Young German families immigrated to the central New York area in the 1850s to 1860s so that they might have a better life. Do you recognize some of the names of these families: Cook, Hornburg, Hirsh, Duger, Wise, Kranze, Weller, Brinkman, Shoults/ Shoultz, Hager? Many of these families were farmers or became farmers when they arrived in the United States.
A number of these families settled in the towns of Ira, Victory and Cato. One family in particular settled in the Town of Ira and grew to become one of the larger families residing locally. William (son of John Duger) and his wife, Augusta Shoults Duger, eventually had 16 children. A lady in Colorado asked me for obituaries for William and Augusta and this got me to thinking, “if I don't get copies of the obits for them and their 16 offspring, who will know where to find them in the future!”
So detective work started. About half of the obits were obtained in the obit files located in the Town of Ira's History Room, and phone calls to family members produced a few more. Since the family had moved to the Town of Lysander early in the 20th century or late 19th century, I found some more obits through the Baldwinsville Library and the microfilm of the Messenger. The most elusive one was for the oldest child. A phone call to a Town of Ira resident who lived a short distance from where the lady lived after her marriage said, “No, I don't have her obit, but I know who does have one!” Through more phone calls, I was able to obtain the last obit.
In the meantime, a lady from the Town of Lysander contact me about obtaining a copy of Newt Ferris' book, “Father, Uncle Jim and Some Others.” In this book, Ferris tells about the Duger family. She wanted a copy for a relative that was a Duger family descendant.
Fortunately, the late Miss Marie Lawrence of Baldwinsville had written up a genealogy in 1984 of the Duger family as she is a descendant through a brother of John Duger, William's father. This brother had settled in the corner of the towns of Lysander, Granby and Ira. Several other members of the family settled in the central New York area also.
William Duger was known locally for his tobacco growing skills. Growing tobacco requires lots of hand labor and patience, so with lots of children in the family, it was a little easier economically. The farmhouse and barns of the William Duger farm in the Town of Lysander are all gone now, but family members/descendants are scattered over central New York.
A number of the German immigrants that came to the United States in the 19th century are buried in local cemeteries such as: Terpening and Ira Union in the Town of Ira; Emerson in the Town of Conquest; Union Hill in the Village of Cato; Jacksonville, Lysander and Plainville in the Town of Lysander; Victory Rural in the Town of Victory. With the family members spreading out, burials eventually will be more widespread.
The descendants of these German immigrants would make the ancestors proud of their accomplishments. They were/are members of the Armed Forces, clergy, bankers, farmers, town officials, construction business owners, restaurant owner, etc. If you are a descendant of German immigrants, be proud that the ancestors chose to come to the United States in order to make a better life for themselves and their families.
Dorothy Southard is the
town of Ira historian
So detective work started. About half of the obits were obtained in the obit files located in the Town of Ira's History Room, and phone calls to family members produced a few more. Since the family had moved to the Town of Lysander early in the 20th century or late 19th century, I found some more obits through the Baldwinsville Library and the microfilm of the Messenger. The most elusive one was for the oldest child. A phone call to a Town of Ira resident who lived a short distance from where the lady lived after her marriage said, “No, I don't have her obit, but I know who does have one!” Through more phone calls, I was able to obtain the last obit.
In the meantime, a lady from the Town of Lysander contact me about obtaining a copy of Newt Ferris' book, “Father, Uncle Jim and Some Others.” In this book, Ferris tells about the Duger family. She wanted a copy for a relative that was a Duger family descendant.
Fortunately, the late Miss Marie Lawrence of Baldwinsville had written up a genealogy in 1984 of the Duger family as she is a descendant through a brother of John Duger, William's father. This brother had settled in the corner of the towns of Lysander, Granby and Ira. Several other members of the family settled in the central New York area also.
William Duger was known locally for his tobacco growing skills. Growing tobacco requires lots of hand labor and patience, so with lots of children in the family, it was a little easier economically. The farmhouse and barns of the William Duger farm in the Town of Lysander are all gone now, but family members/descendants are scattered over central New York.
A number of the German immigrants that came to the United States in the 19th century are buried in local cemeteries such as: Terpening and Ira Union in the Town of Ira; Emerson in the Town of Conquest; Union Hill in the Village of Cato; Jacksonville, Lysander and Plainville in the Town of Lysander; Victory Rural in the Town of Victory. With the family members spreading out, burials eventually will be more widespread.
The descendants of these German immigrants would make the ancestors proud of their accomplishments. They were/are members of the Armed Forces, clergy, bankers, farmers, town officials, construction business owners, restaurant owner, etc. If you are a descendant of German immigrants, be proud that the ancestors chose to come to the United States in order to make a better life for themselves and their families.
Dorothy Southard is the
town of Ira historian
The Citizens' Say
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