Randy Wendel - MN GenWeb

Meet Randy, your website host

I was born near Jackson County (Nobles County) in 1960 and have family roots in Jackson Co dating back to the 1880's. My mother is from Jackson, my father from Lakefield. Until age 5, we briefly lived in Lakefield as well as nearby Rushmore and Worthington. We then moved to St. Peter MN where I (and my younger sister) graduated from high school. My career is maintaining 911 radio communication systems for public safety agencies and other government and private businesses. My wife and I live in Bloomington MN. In addition to genealogy, I enjoy photography.

My interest in genealogy began in the late 1990's after I became more interested about my family roots around 2004. Some of my immediate research was available through the Fehmarn (Germany) website hosted by John Kostick of Miami, FL, who also has family roots from the island of Fehmarn, Germany. John has made a number of trips to Fehmarn to visit the local parishes and cemeteries and documented much of his finds there. Thanks to Johns' efforts, I have been able to compile some information in my lineage dating back to the 1500's. Other early settlers in Jackson county were from this area as well.

Jackson county is significant to me because of my many relatives who called (or call) it home. My maternal G-Grandfather (Joseph N. Prokes) and his family have significant history in Jackson Co, and his nephew (Gordon) was very active with the Jackson Co Historical Society several years ago. Joseph Prokes was also a member of the MN Historical Society. Along with the county history on my fathers' side of the family around Lakefield, I wanted to do something to honor the memory of my ancestors by joining the historical society and volunteering (nearly impossible from 150 miles away). In the spring of 2007, I assumed responsibility of these web pages to further preserve the memory of our early pioneering residents of Jackson county who, like my ancestors, had a dream, worked hard and raised a family...often in very difficult times. Jackson county is a wonderful place and I hope one day calling the area "home" again, perhaps when retirement arrives, if not sooner.

A few surnames in my family tree with ties to Jackson Co are: Wendel, Thieme, Prokes, Steffen, Lueck, Cihak, Tusa.

It is a priviledge for me to remember our ancestors of Jackson county...yours and mine alike...through these web pages!

My Facebook page here