Orendorff Genealogy book/pamphlet online...by Milo Custer Bloomington, IL 1919 publication

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Permalink Reply by Andrea Orenduff-Peel on June 17, 2011 at 9:20am

sigh..I haven't gotten back that far. I'm going stark-raving mad trying to figure out who jesse's father is for SURE. Hugh Orndorff used to be "into" identifying who is who, but he's not really active right now and all the 'big' discussions on the "O" lines happened around 2000-2004 - then again around 2008 on ancestry - with everyone pretty much happy with what they have. Even Stephen - who wrote "The descendents of Simon zu Ohrndorff" made his conclusions with no proof really....and linked him to Major Christian Orendorff - the place of birth just don't pan out BUT....the other families that my line married into ARE around that area. However, Roy Orndorff (Philip Henrich & Elizabeth) discount my ancestor as part of their lines - even though they all settled in the area where Jesse was born - saying he 'suddenly appeared' at the time of his marriage to Betsy Cashman - and that's not so either. I think we both are claiming the same Jesse/William Military documents - but the documents "I" have show Jesse claiming property in Kentucky - where my line moved and no mention of Kentucky in his book. I'm beginning to wonder if the Jesse he's talking about didn't 'die' but deserted his family and started over - which in THAT line has happened before with the whole Eva/McIlwee deal.

On top of THAT, there is a Henry that in Maryland around the same time was signing his name "Orenduff" - and the tax records of Frederick for the year 1800 have Phillips sons - Jesse, Jonathan and John all signing either "orandorff" or "orendorff" and was missed in his book. That means that HIS Jesse would have had to been counted that year and moved on to Greene Penn lickety split. Then MY jesse 'suddenly' appears as marriageable to the Cashman family just 3 years later in the same area. sigh...

I need to find a tree for the "Orenduff" line in Kentucky that is already done lmaoo...I'm about ready to take all the "O"s that migrated before 1800 (there's one that arrived about that time) and do the entire dang line until I find an answer lmaooo..okay - rant over :)

 

 

Permalink Reply by J Orendorff on June 17, 2011 at 10:03am

Oh, that is sad and funny!  We need to keep in mind that our ancestors did not always act in linear fashion.

Yes indeed, there were "suspect" relationships and moves for reasons lost to history.  It was especially easy  back

then when the official paper trail was basically non-existent.  One could pick up and move with a new identity and name with great ease.  For example, I just learned of a great family secret on my mother's side that not even all of my cousins know about.  My mother's parents were not officially married when they started a family.  The often told story of how they met..which oddly differed depending on which aunt or uncle you asked....was that they either met on the boat coming over or she was picking olives (they were Italian / Sicilian) and he saw her etc.  The immigration records from Ellis Island never show them together.....the truth:  She was married and living in NY....her spouse was abusive...and my grandfather and her ran off to PA then Illinois and started a new life together.  Being Catholic this was a no - no....years later, when it came out, and after confirming her original spouse had either died or divorced her, their local priest arranged for a formal wedding and kept the news out of the papers.  So, their kids were shocked to find they were the product of an out of "wedlock" marriage.  I told my sister (who informed me of this) that it was vital history and people should know about it.  It made no difference to me and most of my aunts and uncles have died.  Once their generation is gone, those cousins who don't know should know the truth.

 

FYI - there are several Orendorff lines....one family is centered in NY, others in Canada etc.

Jesse was not an uncommon name so duplication / mistaken family lines is the bane of our "hobby".

 

I have a similar issue with conecting my Allwein family to various proposed ancestors in the Netherlands / Germany....different spouses for the same name and slight spelling variations, dob off by a year or two....Professor Duane Alwin even wrote a book on the family yet has run into the same problem.

 

My wife's side is different....all kinds of connections to Scottish and other "royalty" that I have tried to investigate carefully as many people try hard to make connections that don't really work out.  I told her you have no estates because all of your "royal" relatives were the youngest daughters of many kids who were married off and out of the inheritance so to speak.

Permalink Reply by Andrea Orenduff-Peel on June 17, 2011 at 10:23am

OMG how INTERESTING....I bet that was a hard find. You are being kind with the "hobby" - more like an obsession really, I keep thinking of that lone tombstone in Kentucky that just says "Orenduff" for Jesse's grave on the Fisher farm and wonder what happened that he broke from his family so. However, I will plod on for the moment - can't afford 'professional' help or a visit to Virginia - with  the way the map changed from 1780-onwards, I'd have to visit half the state; however, since William said in 1870 his farther was born in West Virginia - I am concentrating on the part of Virginia that became West Virginia - but of course lines were blurred and all.

I don't want to make the same mistake and just 'put' him somewhere either. SOMEWHERE there HAS to be some mention of him - from a brother, sister or record that identifies him - there's so many dang "O"s out there, but I know that stuff gets lost, every day though something new pops up on the Internet and I wouldn't be surprised if the link comes from another families record of marrying into the family.

Interestingly enough regarding the NY Orendorfs - Captian Christian really pissed off his children - and they had an attorney from NY apply for his pension money - i've not tried to track down the children yet, but it's a possibility Jesse is related to THAT branch since he wound up in Beford before moving to Illinois. Like I said, I just keep going, filling out information until I hit upon the right thing, hopefully "I" don't die for a while, lmaoo :) - what I 'need' though is to link to O's on ancestry that are actually researched - peeps just copy over and don't get back to it, or lose interest or whatever; like I said, bout ready to make all the pre 1800 peeps 'siblings' of sorts and do their entire lines myself until I find a link lmaoo...we'll see...thanks for letting me vent.

 

 

Permalink Reply by J Orendorff on June 17, 2011 at 10:36am

Another angle to consider is that religion split the family too.  My side was Catholic, whereas most of the others were Protestant.  Herman Orendorff, being Christian's nephew, was Catholic, and despite living in the same area, I know this had to be a division.   If I come across some Jesse info I will be sure to let you know.

There are strong KY roots to the central Illinois Orendorff's, as you know, from the Christian line.

 

 http://www.fairpoint.net/~adrake/allengen/d0/i0000061.htm

THE ADVERTISER-TIMES, DELAVAN, ILLINOIS Thursday, June 21, 1923

THE ORNDORFF FAMILY OF TAZEWELL COUNTY 

The following paper on the Orendorff family and their history in Tazewell County was recently read before the Tazewell County Historical Society by Mrs. Nellie Orendorff Wood, of Delavan:

 "Four of his sons (Christian's), Enoch, Aaron, Absalom and Esau came to Tazewell county from Kentucky and Tennessee. Enoch and Aaron came first on horseback in the early part of 1826. They went to the northern part of the state, prospecting, and forded the Illinois river near Ottawa, then turned west and south swimming the river on horseback at Fort Clark, now Peoria. They came into township 23 (Hopedale) and selected the sites for their future homes. Returning to the south they closed out their business there and in the following year, 1827, returned to Illinois with their families. Enoch Orendorff settled near the Mackinaw and improved a farm there but after shaking for eighteen months with an early Illinois malaria he was persuaded by his brother to move out onto the prairie in section 32 in Hopedale township. He had a family of five children. Quintus and John L. Orendorff were his sons. Aaron Orendorff, the first settler in Hopedale township settled in section 34. Both he and Enoch built temporary log houses but later built houses made from brick burned on their own land. One of these houses is still standing about one and a half miles southwest of Hopedale and may be seen from the highway or from the railroad. It is in a reasonably good state of preservation. Aaron Orendorff had a family of nine children, six of whom were born in Tennessee and three in Illinois. His son, Darius W., was the first white child born in Hopedale township. In Mr. Orendorff's home was held the first school and the first church service in the township. All of the family were Cumberland Presbyterians."

 

However, I don't see a Jesse.......

Permalink Reply by Andrea Orenduff-Peel on June 17, 2011 at 10:42am

I have researched that line about 2/3rd - what's interesting is I found that line through a DAR application and filled it out, I found errors in the book in regards to who is who and corrected it on my tree on ancestry. Unless Jesse's date of birth is incorrect (and I doubt he could have been much younger) Captain Orendorff was too young to be his father. Since one of the descendents of that line fought in the civil war - (free online the Letters of Henry Orendorff) I went ahead and filled that line out pretty good on my tree, Henry was in the same battle as my Great Grandfather Jesse William (father William, grandfather Jesse who I am having problems finding more on) so I don't think Jesse is 'directly' related to Captain Orendorff or his decendents that moved to Illinios - there IS a chance that he is the son of one of the children that moved to New York, but haven't found a lot of info yet - would have to go to the NY line and work backwards - since his direct children (other than the above) are only listed in the minutes of a private suit in the House - and I've not paid for that info.

Permalink Reply by J Orendorff on June 17, 2011 at 10:51am

Have you seen this?

http://www.archive.org/stream/genealogyofhouse00hous#page/n5/mode/2...

Genealogy of the Houser, Rhorer, Dillman, Hoover Families ...
On openlibrary.org

 

There is a Jesse Orendorff with photo.....I have not researched it...looks interesting.

pg 203

Jesse L (dob 7/8/1860) married Hattie Love, R. R. No. 4, P.Bloomington, Illinois.
Children : Ralph Waldo, horn .August 13 1894.

 

His parents...John L Orendorff and Susan Hoover

 

Permalink Reply by Andrea Orenduff-Peel on June 17, 2011 at 10:58am

downloading and lookin now :) ty :)

 

Permalink Reply by Andrea Orenduff-Peel on June 17, 2011 at 11:14am

Okay...that's cool..now I got pics to go with the records, lmaoo. I didn't fill out that line, but it begins with Susan Hoover (Orendorff) on page 203...she married John L in the book - on my tree that's John Lewis Orendorff...now i got more info on that line TY :) - the books I have are all still copyrighted, so I can't post pics from em.

Permalink Reply by J Orendorff on June 17, 2011 at 11:25am

I don't think I have any connections...but you have to love those photo's.  If this was your family it would be a treasure trove.

Permalink Reply by Andrea Orenduff-Peel on June 17, 2011 at 12:01pm

tell me about it, i was looking at it going DANG IT, why didn't anyone pressure William to talk about Jesse's dad when he was alive...and what happened to his wife's stuff? - I have stuff on William - but when his wife died, one if his daughters musta taken HER stuff and it's been lost :(

 

Another problem I have is that the Masonic records of Hardinsburg, KY were lost long ago or I could try to get copies of the degrees and see if any info comes up that way..oh well, still huntin :)