I have traced my Helmer ancestry back to approximately 1795 to George Helmer who according to the 1850 census was 55 years old, a blacksmith and born in Penn. Based on family information my branch of the Helmer family migrated from Pennsylvania to Kentucky to Mississippi. One of his sons, my great grandfather, Robert White Helmer, eventually moved with his family to Louisiana. I am currently searching records to see if I can find a link to the vast number of Helmers listed in the Herkimer, New York area in the 1700's.

In the process of this search, I have found many interesting stories involving the Helmers and their relatives. I found stories about a scout, Adam Helmer, running a great distance to warn and save his village in the Mohawk valley in New York from an Indian attack. (See also Helmer). Another such story is about an Englishman, Robin White, and his friend Lewis Coon who were tricked by the British into conscription to the army. They were told of a party or dance on a ship. Once all the young men were on the ship, they were sealed in and taken to fight in the American Revolution. Robin was captured at the battle of King's Mountain in South Carolina and later escaped. He hid in a hollow log near the home of the John Hux. John's daughter, Mary brought him food...... they later married, had children and moved to Buffalo Bayou in Wilkinson County, Mississippi near Woodville. Their 12th child, Elsie, married George Helmer in 1820.

Several notable Helmers were also discovered in my search. Information about a Helmer family in Amsterdam in the 1200's comes from the LDS library. It is fact that the first appointed Schout (=Sheriff) of Amsterdam was called Helmer. It also seems that many of the Helmers who came to the east coast of the U.S. in the 1700's were Palatines from Germany. Click the link for an interesting story