Like the melodious song of a Swiss
Alphorn, the family name of Giezendanner or Getzendanner has
echoed across the Toggenburg Valley of northeastern Switzerland
for many centuries. The historic farm "Hof Giezendan/Getzendan"
from which the family surname evolved was located southeast of the
village of Wattwil, St. Gallen Canton, in an area named
Schmidberg. A document from 1396 AD -- "Hainin und Uli us Hof
Getzendal" -- records the farm and the earliest known
Giezendanners.
Family members have emigrated from Switzerland to the four
corners of the earth, and now spell their surname in a variety of
ways -- Giezendanner, Getzendanner, Getzandanner, Gitzendanner,
Giesendanner, Gissendanner, Giezentanner, Getson and Danner, etc.
A two week Getzendanner Heritage Tour was conducted from the
United States to Switzerland, Germany and Holand in 1995. The
first world wide gathering
of the family
occured in 1997 when several hundred persons participated in the
"Celebration" of the 265th Anniversary of the arrival of Christian
Getzendanner in what is now know as Frederick, Maryland,
USA.
Active
family research continues. David Getzendanner, of
Salem, Oregon
is presently publishing his fourth book of family history,
"Getzendanners, Etc." It includes the history and documentation of
the Dutch Giesendanners; the Norwegian Getzandanners; the
German/American Gitzendanners; the Frederick, Maryland
Getzandanners; the Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana G. family
lines; the lines of Christian Getzendanner of Jefferson County,
Mississippi; and new information about the related Danner and
Getson families. Joop Giesendanner of Amsterdam,
Holland
continues to develop a world wide family database and to translate
the 1737 AD "Gissendanner Records" of South Carolina.
Interested persons many order family
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