Hello Everyone and all my new-found relatives!
I am working on entering my very detailed Kyler family history into my ancestry.com tree. Here is my line - Conrad Kyler Sr. 1740-10/10/1816 (4th G. Grandfather), Jacob Kyler (Twin) 10/22/1791-8/24/1873 (3rd G. Grandfather), William Luke Kyler (Twin) 5/8/1829-9/14/1911 (2nd G. Grandfather), Elmore Albert Kyler (Twin) 12/31/1871-11/10/1959 (G. Grandfather), & Royal Mac Kyler 10/25/1918-6/30/2002 (Grandfather).
I have volumes of paper history on the Kyler line beginning with Helen T. Pearce's research from the 1950's & 60's and my documentation also includes xerox copies of Helen's original work's and notes on the Kyler line. Helen also published a book in 1963 on the Pearce-Kyler-Schmehl-Swan-Smith lines that is currently out of print and contains a ton of good well researched info on the Kyler Clearfield/Centre Co. PA line if anyone can find it. Although I do not have a copy of her book, I do have xerox copies of all her Kyler line research that went into the book.
Early Clearfield & Centre Co. history is also well documented and copyrights have expired so these works can be easily found online through Google. Here are a few examples of books that can be found and read through a Google search. Linn's History of Centre County for example has some information on Conrad Kyler on p. 38 & p. 231. May Kappa's Bellefonte County Founding and Development published in 1937 p. 7. Lewis Cass Aldrich's History of Clearfield County Pennsylvania p. 59.
My Uncle Dennis Kyler picked up on Helen's genealogical works in the mid 1980's and was able to get copies of her original Kyler line work's that she had worked on for her book. I also have copies of written correspondence between them. Dennis and his wife Mary were able to add and expanded on Helen's works through their research and created new personal volumes of Kyler history that include both sets of historical information. I am now working through these very detailed Kyler family paper volumes and will inherit these historical family volumes on top of adding to them through my research and "digitizing" all these volumes into my online tree.
Dennis and Mary also have photos (PA & Illinois) of original headstones from the 1980's as well as some rubbings of the more deteriorated headstones. I have noticed that some are adding new photos of replaced headstones in their trees and some of the replacement headstones are not informational correct?? Conrad (1740 - 10/10/1816) is one example - there is a "new" headstone picture out there in some trees of a Conrad Kyler that has a different death date. Our Conrad Kyler passed on October 10, 1816 and that would be his correct headstone.
Here are the nuts and bolts of my post, I will be entering the information I have into my tree including scanning all paper documents that I have (which is a tremendous amount of paper data!). I have started on Conrad Kyler (1740-10/10/1816). My tree is public so feel free to visit it every so often and take what you like to add to your family tree. It will be a slow process for me as I work full time and I am pursuing my MBA so my genealogical time is limited and the amount of information I have is a ton!
As a side note, I have a bunch of written "oral" family history that I am adding as well to document as many "family stories" that I can find. They may not all be 100% accurate or true but I think it adds some color to our family history. For example, according to Helen Pearce, Conrad Kyler had some troubles with an Indian Chief named "Bald Eagle" sometime between 1801 & 1803 (my estimation on the dates based on available location data) and had to leave the Bellefounte area which brought his family to Clearfield Co and the area which eventually became Kylertown. Also Conrad's eldest son Henry (1773 - 3/5/1857) was blind. Henry was left behind with other family when Conrad moved (possibly the fleeing from the Indians?). Henry did marry and had at least one child but documentation on Henry Kyler is so far scarce. He is mentioned in his brother Abraham's will which I have a copy of. Also my Grandmother Betty Kyler (Jacobs) is still living (she is 92) and I have been documenting her oral stories of the Stephenson County Illinois Kyler line. Another story is that the Kyler's that left for Oklahoma from Illinois was due to the Oklahoma land rush. Can't verify yet but makes sense time wise? Maybe someone in the Oklahoma Kyler line can verify this? Now I am just rambling, sorry.
Anyway, take a look at what I have added to Conrad Kyler (1740-1816) in my tree (I still have much more to add on him!) Keep checking in on my tree as I will periodically add more information and media. I think this will be the best process for us all instead of me receiving a bunch of information requests that will just slow me down.
One final piece of advice. We had a Kyler family bible in our possession that had hand documented lines written in the back of it including possible family history prior to Conrad that we lost in a fire many years ago. Protect these precious family documents. Make copies of and digitize what you have. Once these ancient family documents are lost, that information is gone forever if not documented elsewhere...
Happy hunting to all!
Sincerely,
Robert Hayes
P.S. Check my name variants notes on Conrad Kyler (1740-1816) that I posted on him in my tree. There are a couple additional name variants that I have and have not seen in others work.