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A GIFT

OF HERITAGE

AND HISTORY

Photo Instructions: Click to view larger image.

Our project started out to be a simple Christmas present for our family. A brother had gathered together some information which he had written down on index cards and my wife, Marie, offered to put into a format more easily read then gift it to our family elders. Little did we know that the "simple Christmas gift" would become the international adventure that it has. Through the many contributions of our family we have traced our lineage through 3 centuries, reaching around the globe from Germany to Russia and, of course, the United States of America and its territories.


Beginning with our first historic paternal Eckard ancestor, Han Adam Eckert, who immigrated from Germany in 1705 we've traced over 7,000 family members, both through direct bloodlines and extended families who joined us through marriages. Recently, we visited Cline's Nursery in Shelby, NC. Turns out - John Cline, the owner of the nursery and his Cline family's ancestral home, is a cousin, descending through Sebatian Klein's sons who married into our early Eckards.

We're proud of the rich and diverse histories which tell our family's story, learning along the way of the hardships of everyday life and the scars of wars. We learned of the heart wrenching struggles ourOwl Family and of other Native American ancestors of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indiansto hold onto a precious heritage, their pride, and homelands and mourned with them along the Trail of Tears. 

It is through our Owl Family that we are related to the very musical Moody Family. My uncle, Clyde Leonard Moody, was an outstanding bluegrass musician who earned a place in music history.

We've paid honor to our fallen veterans from the Revolutionary War through Vietnam. The verses of the poem "Flanders Field" have taken on new meaning for us. It was through the gracious assistance of Patrick Lernout, a happened-upon non-family contact in Belgium, that provided precious photographs of one of our World War I veteran,Robert Lee Eckard, who was killed in action at age 23 on August 29, 1918 in Waregem, Belgium and lies buried in Flanders Field.


My wife, Marie's, Kane Family takes us from the streets of South Philadelphia (South Philly, to the locals) around the world to her son's lineage the Yudkowsky Family and their heritage through war torn Poland and Russia.


Indeed, our family has taken us on an unexpected journey and the ride continues. We invite you to come along with us, meet some of our family and, as they're posted - this site isn't finished yet !!- , learn their stories.

View of Birdtown Cemetery

Qualla Boundary, Cherokee, NC


Please sign our guest book by clicking

on the book

And, please tell your family and friends about our site

Look for our information under Han Adam Echert and Descendants at ancestry.com.

(Sorry, it does require membership to ancestry.com in order to search the site.)


http://eckardscatawbaconc.com/eckardscatawbaconc.com25331aa85e568980b1d6426659ff58c27a0ff804.html

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