Welcome To The Purfürst Genealogy of the World

This website represents genealogical research on my ancestral surname of PURFÜRST and its Anglicized variations of PURFURST, PURFUERST and PURFEERST.

The data base also reflects considerable research on maternal ancestral surnames of Keller, Weiss, Johnson and Bostwick plus my wife's maiden name of Tanguay.

There are over 100,000 names in my data base. The family has a major connection to the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota thus a vast portion of the data base centers around states in the upper mid-west. You may locate a surname of interest by entering a name in the Search fields on the sidebar. Going through the Surnames link, however, will allow you to search through spelling variations, especially those names with foreign diacritical markings

On the paternal side of the family, our eldest Purfürst ancestor is Johann Christoph Purfürst who was born about 1565. I found record of him and his wife Elisabeth Gruber in Plauen, in the German state of Thuringia. The area in which this city is located, just north of The Czech Republic, was once known as the Reüssischafen Herrschafen (Principality of Reuss). In 1244 the vogt (administrator) Henry IV entered a Monastery. His sons divided his possessions with ruling seats established in Weide, Gera and Plauen. The Plauen line was subdivided about 1300 between a senior member designated as Reuss ältere Line and a junior line designated as Reuss jünere Line. It was in the areas once occupied by these two Principalities that I found record of Johann Purfürst's early descendants who, during succeeding centuries, spread north into what are now the German states of Thuringia and Saxony. For more details see The History of the Purfürst's in the Histories and Documents section of this website, the link to which will be found on the sidebar.

The thousands of individuals, whom I have identified with the Purfürst surname or its variation or with an ancestral connection to the surname, have been proven to descend from Johann and Elisabeth Purfürst. They constitute the earliest found existance of the surname. Although my research encompasses every known worldwide descendant, it concentrates on those who left the home land and took resident in other countries. In my particular case my great-grandfather Karl Friedrich Ernst Purfürst, a.k.a., Charles Purfeerst, immigrated in 1852 and settled in Minnesota. Others with surname variations initially settled in states such as New York, Wisconsin, Missouri, Texas and Hawaii to name as well as to countries of the world such as England, Canada, The Netherlands, Italy, etc. Selecting the Histories and Documents link will take you to each German city where the ancestral name was found as well as to each foreign country and each homestead in America where a descendant established initial residence.

On the maternal side of the family, my grandmother, Jennie June Johnson married grandfather Harman Francis Purfeerst in Minnesota. Her paternal ancestors, Johnson, left Holland and arrived at the Dutch East India settlement on the shores of Long Island, New York on December 16, 1650. Those ancestors were killed in an Indian raid on September 16, 1655 resulting in grandmother thus descending from a surviving orphaned son. Grandmother's maternal ancestors, Bostock, left England and arrived in Stratford, Farirfield County, Connecticut in 1639. The name is of Saxon origin and can be traced back to King Edward whose reign during 1042-1066 was the last of the Anglo-Saxon kings of England. For more details on grandmother's ancestors see the corresponding Johnson or Bostwick family history in the History and Documents section of this website.

Many of grandmother's ancient and medieval ancestors were granted knighthood. One married the Countess of Lincoln whose ancestry is traced to Henry I, King of England (1068-1135) who married Matilda Edith, Princess of Scotland. Her ancestry carries back through 23 reigns of Scotland to Gergus Mor Mmac Erca (died 501) who not only was the first king of Scotland but also the 131 st king of Ireland. His ancestral chain of Irish Monarchs carries back to Milesius, King of Spain, whose sons Heremon and Heber conquered the lands ultimately know as Ireland and jointly became Ireland's first ruler in 1700BC. By virtue of connection to occupants of the English throne and the custom for royal intermarriages between nations, our family also connects to many of the European Monarchs. Furthermore, because their subsequent descendants immigrated to America during its colonial period, there also exists a family connection with numerous American Presidents. The documentation regarding the European royalty and Americn presidential connections, along with a tongue-in-cheek Biblical connection, will be found by selecting the Reports link.

My paternal grandparents left Minnesota in 1910 and moved to North Dakota where their son Walter Everett Purfeerst married Ella Louise Weiss. She was the daughter of my maternal grandparents, William Weiss and Karoline Keller, two families also of German ancestry. Karoline's parents, Christian Keller and Katherine Heck, emigrated from the Württemberg region of Germany in 1873 and first lived in Minnesota where grandmother Karoline was born. The family relocated in North Dakota in 1879. Grandfather William Weiss also emigrated from Württember, arriving in North Dakota in 1893. The Histories and Documents section contains histories on these families as well.

Last but not least, the son of Walter and Ella Purfeerst, and the author of this website, married Martha Jean Tanguay. Her ancestors immigrated from France to Canada in 1687. In turn, Martha's grandfather, Alfred Leo Tanguay immigrated to the state of Maine in 1902. The history for this historic family line will too be found at the Histories and Documents link.

If you have interest with birth or death information in a foreign country or an American state select the Reports link which will provide data, by surname, in geographical locations.

If you have an interest with people in a very specific location select the Places link or if you wish to be more specific, use the Advanced Search function.

Those of you with a connection to the Purfürst surname may find your picture in the Photo section. Family gathering group photos are preferred so feel free to send one to me as an e-mail attachment.

Pending discussion with a publisher, I have essentially finalized a two-volume, 1800 page world wide history on the ancestral surname. It encompasses a separate history on each known worldwide surname variation family group and on each of the allied families mentioned, above. The histories for these families as well as various other chapters contained within those volumes will be found in the Histories and Documents section.

Please contact me if you make a connection with anyone listed. I am especially interested in being contacted by anyone wishing to update the information on their family. In exchange I'll be happy to share what I have on your direct line.