The VOGT Family TreeHouse

Genealogy

I've been interested in Genealogy and researching my roots for a number of years now, ever since a maiden aunt passed away suddenly, and with her went an enormous amount of anecdotal information and history that I was vaguely aware of, but never bothered to document. I realized that if I didn't start collecting and documenting it, then the stories and family connections that were known by heart by my mother and her sister, and known only vaguely by me, would be completely unknown to my daughters.

I have collected a main database of over 6000 names, representing people from both my side of the family tree and Lynn's. I also track separate databases of names and families from old genealogy books and published articles, where there is a reasonable possibility of a connection.

As to what software package I use, choosing genealogy software is almost a religious experience for some. My previous genealogy software of choice was Broderbund's Generations. It was descended from Leister Productions' Reunion for Windows and has gone through a number of owners (Sierra being the 2nd to last). For my money (and it is my money we're talking about here) it was the best value - hands down. Unfortunately Broderbund has decided to remove Generations from the market, so it's no longer available. I chose to move to The Master Genealogist, aka TMG, a very capable but much less intuitive program, which served me well and I came to love over the years. Alas, on 29 July 2014 Bob Velke, the creator or TMG, announced that he was discontinuing TMG so I was once again forced to involuntarily switch genealogy programs. I've moved on to RootsMagic, by Bruce Buzbee. Switching genealogy programs, voluntarily or involuntarily, can be a painful, frustrating, and time-consuming process, which I hope to describe in the near future (with tips to help you and pitfalls to watch out for) on my How-To-Start page. For a more detailed explanation of why I originally choose Generations over others, read "acorn #3" on the How-To-Start page.

For access to an on-line interactive genealogy database of my research so far, click here.

My Side (VOGT, McGRATH, OLIVER, BUTTIMER etc.)
I have established my VOGT family name back to my Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather (8G-GF), a butcher named Hermann VOGT, who was born in the late 1500's in or near the village of Gießen Germany (north of Frankfurt), and his wife Dorothea. His son, Cloß VOGT, born in Lich in 1614 and also a butcher, married Anna Schmandt. Their son, Johann Balthasar VOGT (born in Lich 31 Jul 1657, another butcher) and his wife Juliana HELLER, had a son Johann Heinrich VOGT, born in Lich 12 Oct 1682, and moved to Mainz around 1708 to continue the family trade of butcher. Jean Nikolaus VOGT (my 4G-GF), was born 15 March 1710 in Mainz, to Heinrich and his wife Anna Maria (nee WOHMANN). His son, Jean Henri Joseph VOGT (my 3G-GF) was born 28 January 1762, in a town that was called Mayence by the French but is known as Mainz in German. Jean Henri Joseph married Marie Catherine RETTIG in the village of Alsenborn on 28 March 1801, and they had 12 children, all born in Kaiserslautern. The eleventh was my GG-GF, Jules (Julius) Oscar! Read about a visit I made to Kaiserslautern and Alsenborn to commune with the ghosts! Read further about my recent successful efforts to push the VOGT line back further in the Mainz StadtArchiv and separately in Lich!!

My mother's (Irish) side is well-established and we still keep in touch with the 2nd and 3rd cousins back on the "auld sod." I've visited a number of times the (once thatched-roofed) farmhouse called Knockbrack ("speckled hill" in Gaelic) in Ardfert, county Kerry where my grandfather was born (it's still owned by a cousin), and I even have enough official documentation to qualify for Irish "citizenship" and get an Irish passport, if I wanted to! On this side I have McGRATH, CARROLL, BUTTIMER (BUTTIMORE) and BARRY harking from counties Kerry and Cork, just to name a few. I also have cousins from Florida to Vermont who are also doing genealogy on that side of the family, so we all share notes and information.

Lynn's Side (MUNROE, TAYLOR, GRIGGS, COPLAND, etc.)
On Lynn's side, there is more to work with. Her G-GF, Arthur Orison TAYLOR, was a life-member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and had done an enormous amount of research himself. From his work (a recently discovered unpublished but well-referenced manuscript, written in 1923, that adds in the vicinity of 700 names to her tree) we have established Lynn's lineage back to Henry DUNSTER, first president of Harvard College (her 7G-GF), to Gov. Thomas DUDLEY, 2nd governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony after John Winthrop (her 8G-GF), to the Mayflower passenger and signer of the Mayflower Compact. Degory PRIEST (her 11G-GF), and to Ezekiel RICHARDSON, one of the 7 founders of Woburn MA in 1642 (her 10G-GF). It also lists (confirmed and signed by a member of the British College of Arms in 1937) that Lynn is descended from William the Conqueror (her 32G-GF). My daughters expect me to kiss their hands now that they are descended from royalty, but I know better! ;)

Genealogy Items of Interest
	Real-Time Genealogy Database
	VOGT Ahnentafel (29 names, 7 generations)
	McGRATH Ahnentafel (19 names, 6 generations)
	MUNROE Ahnentafel (42 names, 10 generations)
	TAYLOR Ahnentafel (418 names, 46 generations)
	Further Research into the VOGT Surname
	My McGRATH Grandfather At Work
	Old Photo Found
	VOGT Family Reunion - Sept 1995
	VOGT Family Reunion - June 1997
	The First VOGT Family Tree
	The Boston Irish Music Club
	Patriarch of the WILSON Clan
	Family Skeletons and Mysteries
	VOGT Family Crest and Name Origins