America

Rochester, Monroe County, New York: the Seengen (Aargau) family

27 September 2026 · 12 min read

Mapped offline from data/occurrences.csv and data/related-records.csv, 2026-09-27. Index entries only: no image has been read. Keys and evidence per record are in map.csv; people in people.csv.

Summary

Records: 520 records placed (217 confirmed, 255 probable, 48 possible) on 60 people (11 of them living). With the two branches that have their own files (Buffalo, Erie County, New York: Frederick Edward Hegnauer's branch, Cuyahoga Falls, Summit County, Ohio: Edward John Hegnauer (1901–1961) and his descendants) the lineage accounts for about 640 records, the largest American cluster. The 193 New York, Land Records entries are name-only index lines (Monroe, Erie, Cattaraugus, Putnam and Dutchess Cos., 1905–1968); they are placed by name, county and year only and are marked probable or possible.
One immigrant family, not several. Every Hegnauer in Monroe County between 1884 and 1970 fits into one family: Jacob Hegnauer (about 1825–1899) and Verena Siegrist (about 1826–1896) and their sons. The only exceptions are two households whose parents are not known (Charles Albert, born 1884 in Switzerland; Richard A., born 1912 in New York), both probably relatives.
Origin: Seengen, canton Aargau (Bezirk Lenzburg, at the north end of Lake Hallwil). The Social Security (NUMIDENT) entry of the son Jacob Rudolph gives his birth as 26 May 1859 at "Sengen", Switzerland, and names his parents as Jacob Hegnauer and "Farina" [Verena] (O02316). The family is therefore not from Igis and not (as far as any record shows) from the Zürich lines of Elgg or Uster: it is a second, independent Swiss origin in America besides Igis (see H2 in the README). Supporting, circumstantial: Siegrist and Thut (the wife of the son Rudolph) are surnames of the Lake Hallwil villages, and a second, apparently separate immigrant, Rudolf Hegnauer of New York City, was also born at Seengen in 1881 (New York City and other New York records outside Rochester).
Probable Swiss record of the family: the Swiss marriage index has Luise Hegnauer, born 1846, daughter of Jakob [Hegnauer] and Verena Siegrist, marrying Rudolf Buchli on 10 May 1869 (O01991, indexed under "Baden, Aargau"; outside this area and not mapped here). The parents' names match the Rochester couple, so Luise is probably an elder daughter who stayed in Switzerland. The same Aargau index has a Jakob Hegnauer × Maria Studler with children born 1825 and 1828, who could be Jacob's parents (a lead for the Switzerland mapping, not a link).
Arrival: two parties in 1884. 2 Apr 1884: Jacob (58), Rudolph (indexed 29 or 21), Jacob (24), Lina (18), Hans (17) and Albert (11). 30 Oct 1884: Louise (25) with Frederick (1), Carl (22), Marie (22), Verena (32) and "Tereta" (59). (Germans to America and New York passenger-list indexes; the ships are not in the extract.)
A Washington episode: John Henry married Lizzie Mather at Rainier, Thurston Co., Washington, on 5 Oct 1891 (licence 18–19 Sep), and his daughter Elsie married at Vancouver, Wash., in 1914; the family was back in Rochester by 1900.
Couples reconstructed: 21 (US-ROC-F01 to F21). Years: 1884–2012 for deceased members; living descendants in the 1930s–1970s birth decades are listed by key only.
Branches elsewhere: Buffalo (Frederick Edward, son of Jacob Rudolph); Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, via Oregon and Pennsylvania (Edward John, son of John Henry); Quebec, Massachusetts and Rhode Island (Albert Henry, son of John Henry); Florida (Carl Allen and Louise Alice); Arizona (Philip C.); Kentucky (Arthur W.); Texas (Myrtle, widow of Oscar); California (Gladys, widow of Carl Allen).
No link to Igis or to the Missouri Hegnauers has been found; none of the records shares a place, sponsor or relative with them.

Descendant chart

People are shown as Name (birth – death) [key] {occurrence IDs}; ‹parents: …› gives the strength of the link to the parents where it is not proven. Living people (born 1926 or later with no death record) are shown only as [living] with a birth decade. Branches with their own file are cut off with "see".

Jacob Hegnauer (abt 1825 – 17 Jul 1899) [US-ROC-001] {O00264, O00326, O02782, O02850, O03029, O03240, O03252, O03610, O04011}
- ∞ Verena Siegrist (abt 1826 – 21 Apr 1896) [US-ROC-002] {O02787, O03115, O04058}; of Switzerland
- Verena Hegnauer (abt 1852 – ?) [US-ROC-069] ‹parents: possible› {O02786}
- Rudolph Hegnauer (abt 1855-1857 – 31 Mar 1931) [US-ROC-003] ‹parents: probable› {O00263, O01319, O02479, O02698, O02788, O03113, O03255, O03557, O03558, O03609, O04053}
  - ∞ Louise Thut (abt 1859 – 11 Jul 1940) [US-ROC-004] {O00323, O00324, O01320, O02480, O02501, O02717, O02784, O02817, O02998, O03125, O04028}; of Switzerland
  - Louise Hegnauer (abt 1881 – 3 Dec 1886) [US-ROC-005] ‹parents: possible› {O03118, O03322, O04027}
  - Frederick Rudolph Hegnauer (18 Jan 1883 – 2 Jun 1961) [US-ROC-006] ‹parents: probable› {O00271, O01185, O01194, O01199, O01200, O01214, O01217, O01301, O01305, O01306, O01307, O01308, O01309, O02317, +15 more in map.csv}
    - ∞ Anna Ethel Brown (abt 1884 – 22 Nov 1938) [US-ROC-007] {O01327, O02488, O02534, O02536, O02537, O02827, O02947, O03123, O03483, O03963, O03972}; of Canada
  - Ida Hegnauer (abt 1888 – ?) [US-ROC-008] {O02718, O02999, O03559}
  - Lula Hegnauer (18 Apr 1890 – ?) [US-ROC-009] {O02315}
  - William Rudolf Hegnauer (6 Aug 1897 – 16 Jun 1958) [US-ROC-010] {O00315, O00321, O00322, O00327, O00330, O01178, O01198, O01203, O01310, O01311, O01336, O02312, O02395, O02410, +18 more in map.csv}
    - ∞ Mae Irene Nolan (abt 1900 – ?) [US-ROC-011] {O03468}; of New York
    - ∞ Helen (abt 1903 – ?) [US-ROC-071] {O03485}; of New York ‹marriage: possible›
    - ∞ Pearl (25 Jun 1895 – Sep 1976) [US-ROC-012] {O01179, O01204, O02499, O02723, O02812}; of New York
- Jacob Rudolph Hegnauer (26 May 1859 – 10 Jan 1940) [US-ROC-013] {O00266, O01172, O01173, O01195, O01211, O01212, O01223, O01231, O01325, O02316, O02493, O02506, O02533, O02853, +7 more in map.csv}
  - ∞ Caroline Seip (Jul 1866 – 4 Jun 1922) [US-ROC-014] {O02882, O02941, O02953, O02972, O03126}; of Germany
  - Amelia R. Hegnauer (Oct 1891/1893 – ?) [US-ROC-015] {O02880, O02938, O02969, O03555, O03608}
  - Frederick Edward Hegnauer (24 May 1893 – 22 May 1968) [US-ROC-016] → see buffalo-ny.md
  - Oscar Herman Hegnauer (6 Jan 1895 – 11 Mar 1970) [US-ROC-020] {O01193, O01201, O01216, O01299, O02443, O02558, O02726, O02815, O02829, O02854, O02883, O02940, O02974, O03309, +5 more in map.csv}
    - ∞ Myrtle Estelle Thompson (5 Jul 1896 – 3 Aug 1975) [US-ROC-021] {O01202, O01225, O01226, O02444, O02519, O02713, O02742, O02814, O02830, O03337, O03441, O04039}; of New York
  - Elmer Rudolph Hegnauer (28 Apr 1897 – 26 Jun 1950) [US-ROC-022] {O00303, O01186, O01187, O01188, O01189, O01190, O01191, O01249, O01286, O02320, O02403, O02431, O02574, O02826, +10 more in map.csv}
  - Hilda M. Hegnauer (17 Sep 1899 – 18 Jun 1984) [US-ROC-023] {O01180, O01181, O01182, O01183, O01184, O01192, O01215, O01300, O01302, O01312, O02077, O02521, O02522, O02554, +14 more in map.csv}
- Carl Hegnauer (abt 1862 – ?) [US-ROC-067] ‹parents: possible› {O02783}
  - ∞ Marie (abt 1862 – ?) [US-ROC-068] {O02776}; of Switzerland
- Lina Hegnauer (abt 1865 – ?) [US-ROC-070] ‹parents: possible› {O00267, O02779}
- John Henry Hegnauer (Jun 1866 – 17 Mar 1933) [US-ROC-024] {O00262, O01213, O01222, O01322, O01323, O01324, O01328, O02413, O02418, O02483, O02492, O02495, O02512, O02513, +30 more in map.csv}
  - ∞ Lizzie Mather (Oct 1869 – 22 Mar 1912) [US-ROC-025] {O02894, O02976, O03116, O04024}; of Switzerland
  - ∞ Katherine S. Gentner (Jul 1866 – 12 Nov 1936) [US-ROC-026] {O01329, O02484, O02491, O02494, O03122, O03489, O04015}; of Germany
  - Elsie C. Hegnauer (Jul 1892 – ?) [US-ROC-027] {O02891, O02980, O03030, O03031, O03034, O03217, O03239, O03243, O03614}
  - Ottilie Hegnauer (Aug 1897 – ?) [US-ROC-028] {O02765, O02851, O02887, O02978}
  - Albert Henry Hegnauer (9 Mar 1900 – 25 Dec 1973) [US-ROC-029] {O00319, O01334, O02465, O02722, O02770, O02802, O02892, O02946, O02979, O03220, O03223, O03317, O03454, O03969}
    - ∞ Helen Alexandra Ritchie (17 Jan 1911 – 27 Sep 2003) [US-ROC-030] {O01333, O02321, O02380, O02731, O03000, O03001, O03002, O03318, O03500, O03545, O03546, O03639, O04007}; of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    - [living] (b. 1940s) [US-ROC-031] {O00320, O01331, O03544}
      - [living] (b. 1960s) [US-ROC-072] ‹parents: possible› {O02356, O02799}
        ∞ [living] (b. after 1925) [US-ROC-074] {O03543}
      - [living] (b. 1960s) [US-ROC-073] ‹parents: possible› {O02366, O03640}
    - [living] (b. 1940s) [US-ROC-032] {O01332, O01335, O03218, O03222, O03224}
  - Edward John Hegnauer (13 Aug 1901 – 3 Aug 1961) [US-ROC-033] ‹parents: probable› → see ohio-cuyahoga-falls.md
  - Louise Alice Hegnauer (19 Sep 1903 – 29 Sep 1995) [US-ROC-043] {O02325, O02385, O02430, O02729, O02746, O02767, O02893, O02942, O03219, O03221, O03225, O04029}
  - Ernest T. Hegnauer (14 Sep 1905 – 19 Nov 1966) [US-ROC-044] {O01196, O02455, O02468, O02526, O02527, O02732, O02754, O02763, O02888, O03154, O03159, O03460, O03474, O03633, +1 more in map.csv}
    - ∞ Irene Peglow (1 Mar 1905 – 27 Oct 1998) [US-ROC-045] {O01197, O01227, O01228, O01229, O01230, O02313, O02387, O02454, O02516, O02727, O02744, O02756}; of Brighton, Monroe, New York
    - [living] (b. 1930s) [US-ROC-046] ‹parents: probable› {O02453, O02755}
- Albert Gottlieb Hegnauer (5 Mar 1870 – 12 Apr 1944) [US-ROC-047] ‹parents: probable› {O00265, O00325, O01171, O01321, O02314, O02489, O02523, O02524, O02760, O02789, O02895, O02933, O03006, O03117, +5 more in map.csv}
  - ∞ Anna Maria Meyer (Jun 1876 – 16 Feb 1966) [US-ROC-048] {O00328, O02432, O02487, O02769, O02898, O02935, O03476, O03974}; of Germany
  - Carl Allen Hegnauer (19 Jun 1901 – 23 Apr 1982) [US-ROC-049] {O01219, O01296, O01303, O01313, O02436, O02466, O02762, O02897, O02936, O03151, O03152, O03431, O03438, O03477, +2 more in map.csv}
    - ∞ Gladys M. Spratt (16 Apr 1904 – 14 May 2002) [US-ROC-050] {O01218, O01304, O02324, O02438, O02474, O02719, O03137}; of New York City
    - [living] (b. 1930s) [US-ROC-053] {O02437}
    - Philip C. Hegnauer (29 May 1931 – 7 Nov 2018) [US-ROC-051] {O01337, O02362, O03136, O03142, O03444, O04044}
      - ∞ [living] (b. 1930s) [US-ROC-052] {O02363, O03141, O03585}
  - Gertrude Ruth Hegnauer (9 Aug 1906 – 8 Dec 1988) [US-ROC-054] {O02322, O02761, O02899, O02937, O03156, O03158, O03478}
  - Arthur W. Hegnauer (20 Sep 1909 – 28 Nov 1992) [US-ROC-055] {O01205, O01224, O02290, O02293, O02311, O02528, O02559, O02562, O02564, O02565, O02759, O02896, O02934, O03333, +5 more in map.csv}
    - ∞ Pauline Edna Reinhardt (27 Feb 1915 – 19 Mar 2003) [US-ROC-056] {O01206, O02291, O02292, O02323, O02560, O02563, O02721, O04042}; of Rochester, Monroe, New York
    - [living] (b. 1940s) [US-ROC-058] ‹parents: possible› {O02352, O02795, O03150}
  - Robert Heinrich Hegnauer (20 Oct 1912 – 22/23 Aug 1918) [US-ROC-057] {O02340, O02768, O03114, O04048}

Households with unknown parents

Charles Albert Hegnauer (8 May 1884 – 7 Dec 1974) [US-ROC-059] {O01221, O01297, O01330, O02402, O02481, O02485, O02515, O02720, O02950, O03452, O03613, O03941, O03979}
- ∞ Gertrude Odelia Kleisley (13 Dec 1883 – 16 Jan 1979) [US-ROC-060] {O01220, O01298, O01326, O02401, O02482, O02486, O02514, O02949, O03430, O03940, O04004}; of New York
- Ruth Hegnauer (abt 1918 – ?) [US-ROC-061] {O02951}
- Eileen Margaret Hegnauer (11 Feb 1923 – 1 Aug 1990) [US-ROC-062] {O02327}
Richard A. Hegnauer (abt 1912 – ?) [US-ROC-063] {O02440}
- ∞ Gertrude W. (abt 1910 – ?) [US-ROC-064] {O02442}; of New York
- [living] (b. 1940s) [US-ROC-065] {O02441, O03634}
- [living] (b. 1940s) [US-ROC-066] {O02439}

Evidence for each generational link

Link	Strength	Evidence
Jacob × Verena Siegrist	proven	Named together as parents in John Henry's marriages of 1891 (O03028, O03241, O03251) and 1920 (O02849) and in Jacob Rudolph's NUMIDENT (O02316, O03610). Both buried Mount Hope, Rochester (O04011, O04058).
Jacob → John Henry (1866)	proven	Parents named in both marriage records (above). "Hans", 17, in Jacob's arrival party (O02785).
Jacob → Jacob Rudolph (1859)	proven	NUMIDENT names the parents and the birthplace Seengen (O02316); in Jacob's arrival party (O00266).
Jacob → Rudolph (about 1855–57)	probable	Arrived with Jacob on 2 Apr 1884 (O02788) and lived and was buried at Rochester (Mount Hope, O04053). No record seen names his parents.
Jacob → Albert Gottlieb (1870)	probable	"Albert", indexed 11, in Jacob's arrival party (O02789); Rochester; Mount Hope. The index age is three years short of his 5 Mar 1870 birth (passport 1897, O03006; Find a Grave O03968). No record seen names his parents.
Jacob → Carl (1862), Verena (1852), Lina (1865)	possible	Co-travellers only (O02783, O02786, O00267, O02779); nothing later found. Marie (1862, O02776) may be Carl's wife.
Rudolph × Louise Thut	proven	Named together as parents of Ida (1913 marriage, O03559) and Lula (NUMIDENT, O02315).
Rudolph → Ida (1888), Lula (1890), William Rudolf (1897)	proven	Ida's marriage (O03559), Lula's NUMIDENT (O02315) and William's marriage (O02699, O03556) name Rudolph as father.
Rudolph → Frederick Rudolph (1883)	probable	Landed aged 1 with Louise (b. 1859) on 30 Oct 1884 (O02781, O02784); middle name Rudolph; lived at Greece, beside the widowed Louise, in 1940 (O02816, O02817).
Rudolph → Louise (1881–1886)	possible	A child of the right age buried at Mount Hope in 1886 (O04027); no parents indexed.
Jacob Rudolph × Caroline Seip	proven	1900 census (married 1890, O02971–O02975); maiden name Seip/Seiff in two children's marriages (O03555, O02854).
Jacob Rudolph → Amelia, Frederick Edward, Oscar, Elmer, Hilda	proven	All five in the 1900 and 1910 households (O02969–O02975, O02880–O02886); Amelia's and Oscar's marriages name both parents.
John Henry × Lizzie Mather	proven	Marriage 1891 (above); 1900 and 1910 households; children's marriages name "Elizabeth Matthers".
John Henry → Elsie C., Ottilie, Albert Henry, Edward, Louise Alice, Ernest	proven for the census children	1900 and 1910 households (O02977–O02980, O02887–O02893); Elsie's (O03243), Thelma's (O02851) and Ernest's (O03154) marriages name the parents.
Ottilie = Thelma E. (m. Drees 1923)	probable	Same parents, born 1897/98; no separate Thelma in any census.
Edward (b. 1902, John Henry's household 1910) = Edward John of Portland and Cuyahoga Falls	probable	Birth 13 Aug 1901 at Rochester on his 1942 draft card (O03111) and Find a Grave (O03989); no other Rochester-born Edward; his son was named John Henry. See Cuyahoga Falls, Summit County, Ohio: Edward John Hegnauer (1901–1961) and his descendants.
Albert Henry → children in Quebec 1950	proven	1950 census household (O01331–O01335) and his 1973 obituary (O03220).
Albert Gottlieb × Anna Maria Meyer	proven	1930 marriages of Carl Allen and Gertrude name "Anne Meyer" (O03152, O03156); NUMIDENT of Gertrude Ruth (O02322).
Albert Gottlieb → Carl Allen, Gertrude Ruth, Arthur W., Robert Heinrich	proven	1910–1930 households (O02895–O02899, O02759–O02762, O02768); marriages and NUMIDENT name the parents.
Carl Allen → Philip C. and a daughter	proven	1950 household (O02436–O02438); Gladys's 2002 obituary names Philip and the daughter (O03137, O03136).
Arthur W. → [US-ROC-058]	possible	Only a 1978 marriage in Wayne Co., Ky., where Arthur and Pauline died (O03150).
Charles Albert → Ruth, Eileen Margaret	proven	1920 household (O02950, O02951); Eileen's NUMIDENT (O02327).
[US-ROC-031] (son of Albert Henry) → the Warwick, R.I., family	possible	Name and state only (O00320, O03544).

Conflicts

Rudolph's age: born 1855 (Germans to America, O02788), 1863 (passenger-list index, O00263), 1857 (Find a Grave, O04053). The images of the list and the 1931 death certificate should settle it.
Albert Gottlieb's age: 1873 on the 1884 lists against 5 Mar 1870 (passport 1897, NUMIDENT, Find a Grave). The later, self-reported date is preferred.
John Henry's birth: "June 1876" in the 1900 census index (O02977) against 1866/67 everywhere else: an index slip.
Frederick Rudolph: 18 Jan 1883 (both draft cards, NUMIDENT) against 15 Jan 1883 (Find a Grave).
William Rudolf: born 6 Aug 1897 and died 16 Jun 1958 (VA index) against 6 Aug 1896 and 15 Jun 1958 (NUMIDENT). A William born about 1901 with a wife Helen in Rochester in 1930 (O03486, O03485) is placed on him only as possible; his first wife Mae Irene was in Schenectady in 1930 and his wife in 1940 was Pearl.
Charles Albert's birthplace: Switzerland (1942 draft card, 1950 census) against New York (1920 census). Switzerland is preferred.
John Henry's second wife: "Catherine Meyer" at the 1920 marriage (O02849) but "Katherine S. Gentner" on Find a Grave (O04015): probably a widow Meyer, née Gentner.
"August" Hegnauer, 1910 (O02895) is Albert Gottlieb misread: wife Anna and the same three children.
FamilySearch place standardizations (not conflicts in the sources): Albert Gottlieb's death "Rochester, Ulster" (O03117), John Henry's "Brighton Beach, Brooklyn" (O03112), and the Find a Grave index entries placed in "Ransom, LaSalle, Illinois" (O03257, Mount Hope) and "Hagewood, Natchitoches, Louisiana" (O03317, Pine Grove, Truro, Mass.). The Find a Grave memorials give the true cemeteries.

Open questions

The Seengen baptism, marriage and family registers (Kirchenbücher and Bürgerregister): Jacob's birth about 1825, his marriage to Verena Siegrist about 1845, and the baptisms of Luise (1846), Verena (1852), Rudolph (1855–57), Jacob Rudolph (26 May 1859), Carl (1862), Lina (1865), Johann Heinrich (1866) and Albert Gottlieb (5 Mar 1870). The Aargau entries in the Swiss index (O01991 and the Jakob × Maria Studler family) should be compared.
Rudolph and Albert Gottlieb: their New York death certificates (1931, 1944) or Social Security applications would name their parents and prove them sons of Jacob.
Charles Albert (born 8 May 1884, Switzerland): who were his parents? The Carl and Marie of the October 1884 party are the obvious candidates.
Richard A. (born about 1912, New York): not in any 1915–1930 household found; parents unknown.
Why Washington in 1891? A Thurston County land or census record (1889 or 1892 territorial/state census) may show more of the family there.
The two 1884 passenger lists: ship names and the "last residence" column would confirm Seengen for the whole party.

Unplaced Monroe County records

None. Every Monroe County Hegnauer record in the extract has been placed; undated land-index lines are placed only as possible where two people share a name (Louise, Jacob, Albert, Frederick, Frederick E.).