RESSLER, JACOB - HIS WILL

1843 - PG. 1

1843 - PG. 2

Source: METZGER, Madeline M.    The RESSLER Family: descendants of Johann Heinrich ROESSLER, born in Germany ca. 1730.  Published 1994.  This book is available from the LDS Family History Library or I physically was able to use it for research at the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society in 2017.

RESSLER, JOHANN (JOHN) - HIS WILL

Source:
METZGER, Madeline M.  The RESSLER Family: descendants of Johann Heinrich ROSSLER, born in Germany ca. 1730  published 1994. This book is available thru the LDS Family History Library, or I physically was able to use the book for research at the Lancaster Mennonite History Society in 2017.

BREIDENTHALL LETTERS CONCERNING RESSLER FAMILY

1970 pg. 1

1970 pg. 2

I found the above translation of a letter about the RESSLER family in among Grandma Garner's papers.  Over the years I have also seen it in other places.  I have never seen the letter that this is the response to or the original German version. I believe Grandma had this because she helped her cousin Nina BREIDENTHALL gather together all the documentation that Nina needed to join the DAR back in the 1960's.  However, in the same envelope were the following pieces of paper, obviously some kind of continuing correspondence regarding family history. Remember to click on the image to make it easier to read.

DAR APPLICATION - 1968 - JOHANN "JOHN" ROESSLER/RESSLER (Pg. 1 - 10)

My grandma (Reba GARNER) helped her cousin Nina do the research and/or gather papers back in the 1960's so that Nina could join the DAR - at that point she was the only person in the DAR with John ROESSLER/RESSLER as her patriot ancestor (I am the second person to use him - 50 years later). Anyway most of this I already had as it was in with Grandma's papers, however, I didn't know how complete it was so I ordered the application papers from the DAR last year and was surprised to find out that I actually did have most of these papers already. However, I am posting what was in the DAR packet because all the papers are included.

Nina was descended thru Daniel RESSLER's son Christian, I am descended thru Daniel's son John. Daniel was the son of Jacob and Susanna (BOEHM/BEAM) RESSLER, and the grandson of John RESSLER.

That being said, there are 33 pages of records in the original packet, which covered about 200 years in Nina's paternal line. At this point, everyone in her records is dead and I am going to post them to help anyone else in John RESSLER's line who would like to simply have the information.

Pg. 1

Pg. 2

Pg. 3

Pg. 4

Pg. 5

Pg. 6

Pg. 7

Pg. 8

Pg. 9

Pg. 10

A side note: I have never seen or heard what Johann "John" RESSLER's wife name was and she does not appear in any documentation I have ever seen.  My grandmother stated on several occasions that the wife never made it to the Colonies from Germany.  Considering she was very interested in her family  history, and knew most of it by heart, I have to believe that she honestly did not know what happened to her.  I have heard 2 versions of said story: 1) she died when Jacob was young and Johann brought Jacob to the Colonies to start a new life. 2) She died on board the ship on the crossing from Germany. 

I cannot prove or disprove either theory, or maybe neither theory - that is another research project to add to an already long list.

PLEASE NOTE: 
ALL PHOTOS AND WRITTEN CONTENT ARE MY OWN UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

SWORN INTO DAR

Source: iStock

Last night I was sworn into the DAR.  If you had ask me 10 years ago if I would have actually joined the DAR, I would have said no (I don't have time for the rich old ladies drinking tea thing). I had all the documentation and could have joined but was content to continue searching for my own family history and volunteering for Find A Grave.

However, over the course of 2017, I was invited to a DAR meeting and realized that my perception of the DAR is not current. Yes, there are still the rich old ladies drinking their tea, but at least the chapter I joined is all about historical preservation and helping in their own community.  They are very patriotic and it feels good to sing the National Anthem and say the pledge of allegiance to our great country.

Source: Dreamtime

So I decided to go the easy route for my initial ancestor and do Johann "John" ROESSLER/RESSLER.  Why was he easy?? Because all I had to do was add the information from grandma GARNER, mom, and myself to what the DAR already had on file.  Back in the 1960's grandma helped her distant cousin Nina B. with getting the documentation together so Nina could join (she is descended through Christian RESSLER who was a descendant of John RESSSLER) Grandma had copies of all the paperwork from that.  I have had all this stuff for years and found it fascinating but just filed it away with the information on each person.

These DAR applications can sometimes be found on Ancestry or Family Search.  However, I would suggest if you are looking for a Rev War vet in your family tree to go to the DAR web page (https://www.dar.org/ ), go to the genealogy tab, and look thru the lists of names.  

Copies of documentation they have used for past member applications  can be ordered for a reasonable cost. What you will actually get depends on the accepted documents in the file, but the one I ordered I got about 25 pages of photocopies of family Bible notes, the military record, gravestones, a will, and a letter. Pretty exciting stuff in genealogy terms.

PLEASE NOTE: 
ALL PHOTOS AND WRITTEN CONTENT ARE MY OWN UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

DAR APPLICATION ACCEPTED - RESSLER

I got the news this week that my DAR application for John Ressler passed and that I will be sworn in as a member at the meeting later this month.  

I find this exciting, not so much for me personally, but because of all the work the DAR does and has done to preserve the records and genealogy of descendants of the American Revolution veterans. I am very patriotic, and it thrills me every time I go to a DAR meeting and there is such a spirit of patriotism for this great (not perfect) country. 

So without going into all the documentation at this time, I would like to go through the generations from John Ressler to me with a few basic facts:

(1.) Johann "John" ROESSLER/RESSLER was an immigrant from Germany where he was born. Depending on the source, I have seen his birth date listed anywhere from about 1715-1740 (and this will require further research on my part).  He served with Capt. John LUTT's 5th Company and with the Lancaster County militia. He died after Feb. 1805. I do not believe I have ever heard or seen his wife's name.  It is thought that his son, Jacob, was the only child of this union.

(2.) Jacob RESSLER was born Nov. 16, 1767. He married Susanna BOEHM/BEAM on May 22, 1793 (she was born June 7, 1775). Their known children:

• John - born 1794
• Jacob - born 1795
• Benjamin - born 1797
• Susana - born 1799
• Daniel - born 1801 or 1802 (depending on which source)
• Samuel - born 1804
• Mary - born 1806
• Elizabeth - born 1809
• Magdalena - born 1811
• Martin - born 1816
• Ann - born 1820 

Jacob died Dec. 1843 and Susanna died April 1848 - both are buried Strasburg Mennonite Church.  It is believed that  Jacob and Susanna are buried next to "John" RESSLER, however the small stone is unreadable.

(3.) Daniel RESSLER was born in March of 1801/1802.  He married Mary METZLER (daughter of Rev. Henry and Esther METZLER) in Dec. 1833. Their children:

• Hetty - born 1834
• Amos - born 1836
• Barbara - born 1837
• Henry - born 1839
• Christian - born 1841
• Martin - born 1843
• Maria - born 1846
• Susan - born 1848
• John - born 1850
• Emma - born 1853

Daniel died in 1901 and is buried at Strasburg Mennonite Church.  Mary (born 1814) died in 1889 and is also buried at Strasburg Mennonite Church.

Here is Daniel's obituary:

(4.) John RESSLER was born Nov. 28, 1850 and died March 31, 1925. He married Anna Elizabeth YOST in ___________ and they had these known children:

• Harry - born 1877
• Mary E. - born 1878
• Daniel Y. - born 1880
• Frank Y. - born 1882
• Omar - born 1884
• Estella M. - born 1890

Anna Elizabeth Yost was the daughter of Henry and Barbara (CASKEY) YOST, and was born Sept. 2, 1855 and died April 21, 1925. Both are buried in New Providence Mennonite.

(5.) Frank Yost RESSLER was born Feb. 7, 1882 and died Aug. 23, 1979.  I was in my early teens when he died and do remember him. He married Anna Bertha "Bert" FINDLEY in Feb. 1903 - she was 17 and pregnant. She died in Feb. 1953. Their children:

• Mary E. - born August 1903
• Emma M. - born 1906
• Anna V. - born 1908
• Martha L. "Marty" - born 1911
• Mabel Reba "Reba" - born 1913
• Clarence W. - born 1916
• John A. "Andy" - born 1919
• Victor E. "Vic" - born 1922
• Charles F. - born 1925

Here are their obituaries:

 

(6.) My grandma Reba RESSLER (she hated the name Mabel and always went by Reba) married Ralph Groff GARNER March 30, 1935 in Carlisle, PA. They were a huge part of my life. Their children:

• Pauline R. 1937 - 2016
• Jerry R. - born 1942
• Darlene M. 1945 - 2004
• Cheryl - born 1948
• Gloria - born 1951

Here is their marker at Conestoga Memorial Park, Conestoga, PA:

(7.) Pauline Reba GARNER was born in Lancaster, PA July 30, 1937.  She married James S. APPLEBACH on Sept. 1, 1957. They had 3 children - Yvonne, Melody, and Matthew - all still living. 

She married Robert HAHN in March 1984 in Billings, MT. He died in 1996 and Pauline remained a widow.

Here is Pauline's gravestone in Minnesota: 

 

(8.) Which brings you to me, the current keeper of the family photos and documents.

PLEASE NOTE: 
ALL PHOTOS AND WRITTEN CONTENT ARE MY OWN UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

JUST THOUGHTS.......

I have been working a lot lately on my RESSLER line - mostly because I am the most familiar with it. Grandma made a point to talk to me about it and take me to the cemeteries where her ancestors were buried in Lancaster County. 

Jacob RESSLER who married Susanna BOEHM/BEAM was the son of  Revolutionary War veteran Johann "John" ROESSLER/RESSLER, which makes me eligible to join the DAR if I choose. I have filled out the application, so time will tell if I have enough supporting documentation.

Another question that has been flitting around in the back of my mind for many years has to do with the naming of Abraham and Lizzie APPLEBACH's boys - as in Sherman, Winfield Scott, and Zachary Taylor. 

At first I thought maybe they were all officers in the Mexican War but that only applies to Scott and Taylor. Sherman was in the Civil War. Their life dates somewhat overlap each other. 

Looking at Abraham APPLEBACH's life itself, his father could possibly have been in the Mexican War but so far I have found no evidence of it.  

However, Abraham did not live that much with his father if the census and family stories are to be believed, so could there have been an older man in his life that had some connection or liking for these 3 men and passed that liking onto Abraham? 

Could Abraham himself liked military history and liked these 3 officers in particular? Why wasn't the oldest boy, John, named for a famous officer? I guess I have more questions then answers at this point - any suggestions someone? 

Or it is possible Lizzie APPLEBACH had a reason to name her sons the way she did - maybe a relative who was in the military or relatives named for famous soldiers?

Finally, I have few clues and am looking for more information on the parents of  Barbara CASKEY - she died in 1870 in Lancaster.  

She is usually listed as being the daughter of Barbara BRIMMER, however, this woman was probably a relative but not her mother. James CASKEY was her father. The family story is that Barbara CASKEY's parents died (in an epidemic?) and all the siblings were farmed out to other relatives. Does anyone have some ideas?

PLEASE NOTE: 
ALL PHOTOS AND WRITTEN CONTENT ARE MY OWN UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

1970 LETTER REGARDING THE ROESSLERS/RESSLERS

I found this letter years ago among my grandma's papers and have since seen copies of it in other genealogy files on the Ressler family - I have never seen the original German version. I believe it probably was part of a project to use for DAR membership by Nina Breidenthall as she did become a member of the DAR about this time.  Nina was a descendant of Daniel Ressler's son Christian. Since I am a descendant through Daniel's son John this letter also applies to me.

PLEASE NOTE: 
ALL PHOTOS AND WRITTEN CONTENT ARE MY OWN UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.