Welcome to the Thoennes Family Web Site
With great sadness, I have to announce that David J. Thoennes, our family historian
for this branch of the Thoennes family, passed away on Monday January 10th, 2011.
For the last 15 years, David has provided the content that you see on this site
that is the result of his passion for the family’s genealogy. With his help, we have been
able to provide a public starting point for those interested in this branch of the family.
Unfortunately, although we always said we would meet face to face, my interaction
with Dave was completely in cyberspace. He had great thoughts as to where he would
have liked to have taken this site once he retired but he never had a chance to do them.
His obituary can be viewed by following this hyperlink. - MS Thoennes
Thoennes families immigrating to the United States in the most recent centuries appear to have originated in the Rhineland of Europe during the second Christian millennium. Perhaps the largest of these families is that of Valentine Thoennes, which is now in it's seventh generation in the U.S.
The soundex for Thoennes is T520. Although the original spelling appears lost in history, many different spellings of the name are found today. Thoennes, Thoenes, Thennes, Thennis, Tennis, and Tennes are probably related as all originated in the Rhineland. Other spellings found in public records in the United States include: Thienness, Tönnes, Thinnes, Tenace, Dennis, and Donnolds or Donolds; and other spellings in Germany: Thönnes, Thönes, Thuennes and Taunus, and perhaps Thoemmes. Often, U.S. public records used the phonetic "Tennis" for a number of these names, and persons known to be Thoennes have been recorded with many of the spellings listed.
Pronunciations range from "thonus" (long "o" sound, "th" as in "thing") to "tennis" (as in tennis match) to "thaynis" ("th" as in "thing"). Most U.S. families use "tennis" which is closest to the German. The German name sounds like "tuhrnes" where the "e" is pronounced, but the "r" sound is barely pronounced and the "uh" is the neutral vowel, much like the word "ton" in English.
The WORD 97 document on this site, "The Valentine Thoennes family in the United States," follows the male line of the name to the 7th generation. It is available exclusively to members of this web site. The following outline of the 1st through 3rd generations may be of help to general researchers. For further information, contact those listed nearest the individual in whom you are interested.
Generation 1:
Valentine Thoennes (1784–1850s), wife Margret
1 Peter Thoennes (1817–1867)
2 Charles Thoennes (1824–late 1800s)
3 Michael Thoennes (1830–1894)
(In addition to these men, an Elizabeth Thoennes, b. 1813, m. Oley, (German: Ahle) may have been a daughter of
Valentine and Margret)
Generation 2:
Peter Thoennes (1817–1867), wife Ann Margret Heinen
1 Valentine Thoennes (1848-1925)
2 Eva K. Thoennes (1849-1934)
3 Michael Thoennes (1852-?)
4 Elizabeth Thoennes (1853-1902)
5 Peter Thoennes (1856-?)
6 John P. Thoennes (1858-1934)
7 Margretta Thoennes (1860-?)
8 Nicholas Thoennes (1862-?)
9 Karl (Charles) Thoennes (1864-?)
10 Joseph Thoennes (1866-?)
Generation 2:
Michael Thoennes (1830–1894), wife Anna K. Bruck
1 Nicholas Joseph Thoennes (1854-1913)
3 John Servatius Thoennes (1857-1923)
4 Gertrude Thoennes (1860-1899)
5 Charles Thoennes (1861-1885)
6 Peter Joseph Thoennes (1863-1921)
7 Michael Francis Thoennes (1865-1917)
8 Elizabeth Anna Thoennes (1871-1938)
Generation 3:
Valentine Thoennes (1848-1925), wife Anna Ziemantz (Eng: Simmons)
1 Fredrick Andrew (Brown) Thoennes (1866-1928)
2 Jacob J. Thoennes (1873-1953)
3 Theodore Peter Thoennes
4 John Thoennes (1882-1977)
5 Nicholas N. Thoennes (1885-1968)
6 Michael R. Thoennes (1890-1958)
7 Philomina Thoennes, hus. Frank Otto
8 Anna Thoennes, hus. Mathew Kraemer
9 Barbara Thoennes, hus. Michael Fridgen
Generation 3:
Eva K. Thoennes (1849-1934), hus. Henry Lenarz
1 Margaret Lenarz, Nicolaus Fred Loehlein
2 Barbara Lenarz, Salem L. Doying
3 Valentine Lenarz
4 Michael Lenarz
5 Peter J. Lenarz
6 Nicholas Gregory Lenarz
7 Henry Christopher Lenarz
8 John Chrysostum Lenarz
9 Anna Lenarz
10 Joseph Lenarz, wife Lena Glassier
11 Mary Rose Lenarz
12 Marie Lenarz
Generation 3:
Elizabeth Thoennes (1853-1902), hus. Johann Peter Nett
1 Maria Lucia Nett
2 Anna Marie Nett
3 Christina Nett
4 Gertrude Nett
5 Mary Nett
Generation 3:
John P. Thoennes (1858-1934), wife Mary Haffke
1 Anna Thoennes, Fred Dirkes
2 Catherine Thoennes, Albert Koeplin
3 Elizabeth Thoennes, Frank Jesinoski
4 Helen Philomena Thoennes, Max Klimek
5 John F. Thoennes
7 Theodore Thoennes
8 Joseph Thoennes (1893-)
9 Michael Thoennes (1901-1965)
11 Mathias Thoennes
Generation 3:
Margretta Thoennes (1860-?), hus. Christopher Ziemantz
Generation 3:
Joseph Thoennes (1866-?), wife Kathleen Campbell
Generation 3:
Nicholas Joseph Thoennes (1854-1913), wife Frances Eberle
1 Michael Thoennes (1877-)
2 Anna Frances Thoennes (1879-), Fred Shoup
3 Charles Thoennes (1881-1954)
4 Matilda (Tillie) Thoennes (1883-1955), hus. Fred Meyer, George Fischer
5 William Joseph Thoennes (1885-1944)
6 Catherine Bernice Thoennes (1886-1973), hus. Frank Carr
7 Rudolph Thoennes (1888-1951)
8 Fred Thoennes (1890-1948)
9 Robert Mathew Thoennes (1892-1959), Fern Boyle
10 Albert Thoennes (1894-1970)
11 Helen Irene Thoennes (1894-1965), hus. Perry Morris
12 Lillian Thoennes (1896-1963), hus. Claude Miller
Generation 3:
John Servatius Thoennes (1857-1923), wife Anna Eberle
1 John Michael Thoennes (1879-1948)
2 Anna M. (Mayme) Thoennes (1881-1965), hus. Anthony Ulbrich
3 Nicholas Herman Thoennes (1883-1974)
4 Joseph Francis Thoennes (1885-1966)
5 Agnes Elizabeth Thoennes (1886-1979), hus. John Kelly
7 Clara Anna Thoennes (1889-1977)
8 Francis Michael Thoennes (1891-1918)
9 Michaelena E. (Lela) Thoennes (1893-1994), hus. Howard Corey
11 Otto Anthony Thoennes (1896-1956)
13 Paul Lawrence Thoennes (1900-1975)
14 Louis Joseph Thoennes (1092-1969)
15 Irene Regina Thoennes (1904-1974), hus Ray Patterson; Herman Koschmidder
Generation 3:
Gertrude Thoennes (1860-1899), hus. Joseph Faustich
1 Anna Faustich, hus. Lewis Baum
2 John Faustich
3 Joseph Faustich
4 Will Faustich
5 Elizabeth Faustich
6 Carl Faustich
Generation 3:
Peter Joseph Thoennes (1863-1921), wife Anna Selkman
1 Lula Thoennes (1885-1954), hus. Henry Barth
2 George M. Thoennes (1889-1934)
3 Frank A. Thoennes (1891-1954)
4 Henry E. Thoennes (1892-1967)
5 Glenn J. Thoennes (1897-1984)
6 Alice M. Thoennes (1900-1979), hus. Omar Wahlig
Generation 3:
Michael Francis Thoennes (1865-1917), wife Sade Wolfe
1 Leon Wolfe
2 Ada Wolfe
Generation 3:
Elizabeth Anna Thoennes (1871-1938), hus. Roger Augustus Vogel
1 Adelia G. Vogel, hus. Harry Ulbrich
2 Roger M. Vogel
3 Mildred M. Vogel
4 Elizabeth F. I. Vogel, hus. James A. Bennington
5 Walter J. Vogel
6 Gerald J. E. Vogel
7 Edith L. Vogel
8 Anna Marie Vogel (1894-1969), Andrew J. Schultz
Site Last Modified: January 12, 2011