Visit to Treysa & Ziegenhain

I am digressing from the usual family history for this entry to tell you of something which has been in the planning stages for months, and about which I am really looking forward.

My wife Evelyn and I, both descended from Nicholas Henckel, plan to spend a few days in Treysa and Ziegenhain, Germany, late this Summer. Following a two week tour of some European capitals, we are taking a few extra days on our own to visit the area of our roots, the birthplace of Nicholas, and where the headquarters of his regiment was. The two towns were amalgamated in the 1970s to form a new town of Schwalmstadt.

From previous postings you know that Nicholas lived there for approximately the first 20 years of his life before leaving for America to fight as a Hessian with the British Army during the Revolutionary War. Following the war he returned home with his new wife, stayed there for three to four years, and then immigrated to Prince Edward Island in Canada where we now live. His father was a Master Shoemaker, and Nicholas had also learned the trade. We have discussed references to various dates re his birth, baptism, birth of a child, etc. While there, I hope to get a copy of some of these references to include in an upcoming book on Nicholas and his descendants. I also want to take photos of some of the buildings which would have been around during his time, as well as some general photos of the surrounding area.

To this end I am trying to get a contact person who lives in the area, and who has an interest in family history, local history, or genealogy. Hopefully this person would have some ability in the English language, as my German is non-existant. If anyone reading this can offer some assistance in making such a contact by suggesting such a person, please email me at: demacdonald@pei.sympatico.ca . I will keep you posted here on my plans and progress.