Family Lines
Chuck's Ancestors
Charles "Chuck" Soergel's family tree draws from two distinct lines — the Soergel line rooted in German immigrant communities, and the Ford line with English, Scotch-Irish, Welsh and German origins.
German Origins
Roy Robert Soergel Line
The Soergel line traces back to German-speaking regions of Europe, with several families immigrating to America in the 18th and 19th centuries. Most of Chuck's research focused on this line, more specifically the Soergels, where he located cousins in Bavaria. In addition to meeting those cousins, he also visited landmarks such as the St. Nikolaus Lutheran Church in Henfenfeld, where his ancestors worshipped. While there, he was also able to get some very old records translated from German into English.
Surnames in this line
Earliest Tracked Location& Immigration Year
- BreitenbachGerman
- BottGerman
- FleckensteinGerman
- HeuserGerman
- SoergelGerman (1848)
- SteigerwaldGerman (1854, Bavaria)
- SchweitzerGerman
- VolckGerman
- WeberGerman
English, Irish & German Origins
Ruby Irene Ford Line
Ruby Irene Ford's ancestry is a rich blend of English, Irish, and German heritage. Once settled in Western PA, the family lines frequently intermarried - including Ruby and her sister Elsie, who both married Soergels (first cousins Roy and Howard), as well as the Ford family that married extensively into the Neely family.
Surnames in this line
Earliest Tracked Location& Immigration Year
- Fordprob Scots-Irish
- Höck (Hague)German (1853, Friedrichsdorf)
- HolmanEnglish (1689, Monouth Co NJ)
- Jonesprob Welsh (~1765, York PA)
- MontgomeryIrish
- NeelyIrish
- RicheyIrish
- SchenkGermany
- WilloughbyEngland
- YetmanEnglish (1741, Monmouth Co NJ)