Welcome!

This site is dedicated to documenting the genealogy and history of our family, which includes the surnames Arambasich, Becker, Beagley, Burditt, Churchill, Clute, King, Metz, van der Zee, Wrobel and Yoder.

The Footprints of Time

Before the building of railroads and superhighways, rivers formed the preferred style of travel for inland voyagers.  Thus, the great cities of the ages were built on the banks of flowing streams, which provided not only water to drink, but the means to travel quickly and reliably to the next town or, in some cases, clear across a continent.  In our family history, the great river of Europe, the Rhine, is prominent and from mountain villages near its source in the Swiss Alps came the Yoders and the Kings.  From further downstream in Baden came the Metz family, and there they were joined by the Beckers and Clutes in disembarking from Rotterdam, where the Rhine flows into the sea, before making the harrowing trip across the ocean to the Hudson, the Mississippi or the St. Lawrence.  They often endured cramped quarters and meager rations as they made their way across the Atlantic, starting with Storm van der Zee in 1636.   These rivers and many smaller waterways are, with the passage of the centuries, and, with the nourishment they have given to our family tree, the Rivers of Time.

Cassie Van Patten Becker and her sister-in-law Kate Becker

Persistent Pioneers

Most of our ancestors were tillers of the soil.  Storm A. L. Becker settled down to make his living as a farmer along the banks of the Hudson River, just north of its juncture with the Mohawk.  That life was cut short, but meanwhile, the King family settled along the rivers and streams of Southeastern Pennsylvania.  As land became crowded in the Eastern United States, both Beckers and Kings made their way westward, in covered wagons or by canal boat, crossing the Cumberland Gap or sailing their way across the Great Lakes.  They cleared the land of its primeval forests, built their log homes, suffered disease and accidents, crop failures and Indian raids and through it all, raised their families and settled the homestead, laying the foundations for generations to come.   Samuel Koenig's story is but one example.

Soldiers, Sailors

Danger was an element of every pioneer's life and often military service was among the challenges they faced.  Members of the Clute, Becker and van Schoonhoven families served with distinction in the Revolutionary War, in campaigns along the Mohawk and the Hudson Rivers.  Beagleys and Churchills fought bravely in the 100th Illinois Infantry at Chickamauga, Nashville and Missionary Ridge during the Civil War, taking their ease along the way on the banks of the Tennessee River.  At least two of them never came back.  George Becker answered the call when the Spanish-American war broke out, mustering in at Cincinnati along the Ohio River, and members of the Metz family served in World War II and Korea.  Other family members served in the Army during Vietnam and some are serving in the Armed Forces even today.  We salute their bravery and dedication, for as Thomas Jefferson famously wrote , "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time by the blood of patriots...".

They Also Came In Peace

The Kings and Metzes were originally followers of the Mennonite faith, which proscribed military service, according to their interpretation of the Bible.  Despite persecution for their beliefs, they remained steadfast in following their strict interpretation of Scripture, in the face of martyrdom and banishment from their ancestral homes.  Visit the Peace Page for a synopsis of the Scriptural basis for these beliefs.

Come Again

We try to update the site with something new every month (as our schedule permits), so come back for trip through the Footprints of Time when you can. Comments and suggestions are always welcome. Spoilports cannot win!