The Gorman and Doepker Genealogies

The Ancestry, Decendency, and History of the Families of
Thomas Leo Gorman and Hildegarde Doepker

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Family Histories

Gorman History

A Brief History of Ireland
This is an abbreviated history of the island from which the Gormans hail - Ireland. It covers the time period from prehistory until Irish independence in 1949, including the settlements of the Celts, Vikings and occupation by the English. Its purpose is to provide a backdrop to the events our ancestors witnessed and the struggles they had to endure.

A History of the Gorman Name In Ireland
This section documents the history and genealogy of the various tribes that were the predecessors of the Gorman family, from the Uí Bairrche to the 19th century.

Gormans in America
This is the story of our family, as much as we know of it, from it's humble beginnings in the small village of Moycarkey, Ireland to Michigan and beyond. It includes detailed personal profiles of Leo Gorman, my grandfather, as well as all of his siblings.

Genealogy of the Ui Bairrche
The Uí Bairrche describes a clan originating in southeast Ireland that was the forerunner to the Gormans. What is documented here is the genealogy of that family, in its original Irish Gaelic, as taken from The Book of Glendalough.

The Gorman family homestead in Oakley, Michigan.

Doepker History

A Brief History of Hanover
This section provides an abbreviated history of the country of Hanover, what is now the state of Lower Saxony in Germany. It was a sovereign nation when our Doepker ancestors left there. It covers the period from the founding of Hanover in 1708 when it was part of the Holy Roman Empire through German Unification, World Wars I and II, the Cold War and the Reunification of East and West Germany. Its purpose is to describe the kind of world our ancestors lived in and what motivated them to come to America.

The Doepkers From Schwege to America
This is the story of the Doepker family, from its origins in the village of Schwege, in what is now Germany, to their immigation and settlement in Ohio and Michigan. It describes the type of people they were, how they made their livelihoods, and what was going on in the world around them. It includes profiles of the siblings of Hildagard Doepker, my grandmother.

Doepker Demographics
This section is provided as an appendix to provide background information for the other Doepker-related content on this site. It includes the origin and meaning of the Doepker surname as well as histories of the three primary places that were the stages for the Doepker history. They include Schwege, Germany, Glandorf, Germany and Glandorf, Ohio.

Farm houses in Schwege, Germany.