Ancestors of Henry Gerard Trageser & Origins of the Trageser Name
This web site is an attempt to document the ancestors of my father, Henry Gerard Trageser, as well as the history and origins of the family name. Spousal relations are also included where known. This is not intended as a full ancestral family tree. Only details of deceased ancestors are presented to respect the privacy of living family members.
This project (The search for ancestors and origins) was started over twenty years ago as a simple, occasional search for direct ancestors of my father. The Trageser name seemed fairly unique and I was curious as to its origins. During the more recent years, with the advent of the Internet and e-mail, the search has yielded some unexpected and very interesting results.
Credits
Many thanks are due the following individuals who have contributed to this project in one way or another.
Herr A.F. Mauler, whom I met in Kiel in 1980 and who researched some of the original information on my father’s grandparents and great grandparents.
My son James Michael, for his initial contact with Dr. Gerhard Trageser via the Internet.
Dr. Gerhard Trageser of Heidelberg, for his background information on the Hof Trages Manor connection.
My son Jeffrey Martin, for his Internet contact with Dirk Trageser.
Dirk Trageser and his father from Berlin, for tracing direct ancestral relations going back to the year 1632.
Andreas Trageser originally of Frankfurt/Main, now of Washington, DC, for sharing so much information during his visit to San Diego, including the German article, "’DRAGO’ der Stammvater des Namens Trageser".
Cousin Agnes Berz, for the extensive research leading to the ancestral tree for grandmother Marie Berta Stuehler.
Cousin Cele Holtman, for her work on the difficult task of translating the German article "’DRAGO’ der Stammvater des Namens Trageser" and supplying the photographs of our grandparents & great grandparents.
My mother, Melvina, and sister, Mary Barbara, for various family photographs and editorial input.
My beloved spouse, Judith, for her patience and support with this project.
Cousins in Freigericht found as result of ancestral research
The following are cousins we have traced to the Freigericht area east of Frankfurt on the Main.
Our grandfather was Johann Joseph, he had a brother "Konrad", a butcher, who remained in Germany after grandfather emigrated.
Like granddad, Konrad had 7 children. They were Ferdinand, Auguste, Maria, Rosa, Robert, Josef, and Willi.
Ferdinand married Margarethe Anton and had 3 children, two daughters and a son.
Rosa, daughter of Konrad, married Alois Streb. The had 5 children, two sons and three daughters.
Names will not be published of the living generations to respect their privacy.
We were fortunate to make contact by mail with one of the surviving daughters of Ferdinand and Margarethe,, and one of the surviving sons of Rosa Trageser and Alois Streb.
We had the opportunity to visit with our new-found cousins and their families in Freigericht in the fall of 1998. One cousin and her spouse visited our home in San Diego in August 1999 and the other cousin, his spouse and son will be visiting with us in July this year (2000).
During our visit to Freigericht in early October 1998, we learned that the Hof Trages was converted to a GolfClub in 1994. We ate lunch at the GolfClub on Saturday October 3rd and then toured the grounds. It was not clear if the von Savigny family is still in residence at Hof Trages.
Why This Web Site?
I, as well as my sons Jim and Jeff, have from time to time received email requests from other Tragesers around the world inquiring as to possible family connections. This web site is an attempt to help answer these questions, as well as sharing some interesting facts as to the origins of the family name.
My son, James Michael Trageser, maintains a homepage at http://www.trageser.com. He is the editor/writer in the family, as you will see if you visit his various sites.
Please Help if You Can – To keep this site up to date!
I will be adding photos and updated information from time to time. So check back occasionally for new information. I am missing some birth, death, and marriage dates in the ancestry tree. Some dates may be in error. So P-L-E-A-S-E, anyone who has corrections or additions, don’t be shy, please email it to me at, or post the info in the on-line guest book. I will also be adding info such as occupation where known.