Back in 2019 I discovered WikiTree and started adding my family to it, but was quickly surprised to find that many of my family members had already been entered. That was because Richard Hayes had been working in WikiTree before me, when he started back in 2015. I was working mainly from family knowledge and the Nellis–Nelles Immigrants books. Richard had made significant progress in transcribing the Nellis–Nelles books to WikiTree, but his work was much more extensive, referencing material from numerous other sources related to the Palatine immigrants.

Due to health reasons, Richard stopped contributing to WikiTree in 2021. He died in 2023. I have continued the work, picking up where he left off.

Through my work in genealogy, I’ve come in contact with many Nellis/Nelles cousins, many of whom have asked how to submit additions and corrections to the Nellis–Nelles books. It has been met with sadness that the book effort was complete and final, and there was no consideration, that I could discern, of any further volumes being published; however I mention to them the work on WikiTree that Richard and I have done, and invite them to join so that they can add their updates directly. Alternatively, I volunteer to take their changes and make them myself.

So, moving forward, the work on WikiTree would seem to be the best answer to how to keep the Nellis–Nelles Immigrant story alive. To that end, I have created the following resources.