Make an impact

The archives began with various family members researching and collecting records in the 1800s. It a robust collection was later established in the 1930s by Ella Lillian Wall Van Leer and later digitized by Peggy Burge. What started as a project for Ella’s husband Blake who grew up as an orphan without knowledge of his family, became an obsession. Ella was able to trace Van Leer roots back to the 1500s and indirectly impacted numerous other family archives. The archives are now managed by various Van Leer family members from various branches. Any contribution makes an impact! It helps maintain longevity of the site, ongoing research and scheduling reunions and events.