Descendants of Johann Henrich “Hendrick” Eckler

(1711-1781)

Johann Henrich “Hendrick” Eckler emigrated to the United States in 1732, arriving in Philadelphia, PA, on the Loyal Judith, a ship carrying German immigrants from England. He settled in the Mohawk Valley region of New York State sometime around 1739. This is a compilation of the descendants of Johann Henrich “Hendrick” Eckler.

My Genealogy Story and a Tribute to A. Ross Eckler (1927-2016)

I have always been interested in my family history; however, it has only become a real passion over the last several years. I have been able to trace a number of family lines back 10 or more generations – some as far back as the 1500s. Yet, I have only been able to trace the line of my surname, Ackley, back to my 2nd great grandfather, Edmund C. Ackley. He was born about 1832 in Springwater, Livingston County, New York. His mother, or both parents, died when he was young, and he was adopted by Simeon and Almira Thayer. Edmund married Mary Ann Wade in 1852 and they had three children before he enlisted as a Private with Company B of the NY 85th Infantry on 1 Oct 1862. He contracted typhoid fever during the Battle of Yorktown and died on 18 May 1862. He is buried in Yorktown National Cemetery.

I spent countless hours trying to identify Edmund’s father, going so far as to create numerous spreadsheets tracking the migration, into and across New York State, of every Ackley I could identify during the late 1700s through the mid-1800s. I had always assumed that, as with most Ackleys in the United States, I was a descendant of Nicholas Ackley (1635-1695). But as hard as I tried, I could not connect Edmund to the Nicholas Ackley line.

 As I was analyzing the Ackley families in New York State, I ran across the Eckler-Ackler-Ackley Family History, written by A. Ross Eckler and published in 1970. I found it very useful in determining which Ackleys came from the Eckler line, although I still believed I descended from Nicholas Ackley.

There was something beyond that, though. I was fascinated with how A. Ross Eckler created a personal connection with those in his family tree through details and stories of their lives. For him, it was not about the quantity of names he could find, but, rather, the quality of the information. It was about trying to learn something about each and every person: Who were they? What were their lives like? 

I admired what he accomplished, particularly without the benefit of the internet and instant communications between people. As I have been re-creating his work for this website, I am continually amazed at his attention to detail and accuracy of information. But, more than anything else, I was truly inspired by his passion. 

As I continued my efforts to identify my 3rd great grandfather, I ran across a YDNA Project for the Ackley surname. I contacted Mike Ackley, who created the project and who clearly possesses the same kind of passion I spoke of above. After taking the YDNA test, I found I was not related to any other Ackleys in the project. Nor was I a descendant of Nicholas Ackley. As it turns out, I had only two matches in the entire FamilyTreeDNA Database (hundreds of thousands people), and only one perfect match – to A. Ross Eckler. Subesequently, I was able to locate two male Ackley descendants of Hendrick Eckler. They were kind enough to join the project and take the YDNA test. They also provided me additional family history material compiled by their father, John Addison Ackley, Sr. (1914-2008). The results of their tests not only confirmed that I was a descendant of the Eckler line, they also created new family relationships as well.

While I have yet to establish the specific connection to the Eckler line (although I have a theory that I am exploring through the help of YDNA), I am at least now certain that there is a connection.

As I continue my journey, I have decided to update and share the work of A. Ross Eckler. It is a tribute to his passion and what he has inspired in me, as well as an attempt to continue his work.

A. Ross Eckler (1927-2016)

CONTACT ME

This family history is a work in progress and I want to ensure the information is as accurate as it can be. Please feel free to let me know if you find anything that is incorrect. Also, please share any information or stories you may have on anyone in our family history.

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