Swank is my daughter in law’s birth surname
The Swank family line can be well-documented to John Swank, born in 1778 in Northampton, Pennsylvania. That would be during the Revolutionary War. There is some reason to believe John was the son of Frederick Swenk, a German immigrant to Northampton, Pennsylvania, but that has not yet been established. The Swanks, for the most part, lived in various parts of Pennsylvania with a long and rich history there. But my daughter-in-law’s ancestors who did not carry the Swank name are far better known in history, reaching back to very early New England and including names such as Holyoke (of Holyoke, Massachusetts, and Mt. Holyoke College), Putnam (of The Salem Witch Trials as well as General Israel Putnam of Bunker Hill), and others.
My daughter in law’s maternal line is far more diverse. Her Anthony line extends far back into Colonial New England history, as well, and includes Susan B. Anthony (as a cousin) and other prominent Anthony ancestors, as well as more recent Irish immigrants. There is also a very strong and well-documented line of Hennigars, who immigrated from Germany in the mid-1700’s, participated on both side of the Revolution, and ended up in Nova Scotia, where my daughter in law’s mother was born.
To be more specific about my daughter in law’s recent heritage I would need to name living people, which I do not want to do.
Related Surnames include:
ANTHONY
HENNIGAR
DUNN
MALCOLMSON
ROYER
McHENRY
And many others