by Ed Paha
Introduction (An intro page with some helpful notes and insights)
Dutch Ridge (Where it is and what this book is about)
Family Relationships (This page describes family relationships such as first and second cousins and common terminology to assist you in describing your ancestors and relatives relationship. A must tool for understanding who you are)
Immigration Time Line (This graphic highlights our immigrant ancestors and individuals, their departure countries and dates and their first city of settlement in America)
Our Immigrant Ancestors and Families (These words detail the Immigrant Ancestors and Families of Larry and Lorraine Bodinet Paha. Obviously, then, these words also detail the Immigrant Ancestors and Families of their children and, in part, the story of Larry’s brother Joseph and sister Rosemary, and Lorraine’s sister Anne Mae and brother Edward. And, in part, their children. And so on and so on and so on. These ancestors left Europe between 1833 and 1890. There were many reasons why they emigrated. Many will be explored in the essays ahead. But the primary reason for coming - Opportunity in America. I've called these works - 'Living the Dream on Dutch Ridge' referring to the Resch farm in Mount Sterling on Dutch Ridge. Enjoy)
Viewing Our Family Tree (These are downloadable and importable family tree files for you family tree users.)
History of Germany - From the French Revolution to 1919 (Critical to understanding your roots is understanding European history; I've borrowed these historical notes from another site in an effort to provide a limited background of the German peoples' history coinciding with the lives of our family's ancestry. Starting with Joseph Resch, born around 1782 in Hesse Cassel and emigrating in 1833 with his family, George Kestel and family, from Kronach, Kingdom of Bavaria, emigrating in 1857, Ambrose Bodinet from the Saarland, emigrating in 1881 and his spouse to be, Mary Kasper in 1889 from the same locale, to the last of our Immigrant ancestors from Germany - Michael and Anna Utz in 1890 - these notes summarize briefly and attempt to clarify the confusion most of us have when trying to understand the recent evolution of the German people into a single sovereign state. These notes are limited, to gain a better understanding of major events of this period, you need only to surf the web, sources are abundant)
History of Ireland - (For our sole Irish ancestors - the Crummys)
History of Austro-Hungarian Empire - the last years - (An excerpt from a web page covering the end of the Hapsburg Monarchy. Rivaling Germany in complexity for the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and intertwined with Germany's fate in WWI. As before, this essay lightly touches on the Austrian Empire's history as the empire decays. There is a follow on essay concerning Bohemia, as a departure point for Josef and his family.)
German-Bohemian Immigration to North America - (An essay by Robert J Paulson, German-Bohemian Heritage Society.)
Forces of Religion - (This is an excerpt from the book The German Americans by La Vern J. Rippley. It details thumbnail sketches of the German churches and religious sects as they participated in the evolution of German-American culture following immigration to America. Though lengthy, the insights are important because of the predominance of Germans in our ancestry. The last third of this essay covers German Catholicism in the American immigrants. This book was a great find, I bought it for $.50 off the Milwaukee Public Library used book shelf.)
The Immigration Experience - (This account by Louis S. Alfano details the immigration process through the port of New York from 1855 through Ellis Island in the early 1900s.
Description of the Emigrant Depot at Castle Garden - (Experiences of an English Emigrant, The New York Times Marine Intelligence Column - December 23, 1866, posted to The Ships List by Paul Petersen, 25 Nov 1997)
The Barge Office 1898 - (THE ARRIVAL OF THE IMMIGRANT by Cromwell Childe New York Times Magazine, August 14, 1898 by Gay Parisano Raab - 12 July 1998)
Abuses at the Barge Office 1900 - (Immigrants' First Experience in Land of the Free Not Happy "Why do they treat those people like dogs? by Louis S. Alfano Originally published in The New York Times, June 3, 1900)From the Rhine to the Mississippi: The German Emigration to the United States (An essay by FRANK J. COPPA and THOMAS J. CURRAN of St. John’s University, New York. This article details the German departure from the homeland and arrival in America during the 18th and 19th centuries)
Standing Up a Nation (I wouldn't be placing an article here about 1783 and the conclusion of the Revolutionary War except that the year coincides with Joseph Resch's birth in Hesse Cassel. As turbulent a time as the Revolutionary period was for our new nation, so was middle Europe bracing for the Napoleonic Wars through 1814 and the final defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. But this article will have none to do about that - it describes the westward boundary movement of America through the mid 1800s.)
Surveying in the Early Midwest - (For anyone interested in early surveying techniques, here's a great article on the subject, and demonstrates the genius of Thomas Jefferson)
Early Illinois History - (I thought an essay about Illinois would be appropriate for our story, considering we've been in the state since 1852 or so)
Part 1: Departure from Europe
Early Years in America 1833 - 1880
The FarmersThe Resch Family to America
Ohio 1833-1853The Joseph Resch Family, Arrival in America and Zanesville (Joseph and his family are our oldest immigrant family. They were Hessians. This sketch details the Resch family from their arrival in Baltimore in mid-1833, their track from Baltimore to Zanesville along the National Road, and the first twenty years establishing their American roots)
From Germany to America (What was it like to travel across the Atlantic in 1843? This article I've borrowed describes the journey of a family coming to America 10 years after the Resch family. I thought a personal experience would add some nice flavor to the essays about Joseph and his family. Although the Reschs left ten years earlier, they probably embarked from Bremen or Bremenhaven on a very similar sailing vessel)
History of Hesse Cassel (A short history of Hesse Cassel highlighting, in particular, the early 19th Century. This is Joseph Resch's homeland. He is born around 1782, and his second spouse, Barbara Grass, around twelve years later in 1795. Of all our immigrant ancestors, they are the only ones born in the 18th Century. They depart Hesse Cassel in the spring of 1833)
The Brothers Grimm (A good read about some great Hessian writers of the early 19th century from the Resch family neighborhood)
Road From Baltimore to Zanesville (The story of 'roads west' from Baltimore to Ohio, covering Braddock's Road, Cumberland Road, Zane's Trace and The National Road. Joseph and his family were early uses of this new highway, their travel to Zanesville was an easier trip because of the quality of this road.)
The Making of the National Road (A borrowed essay about the road, a little different from my concoction. As such an important road in our history, I thought this gents views would add to the overall understanding of this work.)
Ohio Land For Sale (This essay details the opening of the lands west of Pennsylvania and Virginia. The Land Ordinance of 1785, establishment of the rectangular survey system, Congress Lands in Ohio and finally, how these events relate to the land Joseph Resch purchased in 1833)
We Want Land (This is a chapter from the book Y Bridge City by Norris Schneider describing the rigors of settlers moving west along marginal roads and trails, and establishing early farms and homes in Muskingum County, Ohio. This book is out of print, but a must for anyone with Zanesville ancestry. I was fortunate enough to find it on Ebay for a mere $7.50 plus shipping.)
Zanesville-1833 Map (I've borrowed this from the Muskingum County Plat Map of 1833 and centered on Zanesville proper for perspective. I think there is enough detail for our purpose)
Zanesville (This essay is an entry in the Zanesville 1851 Directory, a sketch concerning the history and expectations for the town. The beauty of this article is the timeframe in which it was written, 18 years after Joseph Resch arrived with his family and just two years prior to their departure for Brown County, Illinois)
Muskingum County (This is a graphic from the Muskingum 1833 plat map)
Joseph Rash Deed ('You ain't no kind of man, if you ain't got land'. This page displays and transcribes the original deed between Joseph and Isaac Barton and a topographical chart of the farm boundaries)
Andrew Jackson (An essay about our 6th President)
Economics of the 1830s (A borrowed essay detailing America's economy at Joseph and Barbary's arrival in Zanesville, and the pending Panic of 1837)
Panic of 1837 (The Panic of 1837 stands among the most severe banking crises in U.S. history. This essay highlights reasons the panic occurred and the local effects of the people of Muskingum County)
Zanesville Catholic Church and School History (This essay details the established Catholic Church and Catholic schools in Zanesville, 1820 to 1870)
The Y Bridge (Some notes and pictures of this most unusual structure transversing the Muskingum and Licking Rivers - at the same time. This structure marks a memorable place the Resch family uses to exit from Ohio as they move west to Illinois)
Road to Illinois - 1853 (Details
Muskingum County Families & History Book (Here's the text from the Muskingum County, Ohio Families and History book I submitted)
The Crummy Family to America
Kentucky 1848-1852The Bernard Crummy Family, Arrival in America and Scott County (this sketch details the Crummy family departure from Ireland, their arrival in New Orleans in 1848, and their time living in Kentucky establishing their American roots)
Ireland's History - 1801 through the Famine (A recap of the time that Bernard and Mary come to America)
The Potato Famine (this essay details a brief description of the famine, the causes, and areas when the famine had greatest impact)
Irish Emigration during the Famine (these notes detail the Irish emigration during the famine)
Scott County and White Sulphur Precinct History (from the 1882 History of Bourbon, Scott, Harrison & Nicholas Counties, Kentucky, Edited by William Henry Perrin)
St. Pius Church
Sister Ceslaus Letter (I copied this typed letter Sister Ceslaus wrote to Bernard and Frances Crummy, her cousin and son grandson of Bernard Crummy Jr.)
Crummy Family Crest
The Resch and Crummy Families
Brown County, Illinois 1852-1917Mount Sterling, Brown County, Illinois
Brown County, Illinois - Resch and Crummy Families (this sketch details)
National Elections 1852 - 1860 and Brown County (What a great article about Illinois and the Civil War. Don't be confused by the title. We have a tendency to assume that the battle lines were clear cut during the Civil War, yet this article describes just how wrong that concept is.) (in work)
Brown County and the War (in work)
Saint Mary's Catholic Cemetery (some notes and pictures from Saint Mary's Cemetery, a genealogist's workshop)
Resch Family Tree 1867
Sketch of David Rash 1832 - 1905 (
Sketch of Daniel Crummy (Daniel Crummy was Bernard and Mary's eldest son and immigrated to America with them in 1848. He fought in the Civil War for the Union Forces, came back, married and started a family, moving to Gibson Village. Daniel is my 2nd great grand uncle on my father's side.
Bernard and Mary Move On (Around 1871, Bernard and Mary move their family east to Gibson Village in Ford County.
The Crummy Family around 1900 ( A snapshot of the family in 1900 as they spread out from Brown County.)
The Kestel Family to America
Will County, Illinois 1857-1929Two Brothers from Bavaria - George Kestel and Michael Fuch
The Young Sam and the Austria (Some notes and details about the ships they came to America on)
Michael and George's Farms on Delaney and Cedar - 1873 (Just a quick view of the original farms bought by Michael and George)
Property Deed from 1866 (View Michael and George's initial property purchase and some interesting facts)
1873 Plat Map Composite around Delaney and Cedar
History of the Kingdom of Bavaria (this sketch details the German province of Bavaria and the diverse but German background)
St. John the Baptist Church (this sketch details a short church history borrowed from the parish web site)
Michael and Ursula's Family Portrait
Will County, Joliet and Manhattan (some notes about this area and an extract from the 1859 Will County Directory)
Village of Manhattan (extracted mostly from the Manhattan Centennial Book published in 1986. As the first American generation of the Kestel family grows up, the Kestels of Will County become the Kestels of Manhattan)
The Brown County - Will County Connection (this sketch discusses the marriages between these two counties and some thoughts behind them)
A Most Famous Kestel and Resch - (Joseph Kestel married Mary Ellen Resch ... and the rest of the story)
Part 2: Departure from Europe
Later Arrivals in America
1882-1890
The LaborersThe Brothers Bodinet to America
Chicago'HOG Butcher for the World, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler; Stormy, husky, brawling, City of the Big Shoulders' - Carl Sandburg's Chicago
Three Brothers from the Saarland - The Bodinets (Johann, Ambrose and Victor)
The Saarland - A Land of Two Masters
Chicago's Union Stockyards
The Jungle
St. Augustine Church
Michael and Anna (Auerhahn) Utz to America
ChicagoMichael and Anna (this sketch
Anna Utz and the Eastland
Josef and Mary (Gill) Paha
ChicagoJosef and Mary - Bound for the Southside of Chicago - (the Paha story from 1890 to 1934)
Our German-Bohemian Ancestors - (sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you get real lucky, and that's what this page is all about)
Pahas from Bohemia, German-Bohemians (how hard is research - some insights and detail concerning our Paha heritage)
History of Bohemia - (an encyclopedia excerpt concerning Bohemia, some history about the Sudetenland and some facts about the Paha ancestry)
Sketch of Mary Gill - (a short sketch about Maria Gill I wrote for my daughter Jamie)
The Wedding Traditions and Customs of Bohemia and Moravia - (an essay concerning tradition)
A Bohemian Love Story and A Tragic End - (Another borrowed essay, this one about a Bohemian countess and her love, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Contemporary of the times of Josef and Mary Gill, their departure for America and up to the commencement of WWI, this essay portrays the flavor of the politics of marriage at the highest levels of royalty in the late 19th century.)
St George Church(established on Chicago's South Side, just north and east of the Union Stock Yards in 1884 to serve German Catholics. Charles and Maggie Rash Family and the Joseph and Mary Paha Family are parishioners)
Lyma, Our Next Generation
Part 3: Farmers to Laborers
Resch and Kestel to Chicago
1885Resch meets Kestel - 1890
Letter Concerning Family Get Togethers
Part 4: Significant Events after 1890
Chicago White Sox Fans - (some food for thought concerning Chicago's past time and our ancestors of Pershing Avenue. Were they White Sox fans?)
Chicago Poems by Carl Sandburg - (...HOG Butcher for the World, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler; Stormy, husky, brawling, City of the Big Shoulders ...)
The 1918 Influenza Pandemic ( a severe worldwide influenza epidemic reached Chicago in September of 1918)
The Road to Munich - (another essay I've borrowed discussing the events leading up to WWII and the Sudetenland and an analogy with contemporary events in the Israel - Palestinian conflict.)
Part 5: The Chicago Generations
John and Ida Paha
Sketch: Larry Paha's Naval Service in WWII (Having been a career Naval Officer, I put together a page for my father and his service during WWII. My father was quite reserved in sharing his experiences for the War, in fact, I can recall no instances where he shared his times with us over the years. My memories are only of the memorabilia that came along with his service. As a youngster, I remember wearing the Navy's white dixie cup hat, and for some reason, we had some old white Navy blankets which we used on are beds as children. Other than that, nothing. The page below and the story I extracted from my dad's service record and memories my mother related to me. And, of course, with the internet, I found the vast amount of background data and photos which bring this story more to life.)
Appendix
Family Trees - As best as I can compose for easy viewing! These graphics use Adobe Acrobat Reader, so you'll need a copy of the freeware on your computer.
The Farmers
Resch/Rash Crummy Kestel Joseph Resch Family 1840 Bernard Crummy Family 1860 George Kestel Family 1871 Leborius Resch Family1870 Catherine Michael Fuch Family 1876 Teresa Resch Family1863 Daniel Catherine Rash Family 1860 Margaret David Rash Family 1880 Mary Elizabeth Rash Family 1873 Anna Charles Rash Family 1902 Bridget Bernard Elizabeth Sarah Ellen The Laborers
Bodinet Utz Paha Ambrose Bodinet Family 1915 Michael Utz Family 1906 Peter Bodinet Family 1928 Lawrence Paha Family 1962 Ancestral Trees