Welcome to our Family History webpage. We are developing this online resource for our family, particularly to help our children and grandchildren develop an understanding of their unique ancestries and cultural heritage. We believe it is vitally important to know one's background, i.e., to feel one's roots, to develop a sense of continuity by recognizing the various ethnic traditions that still are very much part of our daily lives.

We hope that this page will inspire our children and grandchildren to reflect how their own lives are linked to their families' past. We encourage them to go beyond the construction of family trees, to engage in learning about and continuing to write about our blended families' stories and lore.

Introduction

The Elmer Deppen side of our family traces their family roots to the region of Elsaß-Lothringen (German) or Alsace-Lorraine (French) ; his wife, Elsie (Bush), came from Wales. On the German side (Oma's family): the Scheibs came from Nordrhein-Westfalen; the Wellanos from Niederbayern and Tirol. Elizabeth Wellano, grandfather Franz Wellano's sister and most famous ancestor, became the well-known comedian: Liesl Karlstadt. (To learn more about Tante Liesl and to view samples of her performances, check out this website: Bayern Heute, Land & Leute). The Woods came from England; they trace their ancestry to William Brewster who came over on the Mayflower.

.... to be continued....