|
Welcome to the Warkentin and Draper Family History
Web Site.
Although our focus
is on the Draper and Warkentin families, there are many other
connections. The "Our Family" heading "Main Index" will take you to many
of the associated surnames in addition to the featured families.
The
Dynamic Family Tree is interactive and has an extensive list of
family members. You can select from a drop down list or you can follow the
various individuals on the tree.
The Preachers and
the Pirate
Rootsweb site has additional family information.
The
Draper Family
The Draper family came to the new
colony of Massachusetts early in the 17th century as did many of our
other ancestral families. Other featured families in the Draper line
include: Bender, Brown, Carpenter, Choque, DeKelver, Jackson, Pennock
and many others.
They were
founders, settlers, soldiers, philosophers, preachers and at least one
pirate. Their lives were devoted to their religious beliefs and
most led a "Hard Scrabble" existence. Their descendants fought in the
French and Indian War, American Revolution, the Civil War, "tamed the
Old West", and eventually settled all over North America.
The Warkentin Family
The Warkentin Family
originally from northern Germany came to
the shores of North America mainly in the 1870s. They were Mennonites
who had decided to move to America from the southern Ukraine to gain
more religious independence. Thousands of Mennonites left their homes to take the
arduous journey. They settled in Manitoba, Kansas, Nebraska,
the Dakotas, Minnesota and other states and provinces, in many cases creating whole new
communities. Some of our ancestor Jacob's siblings, uncles, aunts,
and cousins settled in Canada, others settled in the United States. His
parents remained in Russia along with many others.
During the Russian
revolution and subsequent years many Mennonites, including our family,
were subjected to the horrors of persecution due to their religion
including rape, murders, and massacres. They were also caught up in the
Nazi invasion of Russia during WW II. Some escaped during those years,
some were sent to Siberia, and other descendants now live in western
Europe. A trickle continued to make their way to North America.
Mennonite groups,
including our family members, continued to move in their search for the ultimate religious freedom.
Many now live in Mexico, South America and many other places around the
world.
Other associated
names in the Warkentin line include: Braun, Doerksen, Driediger, Ens,
Friesen, Hiebert, Hoeppner, Schwartz and many others.
Warkentin and
Draper descendants including many associated family names are now
numbered in the tens of thousands and include Americans and Canadians in
all walks of life.
We look forward to hearing from family, or potential family members,
who are researching our many connections in North America and around the
world. We would really appreciate hearing your family story.
The Dynamic Family
Tree - View the Warkentin, Draper, and related family histories, in this interactive java
applet developed by
Michael Horey
|
