When I was growing up, I viewed my heritage through my father's surname. If someone asked me about my ancestry, I would've told them that I was a Shedenhelm, with ancestral roots in Germany. My father often said we were "Dutch German," and I suspect he had the German Palatines who emigrated to Pennsylvania in mind. We "Shedenhelms" are more Deutsch than Dutch, but it is quite accurate to say that we are German. In fact, we go back to the 13th century in the Nordlingen area and to the 16th century in the region of the Black Forest. I love my Shedenhelm ancestors- those who made a name for themselves and those who simply did the best they could- and God willing, I will visit the Schwarzwald myself some day.
However, to say that I am a "Shedenhelm," though correct, is incomplete because, even on the paternal side of the family, I was always a Shedenhelm...and...a Simmons. My grandfather was Clarence Shedenhelm (1883-1853) and my grandmother was Myrene Agnew Simmons (1887-1982). Clarence's parents were Joshua Shedenhelm and Elizabeth Johnson and Myrene's parents were Mervin Allen Simmons and Mary (Molly) Agnew (a surname with an unbroken like back to 1330 in our family tree). Since we all have 4 grandparents, 8 great grandparents, 16 gg grandparents... 1024 9ggp,,, and over 1 million 19x great- grandparents, each one of us is a lot of things. We are products of millions of surnames, but in this blog, I want to honor great-grandfather Simmons and great-grandmother Agnew... and my extended family, through them.
Due to family dynamics that are not clear to me, I don't remember meeting a "Simmons" other than grandma, even though they also lived in the area of Marengo, Iowa and even though grandma's siblings were just as much my uncles and aunts as my father's siblings were, In any event, I will start with start with Mervin A Simmons and Mary Agnew... and follow their ancestral trails, wherever they may lead me.
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