I was born in Shenandoah, Iowa. My parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents farmed in nearby Atchison Co., Missouri where John Macrander settled twenty years after arriving by sailing vessel at the Port of Baltimore, MD. Several of the third generation crossed into Page Co. to begin their farming enterprises.

The Macrander families in Page Co., and other counties in Iowa are second and third cousins of my own immediate family. All persons with the surname Macrander in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Netherlands, Germany, (including families in Strasbourg, France in 1780's through 1820's) are descendents of Johannes Macrander of Wetzlar, Hesse, Germany or his elder brother, Josias Macrander, of Giessen, Hesse, Germany, whose descendents appear to have died out circa 1760's. One name variation is Marcrander whose ancestor was a Macrander who went from Wetzlar to Marburg to follow his trade of weaver. His descendants initially arrived in New York , New Jersey and Saint Louis, MO.

The 1880 Census enumerator for Atchison Co., MO erroneously
entered McCrander for members of the family Macrander.

For purposes of broader genealogical research, the Macrander name was an invented
alias from the classical Greek language first adopted by Helsen (Bad Arolsen),
Waldeck born Arnoldt Langemann, son of Gerck Langemann.

By 1587 when Arnoldt matriculated from Wittenberg University in Lower Saxony,
he had adopted a classical name form to became known as Arnoldus Macrander in
subsequent documents. His sons Josias Macrander and Johannes Macrander continued
the practice. Descendents of Johannes Macrander lived in Wetzlar, Rhineland
Province, Kingdom of Prussia. John Macrander came from Wetzlar to the United
States in July 1840 and eventually found his way westward to Lincoln Twp, Atchison
Co., MO in 1860.


Jim Macrander

Macranderj@aol.com