Part Two presents the Extended Family data, also a combination of narrative and both normal and outline descendant trees. Not all families are documented, only those for which significant amounts of genealogical data are available (note that two families stretch back over 16 generations).
Genealogy is a fascinating activity, in part because people have always been intrigued by the possibility of descent from kings, noblemen, or, in the case of the United States of America, Mayflower families. Part Three explores this phenomenon as it has occurred in the extended Pollenz family. This section is devoted to the famous, unique, and interesting connections and relationships which are part of the family lore of a given branch, but that have not been verified, either by the original researcher or by me in my subsequent independent investigations.
Part Four is devoted to the loving memory of those extended family members who were victims of the Holocaust.
Part Five is one of the "warmth" sections - stories by and/or about Pollenz family and extended family members ranging from the year 1630 (Nicholas Bonham) to the time of the most recent updates (note that most but not all stories complied after 2001 are included in the Updates section, discussed below). As far as possible, photographs and illustrations are included to enhance each story.
Part Six is another of the "warmth" sections, providing a potpourri of photographs from all branches of the extended Pollenz family.
Part Seven honors and salutes those who served their country in time of need - and that includes all countries to which a Pollenz family member claimed allegiance. Perhaps as a retired career military officer I express some bias here, but I do believe that since in most cases service was performed honorably and in the pursuit of preserving freedom, as one personally defines it, such a salute has a deserved place in this genealogy.
The Appendices provide the nuts and bolts necessary to fully use and understand this book. Appendix 1 is a compilation of various genealogical glossaries and relationship charts, provided for anyone brave enough to get serious about tracing distant connections. However, Appendix 2 obviates the bravery requirement by presenting an individual kinship list for each registered user of this website. Appendix 3 provides a listing of the over 280 sources consulted in the initial formulation of this genealogy. In an effort to eliminate clutter and present a more readable work, I have used a bulk reference citation posted at the beginning of a subsection or at its end, rather than embedding notes throughout the text. While this eliminates some of the so-called scientific rigor, it still provides a means to validate the majority of the data contained herein. As mentioned previously, I do not present this Pollenz Family Extended Genealogy as a formal scientific or academic work.
Four Indexes are provided: a Surname Index listing each individual entered in the Pollenz genealogical database, a Subject Index and a Photo Index. In addition there is a Special Surname Index listing all noted non-related personages cited herein. While this website has a general search function, it is limited, as noted on the cover page to each index. I have thus attempted to provide a simple and comprehensive means, through these indexes, to locate specific names, faces and topics.
Two sections are provided which enable this genealogy to be truly "a work in progress." The Updates section contains most of the new and updated information gathered since the publication of the original book in 2001 (note that some of the new information is embedded where appropriate in the various sections discussed above). This section is maintained and amended by the genealogy editor and the website administrator.
The User Updates section allows all registered users of the Pollenz website to directly input new family information, stories, achievements and the like. All entries are automatically forwarded to the genealogy editor for approval and possible emendation and, when approved, appear in choronolgical order.
Finally, as data availability and circumstances warrant, from time to time various Addenda are appended to the website, Currently there are eight: Historical Addendum 1 - documenting the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001; Historical Addendum 2 - presenting major world events during the first decade of the 21st century and beyond; Addendum A - Moravian/Austrian Pollenz vital statistics archive; Addendum B - Pollenz family external website links; and Addendum C - Pollenzes enumerated in the 1870 forward United States Censuses; Addendum D - Pollenz in Print - Pollenzes cited in major U.S. newspapers 1870 forward; Addendum E, special Surnames Index; Addendum F - Contact editor
Why This Website Was Created
Three factors led to my interest in family roots. First, my father suppressed his Jewish heritage. Raised as a Roman Catholic in a highly conservative, white and mainly Protestant suburb of Chicago, I did not find out until the age of 10 or 11 that there was Semitic blood flowing in my veins. Even with close relatives named Isidore, Ignatz, Malvine and Moritz, I never questioned the official family line, that is, the "unknown" or perhaps Germanic origin of my family name - I guess I was a slow learner. At any rate, once the truth was known, I thought that being at least a little bit Jewish was pretty special if not exotic and vowed at this early age that someday I would fully investigate the matter.