Hello family and friends from around the globe. As we research the ancestors and family of Charles Benedict Grady (b. 1876 West Orange NJ) and Laura LaForce Grady (b. 1888 Dansville NY) new information will be compiled here at Grady Family.
Meeting new family on and offline has been one of the joys of the genealogical quest during the past several years. We’d love to hear from you and learn about your branch of this vibrant tree.
The Families We Are Exploring
GRADY: we can trace Great Great Grandfather, John Grady born probably between 1790-1800 in England. We believe the family is of Irish Catholic descent.
GRAY: John Grady’s wife was Mary Jane Rachel Gray born 16 Nov 1807 in England. Her parents were Thomas Gray and his wife Elizabeth Granger, also from England.
BENEDICT: Charles Benedict was born 22 May 1804 in Newtown, Fairfield CT. This line has been well researched with ancestors reaching back to George Benedict sn. born abt. 1520 in Tasborough, Norfolk, England.
SELLECK: Charles Benedict’s wife was Angeline Selleck born 23 Mar 1806 in Danbury CT. The Sellecks have also been well-studied with the latest ancestor known to be Robert Selleck born abt. 1575 in Over Stowy, Somerset, England or Gaulden Manor, Taunton. His son, David Selleck, was the immigrant.
LaFORCE: Peter G LaForce was born Sep 1855 in Dansville NY. This LaForce family were Walloons from Mons, Belgium, but lived in Schifferstadt, Germany for 200 years with Jean Guillaume (Wilhelm) LaForce being the eldest known ancestor, born in France before 1645. Wilhelm died in what is known as Klein or small Schifferstadt, Ludwigshafen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. Michael, Carolyn, and Rebecca Grady had a wonderful visit and private tour with historian Johann Benedom in Schifferstadt in 2014! Also, shout out to the Born family, who discovered the pre-Schifferstadt roots of the LAForces.
HOFFMAN: Elizabeth Hoffman was born 30 May 1853 in Perkinsville NY. Her father, Nicholas Joseph Hoffman was born in Wallesweiler Hof, Tholey parish, Sankt Wendel, Saar, Germany. The Team Grady had a lovely time touring the area with Mr. Roland Geiger, a genealogist who is very knowledgeable about this family and the Hemmers.
HEMMER: Great Great Grandmother, Katherine Hemmer b. 5 Mar. 1820 in Bliesen, Germany. Note, Bliesen is located on the St. James Way, the pilgrimage. The movie THE WAY was about the Spanish segment, Campostela de Santiago. Her grandfather, Johann Nikolaus, was born abt. 1750 in Bliesen.
About carolyn
I live in a lovely village in Western New York state amid rolling hills, vineyards, and the magnificent Lake Erie. Practicing genealogy for over 10 years, I’ve become an informal family archivist. Offering the fruits of my obsession via a blog/website seemed the logical way to share with other researchers, uncover new family connections, as well as organize the documents, photos, and lore that threaten to take over our home office.