Some Notes on John Rittgers (1767-1848) Naturalized in Fairfield County, Ohio in 1844

Naturalization index card for "John H. Rittgers" (John Augustus Rittgers). Note that the reference is to "P203, C Journal No. 17", which is conveniently digitized on FamilySearch. "Ohio, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1977," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L996-QY4C?cc=1987615&wc=MCFK-B29%3A265561801%2C265569001 : 21 May 2014), Fairfield > Naturalization cards 1801-1900 A-Z > image 260 of 362; county courthouses, Ohio.

I'd seen this index listing of the naturalization of my 4th great grandfather John Augustin Rittgers in 1844 before, but I hadn't looked up the full entry until now.  I found the following through the FamilySearch catalog:

John's name is at the center bottom right, clustered with the men who came from France (!).  I'm assuming that means like Alsace Lorraine?  I thought Rittgers sounded German.  Ohio, Fairfield County, Common Pleas journal no. 17, 1844-1846, October Term 1844, page 202, Admitted as Citizens, October 1844; Fairfield County Court House, Lancaster; FHL microfilm 505,919; digital image, FamilySearch Fairfield County court records, 1801-1900 (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C911-C7GK-H?i=440&cat=26342) :  accessed 27 Jan 2018.

It always pays to see the original, or as close as you can get to the original, when it comes to these index entries.

Saying someone was from France is quite vague, and although the journal entry did not elaborate on where in France Rittgers was from, it did at least group the new citizens by where they originated from.  John Rittgers not listed in any of the following places:
Kingdom of Wertemberg [sic]
Dukedom of Baden
Government of Switzerland in Germany
Kingdom of Bavaria
Kingdom of Hanover
Dukedom of Hesse Kassel
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Kingdom of Denmark
Free City of Brehman
King Emporer of Germany
Govern[ment?] of Waldick (?)
Kingdom of Prussia
Dukedom of Berlinberg (?)
Wales

He is listed, along with the following men, from "the Kingdom of France":
Joseph Etienne
Momon (?) Bersee (?)
Michael Bersee (?)
Joseph Philips
Jacob Eissemman
Bernard Vagnier
Barthol. Vagnier
Victor Vagnier
Augustus Winter
Michael Strahl
Fred'k Walters
Nicholas Jacob
John H Rittgers
Barnhart Claus

I hadn't seen these names before.  Maybe he knew them from back in the old country, or maybe they all just ended up in Fairfield County, Ohio from different paths.  The only thing the court mentioned was that "they have severally resided in the United States for more than five years last past".  I am not quite sure when John Rittgers came to the United States, although he might be the "John Riticher" who came into Philadelphia in 1792:

Ancestry's index to the entry.  Follow this link at the Internet Archive to see the transcribed name in context (The ship Fame came into the Philadelphia port from Rotterdam on 23 Sep 1792).

He was in Shenandoah County, Virginia by 1797, when he married Catherine Comer.  They moved to Fairfield County about 1816.

So my next step will be researching the other men, and consulting contemporary maps (circa 1844 or before) to try to narrow down what "Kingdom of France" meant, minus the other governments.



© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Some Notes on Samuel Patterson in Pleasant Township, Fairfield County, Ohio in the 1820 Census

Easter Rittcher (Esther Patterson Rittgers), born about 1803 in Maryland.  She and her husband had moved the family to Hocking County, which neighbors Fairfield. 1850 U.S. census, Hocking County, Ohio, population schedule, Marion township, p. 428 (stamped), dwelling 213, family 219, Jacob Rittcher; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 12 Aug 2017); citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 695.  

My 3rd great grandmother, Easter or Esther Patterson (1802-1856) married Jacob "Jake" Rittgers (1800-1879) in Fairfield County, Ohio on December 16, 1822.  Their daughter Esther (Rittgers) Nosler (1844-1887) was my great grandmother Minnie Nosler's mother.

The Rittgers have a ton of descendants, including the children of this couple, and large amount of work from others, notably Joyce Rorabaugh in "Those Roving Rittgers" but I have yet to figure out anything definite about Esther Patterson's parents and origins.  In her one named appearance on the census she was listed as born in Maryland.

Her various children listed her as from Ohio, Virginia, Scotland, or Ireland, but never Maryland.  I suspect from this that her parents likely came from the British Isles in the late 1700's (maybe earlier).

One clue I have pursued to a limited degree is the presence of a Samuel Patterson in Pleasant Township, Fairfield, Ohio in the 1820 Census.

Samuel Patterson in the 1820 Census in Pleasant Township, Fairfield, Ohio. 1820 U.S. census, Fairfield County, Ohio, population schedule, Pleasant Township, p. 90 (stamped), Samuel Patterson; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 August 2017); citing National Archives microfilm publication M33, roll 87. 

He is gone by the 1830 Census, and Jacob Rittgers (and presumably Esther Patterson) are living in the same township.

A little hard to read, but it is Jacob Rittgert or Rittgers.  Note there are different neighbors than Samuel Patterson had, but it is in the same township.  1830 U.S. census, Fairfield County, Ohio, Pleasant Township, p. 249 (stamped), line 5, Jacob Rittgers; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 Aug 2017); citing National Archives microfilm publication M19, roll 130.  

What happened to Samuel Patterson, and where did he go?  And who the heck was he?

Inspired by the National Genealogical Society (NGS) Magazine, July-September 2015 (Volume 41, No 3, pp 50-56) article, "Which way did the census taker walk or ride his horse?" I have begun correlating the names on the 1820 Census with the BLM data as presented in HistoryGeo, and have narrowed down where Samuel Patterson likely was.

I first tried to get a list of transcribed names from Ancestry, restricting the search to people in "Pleasant, Fairfield, Ohio" in the 1820 Census, but there was no elegant way to print the results.  Fortunately they aren't the only game in town:

Thanks to the Ohio Genealogical Society, Fairfield Chapter, the 1820 Federal Census for Pleasant Township, Fairfield County, Ohio has been transcribed (and some blessed soul even numbered them).  Ignore my scribbles.

Using the numbers in the name transcriptions, I tried to figure out where Samuel Patterson's neighbors were (so perhaps where he was) in 1820.  I used the HistoryGeo site, although you could also use BLM if you don't have a subscription.  From the list and the map I would guesstimate that Samuel was somewhere in the axis of 985/982/994, possibly bordered by the modern roads of Lancaster Thornville Rd NE, Rainbow Dr NE, and Mud House Rd NE.

I need to do the same thing with the 1830 Census to determine if Jacob Rittgers was living near where his (possible) father-in-law was, or maybe it was a different part of the township.


© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.