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I was told at an early age our family name was once Van Rysselberghe. James Van Rysselberghe came to America from Belgium with a Catholic priest named Fr. Charles Nerenkx circa 1820. James Van Rysselberghe eventually maried Julia Ann Howard in Kentucky. They had several children, the oldest of which was Charles Nerenkx Van Rysselberghe. Charles Van Rysselberghe joined the 24th Infantry of the Kentucky Union Army at the outset of the Civil War. When mustered into service, the family name was shortened to "Russelburg," according to records. Subsequent generations were known as Russelburgs, but the origin of our family and family name were always shared with subsequent generations of our family.