Because of various business activities, I had the opportunity to visit her in Thailand on three separate occasions, staying in her family’s home the first two times. I have written about these visits earlier (*6).

During my first visit I was careful to observe Thai customs which included not having any physical contact – even though we often gave Noon hugs during her stay with us in the US. However, when I left and her family took me to the airport, I asked her father for permission to give her a hug. He consented and I did so.

On my last visit there I spent part of a day with Noon in Bangkok. She was then in her mid-20’s and a fine young lady. As we stood on the train platform where we would be separating, but without her father this time, I asked her if it was okay if I gave her a hug. Her reply was, “Of course, you’re my dad!” It’s incidents like this that I continue to think of and a way that demonstrates that she continues to be my daughter!

Shirley Mensah

Shirley is from Ghana and stayed with us the same year as Noon did. But it took much longer for her to feel like a member of the family. I’ve written about that before (*7), so won’t repeat it here. When she returned to Ghana, we lost touch for several years as she was from a poor family and had no access to a computer or email. We thought that she would no longer be a part of our lives.

Thus, it was a surprise when on a Saturday morning when a message popped up on Facebook that said, “Hi dad!” I immediately called to my wife in the next room, “It’s Shirley!” And, just like that, she was a part of our lives again. We continued to communicate via Facebook. Then, just a few years ago, I had the opportunity to go to Ghana as a flight chaperon for a group of exchange students returning home after their year in the US, and so I arranged to spend a week with Shirley, meet her family, and to strengthen our communication.

While there I was also honored by the tribal council for the tribe that Shirley belongs to (*8), where I was introduced as “Shirley’s American Father.” I guess that must make it official!

Grandchildren

Kenisha

We didn’t have any individuals in this category until just recently. Although I had visited our Ghanaian daughter, Shirley, in her home country a few years ago, she got married in 2017 and we had not heard from her a lot since. Our primary contact is via her infrequent Facebook postings.

But then, earlier this week, my phone dinged early one morning and, not unlike the time when we heard from her the first time after she returned to Ghana, there was a Facebook message which said, “Hello dad”. We began a back-and-forth conversation about how things were going. Then she surprised me with the following message:

“I had a baby 2 weeks ago. So u have another granddaughter”

Wow! What an unexpected surprise! So, our newest family member is Kenisha. I asked for a picture, which I share just below. So, since Shirley is our daughter and she declares that Kenisha is our granddaughter, I guess we have added yet another family member.

Conclusion

Family is important to my wife and I. But, as the above examples show, family is more than just those with whom we share DNA. We have been, and continue to be, connected to other individuals who, for a variety of reasons, we consider to be family!

Notes

*1 - https://ramblinrussells.blogspot.com/2015/02/genealogy-story-nomadic-life-of-vernon.html

*2 - https://ramblinrussells.blogspot.com/2015/03/genealogy-story-charles-rogers.html

*3 - https://ramblinrussells.blogspot.com/2017/12/christmas-2017.html

*4 - https://ramblinrussells.blogspot.com/2015/02/stories-from-my-mother-7-open-house.html

*5 - https://ramblinrussells.blogspot.com/2016/02/cousin-memoriam.html

*6 - https://ramblinrussells.blogspot.com/2016/10/reflections-on-thailand.html

*7 - https://ramblinrussells.blogspot.com/2018/09/being-special.html

*8 - https://ramblinrussells.blogspot.com/2015/06/ghana-experience-part-6-palace-and-king.html

The Bethel Web

(updated as of 13 May 2021)

My wife and I began attending church at Bethel Bible Fellowship Church in Emmaus, PA in 1976 – about a year after moving to Pennsylvania. It wasn’t too long before I became aware of the fact that a number of the members of the church were related to each other. I’m a pretty detail-oriented individual, so I began to catalog all the relationships I discovered in my head.

Perhaps a year later I jokingly criticized the then pastor, Harvey Fritz, about nepotism for his having hired a relative as his church secretary. The church secretary was Ardella Bray. He looked at me puzzled and said, “Ardella’s not my relative.” I replied, “Yes, she is – she’s your son-in-law’s cousin’s mother-in-law’s cousin!”

Let me unpack that rather complex relationship. Pastor Fritz’s daughter, Becky, married Rich Kauffman. One of Rich’s many cousins in the church was Bill Schlonecker. Bill had married Pat Wentz, and her mother was Orpha Wentz. Orpha’s cousin was Ardella Bray.

At the time I estimated that between a third and a half of the church members were related to one another in some fashion. Since that time over 40 years ago the church has grown and changed. While older members have passed on, and as young people have grown up and gotten married, there are constantly new family relationships being established as well. So, let me document all the families that are related to one another in one giant spider web.

Note – I wrote an initial version of this several years ago, but as I’ve done additional research, I have found the need to document my findings in a different way so that the presentation is a bit more understandable.

The center of the web is the Kauffman family. Forty years ago, the patriarch of the family, Edgar Kauffman was still living. He and most of his children were members of Bethel. All of them have now passed on, but several generations are still part of the church. In the below I am listing the various surnames involved.

In each of the below family groupings, I will list a key representative (often the “patriarch” of the family), then give a bulleted list of the additional family names introduced in succeeding generations. This will be followed by a second bulleted list of connections to other family groups. Those in brackets are maiden names of females that married men in the church, e.g. Pat [Wentz] married Bill Schlonecker, and their names were “absorbed”, those not in brackets are surnames where females in the family married into other families, e.g. Lillian Kauffman married Edward Storz. Some of these names are no longer represented in the church, but they were at the time.

Disclaimer – I’ve tried to ensure that all the below names and connections are accurate. But this is a very complicated web of connections and it’s difficult to keep everything straight. If I have misrepresented any of them, please let me know!

= = = = = = = = = =

Kauffman (Edgar)

·        Second generation – add Schlonecker, Stortz

·        Third generation – add [Wentz], Fleming, Delong, [Fritz], Mengel, Kuhns (and later Foster-Biddle), Schaeffer, Cole, Strohl

·        Fourth generation – add Nyemscek, [Wigfield], [Hilbert], Snydeman, [Schoen], [Heyer], Mason, Wagner

 

·        Tom Kuhns is a seventh cousin of Mark and Jeff Kuhns

·        Ron Landis is a fifth cousin of Mark and Jeff Kuhns

·        Ron Landis is a second cousin, once removed, of Jane Deutsch

·        Jane Deutsch is a fifth cousin of Glenn Schantz

·        Jane Landis is a third cousin of Dean Bauder

·        Mike Eisentraut is a fifth cousin, twice removed, of Dean Bauder

·        John Milisits is a fifth cousin, once removed, of Dean Bauder

·        Dick Dorney is a fourth cousin of Edgar Kauffman

·        Bob Krasley is a sixth cousin of Dick Dorney and a sixth cousin of Paul Ettinger

·        John Franco is a sixth cousin of Dick Dorney

·        Dick Dorney, Sharon Shiffer, and Heidi Brough are all descended from Johann Phillip Kuhn

·        Bob Schaeffer is a sixth cousin of Chris Boehm

·        Lyn Himmelberger is a sixth cousin of Richard Mengel, a sixth cousin of Glenn Shultz, a fourth cousin of Randy Althouse, and a sixth cousin of Dave Heckman

·        Patti Schenkel is a half-sibling of Randy Althouse

·        Jon DeEsch is a seventh cousin of Randy Althouse

·       Don Brensinger is a sixth cousin of Randy Althouse, Patty Schenkel, Sharon Shiffer, and Nancy Six

·        Sharon Shiffer is a fifth cousin (and a sixth cousin) of Randy Althouse and Patti Schenkel

·        Sherry Wagner is a sixth cousin, once removed, of Randy Althouse and Patti Schenkel

·        Sharon Shiffer is a first cousin of Nancy Six, a third cousin of Dave Engle, a fourth cousin of Terry Scheirer, and a fifth cousin of Patti Hillegass

·        Sharon Shiffer and Nancy Six are third cousins, twice removed, of Robert Sell

·        Patti Hillegass is a third cousin of Michelle Achenbach

·        Vivian Meron is a third cousin of Terry Scheirer, a third cousin of Dave Reichard, a fifth cousin, once removed, of Eileen Long, and a seventh cousin, three times removed, of Nicole Hoffner

·        Dave Engle is a seventh cousin of Randy Althouse and Patti Schenkel

·        Dave Engle is a sixth cousin, twice removed, of Brenda Zuberka

·        Dave Engle, Sharon Shiffer, Randy Althouse, and Patti Schenkel are all sixth cousins, once removed, of Rachel Yeahl

·        Bruce Schanz (late husband of Lori Schanz) is a seventh cousin of Randy Althouse and a fifth cousin, twice removed, of June Ruch

·        June Ruch is a fifth cousin, twice removed, of Deb Schoen and a fourth cousin of Eileen Long

·        Lance Walters is a seventh cousin of Bruce Schanz

·        Lori Schanz is a fifth cousin, once removed, of Heidi Smith

·        Laura Bishop is a sixth cousin of Dave Engle and both of them are seventh cousins of Greg Ruch

·        Laura Bishop is a fourth cousin, three times removed of Peggy Sell and a fifth cousin, once removed, of Dot Kriney

·        Bob Martrich is a sixth cousin of Dave Strohl (husband of Barbara [Kauffman])

·        Bob Martrich is a cousin of June Marsh, a third cousin of Jill Weiss, and a fifth cousin of Kathryn Ritter

·        Elizabeth Iley is a sixth cousin, once removed, of Bob Martrich and Jill Weiss

·        Bruce Shelley is a fifth cousin, once removed, of Bob Martrich and Jill Weiss

·        Anne Renzi is a sixth cousin, twice removed, of Bruce Shelley

·        Kathryn Ritter is a fourth cousin, once removed, of Robert Shiffer and a fourth cousin, once removed of Barb Sulzer

·        Lana Rice is a ninth cousin, once removed, of Robert Shiffer

·        David Hottenstein is a third cousin of Kathryn Ritter

·        David Hottenstein is a sixth cousin, once removed, of Glenn Heyer

·        Joyce Weiss is a fourth cousin of Gerald Fehnel, and a sixth cousin of Mark Schaffer

·        Joyce Weiss, Bob Shiffer, Eileen Long, and June Ruch are all fourth/fifth/sixth cousins of one another through a common ancestor

·        Suzanne Williams is a sixth cousin, once removed, of Gerald Fehnel, and a third cousin, once removed, of Barb Sulzer

·        Karin Capri is a sixth cousin, once removed, of Suzanne Williams and Gerald Fehnel

·        Karin Capri is a fifth cousin, once removed, of Ashley Gottier

·        Diane Marks is an eighth cousin of Ashley Gottier

·        Barry Henritzy was a seventh cousin, once removed, of Gerald Fehnel

·        Barry Henritzy was a seventh cousin of Susan Sterkenburg

·        Liz Yelinko is a sixth cousin of Patrice [Wentz] Schlonecker

·        John Shick is a sixth cousin of Liz Yelinko and Mike Nonemacher

·        Heidi Brough is a fourth cousin of Liz Yelinko (2 ways), a sixth cousin of Tim Swavely, and a sixth cousin, once removed, of Diana Erb

·        Diana Erb is a seventh cousin of Charles Reifinger

·        Tim Swavely is a sixth cousin, once removed, of Eric Reinert, a seventh cousin of William (Wendy) Fox, a fifth cousin, once removed, of Dawn Martrich, and a sixth cousin of Beth Lorah

·        Eric Reinert is an eighth cousin of Tammi Walper

·        Gail Godusky is a sixth cousin of Dawn Martrich, and a sixth cousin, twice removed, of Alvin and Kenny Harley

·        Dennis Shaffer is a sixth cousin of Gail Godusky, and a fifth cousin of Shirley Weaver

·        Kathy Wengryn is a seventh cousin of Dennis Shaffer and Kendra Motsay

·        Kathy Wengryn is a twelfth cousin of both Al and Donna Russell

·        Kendra Motsay is a seventh cousin of Jeff Lowmaster

·        Kendra Motsay and Jeff Lowmaster are sixth cousins, once removed, of the step-father of Karen Smith

·        Deb Schoen is a seventh cousin, twice removed, of Rich Kauffman, Alan Kauffman, and Marge Mengel

·        Deb Schoen is an eighth cousin of Glenn Heyer

 

Stortz (Jennie [Diefenderfer])

·        Second generation – add Nyemscek (Helen), Shollenberger (Arlene)

·        Third generation – add [Reynolds] (Sue)

·        Fourth generation – add [Schlonecker]

 

·        Jennie’s sister was married to Gerald Schlonecker’s uncle

·        Stortz – Jennie Stortz’s mother was Lillian Christman (see Russell below)

·        Dave Roth’s uncle married a first cousin (Mae Stortz) of Kathleen Stortz / Helen Nyemscek / Arlene Shollenberger / Donald Stortz

·        John Huebner is a fifth cousin of Dave Roth

·        David Sell (deceased husband of Margaret Sell) is a third cousin, once removed, of Dave Roth

·        Sharon Roth is a seventh cousin, once removed, of Margaret Sell

·        John Roth is a fifth cousin, once removed, of Dave Reichard and a fourth cousin of Robert Shiffer

·        John Huebner is a sixth cousin, once removed, of Brenda Nicholson

·        Donald Mabus is a fifth cousin of Dave Roth

·        Barbara Ebner is a third cousin of Tim Nyemscek

·        Barbara Ebner is a seventh cousin, once removed, of Jane Hottenstein

 

Houseknecht (Charles)

·        Second generation – add Sell, Shoemaker

·        Third generation – add Hause, Measler, Lafaver, Blackman, Acquaviva

·        Fourth generation – add Zikanovi, Steinke

 

·        Charles Houseknecht’s sister-in-law was a third cousin of Margaret [Miller] Henry (below)

·        Kevin Diehl is a seventh cousin of Dolores [Houseknecht] Sell

·        Aaron Gottier is a fifth cousin of Kevin Diehl

 

Hoffman (Art)

·        Second generation – add Atkins, Burkhardt

 

·        Art Hoffman is a sixth cousin of Gerald Schlonecker through a common ancestor Johann Hertzog

·        Shelley Lavoie’s daughter-in-law, Lisa [Denke] Delong is a sister-in-law of Jessica [Burkhardt] Denke

·        Shelly Lavoie is a sixth cousin, once removed, of Robert Uhl (Karen Uhl’s husband)

 

Bray (Bryan & Ardella) and Diehl (June, sister of Ardella)

·       Bryan and Ardella are sixth cousins of one another

·        Second generation – add Pinto

·        Third generation – add Love

 

·        Ardella Bray is a first cousin of Orpha [Stortz] Wentz who is connected to Kauffman family above

·        Ardella has a fourth cousin who is also descended from the Christman family (see Stortz family above and Russell family below)

·        Weller – Dana Weller is a fourth cousin once removed of Ardella [Bieber] Bray

·        Dolores [Houseknecht] Sell is a sixth cousin of Ardella [Bieber] Bray

·        Bob Schaeffer (above) and Bill Lagler (below) are cousins of Bryan Bray through their common Bieber ancestors

·        Glenn Schantz is a cousin of Andrea [Schantz] Bray

·        Heidi Smith is a sixth cousin of Glenn Schantz

·        Dave Reichard is a sixth cousin of Bryan Bray, a fifth cousin of Patti Schenkel above, and a sixth cousin of Chris Boehm

·        Janine Eisentraut is a sixth cousin, twice removed, of Chris Boehm and Dave Reichard

·        Michael Hoffman is a fifth cousin, once removed, of Janine Eisentraut and a fourth cousin, twice removed, of Diana Erb

·        Marion Stehling is a sixth cousin, once removed, of Janine Eisentraut and Lorri Keiser

·        Marion Stehling is a sixth cousin of Karen Smith’s step-father

·        John Loux is a seventh cousin and an eighth cousin of Dave Schenkel

·        Don Mabus is a fourth cousin of Bryan Bray

 

Hilbert (Kyron and Ruth [Gehman])

·        Second generation – add Gehman (Richard)

·        Third generation – add Wigfield (also see above), Kauffman (also see above)

 

·        Davies – Peg Davies is a first cousin of Nancy Hilbert

·        Fitting – Jenny Fitting’s grandmother was Edna Gehman, a fourth cousin of Ruth [Gehman] Hilbert

·        Howerter – Frieda Howerter is a second cousin of Leonard Hilbert

·        Branning – Gloria Branning is a niece of Frieda Howerter

·        Lorah – Beth Lorah’s maiden name is Hilbert, she is a fifth cousin of Leonard and Doris

·        The following are related to Leonard Hilbert through their common Musselman ancestors: Bryan Bray (above), Sharon [Nace] Breish, Chris Boehm (and Melanie Carwell)

·        Sharon Breish is also a distant cousin of Steve Cassel, husband of Kathy [Schlonecker] Cassel (above)

·        Chris Hoffner is a fifth cousin of Leonard Hilbert through the Oberholtzer family

·        Alyssa [Spengler] Modo is an eighth cousin of Chris Hoffner, an eighth cousin of Gerald Fehnel, a third cousin, once removed, of Elizabeth Iley, and an eight cousin, twice removed, of Joseph Gottschall

·        Russ Amos is the uncle of Nicole [Amos] Hoffner

·        Eric Roth is an eighth cousin of Nicole Hoffner

·        Cathy Stout is a fifth cousin, three times removed, of Leonard Hilbert

·        Sue Labrie is a seventh cousin of Cathy Stout and a seventh cousin of Bill Williams

·        Mark Vitale is an eighth cousin of Cathy Stout

·        Wilma Sorrick is a fifth cousin, twice removed, of Cathy Stout, a sixth cousin, once removed, of Sue Labrie, and an eighth cousin, once removed, of Al Russell

 

Frederick (Robert)

·        Second generation – add Seibert

·        Third generation – add Delong (connected to Kauffman above)

·        Fourth generation – add Benjamin

 

Miller (Ray and Margaret [Henry]) -- siblings

·        Second generation – add Plarr

 

·        Ray is first cousin of Gerald Schlonecker

 

Miller (Andy and Cindy [Karch]) -- siblings

·        Second generation – add Merrick

 

·        Andy Miller’s sixth cousin was Raymond Brobst

·        Brobst – Raymond Brobst married Florence DeLong (see Kauffman above)

·        Harley – Dorothy Harley’s maiden name was Brobst

·        The following are related to the above through their common Brobst/Probst ancestors: Dana Weller (above), Edward Stortz (married Lillian [Kauffman]), Orpha [Stortz] (married Paul Wentz, mother of Patricia [Wentz] Schlonecker), Lillian [Stortz] (married Paul Ettinger)

 

Russell (Al)

·        Second generation – add Christman

 

·        Al Russell is an eighth cousin, once removed, of Bob Davies

·        Al Russell also has a fourth cousin who is a fifth cousin of David Cole

·        Matthew Christman is a sixth cousin of Arlene Shollenberger/Helen Nyemscek/etc

·        Matthew Christman is a seventh cousin of Bob Krasley

·        Gretchen [Warmkessel] [Carraher] Kohler is a third cousin of Bob Krasley

·        Brooks Weirbach is a sixth cousin, twice removed, of Gretchen Kohler and Bob Krasley and a fifth cousin of Heidi Smith

·        Kevin Mertus married a seventh cousin of Bob Krasley

·        Al Russell is a ninth cousin, twice removed, of Ruth [Schoonover] Gavin (six different ways!) and an eighth cousin, once removed, of Aaron Gavin

·        Al Russell is a tenth cousin, of Jared Burkholder

·        Richard Pritts is a seventh cousin of Jared Burkholder

·        Scott Wilson is a ninth cousin, once removed, of Al Russell

·        Richard Pritts is a fourth cousin of Phil Hodge

·        Eileen [Rassler] Long is a fourth cousin of Robert Shiffer as well as a distant cousin of Matthew Christman, Tim Nyemscek, etc. via her Christman ancestors

·        Jim Weiss, Jane Deutsch, Sally Schaeffer, and William (Wendy) Fox are also cousins of Eileen Long, Robert Shiffer, and Matthew Christman via their Christman ancestors

·        Eileen Long is a fourth cousin of Randy Althouse and Patti Schenkel

·        Susan Parker is a sixth cousin, once removed, of Randy Althouse and Patti Schenkel

·        Brian Parker is a sixth cousin, once removed, of Joyce Weiss

·        Eileen Long is a fifth cousin of Lorri Keiser

·        Cheryl Bognar is an eighth cousin, once removed, of Lorri Keiser, and an eighth cousin of Deb Schoen

·        Pam Schlaner is a fifth cousin of Deb Schoen

·        Lisa Bolduc is a sixth cousin, once removed, of Eileen Long, Randy Althouse, and Patti Schenkel

·        Holly [Newell] Nonnemacher is a tenth cousin, once removed, of Al Russell

·        Mary [Nonnemacher] Trexler is a second cousin, twice removed, of Nick Nonnemacher, a sixth cousin, once removed, of Randy Althouse, a fourth cousin, once removed, of Heidi [Prutsman] Brough, a fifth cousin, once removed, of Liz Yelinko, and a fifth cousin, twice removed, of Gerald Fehnel

·        Ed Harrison is a tenth cousin, once removed, of Al Russell, a seventh cousin, four times removed, of Dick Dorney a fifth cousin, twice removed, of Nancy Six, and a fifth cousin, twice removed, of Rose Aboujaode

·        Susan Lavalva is a seventh cousin, four times removed, of Al Russell’s aunt, Gertrude Phipps Clark and a ninth cousin, twice removed, of Al Russell

·        Rick Howells is an eleventh cousin, once removed, of Al Russell

·        Shannon Gross is an eleventh cousin, once removed, of Al Russell

·        Linda Reichard is an eighth/ninth/tenth cousin (at least eight ways) of Al Russell

·        Paul Carr is an eleventh cousin of a second cousin of Al Russell

·        Joy Paulsen is an eighth/ninth/tenth cousin (at least twenty-four ways) of Al Russell, a ninth cousin of Donna Russell, and a tenth cousin of Ruth Gavin (at least two ways)

·        Paul Freeman is a tenth cousin of Donna Russell and a tenth cousin, twice removed, of Al Russell

·        Katie Collins is a ninth cousin, twice removed, of Al Russell (2 ways)

·        Margaret Metz is a ninth cousin, once removed, of Donna Russell and a ninth cousin, once removed, of Al Russell

·        Lorie Edwards is a tenth cousin, once removed, of Al Russell and Joy Paulsen

·        Linda Heater is an eleventh cousin of both Al and Donna Russell

·        Becky [Fritz] Kauffman is a tenth cousin, once removed, of Al Russell

·        Cathy Wimble is a ninth cousin, once removed, of Al Russell and Joy Paulsen

·        Sandy Engle is a tenth cousin of Al Russell (2 ways) and thirteenth! cousin of Donna Russell

·        Laura Rigdon is a ninth cousin, three times removed, of Al Russell (several ways)

·        Paul Satre is a ninth cousin, once removed, of Al Russell and a tenth cousin, once removed, of Donna Russell

·        Mimi Plate is a ninth cousin, twice removed, and an eleventh cousin, once removed, of Al Russell

·        Judy Perrin is a seventh cousin, three times removed, of Al Russell

·        Carol Coogan is a ninth cousin, once removed, of both Al and Donna Russell

·        Phil Morrison is a tenth cousin, once removed, of Al Russell

·        Ralph and Sharon Soper are each distant cousins of both Al and Donna Russell

·        Diane Marks is a tenth cousin, once removed, of Al Russell

·        Wendy Fox is a twelfth cousin of Donna Russell and a thirteenth cousin, twice remove, of Al Russell

·        Gerry Boyle is a ninth cousin, once removed, of Donna Russell and an eleventh cousin, once removed, of Al Russell

·        Dianne Boyle is an eleventh cousin (two ways) of Donna Russell and a tenth/eleventh cousin (several ways) of Al Russell

·        Linda Mehl is a twelfth cousin of Al Russell

·        Janet Mazza is a tenth cousin, once removed, of Al Russell

·        Torey LaFerney is a twelfth cousin, twice removed, of Donna Russell, an eighth cousin of Alvin Harley, and an eleventh cousin, four times removed, of Al Russell

·        Torey LaFerney and Alvin Harley are both sixth cousins, twice removed, of Kim Lowmaster

·        Jay Duncan is a ninth cousin, once removed, of Donna Russell and an eleventh cousin of Al Russell

·        Paul Smith is an eleventh cousin, three times removed, of Al Russell

·        Richard Cook was an eighth cousin, once removed, of Paul Smith

·        Jeff Lowmaster is a tenth cousin, twice removed, of Donna Russell (3 ways) and a tenth cousin, once removed, of Al Russell

·        Johnawane Tarver is a ninth cousin, once removed, of Al Russell

·        Mike Gray is a thirteenth cousin of Al Russell

·        Sue Williams is a tenth cousin of Al Russell

·        Steve Scott is a thirteenth cousin of Al Russell and Donna Russell

·        Fred Sorrick is a tenth cousin of Al Russell

·        Sue Brensinger is an eleventh cousin of Al Russell and Donna Russell (they all have a common ancestor who came on the Mayflower)

·        Dave Schoen is an eleventh cousin of Donna Russell and a tenth cousin, twice removed, of Al Russell

·        Dolores Sell is a tenth cousin of Al and Donna Russell (as is Marlene Shoemaker)

·        Rich Kauffman is an eleventh cousin of both Al and Donna Russell

·        Dave Schlonecker is a twelfth cousin, twice removed, of Al Russell (as is Karen Delong)

·        David Smith is a tenth cousin, three times removed, of Al Russell

·        Phil Atkins is an eleventh cousin, once removed, of Al Russell (and a multiple cousin of Donna Russell)

·        Dana Weller is a ninth cousin, once removed, of Donna Russell

·        Laura Bishop is a ninth cousin, once removed, of Al Russell

·        Jane Hottenstein is an eleventh cousin, once remove, of Al Russell and Donna Russell

·        David Fitting is an eleventh cousin of Al Russell

·        Maggie [Campbell] Roth is an eleventh cousin, once remove, of Donna Russell

·        Stephen Merrick is a tenth cousin, once removed, of Al Russell

·        Annette Kuhns is a thirteenth cousin of Al Russell

·        Marvin Keiser is a fourteenth cousin, once removed, of Al Russell

·        Kevin Diehl is a tenth cousin of Al Russell

·        Nancy Hilbert was a ninth cousin, three times removed, of Al Russell

·        Barb Ebner is an eleventh cousin of Al Russell

·        Bob Martrich is a ninth cousin, once removed, of Al Russell (and 4 other ways)

·        Barb Schultz is an eighth cousin, once removed, of Al Russell

·        David Cole was a ninth cousin, twice removed, of Al Russell

·        Wanda Kauffman is a tenth cousin of Donna Russell

·        Nancy Mertus is a tenth cousin of Al Russell and a ninth cousin of Donna Russell

·        Sue Benjamin is a ninth cousin, once removed, of Al and Donna Russell

·        Mark Benjamin is a tenth cousin, twice removed, of Al Russell

·        John Huebner is a tenth cousin, once removed, of Al and Donna Russell

·        Liz Kuhns is a ninth cousin, twice removed, of Al Russell

·        Nick Jarratt is a tenth cousin, twice removed, of Al Russell

 

Behnke (Alan)

·        Second generation – add Bednar

 

·        Adam Behnke married the step-granddaughter of Vivian Kuhns/Foster-Biddle

 

Zacharda (Richard)

·        Next generations – add Servais, Arnold, Warris

 

·        Richard is second cousin, twice removed, of Ray Miller above

 

Lagler (Bill & Cheryl)

·        Too complicated to try and unscramble here, but there are a number of Bethel families who are connected to the original owners of Stahl’s Pottery in Powder Valley. In addition to the Lagler family, this includes such families as Schultz and Leh.

 

·        There are ancestral family connections from this group to other Bethel families including Christman, Bieber

·        Sandy [Keeley] [Mitchell] Engle’s daughter Charis Mitchell married a son of Dolores Lagler

·        Tom and Karen Creeden’s son Trevor married an eighth cousin, twice removed, of Sandy [Keeley] [Mitchell] Engle

 

Keiser (Marvin & Lorri)

·        Next generation – add Brown

 

·        Lorri [Fegley] Keiser is a fifth cousin of Randy Althouse (two ways), a fifth cousin of Patti Schenkel, a second cousin of Janine Eisentraut, a fifth cousin of Randy Fick, a fifth cousin of Liz Yelinko, and a sixth cousin of Doug Manwiller

·        Ashley Gottier is a seventh cousin of Marvin Keiser, a sixth cousin, once removed, of Cindy Paano, a seventh cousin, once removed, of Anne Moyer, and a sixth cousin of Llewellyn Stein (husband of Eleanor Stein)

·        Cindy Paano is a fifth cousin of Gail Godusky

·        Linda Reichard is a seventh cousin, once removed, of Cindy Paano and a fifth cousin, twice removed, of Dave Engle

·        John Milisits is a sixth cousin, once removed, of Linda Reichard and a seventh cousin, once removed, of Dave Engle

I suspect that there are other families at Bethel who are also connected to this “web” but whom I have not yet discovered or thought to investigate. This is an active project and one that I will continue to build upon from time to time. (As of March 2021, there are only a few families I have to investigate.)

The members of the above families who are currently in the church directory number is over 500, or about 95% of the total number of individuals in the current church directory. This is much more than my estimate from 40 years ago.