THE BLANSHAN FAMILY IN AMERICA
All branches of the Blanshan family in America originated in Ulster County, New York, with one man — Mattheus Blanshan, an industrious, courageous Huguenot who came to this country in 1660 from France. The Minnesota branch of Blanshans came west with Jacob Smedes Blanshan in 1847, first to Wisconsin, then to Iowa, and finally to southern Minnesota in the late 1800s. The Michigan Blanshan line left New York some time between 1870 and 1900 when William Blanshan moved to Michigan. There are now fairly large branches of Blanshans in Oregon, Texas, Iowa and California as well.
This site was started by the children of Bob and June Blanshan of southern Minnesota (Bob is now deceased.) We are a large, fun-loving, closely-knit family that enjoys getting together for holidays and special occasions for a big meal and a jam session. Most of us can sing harmony and play an instrument.
If you would like to include history about your branch of the Blanshan family on this website, please contact the webmasters at admin@blanshan.com. All Blanshan history is welcome!