Ancestors
		Hyder Family First Families of Tennessee Hance Michel Heider came from Germany to America in 1729 with his wife Katherine (Chasteen) Heider. In the late 1760s, three of his children, Catrina, Michael, and Benjamin moved to North Carolina. Michael was one of the signors of the Washington Compact and the Halifax Petition. Michael was a member of the Watauga Association and fought many battles in the Revolutionary War. My research has focused on the descendants of Michael and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Sechrest Family Charles Sechrest was married in 1778 to Elizabeth Castle in Frederick County, Maryland. The Sechrest (Sigrist) family originated in the Palatine area of Germany. Several different spellings of the name can be found today, Sechrest, Sechrist, Secrest, and Secrist. My branch of the family lived in Kentucky until they came to Tennessee in the early 1920s. Lucas Family John Lucas was born in England before 1729 and came to this country as a young man. His grandson, Richard Lucas (1769-1846) married Elizabeth Hackley (1769-before 1841) in September 1798. Elizabeth was a descendant of John Slaughter who was in this country prior to 1620. Elizabeth's great-grandfather, Col. Robert Slaughter (1702-1768) was a member of the House of Burgesses and served in the militia beginning in 1729. The Lucas branch of my history has not been a primary focus for me to this point in time, but I do continue to collect information as it becomes available to me through e-mail and the web. Rowe Family Thomas Y. Rowe married Elizabeth Susan Simmons in 1853 in Carter County, Tennessee. Elizabeth is descended from Jacob Simmons ~1716-~1788) born in Bavaria, Germany and Johannes Kesler (~1727-1823) also of German descent. The families came to this country through Pennsylvania and eventually arrived in Upper East Tennessee. The Rowe branch of my history has not been a primary focus for me to this point in time, but I do have considerable information available on the Simmons and Kesler (Kesslar, Kessler) lines. There are a number of other names included in my database. Please see the surname list to see if there is a name of interest to you. An index of all names is also provided for your convenience. Please send e-mail with any additions or corrections. Thank you. Updated September 2000 Copyright © MGM/MDM All Rights Reserved