Introduction

The Hare, Fuller & Decker  family lines are very old with deep roots in American history. The Family lines are related to Frederick and Johanna Reinhold and their descendents, but only in more recent times. This story covers the Hare, Preston Fuller and Decker Families. There is much more to tell and more to be discovered. Still, it's hoped the information will be of interest to family members, genealogists and historians alike.

Fredrick Reinhold and family immigrated to the United States in 1864, while the Hare, Fuller & Decker  family lines go back to before or around the time of the American Revolution. Before proceeding with a discussion of the Hare, Preston, Decker and Fuller families, it is necessary to give a brief introduction into how the research was conducted and the general outcome of that research. I commissioned Linnea B. Foster, CGRS to research the Hare, Preston and Decker families’ genealogical history in New Jersey. Ms. Foster conducted an exhaustive search for family members including related families which culminated in a series of reports and photo-copied documents pertaining to the various families. Despite Ms. Foster’s best efforts, there is little or no information on key family members. In some cases, there is very little evidence supporting, or only evidence suggesting that family members are related or married. Just as important as the information which Ms. Foster found is the information that she did not find. In many cases, Ms. Foster checked various records, but did not find family members. Knowing that Ms. Foster check various records, but did not find family members, suggests that the family members may have left the county or the state. It also suggests that the records do not exist, or that the event did not occur. In any case, as you read this Book, please keep in mind how much or how little evidence supports the family relationships discussed in this Book. In addition, various operating theories were developed to help in researching the families and individuals discussed in this Book. As you read, you will see these theories discussed either in the body of the text or in the footnotes. The theories are just that—theories. They were devised as a research tool to help find families and individuals due to the lack of evidence supporting certain family relationships; the lack of information regarding certain individuals; and evidence which only suggests certain relationships or outcomes. In most cases, there is no evidence, or limited evidence to support the theories. Still, the various theories helped guide the research and may be proven valid or invalid in the future. Finally, the research on the Decker families has been severally hampered by the number of Deckers in the United States. There are literally thousands of Deckers and thousands of William Deckers, both of which span an enormous period of time and probably all of the United States. As a result, you will see references to Deckers which are not related to Carl Oliver Reinhold. They are mentioned in order to provide clarity by indicating they were checked and found not to be related to Carl Oliver Reinhold. Also, photograph was invented in the early 1820s, so there are very few pictures of these early family members. Also, in the early times, there were no birth certificates or likely no marriage certificates. To establish relationships, church records, burial markers, real estate transactions, probate papers, family bibles, family letters and various other informal documents were used.