The Chart Above Displays The Known Ancestors Of John...

The chart above displays the known ancestors of John Bigony Rex. The Bigony, Rex, Knauss and Tibben lines reaches the furthest back in time to European births in the 1600 s. The circles represent roots of the American dream, when men and women alike risked all to journey across an ocean to a distant land called America. It was a time of kings, war and persecution. Our brave forefathers were farmers, blacksmiths, fishermen and laborers. Regardless of their humble start, they became the building blocks for what will become a shining beacon of hope that transformed our world. John Bigony Rex grew up with the fading grandchildren of a group of Revolutionary War soldiers in Roxborough Pa. during the 1870 s. Stories of William†¦show more content†¦Henry Tibben represented hundreds of farmers growing up along the Dutch and German border in independent Bentheim county. He firmly believed that hard work, religious freedom and the spirit of man could create a superior world for all people. To that aim, he took full advantage of his schooling, mastering not only reading, but writing and accounting. Optimism filled his soul like the fresh paintings hanging in the museums. He expected the future will harbor better things than just quiet farming. In that spirit, he never accepted the limits of digging peat or milking cows, or practicing a religion he did not profess to. His exploring mind always asked questions, often to the annoyance of his mentors, building a dream for himself and his descendants that only America could foster. A test of Henry s grit c ame during the 1670 s when a dark spirit spread across Holland. French King Louis sent legions of horses, cannons and nights across the Rhine River into the flat, peat fields of the Dutch frontier. Other Catholic allies soon joined in the rampage, sending Protestants into a panic. Rape, pillaging and infernos followed their movement north toward the Tibben farm; the unprepared Dutch armies retreated or surrendered. His Dutch neighbors called 1672 the â€Å"The Year of Disaster.† The Tibbens worshiped in a church that many Catholic leaders despised, The Dutch Reform Church. The Tibben farm resided along the Dutch and