Mark,

The Fies/Fees appear to have split into two groups. One stayed in Pennsylvania and my side migrated to North Carolina and then moved west, part going to Kentucky and part to Ohio, and then further west.

There used to be an active Fies/fees email group with a website, but there has not been much activity recently. I believe it was the Fies surname mailing list on rootweb http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/FIES -- FIES-L@rootsweb.com. There was 1 mesage in Dec and 1 in October.

Some of the participants on that list have Union/Snyder roots.

What is really needed is a Fies/Fees Surname DNA project so that we can definitely link or [unlink] the various lines. This would require cheek swabs of male descendants surnamed Fies or Fees from each of the branches.

The paper trails linking the lines are weak and need DNA substantiation. Even with the weak paper trails, we think we are related.

I believe the Darke Co Fees are siblings of the Miami/Montgomery Co, OH, Fees from whom I descend. These siblings are a generation or two previous to your John Feese.

I haven't carefully followed the threads on the Fies list regarding the Union Snyder bunch since the lines appear to link up with my lines back where the paper trail is very incomplete. But with your family migrating from Union Co to Darke Co suggests to me that the families kept in touch and and re-united with the move.

This reuniting is a subject I have hypothetized also with my Wright ancestry. Wright is a common surname, but I have found families with unusual surnames back in Ireland that followed diverse migration paths and eventually settle in the same place. Coincidence? Perhaps, but maybe their grandparents were neighbors back in Ireland and the families kept up with each other ...

I did a census search for Swartzlander on heritagequestonline and got three hits in 1810 in Bucks Co, PA. That is the part of the state where my Fees lived in the late 1700s. In 1860 I had 14 hits on the name: 1 from Iowa, 1 from Illinois, and 12 from PA. Of the 12, 1 was in Snyder Co: Henry. But this is no help since he was only 10 months old.

I did searches of the Fies archives and found two references to the marriage of John and Lydia. One appear to be a typo with the date 30 June 1852 while the otgher has 30 June 1853. John is called "John G." Can you give me more information on John and Lydia? Have you located them in the census records? What were their ages? What were the names of their children? Have you checked probate records and land records?

Bill