Patricia  & Forrest Guittar  

Circa 1977

The Families GUITTAR and KRAUSZ

Genealogy Page

"You're related to almost everyone in here!"

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This site and the genealogical efforts associated with it are dedicated to the

families Guittar and Krausz, et, al.

You are Visitor

June 6, 2009

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Petran Find!

In May, 2009 while preparing for a trip abroad in June 2009, which includes a trip to Prague, CZ, a wonderful gold mine was uncovered! Lynn Brown help conduct some preliminary research related to the PETRAN's, and discovered in the online digital records of Trebon, CZ, records of Vaclav Petran, a possible first marriage, records of his marriage to Anna Kriklan, and their children's birth/baptismal records!

Thanks, Lynn!

Subsequently, in June, 2009, a Czech genealogist, Hana Skockova, has begun research and aiding in 

a  July trip to Prague and the towns and areas where the Petran's and Kriklan's lived. It will also include the church where they were married, and a lot more!

Check back!

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Welcome! 

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There comes a time when you reach an age and say to yourself, "I wonder about the family." Or, more directly put, "who are all these old people in all these old pictures?" As I have discovered, this usually happens when almost everyone who has knowledge about "the family" has died or is old enough that memories have faded and pictures and other items have taken flight. Then, all too often, it's too late. In addition, things you remember about your parents are yours peculiarly, are narrow in focus and understanding. Many times things about them, the things that give flesh and bone to who they were beyond mom and dad or grandma and grandpa aren't said, are forgotten, lost. We are more than just a name, dates, addresses, social security numbers, gravestones. So were our ancestors.

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I thought one thing I could do for my family  is to share not only pictures and basic statistical data, but memories. Memories of places we grew up, some of the experiences that made us who we are, our parents and grandparents and others, who they were and where various parts of the family came from and what they did. The result is a family genealogy book, now beyond four hundred pages - and it ain't done yet! When it is, copies will be placed in the St. Louis and Jefferson County and St. Louis City libraries, as well as St. Louis Genealogical Society, and with the Family History files in Salt Lake.

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My intent has not been a purely exhaustive genealogical effort but rather a family history following primary ancestral threads (parents, grandparents, great grandparents, etc), set within a narrative format. Why? To try and include every "connection" in this manner is more than the scope of a simpler effort. This thing’s big enough! It is, however in the "complete" family tree pedigrees. This site and the book also include information on the towns, religious and ethnic backgrounds – and other “fluff”. 

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This website is intended as the "abridged" online version with basic connections, pedigrees, etc. It is still under development. My intent is to provide sub pages for each of the families noted at left. For now, however, you'll just have to scroll down - and down - and down! Hey, gimme a break, I'm still learning this stuff!

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The combined families include immigrants- from Bohemia, Germany, France, England, French Canada, musicians, magicians, locomotive engineers, bartenders, farmers, nuns, those who declared their intent to stand against the British in June, 1776, served with General George Washington - then deserted. There were some that fought in the Civil War, while others were shipwrecked off the New England coast a hundred plus years before. There are some kissin' cousins, one who married an Indian squaw, a possible inter-racial marriage at a time when such things were beyond jaw-dropping, one who left his family and married and had  another family, black sheep, skeletons in the closets and more. There were aristocrats who had a castle in England, another "possible" who was a pirate, a connection to a family with the real name of Frankenstein, those who served in various wars, a famous General, a Senator and a connection to an American President.  And never would have I dreamed this would have been the case.

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However, ours is a family of very ordinary people who fell in love, had children, who in turn had their own children, who's only claim to fame is love and family. No hoopla or 15 minutes of fame. All of this is our heritage - a mixed bag. Life is indeed a box of chocolates, because you really never know what you're going to get - particularly when it comes to family! You inherit the box.  It’s up to you to partake – as well as refill and remember.

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And, speaking of remembering, there are tremendous thanks due to others who have helped me in my endeavors. Among them are cousins I found while beginning my family efforts while wandering the web. Among them are Linda Marquez, who assisted by sharing her information on the Guittar family when I first began my efforts; Alice Freese Molitor, who has done significant research into the family Auf der Masch (Marsh) and who so willingly shared her efforts; Lynn Brown, who has dug, and prodded and encouraged and researched and, well, done more than I have ways to thank her regarding the Petran's and Bochniceks, and in just about any way you could name on any part of the family. Visit her family website at www.Family-Quest.com. There is also Mel Wilson, another cousin who I first met through Lynn's efforts, a man who knew my grandfather, John Petran, and who has shed much light on all things Petran, Bochnicek, Wilson and more. He is a wonderful photographer. You can see a small bit of his work at www.centennialscenes.com. To the above and the many other family members who have shared their precious mementos, photographs, memories and more I owe tremendous thanks, as do you who are interested in these family connections.

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In the end I hope this will be something that you will enjoy and appreciate in those days ahead when you too will probably ask "where did I come from, and who were those very strange looking people in those pictures?"  Think of this as a bit of a love letter to the future - about your past. Like Frodo Baggins said to Sam while finishing Bilbo’s story, “there’s still room for more”.

Best Wishes,

Forrest Guittar, March, 2007

Want to contact me?

  gumpman3@comcast.net

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The reality of names is this - what is ain't necessarily what was or meant to be. Guittar is primarily French - and originally may have been Guittard (like the famous chocolates), or several others that don't look a thing like Guittar, and is apparently a nickname for LaGrandeur (ex. LaGrandeur dit Guittar). There are also those Guittar's with one "T" (Guitar), and Guittard and Guitard. Confusing.

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Auf der Masch means "from the marsh."  Lillie's name was "Marsh", but her father's name was Auf der Masch. This came about because of Americanization (it is known that the family decided, as they were now in America, to drop the “Auf der Masch” in favor of Marsh to be more American), ease of pronunciation and spelling for others- a de-Germanization.  Krausz had variants of Krauss, Heldman included Heldmann.

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One more element to consider is this – education. Many of the family on the Guittar, Marsh and Petran sides had limited schooling and that driven in many cases by the tenor of the times – the need to work and support the family. To illustrate, Zebedee Guittar didn’t finish third grade. Forrest, his son, made it to high school but his graduation is unconfirmed. Evelyn, his wife, only had an eighth grade education. Many on the Krausz and Heldman side, however, completed their educations and in some cases advanced studies. It can, in general, be said that the baby boom generation of these families were the first consistent group to graduate high school and pursue college educations- over a quarter millennia after family members first began arriving in the New World and moving to the St. Louis area.

ellings would be inconsistent, and that those asking the question might write out what they thought it would be- if the person being asked wasn’t sure, or how it sounded to them.  

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PLEASE NOTE:

The buttons in the left sidebar link to individual family pages.

See the table below for additional pages, including documents, historical events involving the family, and more!

Some pages contain a number of pictures. Depending upon your computer's capabilities and your internet connection speed, some pages may take longer to load than others.

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The family names below do not yet have individual pages established for them on this website. 

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   Arpin (see POITVIN)

   Bonneau

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   Creel

Raymond Creel would marry Evelyn Petran, and they would have a daughter, Corrinne.

   Creely

The Guittar connection to the Creely's comes through Lawrence Guittar's marriage to Marie Creely (1889-1945) More will be posted soon!

   Geno

The Geno family connection to the Guittar's came about as Francois Guittar left his wife and children and headed for Ohio. Eventually this wife, Virginia "Eugenia" Bonneau married Antione Geno, who is the step father of Edward Guittar. Geno / Guittar family details will be added soon.

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   LaGrandeur (see GUITTAR)

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   LaPointe

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   Light

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  Little

Helen Petran would marry Jimmy Little. More later!

Helen Petran and James "Jimmy" Little

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   Poitvin

   Scovill

Corrinne Creel, daughter of Evelyn Petran and Raymond Creel, would marry Paul Scovill. Paul would pass away in 1977. Corrine would pass away in Sept. 2008.

   Shaw

   Vogelsang

At this juncture nothing is known of the family Vogelsang save that Bertha "Betty" Guittar (Vogelsang)'s father 

was HENRY VOGELSANG. Her mother's name remains unknown.

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HENRY VOGELSANG: Born: unknown; died: unknown

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BERTHA "BETTY" VOGELSANG

Born: Jan. 9, 1853 Died: abt 10/22/1921 (obit appeared 10/24) Buried: St. Peter's Cemetery Married: Apr. 28, 1870, 

Johann Heinrich auf der Masch

   Wilson

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