ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I have had the good fortune and pleasure to work alongside some great folks from many Zentmeyer/Santmyer family groups, some of whom have been working on their genealogies for many years.  I can thus take little credit for much of the genealogical data on this web site, except as it relates to confirming with certainty our patriarch Johann Bernhard Zentmeyer, his origins in Bischwiller and Roigheim, his marriage to Salome in Bischwiller, and the relationships between his four surviving offspring and the various surviving Zentmeyer/ Zentmyer/ Santmyer/ Santmyers/Lehman lines here in America.  For this I humbly take credit.  The people whose work I would like to acknowledge, in no particular order, are:

Michael Fichtel, Aurora, Illinois.  Mike comes from the Jacob Stutenroth Zentmyer line, and has been doing genealogy work since 1971.  He has copies of hand-written Zentmyer family group sheets dating from 1904, which he obtained from David Taylor Zentmyer before his death in 1990.  Mike has done work on many of the other surname lines which populate these pages, and he loves to hear from people.  His email address is cemdigger(at)yahoo.com

Pat O'Toole, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Pat comes from the Santmyer/ Santmyers lines, and has been a workhorse in terms of data verification and computer input.  She created the GEDCOM on which this web site relies heavily.  Pat cites the earlier efforts of Izetta Barbour, Karen Wisecarver, Andrew McCary, and Ron Santmyers.

Dorothy Zentmyer Jones, Waynesboro, Pennsylvania.  Dorothy has been a stalwart in pursuit of the offspring especially of Christopher Zentmeyer, and worked alongside Michael Fichtel during his trips to Franklin Co., Pennsylvania.

Ron Santmyers, Front Royal, Virginia.  Cousin Ron is the dean of the Santmyer/Santmyers clans which moved into the Shenandoah in the 1790s, and Ron knows where all the bones are buried.  He was aware of the immigrant Johann Bernhard Zentmeyer, and would have probably figured out the connections eventually.  Although Ron is old and has recently retired, he likes to point out that I am even older.  Ron also acknowledges the earlier work of Colleen Zak-Hess.

Gentry Zentmeyer, Martinsville, Virgina.  Although mostly preoccupied with shiny things that make noise and go fast, Gentry was one of the few people who was interested enough in the Johannes Zentmeyer line to be an early internet resource for other seekers, and to respond when I needed a YDNA test to confirm Johannes' identity as a grandson of our immigrant ancestor, Johann Bernhard Zentmeyer.

Randy Zentmire, Albany, Oregon and Shirley Zentmire-Salas, a brother and sister tag team with boundless enthusiasm.  Randy confirmed the YDNA link of George Zentmire to the immigrant Johann Bernhard Zentmeyer.  Randy and Shirley have worked long and hard researching the genealogy of the George line of the family.

Bruce Zentmyer, Oswego, Illinois.  Although not an avid genealogy buff, Bruce graciously consented to do the YDNA test, and has thus been the only living descendent of Johann Jacob Zentmeyer to do so.  This final test put the nail in the coffin, No! the frosting on the cake, to confirm that all of these lines in fact stem from one immigrant ancestor, Johann Bernhard Zentmeyer.

Other Domestic Sources: The Southern California Genealogical Society, the Immigrant Genealogy Society, Johnathan Stayer, Pennsylvania State Archives, Harrisburg Pennsylvania; Pat Hatcher, Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine; Dianne Russell, Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society; Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania Gerberich Collection; Paul Barner, First Families of Cumberland County, Shippensburg Pennsylvania; Sandra R. Emerick, Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Robert Cluck, Adams County Historical Society; David Riker, Cumberland County Historical Society; Larry Calimer, Franklin County Historical Society; Lanie Graf, Moravian Archives, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Ruth Gembe, Waynesboro Historical Society; Bennett Greenspan, President, FamilyTreeDNA.com.

European Sources:  Sabine Schleichert, GGRS München, Germany; Friedrich R. Wollmershäuser, Oberdischingen Germany; Klaus Mund, Zürich Switzerland; Felix Gundacker, IHFF Genealogie Gesellschaft, Vienna Austria; Michael Grimm, Bürgermeister (Mayor), Roigheim Germany; Heinz E. Zethmeyer, Schwelm Germany; Kent Stuetz, Südliche Waldviertel Austria Project; Wilhelm Veeh, Gesellschaft für Familienforschung in Franken, Nürnburg Germany; Ursula Wacht, Großkarolinenfeld, Bavaria Germany; Marlies Kibler und Ilse Saur, Heimatkundlicher Arbeitskreis Möckmühl, Germany; Martin Kreder, Familien- und Wappenkunde, Heidenheim-Schnaitheim, Germany; Albert Stinzendörfer, Mühle Ammerndorf, Franken, Bavaria; Archiv der Erzdiözese Salzburg, Austria.