Julia Hanneman-Schoenbach – President
Julia Hanneman-Schoenbach has been exploring family history for over 40 years. She has Pommeranian and Saxony German roots, as well as Luxembourg, Norwegian, and Cornish (Cornwall, England) ancestors, She has also helped her husband with his Bavarian, Posen, and Hungarian ancestors. ; She is active in the Waterford Genealogical Society, where she is the second Tuesday evening of the month convenor (first 30 minutes for any Germanic questions); she also belongs to the Cornish Connection of Lower Michigan, and Southwest Wisconsin Cornish Society She grew up around Milwaukee Wisconsin. She is a speaker registered with the Michigan Genealogical Council. Continuing to work as a chaplain, she lives in Waterford, MI with her husband.
Joan Cooper – Vice President
Tim Salatin – Secretary
Tim has been interested in genealogy since his aunt gave him a family tree when he was a child. German roots are on both sides of the family, with ancestors from Westphalia and Berlin, as well as the German-speaking area of Switzerland, near Basel. Tim has been active in the Genealogical Society of Washtenaw County since retiring in 2011, currently on the board and serving as past First Vice President. After graduating from Purdue University with a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, he worked for many years in R&D for BASF in the Automotive Coatings area, living in Muenster, Germany, from 2000-2004.
Ed Redmer – Treasurer
Ed has degrees in Engineering and Business Administration from the University of Michigan. He retired from the Michigan Bell Telephone Company as an Engineering Design Manager responsible for Detroit and the Downriver Detroit areas. His family has been rooted in the Detroit area for over 100 years. His interest in family history began with some chance discoveries in the Burton Historical Library in Detroit.
Ed has served in several capacities in the Genealogical Society of Washtenaw County, the Michigan Genealogical Society, the Irish Genealogical Society of Michigan and the Michigan Germanic Genealogical Society.
Rodger Wolf – Director
I graduated from Western Michigan University in December 1972 and began working at the University of Michigan. I needed to leave the University to obtain my Certified Public Accountant license. I returned to the University and continued working until my retirement in July 2010. I began my genealogical research that same year. I have many German brick walls but was able to trace one line back to Kinderheim, Germany. The late Jan Tripp and I started the DNA Special Interest Group as part of the Genealogical Society of Washtenaw County (GSWC) a few years ago and I still chair it to the present. I have been on the board of GSWC for many years. I have been the Treasurer of the UM Retirees Association for many years.
Loretta Dunham – Director
Loretta Dunham has been tracing her family history since the mid 1970’s while still in high school. Her ancestry includes English and Irish roots, but is mostly German; her maternal line is all German. Her German roots are mainly in Baden-Wurttemberg, with some in Alsace, Westphalia, and Hesse-Darmstadt. She grew up in Monroe, Michigan where much of her family had lived since the mid 1800’s. She became active in the Genealogical Society of Monroe County, Michigan after taking an early retirement from Ford Motor Company where she worked as a product test engineer. She translated several of the Monroe County Lutheran Church record books, which were written in the old German handwriting, and has served as GSMC’s vice-president, president and is now their webmaster and newsletter editor.
Brenda Leyndyke – Director
Brenda Leyndyke is a Michigan-based genealogist, researcher, and author passionate about family history. She has traced her German ancestry to Gorsin, Bromberg, Posen, Preussen, and Rockenhausen, Pfalz, Bavaria. An award-winning blogger, she writes Journey to the Past Blog and has held leadership roles in genealogical societies, including serving as President of the Michigan Genealogical Council. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics and Health from Western Michigan University and has completed courses at the GRIP Genealogy Institute. Brenda updated Research in Michigan and authored the upcoming Fort Custer in the World Wars. Through research, writing, and education, she helps others explore and preserve their heritage.
