Helmut Zender

Some correspondences in 2021

---------- Forwarded message ---------

From: Helmut Zender

Date: Fri, Jul 30, 2021, 3:38 AM

Subject: West Ridge

To: Ginny Zender

Good morning Ginny,

thanks for the link.

Several years ago I met David Fortman from Chicago. He is a distant relative to us, a descendant of the Schmidt (Smith) line. We exchanged a lot of information and I did some research for him about the Fortmann family here in Germany.

I also got the two books from him as a gift.

One is not that thick, I have photographed the pages for you and have already sent them. The other book - "West Ridge" I sent you the title. It is a bit more extensive and still informative. If you are interested in it, I would like to give it to you.

I am happy when I meet people who are interested in the family, their ancestors and what happened.

Unfortunately, I'm already at the age that a spontaneous trip to Chicago is no longer so easy, otherwise I would have overcome myself long ago and undertook this trip .....

A family reunion there on the trail of Johann Zender

1814-1877 and its descendants is an exciting story.

Warm greetings

Helmut

---------- Forwarded message ---------

From: Ginny Zender <ginnyzender@gmail.com>

Date: Mon, Aug 16, 2021 at 10:01 AM

Subject: ZENDER Episoden. AMAZING!!!!!

To: Brian Donahoe <brian.donahoe@digidescorp.com>

The summary of Helmut's decades long research on our line is astounding.

I know you will do it justice. Even if you label some of his writings as observations - they offer an incredible 'look' at life many many years ago.

There is another reference to a Jewish connection. All of this is pretty head spinning. Could be a conversation situation instead of blood, not sure.

I hope one day you and I can chat about your take on all this. I won't be around that long. I had a very stressful life and it probably will take a few years off my longevity! Hope not..but... I'm still reeling from the prejudice I experienced from Bill Donahoe because I did not marry the father of my children. I knew better. But phew he was brutal.

I know you are swamped, but I know this will be fun and exciting to devote time to eventually.

I look forward to hearing from you after you've found time to have fun the last Helmut thoughts.

All work and no down time could affect your health! Hope you can pull back a bit.

You're one of the last people who remembers my unique and whip smart father. I'd like you to stick around for awhile.

---------- Forwarded message ---------

From: Helmut Zender <zenderhelmut@googlemail.com>

Date: Mon, Jul 26, 2021, 11:56 AM

Subject: ZENDER Episoden

To: Ginny Zender <ginnyzender@gmail.com>

Episode 01

Dear Zender family.

According to the information and research that has become known to me to this day, two people named Zender lived in Beuren / Hochwald near the oldest city in Germany - Trier. One was Adam Zender, as it turned out later, our line. The other was Lukas Zender. It has not yet been conclusively clarified whether these are brothers. Both were born in Beuren. Unfortunately, to this day I have not been able to find any reference to the parents. But it is possible, I think very likely.

Here I have come to a dead end as far as our line is concerned.

There are much older genders known in Germany, but above all in Switzerland.

Whether the Zender line from Poland, which formerly emigrated from the Hunsrück to the Volga to Russia, can be associated with the aforementioned Lukas Zender, has not been proven.

I got this information from friends.

After that some family members converted to the Jewish faith and later left for Poland. Unfortunately, these people were constantly harassed and could not live out the religion as their beliefs demanded. this also explains the line that settled in Lima Peru.

For the descendants of the Zender in the USA it should be noted that there were several emigrants who founded families in the USA or who emigrated with the children, so that the name was continued there. Among the descendants of Adam Zender (* 1652) we first have Johan Zender, 1814 - 1877.

In 1840 he made his way to the port city of Le Havre on the Atlantic coast, via the cities of Saarbrücken, on the border with France, Forbach, Metz and Paris, in order to reach the United States, where he wanted to shape his future.

This can be seen from the Schmidt family's exit documents, which he joined. The daughter of the family, Maria, was his dearest love.

At this point it should be noted that Johann emigrated without consent. How he financed the passage is not known.

In the passenger lists he is listed under the name John Sender. It was not uncommon at the time to have agents waiting there for the crossing when arriving in New York. But this is only a guess. My theory led me to a completely different constellation.

After all, the Schmidt family had sold all their belongings in Germany and will have been quite wealthy for the circumstances at the time, so that Peter Schmiedt, Maria's father, advanced the money.

The voyage across the Atlantic began in May 1840. On July 27, 1840

the ship called "FRANCE" arrived in Castle Garden, New York.

The first child, Jacob Zender, was born on February 15, 1841.

So Maria got pregnant before or during the crossing. That would also be logical if the father helped with an expected grandson of his daughter and future son-in-law.

They married in May 1842. In 1867 they celebrated their silver wedding anniversary.

The marriage had seven children:

Jacob * 1841

Anna Maria * 1843, husband Heinrich Muno

Peter * 1846, wife Margarete Alles

Johann * 1849, wife Catharine Mehr

Lorenz * 1851, wife Mary Reinberg

Maria * 1854, husband I Nikolaus Karthauser, husband II John Keil

Adam * 1856, wife Helena Reinberg

more episodes later