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Archiver > PONTIUS > 2006-08 > 1154663351


From: "Joni L. Pontius" <>
Subject: Re: [PONTIUS] Seneca Falls Records
Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2006 23:49:11 -0400
References: <67a7a7650608031627g34d3159cy43be6cabecec69b0@mail.gmail.com>


Hey, Jerry~
That's right, I'm just hanging in front of the fan killing time, hoping
not to evaporate in the heat and humidity. Egads...
In my travels at the Seneca Falls and Waterloo Historical societies and
all parts in between, I have never come across what you seem to have, but
sure would like to see it. It sounds like a copy should be here for sure, if
you're willing? I've been here since 1980 and haven't heard of Mrs. Couzynes
(sic?) before; she must have departed that scene before I entered onto it.
I'd love to see a copy of what she sent you?
Your project sounds completely awesome. You must have a lot of free time
on your hands? I have developed some information more specific to my
husband's line, which is both lines, since cousins married (oh, that
explains it) when they got here. He descends from a bunch of Georges here,
mostly; we're the only Pontiuses left in Seneca Falls, although there is one
in Waterloo. Is there anything here that you're stuck on that I can look for
for you? I am dazzled by your ambition. I also happen to have a copy of the
work that John Hoster developed on the family before much material, uh,
disappeared, and have added to it where possible. Ultimately I'd like to
track down all of the ones who lived here, their children and what became of
them. I hope that I'll live a long time; I'll need to. I have made some
progress on his grandfather's siblings, aunt and uncles that didn't seem to
have been known before. We probably have much of the same information.
I have not had any luck finding primarily sources for church records
here, even though they should be right here. Things changed hands a lot and
got lost.
Let me know if you need something here that I might be able to find? And
if you feel compelled to send me the "Seneca Falls Record", I'd sure love to
have it! By snail mail my address is: 115 Cayuga Street, Seneca Falls, NY
13148-1117. I'll see that it gets to the right places that you'd like to see
it get to, or keep it close to my vest, if you prefer.
Take care; enjoy the beautiful Pacific Northwest (I went to college at
the U of Oregon in Eugene; it was wonderful).~ Joni

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gerald Punches" <>
To: <>
Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2006 7:27 PM
Subject: [PONTIUS] Seneca Falls Records


> Len, Joni, Jim, et al:
>
> Glad to hear you're still pursuing the elusive Pontius and Punches clans.
> I
> thought I'd chime in because I read about Joni's quest for information
> about
> the family records which were formerly in Seneca Falls, and which may no
> longer exist.
>
> As a matter of coincidence, I was about to write a note to Joni and ask
> her
> if my project was a repeat of something which has already been done. If it
> has, then I wasn't about to do it over again. So, here's a rough idea of
> what I've been working on.
>
> About 20 years ago I received a copy of a document from a Mrs. Robert
> Couzynes(?) who was involved with the Seneca Falls genealogy society. This
> is the document I sent to Len a few years ago and I call it the Seneca
> Falls
> Record.
>
> The Record includes 27 photocopy pages of 3x5 index cards containing
> information about the Pontius/Punches families in the area. The cards are
> typewritten, and appear to be transcriptions of earlier handwritten vital
> statistics, dating back to the early 1800's. This record appears to
> contain
> many typos and misspellings, but it does serve a worthwhile purpose.
>
> My project has been to sort out the family connections that appear in
> these
> records, and to develop a cross-reference book which links each entry back
> to one of the three principal families that originally settled in the
> area:
> Johan Martin Pontzius (Ni-2); his brother, Johan Frederick Pontzius
> (Ni-7);
> and their cousin, George W. Pontius (J1-17).
>
> So, Joni, has this project been done before? I plan to finish my final
> draft
> this year, because after making corrections, revisions, and additions for
> several years, my ninth draft is quite a mess.
>
> Just for the record, my DNA test shows that I am a direct descendant of
> Johan Frederick Pontzius and his sixth child, Jonathan Punches, who we
> think
> was the first to use the Punches spelling. Jonathan was living near Mt.
> Morris, NY, about 1830. My gr-grandfather, Samuel, was born somewhere near
> Rochester or Lakeport @ 1828, and the family moved to Michigan shortly
> thereafter.
>
> I look forward to your responses and comments shortly, since none of you
> seem to have anything better to do this summer. Cheers!
>
> Jerry Punches
> Port Orchard, WA
>
>
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