This page is currently under construction. Once it is complete I will remove the graphic to the left. Patience appreciated, I am working on it as time permits.
I have included this page here because I thought it was important and interesting for my family members to note. I have always found the Anabaptist people fascinating, for a while now I have suspected that we might actually have some Anabaptist Ancestry so you can imagine my surprise when I finally unearthed some proof! I am going to share what I currently know about my Mennonite Grandparents. I hope to be able to add more to this page in the months to come, as I am unable to do more indepth research. While Our Connection to our Mennonite Heritage does not come directly from our Esterline grandparents it comes in through my Grandmother Cora Mae Wilkey-Esterline, so I have included it here. My direct line ancestors are indicated using red text.
Lewis Ludwig Winkler 1716-1798
Lewis Ludwig Winkler was my sixth great Grandfather. I descend through Lewis daughter Elizabeth Winkler and her husband PhillipGarner. By best accounts Grandfather Lewis was born about 15 April, 1716 in either Switzerland or Germany. I have yet to see proof of his country of birth. I have several DNA matches whose Winkler ancestry leads back to Switzerland so I likely think that is where my Winkler ancestors probably originated from. Many ancestry users have researched this man and it appears that he was married twice. His first wife and the mother of his children was Anna Christiana Leutz. His second wife was that of Catharina Dietz, a daughter of Frederick Dietz and Catarina Bonacelli.
By best accounts Lewis arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 30 September, 1754. He came over on the ship Edinburgh. However, it should be noted there are some discrepancies as laid out in the notations written by Wanda Flesher in 2008:
Possibly immigrated on ship Edinburg, 30 Sept 1754, Ludwig Winckler, Henry Winckler, found in Volume 1, page 614 of the book, Pennsylvania German Pioneers. Another source noted the ship Denmark, 3 Nov 1752. They took the oath of allegiance to the King of England on that date. George Parrish was captain of the Denmark. Went from Hamburg Germany to Cowes ? , to America.
All childrens names were taken directly from the Will of Lewis Winkler which was probated on 13 April, 1798 in Rowan County, North Carolina. The only child not named in his will was a daughter Anna Margaret Winkler, it is thought that Anna had likely passed away before the will was written or probated. Her name does not appear within the lawsuit that was filed by Lewis sons in laws on behalf of his daughters. Said lawsuit was filed in the November Court of Common Pleas and Quarter Sessions in 1801.
Elizabeth Winkler married Phillip (John) Garner Sr.
Anna Margaret Winkler
Eliza Winkler (Blaze?)
Phoebe Winkler married John Becker
Catherine Winkler married George Berkshire
Mary Winkler married Jacob Beck
Francis Winkler (son)
Henry Winkler married Susannah Ross
Elizabeth Winkler & Phillip Garner
Elizabeth Winkler and Phillip Garner were my fifth great Grandparents. By best accounts Grandmother Elizabeth was born about 1744 somewhere in Europe. I have seen her have the first name Barbara also, I am unaware of any documents for the name Barbara. Names of the children and their spouses was taken directly from the Mennonite Vital Records Database.