I and my sisters visited Jake Dresen with the high hopes that we would find at long last the connection between our g-g-grandfather Theodore Dreesen of East Bow, Nebraska and the Dresens in Cross Plains, Wisconsin, where our Dreesens came from. Alas, it was not to be, although a connection is most likely hiding there somewhere.
Our g-g-grandfather, Theodore (b. around 1833 in Rheidt, Kreis Bergheim, Germany)married Agnes Muxen (b. Nov. 1`7, 1828, also in Rheidt) on Aug. 31, 1856 in Huchelhoven, near Rheidt. They came to the US on the ship Belgique with their baby daughter Elizabeth, arriving in New York on June 20, 1857. On the ship with them were Peter and Barbara (Esser) Dressen and their Dresen children, Margaretha, Carl, and Franz, the parents and siblings of Theodore. This family settled in Springfield Corners near Cross Plains, Wisconsin. Theodore, according to our family oral history, had a falling our with his brothers and came to Nebraska in the early 1870s.
The preponderance of Theodores and the proximity of these various Dresen / Dreesen / Dressen families both in the Cross Plains area and in Germany lead me to believe that we are dealing with cousin families and will find some connection back in Germany. Jake and Joe Gerrath have been immensely helpful in exploring the Cross Plains area for clues. I just wanted to add the Nebraska Dreesens...and another Theodore!...to the mix.
I have quite a lot of information about these Nebraska Dreesens in case anyone is interested. In the meantime, I continue to read and reread Jake and Joe's e-mails to get a handle on all of these possible connections. On with the search!