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m. 9 May 1797
Facts and Events
Our research starts with a letter written 11 Nov 1914 to Judge Harry E. Rittgers, Jamestown, N. Dakota, from Sarah (Rittgers) Good, San Diego, Calif. The original is possibly lost, but in a copy widely circulated in the family we find: "My Grandfather Rittgers came from Germany when he was young to escape having to go to war. He had but one brother and this brother did not come to America. My grandfather settled in Virginia (Shenandoah?) and married there a German Girl named Sarah Comer and raised his family to speak the German Language. While they were young he moved to Fairfield Co., Ohio, now Hocking Co., Ohio. I think he took up Government land. He had four sons - John, Joseph, Jacob B. (who was my father) and Daniel - and five daughters. Of the girls, one married an Amspaugh, another married Daubenmeier, another Root or Roat, and another John Strohl. All settled in Hocking Co. and all in close visiting distance. My grandfather's name was John A. Rittgers. I well remember him and his visits to our home and of our visits to his home - my father and us. I often heard my father say that his father said that he had but one brother and that he and his brother were the only men living by the name of Rittgers. My father, Jacob B., moved from Ohio in 1853 to the farm he lived on and now lies on, NE of Johnston, Iowa. Uncle Daniel came from Ohio to Iowa in 1854 or 1855 to the farm on the Des Moines River where he died. It is now owned by James Denney. (one mi. east of Merle Hay and NW 67th Ave, and 1/2 mi. So. was their home. Some of this land lies between the Des Moines River and Beaver Drive and other of it lies on the west side of NW Beaver Dr.)[This was inserted in the copy submitted] Uncle John and Uncle Joseph stayed in Ohio."
This letter has been widely shared within the family and the copy submitted to this researcher was handwritten off a copy, but this appears to form the base from which all the families have carried on their histories. While presenting the family history, this author hopes to correct errors in the early renditions.
EARLY HISTORY
We know nothing factual about John Rittgers prior to his marrying in Shenandoah Co., Va., in 1797. His birth date is extrapolated from the death date and age on his tombstone.
In his naturalization papers, John A. Rittgers is listed as being "of the Kingdom of Prussia." The area is now along the Rhine Valley in north and central Germany, and is credited with being the "seat of German Militarism."[Allee, John Gage, Ph.D.; Webster's Encyclopedia of Dictionaries, New American Edition; 1983; p. 297.] The constant turmoil of war in Germany drove many thousands from their homeland, including, in about 1795, John A. Rittgers. We must use our imagination to put ourselves in his place - making the decision to leave everything familiar behind, including his brother who, according to Sarah (Rittgers) Good, was the only other man named Rittgers left in his family, to cross an ocean to a land he had only heard of. He most probably made his way down the Rhine to the coast of the North Sea. Then he had to find a ship's captain who would take a bond for his passage. It was common practice for someone to sign a contract with the captain for passage, then to have the contract sold (at a profit, of course,) at the arrival point. Along the way, the determined traveler had to face thieves, "press gangs" - those who roamed the waterfront knocking out unwary travelers and selling their unconscious bodies to sea captains for crew, price gougers at every stop, and the possibility that no one would buy the bond upon arrival. It was shared with family researcher Wanda Iverson that there is a family using the name "RITGER" that immigrated to New Jersey and Va. To confuse the names further, there is one John Ritger, b. about 1812 who married a Katherine Vogel. They, too, have Jacobs, Michaels, Johns, and other names we see in our early generations. To date, no connection has been made between our John and this family from Bavaria, an area now in Germany, also. There are "Ritger"s in Wisconsin who are researching possible links to this family.
MARRIAGE
He married (1) Catharine COMER 9 May 1797 in Shenandoah, Va.[Shenandoah Co. Marr., 1772- 1850, microfilm in Shenandoah Co. Lib., Edinburg, Va. Original on file in the state archives, we were told] She was born 29 Apr 1775 (tombstone) in Shenandoah County, Va., the daughter of John COMER and Mary Ann KIBLER. That John Comer bought John Rittgers' bond is shown in the bond of John to John Comer. It is here we also encounter the first, and most common, of many misspellings of the Rittgers name!
"Know all men by these presents, that John Augustine Richards & John Comer are held and firmly bound unto his Excellency James Wood Esq. Governor of Virginia, in the just and full sum of one hundred and fifty dollars, to which payment well and truly to be made, to the said Governor, or his successors, we bind ourselves, our heirs, executors, and administrators, jointly and severally firmly by these Presents, Sealed with our seal, and dated this 9th day of May 1797." This is immediately followed on the same page by:
"The condition of the above obligation is such that, whereas there is a marriage suddenly intended to be solemnized between the above bound John Augustine Richards and Catharine (here Richards written, then crossed out) Comer now if there be no lawful cause to obstruct the said marriage, then the above obligation to be void and of no effect, otherwise to remain in full force and virtue." One Daniel Smith witnessed the signatures. The signature of "John Augustin Rittgers" is quite clear, but that of John Comer is not.
We might draw several conclusions from this record:
1. John Rittgers married Catherine, not Sarah, Comer as so many family records report. 2. that John has probably already married Catharine because of the crossed out signature. 3. since the above document was printed, with the names written in, the rate of passage at that time must have been the equivalent of one hundred fifty dollars of the current currency, as that is stated in the preprinted form. Note that this entry doesn't specify how long the bond had been in effect. John Comer probably just "held the paper" until the marriage changed the relationship between the two men. This "marrying the farmer's daughter" must have been common, as this part also printed. 4. the pronunciation of Rittgers must have been with the soft "ch" sound as the misspelling is "Richards." (Today more of the family uses the "hard T" sound when pronouncing their names, altho a few of the older family members still use the "ch" when pronouncing it.) 5. John Rittgers probably spoke very little English and read none, as the misspellings are consistent and uncorrected. 6. based on the clarity and style of John Rittgers' signature, it appears he had some education. Compare it to John Comer's signature which is barely legible. Our Rittgers Super Sleuth, Mary (Noonan) Rittgers, returned to the small St. Paul's Lutheran Church cemetery in North Berne, Oh., as she knew some work was being done on the Rittgers stones. She discovered that Catherine's stone had been lifted and placed on a cement base. The exposed area that we had not seen before had etched on it "She lived with her husband 36 yr. 11 mo 22 days". Now, with erosion, looks like the year of death is 1831, not 1834. Based on the 1831 date, it makes the date of marriage 18 May 1794. Because of the wording of the above bond record "there is a marriage suddenly intended to be solemnized " we must stick with our original date of marriage. It is quite possible that when the family gave the stonecutter the information, they had gotten the years of marriage wrong. This was a common enough mistake. If the originally thought date of 1834 for a death date were true, then the length of marriage would have been accurate. Using 1831 as a death date, we also come up with the wrong birth date, according to the stone. Thus we must defend our original premise of the birth, marriage and death dates for Catherine.
To date, no deeds for John Rittgers have been found in Shenandoah or Page Co., Va. He most probably continued to work on his father-in-law's farm. In the will of John Comer, dated 6 Oct 1804, he gives to daughter Catharine "Richards the sum of six pounds in addition to what she has received." He left eighteen pounds to the other daughters, so this difference might have been the bond. It appears that John and Catharine stayed in this area, now known as Luray, Page Co., Va., until about 1816. As more people moved into the area, slavery was introduced. When asked by our family super-sleuths, Mary and Mary Esther Rittgers, why the Rittgers would choose to leave such a beautiful area, they were told by a Comer historian in Page Co., Va., that the Germans in that area were Calvinists and did not believe in slavery .(See Comer Appendix)
At about this time there was a fairly large local migration to the mid-Ohio area, as "government lands" opened up. John packed up his wife and eight children and joined the migration. There is some confusion in the family data submitted by descendants as to birthplaces - including statements that some were born in Pennsylvania! There is no indication that John ever lived there, and it appears all but the youngest, Susanna, were born in what is now Luray, Page Co. Va. Susanna was born in Fairfield Co., Oh.
OHIO LANDS - CHILLICOTHE LAND OFFICE
"Congress Lands" were lands in Ohio for sale to the general public by the government. The Chillicothe Office covered the lands in what is now Fairfield and Hocking Counties, as well as abutting portions of the surrounding counties. It was surveyed by the "rectangular system of land survey" - using longitudinal and latitudinal parallels as base lines to form six mile square townships. A range was one township wide and several townships tall. Each township was then further divided into one mile square lots, with lot number 16 in each township set aside for a school. If you study a map, it is easy to see the results. Most of the "American Heartland" was surveyed thus and continues to have square boundaries for counties and towns, with the few irregularities being fairly good sized rivers. From the start of surveying in 1785 until 1787 there were few purchasers. There was a constant threat of Indian attack, as well as the gouging practices of unscrupulous land speculators. Complaints to Congress brought about the formation of the Northwest Territory on 13 July 1787. A governor and officers were established, the Greenville Treaty with the Indians removed the threat of attack , and soon small towns were forming.
Fairfield Co., Northwest Territory, was created in 1800, the state of Ohio created in 1803, and Hocking Co. was created in 1818 from parts of Fairfield and other counties. Initially, one had to buy an entire one-mile square lot, 640 acres, priced at $1 per acre - cash. Several people would go in together to purchase these lots and subdivide them. Later prices were $2 per acre, with half down in cash and half on credit for one year. In 1800, one could buy one-half lots, one-fourth down and pay in installments. By 1804, one-quarter lots were available for $2 per acre.
In the Chillicothe, Ohio, land records, we find "John Augusten Ruttgers" bought the "northeast quarter section of section no. 31 in township no. 16 of range no. 17 containing 160 acres" for two dollars per acre. In his receipt dated 5 Mar 1816 we find he paid $64 and $16 on that day for this land located in Rush Creek Twp., Fairfield Co., Oh., and is left with a mortgage of $240. He is expected to pay $80 on March fifth of 1818, 1819, and 1820. He is to pay 6% interest, but at the bottom of the contract it states that if payment is made on or before the due date, "no interest will be demanded." On the bottom of the land record is written "relinquish east half". (Chillicothe Land Office record No. 4770)
We see John A. "Richard" on the Rush Creek Twp., Fairfield Co., Oh., 1820 census. He has 3 females under age 10, 2 males and 1 female ages 10-15, 1 male and 1 female ages 16-25, one male "45 and over"(himself) and one female "45 and over.(Catherine)"[p. 104A] This accounts for all the known children of John and Catherine.
Apparently the entire area had a problem meeting their payments, as we find in the land records a printed form "Certificate of Further Credit". Congress passed "An Act for the Relief of the Purchasers of the Public Lands, prior to the 1st day of July, 1821." In this certificate, numbered 866, we see where John relinquishes the eastern half of his quarter section. His mortgage on the remaining 80 acres is $80, to be paid in six annual installments of $13.33, due on or before 31 Dec of each year starting in Dec. 1821. He paid off this mortgage, with his "assignee" James McFadden, and received title to the 80 acres on 21 May 1825. These records must have been kept in the Chillicothe land office, as it is not entered into Fairfield Co. Book One of Deeds, p. 84, until 20 Apr 1897. (Photocopies of original Chillicothe Land Office documents, submitted by Anna Lou (Peacock) Arnett.)
On 8 Oct 1821 it is recorded that "J.A. Rittgers" bought subdivision 6 NE, Range 17, Township 15 - 1/2 158.94 acre plot, Marion Twp., Hocking Co., Oh. This plot was sold to Jacob B. Rittgers 19 July 1844 [Book 10 of Deeds, p. 262, Fairfield Co., Oh.]
The last land entry in the Chillicothe Land Book for our family is on 15 July 1826 when "J. Rittgers" purchased "1/2-168.23", Section 10 NE, R17, T15. A comment, "river" is next to the entry. By 1826 "J. Rittgers" could have been the father or one of the three older sons. We must remember that this source is for the original land purchase, and doesn't reflect later sales and purchases. The original 1816 purchase is now under many feet of water. The valley that the farm was located in was dammed, and runoff from the surrounding hills created the 101 acre "Lake of the Four Seasons". To see the location, one must gain entry into a gated community called "Hide-Away-Hills" located on highway 33 near Logan, Hocking Co., Oh.
The 1830 census for Rush Creek Twp., Fairfield Co., Oh., gives John "Richey", one male and one female 50-59; one daughter age 10 -14, two daughters 15-19, and one son 20-29.[p 133]
One other deed in the name of John Rittgers has been found. It is believed to be John Sr., as the property bought is in Fairfield Co., and son John lived in Hocking Co. It appears to be a small parcel, only described as "one ninth of the estate of Abraham Miller, Senr., late of said county, decd., ...the interest of Frances Miller (who was then and there entitled to the one ninth part of said premises)..." The deed dated 24 Oct 1844. (Bk 10 of Fairfield Co. Deeds, p. 430) There must be other deeds not yet found, as in his estate inventory there is no Real Estate listed.
CATHERINE RITTGERS' DEATH
Catherine (Comer) Rittgers died 9 May 1834 (see above notations under Marriage), most probably at home. She is buried in a small and very old cemetery in front of a lovely old country church - St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church. This can be located by going southwest out of North Berne, Oh., and following the signs leading to Hidden Valley Stables. It is on Bauman Hill Road in the near vicinity of the Stable, down a narrow lane. Catharine's stone reads: IN MEMORY - of Catharine - Rittgers Dau - ghter of John - Comer who was - born April 29 - 1775 and died - May 9 1834 - age 59 years.[From photo of tombstone, dashes indicate next line on the stone.]
SECOND MARRIAGE
Another piece of unexpected information to surface was that John married (2) Elizabeth HOCKE 1 Jan 1836 in Fairfield County, Oh. [Fairfield Co. Marr. Bk 1]
In his probate records , we find that he left spouse Elizabeth.[Book 1, p.19, rec #219] On the 1840 census, we see John "Richey", in "Swan Twp.", Hocking Co., Oh., with one male 50-59, and one female 50-59. [p. 168]
NATURALIZATION
Many family researchers were using the family story that John A. Rittgers died in 1842, but we find on record in the Fairfield Co. Common Pleas Court Journal #17, page 202, that one John A (looks like H. in the original record) Rittgers of the Kingdom of Prussia, took the Oath of Citizenship at the October 1844 Term of Common Pleas Court, Fairfield Co., Ohio. Since all of his sons were born in Virginia, there was no need for them to take the oath, therefore, this is John the Elder (#1). [Fairfield Co., Oh., Common Pleas Court Journal #17, p. 202-204.] At this time, non-citizens couldn't leave property to heirs.
DEATH
John is buried beside Catharine in the cemetery of St. Paul's Evangelical Church, rural North Berne, Oh. His stone reads: In memory of - JOHN A. RITTGERS - Died - Feby 27th - 1848 - Aged - 80 yrs., 2 - mo. 27 dy. On the very bottom of the stone it appears that the stone cutter signed it J. Strickler. This is a rare find, but in the estate papers there is a notation that $6 was paid to "John Strickler for making and putting tombstones at the grave of said decd'."
In the following account of the estate, we will capitalize the names of the children and sons-in-law of John A. Rittgers to show the lines of descent. John A. Rittgers' estate was filed in Fairfield County in 1848. On page 52 of a book called "Fairfield Co., Probate Abstracts" we find an entry: "Page 90 - 1849 - John A. Rittgers, deceased. Widow was Elizabeth. Children: JOHN RITTGERS; JOSEPH RITTGERS of Hocking Co.; JACOB RITTGERS of Hocking Co,: MAGDALENE, wife of JOHN ROOT of Hocking Co.; ELIZABETH, wife of JOHN STROHL of Hocking Co.; CATHARINE, widow of JOHN AMSPAUGH, deceased; DANIEL RITTGERS; MARY, wife of ELI DEEL; SUSAN, wife of PETER DOBERMYER." This is believed excerpted from the Fairfield Co. Court Common Pleas, Book 1848-51, p. 90.
In searching the estate records in the Fairfield Co. Courthouse, Lancaster, Oh., this writer found that there was no will. Nor could we find a "probate abstract" that supplied the information listed above. Among the estate papers we found the inventory and sale of personal belongings, but were unable to locate the above mentioned accounting listing the heirs. [Fairfield Co. Courthouse, Lancaster, Oh., Estate No. 2367.] Original papers are filed in Will Boxes by number and anyone is free to go into the box - with no safeguards that items are returned to the correct boxes. The courthouse works on an "honor system", where we are given a key and sent to a store room. It is possible that someone walked off with the desired papers, or they were otherwise misfiled. A search of the files in the same file box didn't produce the paper.
What was found were scraps of paper indicating billing against the estate and the inventory. On 24 Feb 1848: "Rec'd of JOHN AMSPACKER (JOHN AMSPAUGH) $5.50 being for coffen for John A. Rittgers, dec'd in full - Christian Good." Also on 24 Feb: "Mr. Richey (Rittgers?) Bot of Wm C. Davy 6 yds bleached muslin 11 2/3 (poss the price per yd. but doesn't come to $1.00 as indicated in a column to the side) 1 yd. cambric muslin 44 (with 44 extended into the column at the side) Total 1.44 Feb'y 24.48 Rec'd Payment Wm. Davy" 10 Mar 1848 "$6 received of John A. Collins, Administrator of the estate of John A. Rittgers, Dec'd six dollars for making & putting tombstone at the grave of said dec'd. John Strickler." 24 Mar 1848 the notice of estate appeared in the Lancaster Gazette, and was published for 4 weeks. 3 Apr 1848, Samuel Jackson was appointed to appraise the estate. On the 4th of Apr, Samuel Jackson, J.P. took the oath of Christian Geil and George Strohl to appraise the estate. Among the usual items of bedding and furniture, we find "One family Bible and two German books." He had tools and casks of food items, as well as 16 acres in wheat and 6 acres of rye, of which he owned one third. (Possibly two sons shared the fields.) He also held notes from sons-in- law that are "supposed to be good for ballance and interest." There were three notes held on non-relatives which were believed to be no good. The inventory concluded with the following statements. "The deceased left neither widow or minor children that we know of. April 4th A.D. 1848." What happened to widow Elizabeth? On 5 Apr 1848 there was a sale of personal property. The family had to buy his furniture and possessions! We find that son John bought the Family Bible for $4.12 (of current money-not to be confused with today's values) Son-in-law Peter Daubenmeyer bought "History of Martyrs" for $.50. There was also a hymnal and a set of almanacs. This collection of books,and the hand writing on the marriage paper, gives us an indication of his educational level.
On a small scrap of paper folded into the estate papers, we find "Received of John A. Collins, Administrator of the estate of John A. Rittgers, Dec'd one dollar for washing & cleaning up the clothers beds room & etc of said deceased after his death. Catherine Amspaugher." She signed with her mark.
The final accounting of his estate was not done until 17 Apr 1852, when the Administrator, John A. Collins, filed his report of accounts. There was no accompanying record of the actual disbursement of the money. We need to note that there is no real estate mentioned in the accounting.
On 12 Mar 1849, we find a "Partition" in the records of the Fairfield Co. Court of Common Pleas - Partition Record #6, 1848-1851, that John Rittgers Vs. Joseph Rittgers. It appears that on 6 June 1848, John wanted the property divided as it lists him vs. his brothers and sisters. This land is given as being located in "Auburn Twp., Fairfield Co." When this questioned in the courthouse, this author was told that Auburn Twp. was formed in 1840 out of a strip 4 miles high and the width of one township taken out of Rush Creek Twp. In 1850, in an effort to balance the total square miles of Hocking, Fairfield, and Vinton Counties, the lower two miles were assigned to Marion Twp., Hocking Co., and the upper two miles were returned to Rush Creek Twp., Fairfield Co. Thus the county line moved and our property was ultimately in Hocking Co. In the petition we also find that in the intervening years, John A. Rittgers had moved from the west 1/2 of the NE quarter of section 6 to the east 1/2 of the NE quarter. Then, on 26 Jan 1836, he bought the eastern 1/2 of the west 1/2 of section 6. At his death he owned 3/4 of the original quarter section he had purchased in 1816. In the petition we find that Joseph, Jacob, Magdalene, and Elizabeth lived in Hocking Co., while Catherine, Daniel, Mary, and Elizabeth lived in Fairfield Co. It further states that the widow, Elizabeth, now a resident of Cincinati, Hamilton Co., Oh., is entitled to 1/3 dower. The surveyors marked off the north 1/3 of the property, 45.69 acres, for Elizabeth's dower. The drawing accompanying the petition only shows her boundaries, and lists the other 2/3 as "Unincumbered tract". Apparently none of the family actually wanted the land, and it was ordered sold at public sale by the sheriff. In the ad posted in the paper, it reports it valued at $6 per acre. The court stipulated that he could not accept a bid less than 2/3 the appraised value of the land. The "highest and best bid" of $4.51 per acre for a total of $549.04 1/3 came from Samuel Rittgers (#12.1) on 16 Dec 1848. On 25 July 1849 the sheriff recorded the sale deed, and immediatly following this deed is another deed with Samuel selling this property to Nicholas Wagner for $600. (Fairfield Co. deed bk 16, p. 401) We also find that Elizabeth's dower was to be sold at public auction, but haven't found any record of that sale.
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