Descendants of Abraham Tegarden

Dear Cousin

If you are one of the many who have written to us or called over the past five years or so, thank you for your correspondence, the information you provided and most of all for your patience as you waited and waited for this letter. If, on the other hand, this letter comes to you out of the blue, as it will to many, please let me explain. Over the past twenty years there has been a great deal of interest among many members of the Tegarden clan about the book "Descendants of Abraham Tegarden". It began with this:

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A N N O U N C E M E N T

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Publication of the following book has been set for June 1, 1967

Genealogy and Biographical Sketches

of

DESCENDANTS of ABRAHAM TEGARDEN

from arrival in America

-- Sept. 1, 1736 --

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230 years of accumulated data on the Tegarden Family as descended from the founder, ABRAHAM TEGARDEN b. 1688 in Prussia, d. 1753 in America, is now in the final draft by the compiler, Helen E. Vogt of Berkeley. . .

Ours is quite a large family. Over the years the name has come to be spelled Teagarden, Teegarden, Teegardin, Teeguarden as well as the original Tegarden. That announcement marked the beginning of a phenomenon in our family. The first edition, in softcover, was followed by a hard cover edition in 1978 with updates "between the lines" and an addendum. Inquiries and information from family members have arrived virtually every month since that first mailing and have continued long after all the books that were printed were gone.

In 1980, after talking with many family members about the book, my father Hal Teegarden contacted Helen Vogt about possibly updating and/or reprinting it. Helen was busy on other projects, and as a result, my wife Shirley and I began retyping and updating the book in 1982. Helen had already accumulated and organized pounds of material including additional research on the early ancestors. More information continued to arrive during the re-typing.

The third edition is now at the printer, scheduled for completion July first. It is in hard cover with sewn binding and contains 896 pages, 688 pages of genealogical listings and biographical sketches, 98 pages of family photographs and documents, a 96 page index, and a few additional blank pages for family notes. The price will be $25.00 per copy plus $2.50 Shipping.

Virtually every Tegarden descendant, regardless of the current spelling of the name has been prospected by one or more of the "Heritage book" companies who sell a generalized text on genealogy with a family name and address list included for about $33. Our letter is being sent to everyone who has corresponded in the past and also to other Tegardens from the lists in the heritage books. For this reason you may, or may not, be already aware of the existence of the book. This is NOT another heritage book. I think you will find the value of "Descendants" far greater. To continue with the original announcement which is as appropriate today as it was then:

This volume is more than a genealogy. It is a history of activities of family members from family data as well as from intensive research. Years of searching published works and records and consultation with eminent historians have resulted in biographical material dealing with the Tegarden family during the Colonial and Revolutionary period of the U.S. to the present, including participation in every War. The massive accumulation of data has now been edited in one volume at a price which should make it available to all who wish to have a copy. Also, membership in various patriotic societies may be achieved from the information in this book.