My Sincerest Thanks To:

Mom and Dad, for enduring many hours (years!) of questions, and for preserving many of these photos over the decades.

Pat Baribeau, for her genealogical research. Without her photos, my gallery of the Roger Williams/Leah Laviolette family would have a lot of holes in it. Pat’s original printed family tree was a major inspiration along the way.

Irene Ernestina Fragale-Stratton, for remembering people in those photos which left the rest of us scratching our heads, and for providing many of the family facts which made “The Fragale Family in Escanaba” possible. Rest in peace, Aunt Irene.

Patricia Stratton-Polazzo, Mike and Emma Fragale’s granddaughter, for those Stratton photos, and the Fragale/Leisner information and very much more.

Terri Ruleau, fifth cousin (?), for all of her Williams research, especially for connecting Jeremiah to his father Lewis, and the DNA analysis connecting Paul Ance to the family.

Melania “Lonie” Ruggieri-Eapen, granddaughter of Mike Fragale’s sister Mary, for details and more details, and for her account of her grandfather Serafino Leo’s life, and much more.

Helen “Dolly” Fragale-Citino, daughter of Angelo Fragale and niece of my great grandfather Mike Fragale, for filling in more details of life in Kennett Square, and helping with the Upper Peninsula connections.

Helen Citino, daughter of Josephine Fragale-Citino, for her warm recollections of life on the farm.

Martha (Marti) Mascaro, whose research into her Italian heritage happily intersects my Fragale project, for the data on Maria Concetta Mascaro-Fragale and the Fragales of Accaria.

Courtney Sellani, third cousin and great-granddaughter of Giuseppe Fragale, for the photos, of course, and for filling in Joe’s story a bit.

Tracy Helmsmeier-Pinnix and Marilee Bowen-Fairbanks, for their info on the Bowen-Spieth branch of the family, and especially to Tracy for all of the photos!

Lillian Coombs Cessna-Alford, first cousin twice removed, for her help in sorting out the Cessnas of Kentucky and Michigan, and especially for the photos. Anyone with photos of my great-great-great-grandparents is my hero!

Jim Poteet, fourth cousin, for dozens of new Cessna related images and so much work on the Cessnas in general. And thanks to Donna Shelton, one of Jim’s sources.

Peggy Gazeley-Clements, Joseph Cessna’s granddaughter, for the photos and facts.

Cheri Pomerantz, another fourth cousin, for the trove of Cessna and Walters related documents and photos.

Harlan LaRue Van Camp, second cousin once removed, for showing me the connection to the LaRues of Kentucky.

Myrna McVicker, another Cessna descendant, for all those family tree documents.

Rose Mary Chepon, for introducing me to her brother-in-law Kevin Bourdon, my link to the Rudicks and Cessnas in Detroit.

Kevin Bourdon, for saving his mother Vera Rudick-Bourden’s photos and more, strengthening the Spieth and Cessna galleries and making the Cecil Rudick gallery finally possible. Without Kevin, all of those century old letters would be long gone.

John Dunkin, grandson of Floyd Rudick, for first interesting me in the life of John Andrew Rudick, and for many facts, stories and, of course, photos. Also thanks to Robin Uresti, Teresa Crater, Tanna Rudick and Sandra Cain for further Rudick info and photos.

Pam Richard, for finding the Ebenezer Reddick document which at long last named his father.

Shirley Andrews, fourth cousin once removed, for wading through all of the Mizer connections and finding Theodosia Burrows-Rudick’s gravesite, and Margaret Mizer’s fourth son.

Sebrina Gridley, third cousin once removed, for helping to sort out the McCarty children, for the photo of them, and for bringing the name Cerepta Kathryn McCarty Pigg to my attention!

George W. Reddick, third cousin once removed, for facts which help to connect Stephen Reddick to his possible father Ebenezer Reddick, and to his semi-orphaned boys.

Lewis M. Ruddick, whose DNA analysis, during and after trips to Ireland, proved that our possible common ancestor William Ruddock was born there.

Noreen Gingrass-Spieth and Amy Spieth-Kuzynowski for the information and photos relating to my uncle Phil’s family, and for the photos which got the Cecil Edward Rudick and Mary Alice Cessna gallery started.

Ann Jacubiak (Another Herman Leisner great-grandchild), for clearing up his family tree, and for the photos of Herman and Gusty.

Terri Dimock, Anastasia’s great-granddaughter, for the great information on Paul DuBois and his family, and for the photos.

Caroline Kmiecik, fifth cousin, and descendant of John R. Williams, for all of the Find-A-Grave work, and for helping me to extend the Williams line back three more generations.

Samantha Mejia, Anna H. William’s great-granddaughter, for her information on that branch of the family.

Barb Stratton, for her info about Edward Mitchell Stratton and his family, and for her wonderful photo from Irene Stratton’s 100th birthday party.

Phillip Sheets, whose wife is another descendant of Henry and Anna Wise, for the photos.

John Troeger, fourth cousin twice removed, who helped me cement the link between my great-great-grandfather Spieth and the Spieths of Germany. You can find John’s website here.

Gary Gezann, sixth cousin, and Angela Spieth, seventh cousin, for showing me another Ohio line of Spieths, the descendants of Christian Andreas Spieth’s brother.

The Delta County Genealogical Society Great Escanaba area stuff here.

Interment.net where you might be able to dig up an old relative or two.

Ancestry.com A great resource. The census documents alone might make it worth joining.

A special thank you goes to Mark Angelos, not a family member, but he might as well be, for taking the time to proofread my writings, and offering encouragement when needed.

Please forgive me for missing a few folks, but it’s been a long ride and some of you fell out of the bus along the way!

My Wish List……What else—more photographs!

With help from the folks listed above I now have photographs of twelve of my sixteen great-grandparents! The other four?—their photos might still be out there.

There’s Frederick (Fritz) Leisner, born in Germany, buried in Escanaba. C’mon, you descendants of Ewald Leisner or Bertha Leisner-Froelich—I haven’t heard anything in all these years from you. I’m begging.
And then there’s Gabriele Fragale who probably never came over from Italy.

The real find would be photos of the remaining two, George William Spieth (Georg Willhelm Spieth, William Spieth) and his wife Kathryn Christina Groh-Spieth. Their daughter Pearl Viola Spieth-Osterhout would be a photo bonus. To be blunt—calling any Osterhout distant cousins: please help me! You seem to be my last chance.

Have something to share? Please do!