Letter from the Editor
My name is Kenneth William Rury from Poulsbo, WA son of Val Rury & Anelle Bagley, grandson of David Rury and Myrtle Trevethan,
great grandson of Amos Rury and Ida Johnson, 2nd great grandson of Frederick Rury and Wilmina Deppe, 3rd great grandson of Frederick
Rury and Mary Draithaupt (German Immigrants).
I have been interested in family history and genealogy all my life, but it wasn't until I gave a speech on Genealogy to my College English
class in 1981 that I began to take it seriously.
Christmas is the time of year I always get this desire to know more about my ancestors. In addition I am the proud father of Janelle, who is
now able to begin to understand about relatives that don't live near by or may be deceased.
Christmas 1992 I computerized all the information my parents had, which took me back to Amos Rury and verbal memory of a Henry and
Frederick in Illinois where I grew up. On my mother's side I was able to document parts of it back to the 1300's in Germany.
Christmas 1993 I was frustrated that I could find Rury's on the East Coast mainly New York, but could not prove through Census records
they were the same Rury's that showed up in Southern Illinois. I found an electronic version of the U.S. Phone Directory, which I printed
all the Rury's. As we all know we are some how all related, so I decided to call Rury's on the list and document their family trees. In the
process I might find my roots to New York or Europe.
I obtained this poem written by Albert Rury, CA, which I felt described the frustrations a genealogist goes through trying to build a family
history.
This is the Rury Family Tree
The best that could be found,
Couldn't be too accurate, you see,
As most are underground.
Where did we come from?
Have you ever asked, "Where did I come from." Maybe you got the usual childhood answer, the stork brought you. But was that enough.
In this addition of the Rury Gazette we will explore the historical background of the Rury family. This time we will discuss the family
rumors regarding what nationality we are. In the future I would like to share stories from you regarding how your family got to be where
they are. If we do discover that the stork really didn't bring us, you will hear it first here. So please write the editor.
(Please send me descriptions of where you live or where your ancestors lived.) If you grew up in New York you might recognize some of
the places mentioned in the early history of the Rury Family. But since I grew up in Schapville, Illinois and never made it any farther East
than Ohio I know very little about them. Some places are so small or don't exist now that only a few people know where they are.
Schapville, Jo Daviess, Illinois.
The head of one family named Schap, a farmer from Saxony, Germany, took, his family from the German countryside and migrated to America.
They migrated West to a place in the wilderness of Jo Daviess County, Illinois. Within a year it was called Schapville (1853), located 14 miles
east of Galena, 6 miles south of Scales Mound and 9 miles north of Elizabeth and a little farther from Stockton. Schapville was a village
of twenty-four houses, fifty people, two churches, and two cemeteries, Presbyterian and Lutheran.
Finding Lost Branches
Nothing is more exciting than finding a long a lost relative. It was only after a week of calling Rury's all over the United States did I find my connection between the Rury's in Illinois and the Rury's in New York. In one call I had confirmed four new generations.
But I wasn't happy there. I had a list of small family trees and individuals that were still lost. I call these broken branches. For many of you when you see the final family tree you will find you are no longer broken branches. In most cases I have been able to connect the Rury's together.
The most exciting reunion occurred when I began writing the Rury Gazette this week. I had a broken branch that started with Eugene Rury born in 1847, New York. Unfortunately I had no other Eugene's in my database. I remembered talking to Clauzelle Rury in Oregon who belongs to this branch. She had a family bible she would find and send me a copy of the family tree in it. I called her back and due to the holidays hadn't gotten to it yet, which is understandable. The first tip in genealogy is patience and the second is persistence. I would just have to wait.
That afternoon I got a letter in the mail from Donald L. Rury of Arkansas requesting the information on Eugene Rury born 1847,NY. Apparently Eugene was in the civil war and never came home. The family didn't know what happened to him. The family in New York wanted to know that he had lived and had descendants. Donald had traced a William Eugene Rury born 1847,NY to his father William C. Rury, to his grandfather Frederick Rury and great grandfather Justice William Rury. I had traced Eugene's family down to his great great grand children.
In addition I had another broken branch that ended with Franklin P. Rury. Donald found this to be Eugene's and a Charles brother. Connecting them into the same tree.
he following Rury individuals are not connected to a family tree due to lack of information. If you can identify them please let the editor know.
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