Joey Tickle explained to Dr. Soltau, Major of Kusterdingen, Ulrike Pfeil from the Schwaebische Tagblatt (local press) and Manfred Wandel , President of Historical Society, how the name Digel became Tickle.
His ancestor Johannes Digel left Immenhausen around 1754 and first settled in Pennsylvania but finally moved to Orange Co. in North Carolina. Joey and his wife Sheila and a chummy couple were visiting Gomaringen, Immenhausen and Kusterdingen on their trip through Europe in October 2008.
Mid of September 2008 Joey and I had the first email contact and he advised me of his forthcoming trip to Europe. Thanks to established processes we could arrange a small program for him.
After the reception in the city hall by the Major, Manfred Wandel gave them a tour through the Klosterhof and the old City Hall in Kusterdingen. During the visit Manfred Wandel explained the visitors also some of the punishment instruments which are shown in the museum (see picture in the newspaper). In addition he could find Marx Digel in Immenhausen in documents from 1554, but the document didn’t contain any information where Marx Digel has lived in Immenhausen.
In Immenhausen the guests were able to visit the “Armenhaus”, the historic house where originally the poor people where living for which the city took care.
On their way further south Joey and Sheila stayed in a hotel close to Munich so that we could have dinner together. We had a good time together.
The newspaper article of the “Schwaebische Tagblatt” from Oct 16, 2008 could be found here. I also attach the translation I have made for Joey.
I am glad Joey found so much history. Its mine as well. My third great grandfather was Absalom Tickle killed in the civil war, and he came from the same Digels that moved to Orange County, NC. When i found my 3rd Great Grandfather, it had been after much hunting and the name change did add more time but I was so happy it all came together. Im still confused on some of Johannes Digel and Johann Digel Jr showing up as half brothers and married to Catherine Dagel but my family is from Johannes Digel Jr, son of the one from this tomb stone. Finding the Digel references made me so happy to finally find this one branch from my forest and solve mysteries.
There are a number of our ancestors buried at Friedens Lutheran Church in gibsonville, nc. The original records for the church were kept in German, as are the inscriptions on some headstones. Records show our family in the earliest times of the church.