Hello All,

My research has brought me to a J Smith Nichols born circa 1816 possibly in Newburgh, NY. I am a descendant of a child, David O. Nichols, born Sep, 1843 in Newburgh, that he had with Rachel Elmendorf, born circa 1821. As yet, I have not been able to find resources that would allow me to trace this line any further. I prefer to do my own research. If you have any information on this line beyond what I have, I would appreciate knowing the resources you used in your research; not the information itself.


One theory my wife has is that this Nichols line could be of German origin. Here are three reasons: 1) There was a large German immigrant population in Newburgh in the early 19th century, 2) Some Nichols' families are of German origin, and 3) J Smith Nichols married a German girl, Elmendorf.


This is pure conjecture. Other than the three reasons given, I have no evidence to support any one of them. I just thought to post this theory in case someone might be able to provided resources to confirm or refute this theory.


I understand the value of hard-to-find genealogical information. My ancestry is primarily French-Canadian. I would be happy to share with anyone the resources I have used to trace my French-Canadian genealogical information back to 17th century France. (I also have an Irish-Canadian line I am having trouble with; but that is a topic for another forum, [Molloy].)


Thank you in advance for any information you may be able to provide.


Jay Nichols