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.

DIVORCE PAPERS OF JACOB & IDA (WOLF) HAHN 1888-89

The papers discussing the divorce of Jacob C. and Mary Ida (Wolf) HAHN are located in the Lancaster County Archives.  Many thanks to the staff there for locating and copying these for me.

Ida HAHN v. Jacob C. HAHN, case term December 1888-9, and the decree date is August 17, 1889

The papers do mention a child (Irvin) and do state that Jacob left Lancaster County due to his inability to pay debts.  According to the written statements, he did not pay support to either Ida or Irvin, and Ida requested a divorce on grounds of dissertation.

Notice that Ida's uncle - A. O. NEWPHER - is her lawyer

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

JOHN GROFF

I found this article in a DAR magazine while at the local genealogy library.

I am descended through "Swamp" John GROFF.

GROFF REUNION FLIERS

In among all the papers and documents that I got from Grandma, there are not any fliers for this event and I have no doubt that unless there was some emergency, Grandma and Pappy would have been there.  They both loved family reunions. 

 As the years went on, they took kids and grand kids along to RESSLER and GARNER reunions.  I personally don't remember any GROFF reunions, but who knows.....we went to so many over the years.

Source for fliers: The GROFF Book Vol. I by Clyde L. GROFF, Walter B. GROFF, and Jane Evans BEST - published in 1985.

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

BEN MUSSELMAN IN THE CIVIL WAR

Last night I thought it would be interesting to find out a little about the 135th Penn Volunteer Infantry that Ben MUSSELMAN was in during 1862-63.

I already had this picture of him and this roster sheet from a special census in 1890:

Source: AG McMillin, Reba Garner, Ron Schneider

Personal Collection

According to the website Pennsylvania Volunteers of the Civil War (http://www.pacivilwar.com/regiment/135th.html )  the 135th Regiment enlisted for 9 months and were recruited from Lancaster, Indiana, Westmoreland, and Jefferson counties in PA. I know from both the roster cited below and the 1890 special census that Ben Musselman served 9 months and did not re-enlist.

135th PA Regiment Organization, Service & Battles ( http://www.pacivilwar.com/regiment/135th.html )

Organization

• Organized at Harrisburg August, 1862.
• Moved to Washington, D.C., August 19.
• Attached to Military District of Washington, D.C., till February, 1863.
• 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 1st Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, to May, 1863.

  Service & Battles - 1863

• Provost duty at Washington and Georgetown till February, 1863.
• Joined the Army of the Potomac and duty at Falmouth and Belle Plains, Va., till April 27.
• Chancellorsville Campaign April 27-May 6.
• Operations at Pollock's Mill Creek April 29-May 2.
• Fitzhugh's Crossing April 29-30.
• Battle of Chancellorsville May 2-5.
• Mustered out May 24, 1863. 

History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5 by Samuel Bates on pg. 310, Ben is listed in Company E. 

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

 

IN HONOR OF MY PARENTS (NEVER HAPPENED) 60TH ANNIVERSARY

Sixty years ago today, my parents, James S. and Pauline R. (GARNER) APPLEBACH were married at  Covenant Evangelical  United Brethren Church (in my life-time known as Covenant United Methodist) in Lancaster, PA. 

My mother always said her wedding gown made her feel like a princess.  From the photos, I would say that on that day, they were happy.

It was a fairy tale beginning to what became a very unhappy and abusive situation, that ultimately ended in divorce in June of 1983.

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

PLEASE......MY THOUGHTS

I certainly do not mind sharing any of this information with others, or I would never have posted this blog publicly.  Maybe it will save someone a few steps and frustration.  

However, after spending the afternoon looking at several trees on Ancestry, I again (as in my Welcome post) ask that people state that they got the information or photos or documents from me.  Here are my reasons:

1. If there is a mistake on the labeling or I am incorrect on my "facts", I want someone to contact me and let me know there is a mistake.  I am not interested in passing along incorrect information. 

I saw a couple pictures that were labeled incorrectly that I have since updated on this blog - but the old incorrect photos were still posted as facts.

2. I want to trade information if at all possible.  I have a lot of gaps in my documents and I would love to get in touch with other people and family members who may be able to help. 

I have a list of family mysteries I am trying to solve and any thoughts or actual documentation might help solve those.

3. It is polite to say where the information came from and not pretend you were the one who paid for copies of the information or actually did the research in the first place.

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I have boxes and boxes of information that I have collected or was given by others.  If I don't source the information or photos, I've probably inherited the photos or was given them long ago and have no idea where they came from at this point - otherwise, I do try to say were the info came from. 

However, I also pay money for documents and spend hours on a weekly basis researching photos, documents and family connections - much of that by contacting obscure relatives or actually going to courthouses, newspaper offices, or libraries.

I cannot say that I am angry, however, I can say I am disappointed.  I post this blog publicly to help others by sharing my research.  

Yes, I do run the risk of it being "stolen" by folks who for whatever reason are simply lifting it from here and claiming it - however, I am still a believer in the honor system.  If I have mixed up facts, or mislabeled  photos, I need to know so it can be corrected.  

Please feel free to use anything on this blog, but please tell where you got it. 

Thank you.