1. Leonin Blanchamp - Born about 1580 in France, married Isabeau LeRoy about 1600 in France. He died before 1649.
2. Mattheus Blanshan - Mattheus, born in 1606, is the immigrant ancestor (at least as far as is known) of all of the
Blanshans in America. He was born in the former province of Artois, France and baptized in the village of Neuville-au-Cornet
in Artois. He married Magdeleine Joire (born October 27, 1611) from Armentiers.
3. Mathieu Blanshan - Born April 18, 1655 in Mannheim, Germany. He married Margrietje Claes Van Schoonhoven on
March 30, 1679 in Kingston, Ulster County, New York. He died in Kingston in 1692. Their children were Matthys, Nicolaus,
Cornelia, Magdalena, Catheryne, Elizabeth, Nathaniel and Margriet.
4. Nicolaus Blanshan- Nicolaus Blanshan was born July 2, 1682. He married Maria Hornbeck, daughter of Warnaar
Hoornbeck and Anna De Hooges on Jun 10, 1710. Their children were Margrietje and Mattheus.
5. Matheus Blanshan- Matheus Blanshan was born June 10, 1716, and baptized on September 28, 1718 in Kingston,
Ulster County, New York. He married Annatjen Freer on March 17, 1738. Their children were Johannes, Jacobus, (Jacob),
Maria, Annatje, Mattheus, Catherine, and Brechje.
6. Jacob Blanshan - Jacob Blanshan was baptized January 11, 1747 at Kingston, New York. He married Jacomyntie
Smedes on June 17, 1768. Their children were Petrus (Peter), Jacomentje, Matthew J., and John.**
7. John Blanshan - John Blanshan was born August 17 or September 19, 1779 in Kingston, Ulster, New York. John
married Marytje Van Wagenen, born November 1779, in Kingston, Ulster, New York, on February 17, 1803, in Ulster, New
York. John died March 20,1859 and Marytje died May 29, 1829. Their children were Ann Eliza, born Sept. 8, 1807, Jacob, born
May 26, 1810, Ann Eliza, born July 14, 1813, (apparently the first Ann Eliza didn’t survive) and Julia Maria, born April 13, 1818.
8. Jacob Blanshan - Jacob Blanshan was born May 26, 1810 and died August 14, 1880. He married Eliza Peters on
December 22, 1842 in Esopus, Ulster, New York. Eliza was born in 1811 and died in 1853. Their children were John, born in
1844, Margaret, 1845, William, 1847, and George B., born in 1849. Eliza Peters died, and Jacob remarried. His second wife
was Eliza Van Wagenen, who was born March 22, 1828 in Ulster New York. Their children were Mary Jane, born November 2,
1856, Joseph, born June 19, 1860 and Cornelius, born July 21, 1861. Jacob and the Elizas lived in Rosendale, Ulster County,
New York all their lives.
9. William Blanshan - William was born July 12, 1847. He married Rachel Krum/Crum/Krom, born in 1859, in 1875. Their
children were Margaret, born August, 1879, Hannah, born June 1880, William Singleton, born December 6, 1883, Earl R.,
born August 1888, and Agnes, born January 1890. Some time between the 1870 census and the 1900 census the family
moved to Michigan. The 1900 census finds the family in Grayling Township, (North Side) Crawford, Michigan. William S. was
marked on the census as having been born in Wisconsin.
10. William Joseph or Singleton Blanshan – William was born December 6, 1883 in Wisconsin. He married Emma
Sheffels Blanshan, daughter of a Bavarian immigrant and a woman from New York, born August, 1887. Their children were
Basil, born in 1912, Allen, born in 1922, Lyle, born in 1925, and June, born in 1927. In the 1910 census William Singleton
Blanshan was age 26 and married. He listed his father and mother as both being born in New York state. Emma was age 18.
He and Emma lived in South Arm, Charlevoix County, MI and William listed his employment as a stationary engineer. In his
WWI draft registration around 1918, William, who listed himself as an invalid, lived on 209 Spruce St. in Boyne City, Michigan
(Charlevoix County). In his own writing William listed his middle name as Singleton on his draft registration. Relatives insist
his middle name was Joseph, however. In the 1920 federal census William and Emma lived in East Jordan, Charlevoix,
Michigan with their son Basil, age 8. (William and Emma also had a son born in 1910 who died as an infant.) William lists his
occupation as a blacksmith in an iron furnace. By 1930 he and Emma had moved back to Boyne City with children Basil, age
19, Allen, age 7, Lyle, age 5 and June, age 2 10/12. William (called Will in this census) lists “none” under occupation. Son
Basil was a gardener. Emma died in 1977.
10a. Allen Clare Blanshan – born August 18, 1922 in Charlevoix County, Michigan. He lived in rural Montague, Michigan at
one time. He lived in Clay Banks, Oceana, Michigan at the time of his death but his place of death was listed as Muskegon,
Michigan. He died June 22, 1984.
10b. Hannah (Hattie) Blanshan Walker – born June 1, 1880 in Michigan to William Blanshan and Rachel Krom Blanshan.
She died Aug 19, 1951 in Petoskey, Emmet, Michigan and is buried in Boyne City, MI. She was a widowed dressmaker.
10c. Earl R. Blanshan – born Aug. 1, 1888 in Grayling, Michigan to Rachel and William Blanshan. He was a laborer. He
married Lulu _______ (born December 1888). In 1920 Earl and Lulu lived in Pipestone, Berrien, Michigan where Earl was a
laborer on a fruit farm. In 1930 Earl listed himself as a laborer on a general farm. He and Lulu had children Agnes, born about
1909, Earl W., born 1915, Dora, born 1917, Nona, born 1920 and Harold, born in 1922. Harold (wife Doris) lived in Berrien, MI
and died May 3, 2008. Earl died April 20, 1961 at age 72 and is buried at Fairview Memorial Cemetery, Watervliet, MI. Lulu
died May, 1975 at age 86.
10d. Basil Blanshan – born around 1912 in Charlevoix County, MI. In 1938 he was a beaterman at the Central Paper
Company in Muskegon, MI. He married Lucille I. _______. In 1944 he was a driver for Drinan Roach & Co. in Muskegon.
10e. Lyle William Blanshan – born February 6, 1925 in Charlevoix County, MI. He married Bonnie Lou Washburn, born
June 27, 1929, on December 14, 1946. Bonnie was born in Sandusky, Ohio. They had five children Sally Lee (changed her
name to Sara Rachel), Lyle James, Barbara Ann Blanshan, born May 18, 1958, William Joseph Blanshan, born January 10,
1964, and Nancy Marie Blanshan, born October 20, 1966. Sally Lee had two boys, Alexander Kowatch (sp?) and Ernest
Daughnter (sp?). Lyle James had four girls, Stephanie and Kelly with first wife Bonnie Ellenberger, and Sara and Christina
with second wife Marcy. He married a third woman named Pam. Barbara Ann had two daughters, Lisa Marie Harris with her
first husband Myron Jon Harris and Hope Elisabeth Blanshan with her second husband Juan Vela. William Joseph has two
children, Anna Marie Blanshan (12/19/1988) and Joseph Daniel Blanshan (2/5/1990) with first wife Jackie Lukas. Nancy had
no children. Lyle and Bonnie lived in Boyne Falls, Charlevoix County, MI. He served in the Navy during WWII and was
discharged as a Seaman first class in March, 1946. He died Feb 3, 2010.
**The split between the Michigan and the Minnesota/Iowa branches of our families comes between Jacob Blanshan and
John Blanshan. Our line, the Minnesota line, is descended from Matthew J. and their line is descended from John. Matthew
J., brother of John, moved to Wisconsin in 1847. By the time Matthew’s grandnephew William Blanshan moved to Wisconsin,
Matthew’s son Jacob Blanshan had already moved to Junction County, Iowa and HIS son Chester was on his way to
Winnebago, Minnesota.
| Patrilinear Lineage of the Michigan Blanshan Branch |
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