In what apparently is to be a lifelong pursuit, we are researching Joy's family names of Downey, Fleming, Klahr, Mackey, Meierding, Phelan, Schultz, Walizer, Welsh, and Wolf; and Ray's family names of Dopp, Hall, Jobe, Redford, Tennison, (Tennyson), and Weber.  Visits to Salt Lake City's genealogy library have enriched our research.  While traveling  we have thumbed through dusty records in little courthouses and genealogy centers digging for information on relatives who have lived in Canada, Illinois, Indiana, , Kansas,  Missouri, Nebraska, , Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin.  Sometimes we hit pay dirt, and other times we just see the town where they lived.  My research on the internet has precipitated multiple emails with information about someone's mutual ancestor.

Joy's Downey, Fleming, Mackey, Phelan and Welsh relatives originated in Kilkenny County, Ireland.  They came to the United States through Ontario and migrated south into Michigan, Illinois and Kansas where some stayed for a while, marrying and having children.  Most of them, however, eventually wound up in the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1893 where they settled and where Joy's father was born. 

Joy's MEIERDING (use links for photos) branch of the family lived in Fort Wayne, Indiana where they settled after leaving "Prussia." Great-grandpa Meierding moved to Nebraska where he met and married Great-grandma.  These are the first ancestors we have up on Web Pages with photographs from 1865 and forward.   If you have a chance to take a look at them, we have Great-grandpa and Great-grandma Meierding's Marriage License from 1888, and a christening photo from 1865.  A trip to the Allen County Public Library filled in a lot of gaps for the Meierding branch of the family and the Salt Lake Genealogy Library gave us even more.

Joy's maternal ancestors all originated in Germany, or Prussia to be more exact. Schultz ancestor was born in Wisconsin, Walizer in Pennsylvania, , and Wolf in Illinois. They all eventually wound up in Nebraska where Joy's mother was born.  I'm making some progress on my dead ends, but Walizer and Wolf(f) are still problems. 

Ray's Tennison (Tennyson) family lived in Missouri with earlier roots in Kentucky, Tennessee and the Carolinas.  Thanks to my internet posings, we have been contacted by many of his relatives, and our 2002 research in Missouri gave us great information several generations back on his Hall and Jobe ancestors.  Research in 2000 in Wisconsin and South Dakota yielded information on Ray's Grandmother Dopp's family plus a meeting with hitherto unknown Dopp relatives in South Dakota in 2000 and in Oregon in 2001.

Ray's Weber relatives lived in the Chicago area with earlier roots from Germany, but we don't have enough information to even respond to anyone who contacts us with anything other than an exact match.

We are plodding along in our research gathering bits and pieces as we go.  We appreciate hearing from anyone researching these same families.   Our GEDCOM file is accessible by Surname to the almost over 2,000 individuals on file.   Dates of living individuals are not published here for privacy purposes, but if you wish to verify anything and/or exchange information, I will be happy to do so via email -  email.    Also, here is a link to our Family Tree Maker  page.
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