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John Joseph Resch |
Barbary (Grass) Resch |
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(Ed's Note: this sketch details the Resch family departure from Hesse Cassel and arrival in Baltimore in mid-1833, their travels from Baltimore to Zanesville, and the first twenty years as they establish their American roots. As with other sketches in these works, the details are realized from numerous sources, some are just good educated guesses based upon research data. As with most of my family sketches, I've included supporting essays which are listed in the Table of Contents and linked from this article with hyperlinks. Joseph and Barbary Resch are my GGG Grandparents, and David is my GG Grandfather on my father's side.)
John 'Joseph' Resch, his spouse Barbary (Grass) and their five children, Leborius, Philip, Teresa, Catherine and Ewalt 'David', immigrated to America in early 1833 from their farm near Fulda, Hesse Cassel, part of the Confederation of German States. Being from Hesse Cassel, they were Hessians. That year, John Joseph was approaching 50 years of age and Barbary, his second wife, was around 37. The three older children, borne by John 'Joseph's' first spouse, Catherine, were aged 13-20, the two youngest were toddlers, ages 1 and 3. Quite possibly, John Weigand, also from Hesse Cassel, traveled with the Resch family, as described in the 1882 History of Schuyler and Brown County (p 280).
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John Joseph Resch |
Barbary (Grass) Resch |
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John 'Joseph' was born around 1782. Not much is known about his early life. More than likely, his parents were farmers. He married around 1811, and he and his wife, Catherine, brought three children into this world - Leborius (1812), Philip (1815) and Teresa (1820). As the story goes, Catherine passed on, and John 'Joseph' married again, this time to Barbary Grass. Barbary was born around 1795 and would be 13 years younger than John 'Joseph'. He and Barbary would have five more children: Catherine (1830), Ewalt Joseph 'David' (1832), Joseph (1835)- first born in America, Elizabeth (1836) and Anna Mary (1838). As detailed in the book History of Schuyler and Brown Counties around 1882, John Joseph was 'a farmer in good circumstances in Germany, owning 125 acres of land.' (Fulda is a town and province. The major towns in the province are Fulda, Hersfeld, Hünfeld, and Schmalkalden. Our documentation does not distinguish between town and province.)
John Joseph, Catherine and Barbary grew up in a war torn continent which saw the armies of Napoleon conquer Europe from west to east in the first decade of the 1800s. In 1806, as the result of the Battle of Jena and treaty that followed, Hesse Cassel became part of the Kingdom of Westphalia ruled by Napoleon's brother, Jerome. Following the Battle of Leipzig in 1813 and Napoleon's fall, Hesse Cassel regained status of autonomy and the previous government, but Napoleon was not done yet. Returning from exile, he marched across France and to his final tragedy against the Britons and Prussians in the Battle of Waterloo, 1814. Following the Congress of Vienna in 1815, life in post war Hesse Cassel returned to the status quo of 1806. More can be read in the essay titled History of Hesse Cassel. Another essay for enhancement of Germanic history at this time frame can be found at this link, History of Germany, and in particular, the sections on the French Revolution and the German Confederation.
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Possible route: Bremen, South Hampton, Baltimore ~ 4100 NM |
The Resch family came to America by sailing ship and probably departed from the port Bremen or Bremenhaven in the early spring of 1833, crossing the Atlantic in just under 2 months. But they would continue on to Baltimore having to sail up the Chesapeake Bay also, which would take up additional time. They arrived in Baltimore around July. Baltimore was well established as a port and a convenient departure point for settlers and immigrants desiring to travel west to the Ohio lands. As you read on, you will observe the timeline from arrival in Baltimore to the initial purchase of land in Ohio is short. My contention is that Joseph and Barbary left Hesse Cassel knowing Ohio, and maybe even Zanesville, would be their destination. I have a short essay about another family making the crossing in 1843 titled from Germany to America.
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Above: A Bremen Sailing Ship. Below, Port of Baltimore - 1831 |
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They traveled in wagons, maybe Conestogas, to Zanesville traveling along the recently completed National Road. The trip, about 304 miles, would take about 30-40 days, averaging around 10-15 miles per day. They would have traveled in a wagon train, probably with many immigrants like themselves, traveling to Ohio to secure good farm land, the 'Promise of America'. Many of their party walked much of the way. They passed through the towns of Frederick, Hagerstown, Cumberland, Uniontown, Washington, Wheeling; through the states of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio. They crossed the rivers Youghiogheny, Monongahela and the Ohio. Around Uniontown, they passed General Braddock's grave and Fort Necessity, important historical sites in a young nation's past. Continuing on the National Road across the Ohio, they traveled another 71 miles following the path of old Zane's Trace to their final destination of Zanesville.
The history behind the National Road is colorful dating back to General Braddock and one of his young Officers, George Washington, and the year 1755. This and other stories I've detailed on another page. By the time the Resch family arrived to use the road, the builders had completed many improvements, most significantly, a 30 foot wide limestone road bed and numerous bridges. All along the road were many roadhouses and sites for the travelers' convenience. Though initially a federal project, the government turned control and maintenance of the road to individual states, Ohio used tollgates to generate revenues for road maintenance. About every ten miles, the state erected a toll collecting facility. The tollgate sometimes was no more than a sapling next to the road which in the evening was pulled down and fastened horizontally to prevent passage while the toll collector slept. Prior to the road's modification, this same trip would take almost two to three times long, depending upon weather and road conditions. Another essay I've compiled called Road from Baltimore to Zanesville details the history behind this historic highway.
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| Muskingum County 1833 Map for the period 1833 through 1853 |
Joseph (from here on, I will drop John as his first name and use Joseph as records show him using) and his family arrived in Zanesville, Muskingum County, Ohio, to purchase land in mid September. I've detailed the land purchases with original deeds on the page titled Joseph Rash Deed - 1833. The land is about 4 miles southeast of town. Joseph pays $400 for around 100 acres, about $4 per acre. He bought the land from Isaac Barton. The original patents for the majority of the land directly east of Zanesville had been purchased before 1820; close proximity to town and the National Road increased the desirability of these tracts. Though the soil was good for farming, I would describe the land as moderately hilly and wooded. Their land may have required clearing of trees and brush. Living quarters had to be built. Zanesville was a booming small farm town, a crossroad for Southeastern Ohio, supported by the commerce on the National Road and Muskingum River, and soon, from the canals and railroads. Farming could be a prosperous lifestyle. Another supporting essay from a book about Zanesville describes the desirability of land in Ohio and is titled We Want Land - Zanesville.
The Resch family emigrated for a number of reasons. As for their homeland, in the 1830s and 40s, Hesse-Cassel was known chiefly for its poverty, its archaic agrarian structure, and its acrimonious constitutional politics. America offered land opportunity and economic prosperity. Another significant influence to Joseph and Barbary would have been local gossip, letters from America and local emigration pamphlets describing life in rural America. Some of these letters many have been written by Hessian soldiers and their children who remained behind after the American Revolution. Around 1830, circulation of pamphlets and periodicals containing articles written by Gottfried Duden began. He was an immigrant farmer who had returned home to Germany in 1829. His articles described America as a utopia for the oppressed and downtrodden and there is no question people trusted his printed word as they departed for the "Promised Land". In coming to America, Joseph and Barbary brought with them their deep rooted German culture and traditions, a hardy work ethic, and a lifestyle tied to a strong family unit and faith in the Catholic Church. Though this decade was not known for large emigration numbers, the Hessians did provide a good percentage of people coming to America.
Our family's Hand Written Document (HWD) details Ewalt 'David' attending school in 1838, possibly in Zanesville at St. John's school. One particular note is passed down describing Ewalt 'David's teacher writing his name as 'David' Rash, a name he will carry for the rest of his life. I assumed the note meant that he would now be called David and his last name would be spelled Rash. The David assumption is valid. Further research indicates that the family may have already taken on the name Rash, vice Resch. Of importance here is that David was in school at age six, indicating the family's discipline to educate their children. David and his sibling's educations probably was bilingual.
Of note on the spelling of Resch: The first research document for the Resch family I have is the Baltimore quarterly arrival list. The transcribed spelling is Resch. The deed for their first land purchase is Rush. I consider this a misspelling. In the written form, it was quite common to leave the small letter 'a' open at the top to where it would look like a small letter 'u'. Rash is a common spelling used by Joseph, Barbary and David. Leborius and his children used Resch for their lifetimes. So did Phillip. Charles, David's son, and my great grandfather, used the spelling of Rasch. I've never researched legal name changes for the Resch name, and at times, especially early on, Resch and Rash were interchanged.
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Zanesville, the churches and the Resch Farm. I've used a modern day map in the event you get a chance to visit Zanesville. Comparing the map of 1833 and of today reveals numerous similarities. As you drive out Wayne Ridge Road, you'd notice the windy and hilly, though blacktopped, narrow farm road matching the track of the 1833 map. The GPS coordinates for the farm are on the Joseph Resch Deed page. |
The Catholic Church in Zanesville was St. John the Baptist in 1833, located at the corner of Fifth Street and Spruce Alley. English was the church's primary language. Many of the new residents arriving in the 1820/30s in Zanesville were German speaking Catholic immigrants. The Catholic Telegraph reported the first meeting of German speaking Catholics in of 1836. Bishop Purcell, in company with a German speaking priest, Father Joseph Stahlschmidt, visited Zanesville on July 11 of that year to discuss their needs. The Germans wanted their own parish where preaching and devotional exercises could be in their own language. Six years later, Bishop Purcell granted their request for a national German catholic parish. That same year, the English speaking parishioners (primarily Irish) received permission to built a new church also. They Germans dedicated their church in honor of Saint Nicholas of Myra in December, 1842. Joseph Resch, John Weigand and Casper Hagel are listed as some of the first parishioners. I have a sketch on the catholic church and schools in Zanesville for this period titled Zanesville Church and School History. These men and their families would move to Brown County, Illinois in 1853 and would be among the first members of another German Catholic Church, St Joseph, in Mount Sterling, Illinois.
By 1837, the Resch Family was probably well established in Zanesville. But a major economic event occurred - the Panic of 1837, which stands among the most severe banking crises in U.S. history, marking the start of a business downturn from which the nation would not recover for six years. As the Panic of 1837 set in, markets for Muskingum County products shut down. Wages had been high and urban and rural real estate had been increasing in value, and with the onset, many merchants had to sell their stores to pay their debts. When properties were thrown on the market, urban real estate prices crashed. Valuable lots in the most desirable locations were sold in 1837 at 70% less than prices they were bought only 12 months before. There was one stabilizing influence in this disaster. The Muskingum Bank of Zanesville and the Bank of Pittsburgh were the only two in the Nation which did not repudiate their paper. The Resch family had probably bought their land with cash. They were land rich, and though they may have been cash poor during the recession, they had their land and were able to reap the benefits of the farm. They survived the period with no long term financial problems. More on this economic event can be read under an article titled the Panic of 1837.
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Wayne Township - 1833 A nice depiction of Wayne Township southeast of Zanesville. Another portion of this map I've expanded and it can be viewed at Zanesville 1833 Map. Some of the plat owners are identified. Joseph and Barbary Resch purchase land from Isaac Barton in September of 1833 in Section 12, possibly a relative to B Barton detailed on the map. Notice the road winding southeasterly through section 12. The northern boundary of the Resch farm would be at the 'rt' in Barton. This would become their road to Zanesville. Obviously, this map does not depict the quality of the road, but from personal experience, I can say that even today, the road is an extremely hilly and windy four mile run to town. Of note, you can see the National Road at the north edge proceeding into Zanesville. From this map, I have provided an excerpt concerning Muskingum County - 1833 for review. |
Major family events for the Resch Family in Zanesville were the births of Joseph, the first American born Resch, in September, 1835, Elizabeth, in October, 1836, and lastly, Anna, in April, 1838. Joseph was around 55, and Barbary was 42 at Anna's birth. Theresa marries Jesse Stockdale in October of 1838 and moves with him to the adjacent western township of Springfield. Jesse and her farm land near John Stockdale's farm, Jesse's father. Philip marries Mary Hough in November of 1839 and they take up residence in Licking Township in the northwest corner of the county. Leborius marries next, in 1846 to Barbara Mary Geisler. Leborius had purchased 34 acres in 1839, just about a half mile south of the family farm. And lastly, Catherine would marry Sebastian Geisler around 1851.
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| A snapshot of Joseph's family after Anna Mary, their last child, is born in 1838. The entire family probably resided on the original farm at this time. Over the next couple of years, both Teresa and Philip would marry, Leborius would purchase his own tract in 1839. |
The newly weds would bring many grandchildren for Joseph. Those born prior to 1853 follow. Though Philip and Mary had no children at all, both Teresa and Leborius both had large families. To Teresa and Jesse, Mary Jane (1840), Robert (1842), Philip (1845), Sarah (1848), Abigale (1850), and Lewis (1853). To Leborius and Barbara - Louisa (1847), John and Joseph (1849), Peter (1849), Philip (1850) and Andrew (1852). And just prior to departing for Illinois, Catherine would bear Sebastian's first son and Barbary's first grandchild, Joseph, in September 1852. Let it not be said that these people did not know the value of a large family.
As their time in Zanesville past, Joseph realized that opportunities to own greater tracts of quality farmland lay to the west. News of virgin land in western Illinois in a Military Tract at very reasonable prices influenced his thoughts in providing for the security of his family. By 1850, they had observed local farmers pulling up stakes and going westward. Plus, since Zanesville was on the National Road, many farmers passed through the town for lands west. Two of his neighbors, John Weigand and Casper Hagel Jr. also felt the same way. John was a fellow immigrant from Hesse Cassel who also came to America in 1833 to Baltimore. He married and he and his family farmed just east of the Resch farm. Casper and his family lived on his parent's farm also just to the east. As they planned to make their move, they had to sell their farms, decide what household effects and farm implements they would take with them. Leborius, Catherine and Philip elected to remain in Zanesville with their families.
I've transcribed the text from the 1851 Zanesville directory called Zanesville 1851. The description of the town as described in 1851 words lends the flavor of a historical contemporary view of a bustling farm town.
Around 1853, this group sets out for Brown County, Illinois. Joseph is 70, Barbary is 59. Once again, they are pulling up their roots and moving into an unknown, but not entirely unfamiliar, community. As they go west in their wagons, the last site of Zanesville is the Y-Bridge of the National Road, spanning the Muskingum and Licking Rivers. As they look back for the last time at Zanesville, the Y-Bridge and it's uniqueness would be a memory they would hold of their initial years in America. I have a short sketch on the Y-Bridge with some good photos and graphics.
Leborius and Barbara continued on their farm and the family continued to grow. All said and done, the children would number fourteen. Around 1867, Leborius and Barbara decide to pull up stakes and move to Brown County, following his father and step-mother.
Jesse and Teresa have two more children after Joseph and Barbary leave. George (1857) and Isabell (1863), for a total of eight children. They move about 20 miles south to Moxahala, Perry County, Ohio, in November of 1870. Jesse dies in 1896 and Teresa, at the age of 76, passes on the following year. They are buried in New Lexington, just to the north of Moxahala.
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| Jesse and Teresa (Resch) Stockdale Family - November 1893 |
Still researching Philip's history. The 1850 census details Philip and Mary living northwest of Zanesville in Licking Township with two boarders, Barbara Ketts, age ten and Bernard Reed, age unknown. Philip's occupation is a laborer. Later census data detail them as farmers, but they have no children. Surprisingly, they are both living in the town of Newark in Licking County in 1900, by far the oldest of the Resch family.
