Genealogy traces its origins to ancient and medieval societies, where family lineage determined status, inheritance, and identity, evolving from oral traditions into written records preserved across cultures worldwide. From early inscriptions and biblical accounts to detailed European and Chinese family histories, these records have long shaped personal and political life. Today, genealogy draws on sources like church records, family documents, and historical archives, helping individuals connect with their heritage. By preserving and exploring our ancestry, we gain a deeper understanding of both history and ourselves—making genealogy a lasting and meaningful legacy.
Click on any of the titles to open the files.
Heineman Family Genealogy
Family journal reports are the most popular form for publishing genealogy. The report begins with one person, in this report, Peter Lea Heineman, and traces the lineage back 85 generations.
Genealogical Associations
A listing and description of the various genealogical associations that were used to verify the Heineman family lineage and to which I am a member.
Our Armorial Bearings
Heraldry has been variously described as “the shorthand of history” and “the floral border in the garden of history.” This link provides a brief overview of the practice of designing, displaying, describing and recording coats of arms and badges. Also included is a description of the Heineman coat of arms registered with the American College of Heraldry and a collection of ancestral arms. Certificate
Our Royal Ancestors
This publication contains historic maps, a listing of all the rulers and the term of their reign, along with a short biography of each of the Medieval Europe royal ancestors of the Heineman family.
Our Templar Knight Ancestors
The most famous of the Christian military orders was the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon (Paupers Commilitones Christi Templique Solomonici, from the council of Troyes), now widely known as the Knights Templar. It was founded in 1118, in the aftermath of the First Crusade of 1096, to help the new Kingdom of Jerusalem maintain itself against its hostile Muslim neighbors, and to ensure the safety of the large numbers of European pilgrims who flowed towards Jerusalem after its conquest.While our family had a number of ancestors who fought in the Crusades, only two are know to have been members of the Knights Templar – Earl William Marshall and Sir Hugh de Morwick.
Our Hospitaller Knight Ancestor
The Hospitallers arose in the early 11th century, at the time of the great monastic reformation, as a group of individuals associated with an Amalfitan hospital in the Muristan district of Jerusalem, dedicated to John the Baptist and founded around 1023 by Gerard Thom to provide care for sick, poor or injured pilgrims coming to the Holy Land. This is the story of one Hospitaller Knight ancestor – Sir Henry de Rishworth.
Our Magna Carta
Surety Baron Ancestors
The Surety Barons were a group of 25 landed magnates appointed in 1215 to enfore the Magna Carta against King John of England. The eight Surety Barons profiled in this report along with King John of England are all ancestors. The lineage from each is shown to the side to make it easier for the reader to comprehend.
Our Pilgrim Ancestors
Our ancestors who settled in America before 1700 included, Col. Augustine Warner, Lt. Col. Robert Reade, Lt. Col. George Reade, Maj. Thomas Walker, Gen. Robert Lewis, and Capt. Nicholas Martiau. This is their story.
Our Huguenot Ancestor
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name of Huguenots came to apply to members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France, or historically as the French Calvinists. In reaction to the growing Huguenot influence, and the aforementioned instances of Protestant zeal, Catholic violence against them grew, at the same time that concessions and edicts of toleration became more liberal. This is the story of our Huguenot ancestor, Captain Nicholas Martiau.
The History of Names
What’s in a name? Much! The history of names is so ancient that no one knows the beginning of the story. This brief overview lays the foundation for understanding the origins and development of of names.
Noble, Princely, Royal, and Imperial Titles
Titles of nobility exist today in many countries although it is usually associated with present or former monarchies. Here is presented Mark Odegard’s glossary of European titles.
Our American Colonist Ancestors
These are the biographies of our ancestors who rendered civil or military service in the Colonies in America before July 4, 1776; Maj. John Lewis, Col. John Lewis II, Col. Robert Lewis, Col. Nicholas Lewis, Col. Augustine Warner, Maj. Thomas Walker, Lt.Col. Robert Reade, and Capt. Nicholas Martiau.
Our American Revolution Ancestors
This publication is not a retelling of the history of the American Revolution. It is the biographies of four Heineman Revolutionary War ancestors; Colonel Nicholas Lewis, Lieutenant Hudson Martin, Dr. Thomas Walker, and Private William T. Duggins.
Our Confederate Ancestor
This publication contains the biography of our Confederate ancestor, John William Duggins, Pvt, Company E, 5th MO Cavalry, Gordon’s Regiment, Company H Shelby’s “Iron Brigade.”
Our World War I Ancestor
Here is an overview of WWI and the US Army Motor Transport Corps through the service record, letters and postcards home, and photographs of Quartermaster Sergeant Senior Grade Wilhelm “Bim” August Heineman serving with the American Expeditionary Forces. Click here for a presentation of the history of the Motor Transport Corps. Click here to view a collection of photographs. Click here to view a collection of photographs of Wilhelm “Bim” Heineman.
Our World War II Ancestor
In World War II, over 250,00 men served in the United States Merchant Marine. They transported troops, delivered 75% or all military equipment and supplies to and through battlefronts throughout the world, in the face of enemy attacks and violent seas. This is the service record of my father – Peter Edward Heineman – in WWII as a United States Merchant Mariner from 1945 to 1946.
Dear Doris
After Merchant Marine service Peter Edward Heineman joined the Iowa National Guard in 1947, Company “C”, 68th Infantry Regiment and enrolled at Culver Stockton College in Canton Missouri in 1947 where he majored in Science. During his college days he played in “jobber bands,” the college marching and swing bands, and the Keokuk Municipal Band. Peter met his future wife Doris Jean Crum at an American Legion Club dance. They married on September 11, 1949, in Keokuk, before graduating from college in 1951.
This is a collection of letters from Peter to Doris covering a period from February 1949 to April1949 from his college address, a series of letters from Fort Leonard Wood, MO in August 1949 while he was at National Guard camp, and another set of letters again from Guard camp after they were married and the birth of their daughter Sharen.
Jensen Family Genealogy
A collection of photos and biographies of the Jensen family line.