Person:Jacob Reitz (3)

Jacob Reitz' father, our greatgrandfather Reitz came from Hessen-Darmstadt. He served under conpulsion in Napoleon's army, after Napoleon had conquered some of the smaller kingdoms of Germany and forced the princes to supply him with soldiers. When Napoleon was defeated in Russia greatgrandfather was on of the soldiers who straggled home. He then voluntered to serve with the German forces which Bluecher had gathered and who joined with Wellington to bring Napoleon his final defeat at Waterloo. Wellington then offered our greatgrandfather a commission in his army to go and fight in Africa. This offer he turned down. He had had enough of war.

When this young man left for war he took a baby girl in his arms and promised "when I come back home I will marry her." After twenty years, when he did return, he kept his promise and married this babe now grown to young womanhood. This must have been about 1815. Five boys were born to this union, the oldest of whom was our grandfather Jacob Reitz. He also was drafted into military service. Our greatgrandfather died and was given a military funeral. After this his wife did not want her other boys to be forced to serve in the armed forces, so she took the boys and came to the United States where there was no compulsory military training. They came to Fond du Lac county in Wisconsin where other friends had preceded her. Here she later died and was buried.

The oldest son, Jacob Reitz, married Margarete Petrie, whose home had also been in Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany, As at that time there was no established Lutheran pastors near Fond du Lac, they were married by a justice of the peace. But again was service threatened as men were called to help fight the Civil War. So a group of men with families united and gathered a fund. Thus if one of them was called for army duty (our grandfather was one of those) they would use the fund to pay a substitute-- most likely someone who had no family obligations. So our grandfather was spared fighting in this war.

Twelve children were born to Jacob Reitz and Margarete nee Petrie. One girl and two boys died as young children. Three other children, a girl, Margarete, 18 years old, another girl 9 years old, and a boy, Otto, 4 years old, died at almost the same time as a result fo diphtheria, so that three coffins were standing in the house together, while the mother herself was seriously ill. The other six children grew to adult years and lived in Fond du Lac vicinity all their lives, except one son, our father, Jacob John, who came west.

1. ↑ [1], in United States. 1880 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication T9).