Bits & Pieces
This section contains those tantalizing bits of history that one might wish could be tied
into the family tree. Unfortunately the connections are so tenuous that without further documentation
they are not plausible. The top five or ten unanswered questions are here. Those nagging things we
really should know but don't, or the answers needed to go further into the past.
Brenneisens in pre-revolutionary America?
We know that Hans Veltin (John Valentine) and Gorge Michel Brenneisen arrived in Philadelphia during September 1730 on
the Alexander and Ann. They came from Lohrbach which is less than 50 miles away from Eppstein and Gerbach in Germany.
The problem is that we know Adam Brenneisen was born in Jacobsweiler about 1777 and his father was
Caspari, but we have nothing to connect Han or Gorge to Caspari. Hans and Gorge were apparently Lutherans
while "our" line was Catholic, but it often only takes a pretty fraulein for that to change. All were farmers but that
wasn't uncommon. Nothing except a common surname and general location tie the two together, still the
thought of an early ancestor in America is intriguing.
Brenneisens in Russia in 1840?
Birth records for Odessa, South Russia, now the Ukraine, show that Ludwig and Johnanna Brenneisen had a
son Peter Michael on 5 Nov 1840, a stillborn child 23 Nov 1843, Johanna Marie on 29 Aug 1845, A stillborn child 9 Mar 1847,
Maria on 1 Mar 1848, and a stillborn daughter 26 Dec 1848. Only the name ties it to "our" line and Ludwig was a rather
popular first name. There were cholera outbreaks in 1830 and many Germans were encouraged to relocate to this area,
but records showing where the people immigrated from, are apparently sparse.
Francis in the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685?
Robert Fraunces of Bridgwater was executed for his part in the Monmouth Rebellion to overthrow James II of England.
This is quite a stretch to tie into the tree since Joseph Francis was born about 1777
and we know very little about him. The name is similar and that is it.
Unanswered Questions?
1. Whatever happened to Arthur Elsworth. Alfred's twin brother?
2. What are the d.o.d. of Alfred and Norah Elsworth?
3. How did Henry Deshart suddenly show up in Emmitsburg, MD in 1787.
4. Who were Caspari Brenneisen's parents?
5. John Elsworth married Mary Upward in 1733 who were his parents?
6. Who were the parents of Joseph Frances who married Rachel Rose in 1797?
7. Why did Margaretha (Garst) Brenneisen and her children immigrate in 1893?
8. When did her husband Ludwig die, was it 1893?
L.J. Brenneison 318 Adrian Drive, Berea, Ohio 44017 lee@leeandjean.com