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For me, it all began when I received an email from bjcuyle@Xlightlink.com (Bill & Judy Cuyle) on November 30, 2002:
"While looking for Cuyle family members on the web, I came across your son's name, and contacted him to see if he's related to Mildred H. Cuyle and Harry Fritzinger. He said that he's their grandson, but that you would know more of the family history than he does."
The email went on to detail two branches of a family tree that started in New York, around 1790 with Samuel Cuyle and Margaret Bunn. One branch led down to Kurt as one of their great-great-great grandsons, descending from Samuel and Margaret's son, Jacob Bunn Cuyle. Another branch led to Bill Cuyle, as another of their great-great-great grandsons, descending from another of Samuel and Margaret's sons, Almond D. Cuyle. If true, that would make Bill and Kurt 4th cousins.
The writer was Bill's wife Judy Cuyle and she was asking for more information about Mildred's offspring in exchange for the information she has regarding the descendents of Samuel and Margaret Cuyle.
I agreed to help. And by the time I got done poking around on genealogy sites, I was hooked! I've never given it a lot of thought before, but I began to wonder who all my ancestors were, and how many 2nd or 3rd or 4th cousins I might have living across the country--or maybe even right next door, metaphorically speaking.
I had to start with what I knew, and what I knew wasn't much.
I knew that my mother was born Doris Ann Keenum, daughter of Pauline and Charles Keenum. Her only sibling was a twin sister, also named Pauline Keenum. I knew that my mother had a grandma Nosek and a grandma Keenum. I didn't know either of their first names, nor what their husband's names had been.
I knew that Nicholas Rosin, Sr. and his wife Anna Rosin immigrated from Hungary around 1908 when my father, Nicholas Rosin, Jr.--the oldest of 13 children--had been born. It wasn't clear whether he had been born here, or born on the boat coming over from Hungary. I had no idea who the parents of Nicholas, Sr. and Anna were. So my father and his siblings grew up with no grandparents at all.
As I began investigating the facts, I learned that some of what I knew was incorrect.
In addition to telling you what I found out, I'll try to also let you know how I found out each piece of information. It has been a fascinating journey. I still don't know a lot of things I'd like to know, but consider this a work in progress.
I'll let you know what I have learned up until now, and then issue updates from time to time.
February 15, 2003.
Elaine Doris Rosin Keller (Mrs. Kurt Fritzinger)
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