When I first met my husband he explained that his love of red wine & pasta was genetic since he was Italian through his dad's maternal line. His great grandfather was Alonzo Vannatter. I think my husband decided that the Vannatter family was Italian because he thought the name Alonzo was Italian.
"The name Alonzo is a boy's name of Spanish, Italian origin meaning "noble, ready". You may be surprised to know that Alonzo has been on the Most Popular list since 1880, when such records began to be kept,..." 1
Born Asa Alonzo, but known as Alonzo. On page 88 of the book FRUIT FROM WOODS AND SANDS it's suggested that he was named after Asa Bearss who was one of the original evangelists who shaped the church community that Alonzo would one day lead. When Alonzo was born in 1901 his parents may have simply chosen the name because they liked it. Alonzo was known as Lonnie to his family.
When I first began researching the Vannatter side of his family tree there was nothing to suggest they weren't Italian. Using my brand new Ancestry access I tracked back generation by generation using the documents I found. When I arrived to my husband's 5th great grandfather I discovered the name he had been born with was Van Etten, but his children were Vannatter. As I chased this line further up with the newly found name I arrived in Kingdom of the Netherlands (Holland).
You should have seen my husband's face when I told him he needed to let go of the red wine, and embrace licorice. Although funny, I do regret telling him since now I have to share my dutch licorice treats. Several years later when he received his DNA results it was confirmed. There was no Italian in his family tree. He still likes red wine & pasta, but now doesn't claim it's due to his heritage.
The Vannatter line was the first family line I was able to research back to the 1600s. The only reason I haven't gone further back is that I have put this branch of the tree aside to focus on other lines.
Further down the tree in this long line of Vannatters is my husband's great grandparents: Alonzo & Vera Vannatter.
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| source: FRUIT FROM WOODS AND SANDS |
BIRTH 23 NOV 1901 • Frogmore, Houghton Tp., Norfolk, Ontario, Canada
DEATH 8 APR 1976 • London, Ontario, Canada
Vera Catharine Williams
BIRTH 27 SEP 1902 • Norfolk, Ontario, Canada
DEATH 25 MAR 1981 • Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada
Alonzo's church:
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| The Brethren in Christ Church in Frogmore, Ontario |
When my husband was small he spent quite a bit of time with his great grandparents.
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| My husband and his great grandfather, 1969 source: FRUIT FROM WOODS AND SANDS |
38 years between the two photos.
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| With his great grandfather's photo, in the lobby of The Brethren in Christ Church in Frogmore, Ontario, 2007 |
Alonzo & Vera's X3 great grandsons in the photo below
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| X3 great grandsons in front of Alonzo's curch The Brethren in Christ Church in Frogmore, Ontario, 2007 |
Tracking the long family lines through a name or spelling change!
This is why I search -
Cause ...
You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!
***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***
Related Previous Blogs:
Somehow Related Blog Spot,
Reverend Alonzo Vannatter ~ Brethren In Christ Church, Frogmore, Ontario
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2019 Week 17 (At Worship)
https://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/2019/04/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks-week-17-at.html
Footnotes:
1 Alonzo, Nameberry, Retrieved January 15th 2020 from
https://nameberry.com/babyname/Alonzo
Sources:
Brethren In Christ Beginnings, Mennogesprach, Mennonite Historical Society of Ontario, September 1989, Vol. 7, No. 2, Retrieved January 15th 2020 from
https://mhso.org/sites/default/files/publications/Mennogesprach7-2.pdf
Fruit from Woods and Sands, The Story of Houghton Missin, Sider, E. Morris and Alonzo Vannatter, Evangel Press, Nappanee, Indiana, Messiah College, Pennsylvania, 1978
Links:
Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/
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