We have had an interest in researching our family history for many years. It is a fascinating hobby ... much like reading a never ending mystery novel. At each turn, as you find the details of another ancestor, the question immediately arises ... "who were their parents?". Joe has used the home computer to keep track of his ancestors for almost 20 years. He has used software created by the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ( the Mormons) since their first version of Personal Ancestral File (PAF) around 15 years ago. FreePAF software, as well as a very interesting search engine for surnames may be found at the LDS web site.

Joe has traced one branch of his ancestry, through his mother's DYER ancestors, to William & Susannah WHITE who were Mayflower pilgrims and William was a signer of the Mayflower Compact. Their son Peregrine, Joe's 9th GGrandfather, was born aboard the Mayflower in Cape Cod Bay, November 1620. His cradle is displayed in a museum in Plymouth, Mass. Descendants of these Whites were Loyalists (although there were probably some rebel "patriots" in there by 1776). Joe's 5th GGrandmother, Susannah White FULLERTON (her husband Stephen FULLERTON having been killed in the Revolutionary War) and her daughter escaped from New York City in 1783 aboard the Spring Fleet to Saint John, New Brunswick. A later descendant married John B. DYER in Blissfield parish, New Brunswick in 1833. After lumbering in the maritimes went sour, the DYERs emigrated to Minnesota, from whence Joe became. Joe's 7th GGrandmother, Mary Barrett DYER, was the Quaker Martyr, hanged in Boston in 1660 for preaching her Quaker beliefs. Joe's PECHOUSEK ancestors immigrated in the late 1800's from Bohemia in the Austro-Hungarian Empire from what is now the Czech Republic. Other PECHOUSEK relatives escaped communist Czechoslovakia during the Prague Spring in the late 1960's, immigrating to Canada.

Carole's CHRISTMAN ancestors date back to the Revolutionary War as well. Carole's 3rd GGrandfather, Nicholas CHRISTMAN fought in a New York Line Continental Army unit. We've often wondered whether my FULLERTON Loyalist ever engaged in battle with Carole's CHRISTMAN rebel. We have traced her CHRISTMAN ancestors to Johannes CHRISTMAN, a Palatine German who came to the Mohawk valley of New York in 1710. Carole's MELCHER ancestry can be traced back through Wisconsin to Prussia. Carole's 3rd GGrandfather, Daniel PLAGEMAN, fought against Napolean's invasion in Prussia and had a finger shot off. Interestingly, Carole's MELCHER GG Grandparents lived in Prussia in the early 1800's just 150 miles from where Joe's PECHOUSEK GG Grandparents were living in Bohemia. Carole's Grandfather George B. MELCHER was a talented and renowned architect who designed many works of bronze and iron. We have several of his pieces in our Florida home. Among his more notable creations is the set of huge bronze doors at the Plummer Building, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN - George Melcher's home town.

The genealogy I have posted on these pages includes over 13,000 ancestors and relatives of both Joe and Carole. Please feel free to browse the pages beginning here.

Joe and Carole Pehoushek's Genealogy

Last updated February 18, 2006