The Windeckers and Related Families

Three Rivers
Hudson~Mohawk~Schoharie
History From America's Most Famous Valleys

THE WINDECKERS AND RELATED FAMILIES

A Family History

A Family History donated by: Harry Windecker

INTRODUCTION

This is a family history of Harry, Susan and Marilyn Windecker and their families. Highlighted within this history are the surnames Farrington, Newkirk, Rowell and Mason as these surnames include our grandparents. Our parents, Harold Farrington Windecker and Florence Alice Rowell come from the Mohawk Valley of upstate New York, and much of this brief history, dating back to the early 1700s, occurs here. Each of the surnames listed above are carried backward, wherever possible, to their country of origin in Europe. Important historical events, when applicable, are briefly stated and keyed to our family history. This family history shows that ancestors representing each of these surnames have been in America for many generations and predate the Revolutionary War.

This history incorporates work and contribution by many others, as much of this work was conducted through Internet sites. Of note, Walter S. Windecker, Frederick O. Windecker (including previous work conducted by Victor Flanders and Eleanor Gross Windecker), L. Jean (Windecker) Upson, Stanley C. Newkirk and Karen (Robinson) Hughes made contributions that are incorporated within. Special appreciation goes to my aunt Helen (Windecker) Hyer, who supplied considerable information that got this research started.

This volume is separated into two distinct sections. The first section "tells a story" of each family line; provides connection with selected historical events, where possible; provides a connection with other family lines, notably the Keller and Klock families of New York; and includes vignettes about life or experiences in those times. It also includes some personal experiences with "life on the farm" from the viewpoint of a semi- "city slicker".

The second section is a series of formal genealogical reports of each of the major family lines addressed, in the format of the "Descendants of…." Even though the line may be carried back several generations in Europe, typically, it starts with the first person of a family line to enter America. The predecessors of each family line, where sufficient evidence exists, are discussed and listed in the first section. In the second section, six genealogical reports are presented that represent the families: Windecker, Klock, Newkirk, Farrington, Mason and Rowell. The Windecker and Rowell lines are carried forward to current generations, as they represent our mother and father. The other lines are carried forward to their intersection with the Windecker or Rowell line.

History demonstrates that our European ancestors are a migratory lot. Germanic tribes, for instance, moved from northern Europe into Gaul, Switzerland, Italy, Holland and England, amongst other locations. The Angles and Saxons were Germanic tribes that displaced and blended with Celts and Britons in England, whereas other Germanic tribes displaced and blended with Celts in ancient Gaul. Vandals and Visigoths migrated from Germany to Iberia and into northern Africa, where they blended with natives, becoming the Berbers. It is not out of character for our ancestors to have migrated to America.