Volume 2 Number 1 Fall 1993

A Newsletter Of Rauschkolb Family History

Published by Mark Richard Rauschkolb Box 171 Asbury, NJ 08802

I have heard a few people call genealogy a disease. One of the symptoms is excitedly waiting for the mailman to come and deliver another letter from some distant relative. I think that I have caught the disease, because most of the time I get the mail, I feel disappointed when there is not a letter in it relating to genealogy.

I had not realized that it has been so long since my last newsletter. I kept on waiting for another letter -- and the time flew by. I finally got the one I was waiting for (see next article).

I do want to say "Thank you" to all of you who have written me recently. Keep those letters coming. A few of you have mentioned that you did not know what information to give me, or were afraid that you gave me too much information. I have received everything from short, one page letters, to copies of Resumes and twenty pages of family history. I will gladly accept anything you are willing to send. Tell me as much, or as little as you want. I would be very happy if every person told me everything about themselves and their family.

I have begun receiving replies to letters that I have sent to Germany. Some of these have been on my non-Rauschkolb families, but one was about my Great-Great-Great Grandfather Peter, his Wife Maria Eva Kissling and their son John. They are the first of my line to arrive in America, and they came over with someone named Ludwig (who had already been to America). A little while later, I found a William and Christine at the same address in New York. This made me think that they all must be related, but I was not sure of how. I now know that they are definitely related.

It turns out that Ludwig is the oldest son of Pewter and Maria, born 4 Oct. 1834. He first arrived in America on 17 Mar 1855, on a ship named Russell. He becomes a naturalized US citizen on 17 Nov. 1862. Sometime later, he returns to Germany, and returns to America on the steamer Bavaria on 8 Feb. 1866 with his father, and mother and younger brother (John). Ludwig eventually marries Fanny (I do not know the wedding date or her maiden name) and they have at least four children: Jennie (Jeanet? 10 Jun 1881), Hattie (18 Sept 1882), Bertha (23 Dec 1883) and Ralph (Raphael? 11 Feb. 1896). Ludwig dies on 11 Jun 1889 after a six month illness that included 2 operations for "sarcoma of thigh". He was buried 13 Jun 1889 at what looks like Machbaler.

William and Christine confused me, because William was a Rauschkolb, and so was Christine. It turns out that it is a very common name in Eimsheim (or at least it was in those days). William was born 16 Jan. 1843 to Friedrich RAUSCHKOLB and Anna Maria (ELLER). Christine was born 30 Dec 1841 (to Peter and Maria). William and Christine were married 2 Nov. 1865, and their first child, Ludwig, was born four days later (according to church records). The three of them arrive in America on 25 Oct. 1867 aboard a ship named Carl Shaven. They have at least five more children: Lena (1867), George (1870), Kate (the fourth child, born 24 May 1872), John (5 Aug. 1874), and Frederick (5 Apr. 1886). William became a naturalized citizen on 24 Oct. 1878, and had the profession of "Milk Dealer." By 1900 Christina is living with her son Louis (Ludwig) which means that William must have died, but I have not found a record.

Peter and Maria were Married on 12 Jan. 1832. John was Born 13 Apr. 1845 in Eimsheim, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany. The birth record for John mentions that his father was a Barber. (Peter and John are both later listed with the occupation of Barber in New York City, so this is another clue that this is the correct birth certificate - there were six John Rauschkolb's born in Eimsheim around that time).

I also received word about John's wife Eleanore Dorothea Wenzel. Her parents, Anna Dorothea AMBRUNN and Philip WENZEL were Married 4 Dec 1836 (probably in Niederursel, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, which is where Eleanore was born, on 18 Jun 1847). She was baptized 4 Jul. 1847. She arrived in America on 15 Jun 1869, apparently alone, on a ship named the Cimbria.

John and Eleanore Married 6 Mar 1871 at St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Manhattan. John was naturalized on 23 Oct. 1871. They had five children: John (19 Mar 1872), Susan (1875), Louisa (Jul. 1877), Peter (9 Jul. 1879), and Louis (Ludwig? 29 Jan. 1882). John (the father) first had a profession as Barber and later as running a "Lager Beer Saloon". Somewhere between 1887 and 1888 the family moved to Cleveland Street in Brooklyn. John (the father) died somewhere between 1880 and 1900, and Eleanore died some time around 1916, but I have not yet found the records.

I recently spent a weekend in Ohio, visiting my sister, who recently moved to Columbus. While there, I spent time at the public library in Columbus, the Historical Society's library (also in Columbus) and at the Ohio Genealogical Society in Mansfield. I found a great deal of information on Rauschkolb's, but even more on Rousculp's. (According to several sources, CULP is a common Americanization of KOLB)

Some time during the early 1800's Philip Rauschkolb (last name from his birth record) moved to Perry County, Ohio from Pennsylvania, and became Philip Rousculp. He had 8 or 9 children, and as they spread around Ohio, they kept the Rousculp name. I found various birth and death records, along with census listings, and was able to piece together many of the relationships that went with the various names and families.

I have recently received a letter from a Rousculp who has done much research on his family tree. He has also done quite a bit of research in Germany, having lived there for a while. As soon as I get more details, I will share them with you.

There are a number of you out there who know that you are a descendant of a Dr. John Rauschkolb from Columbus Ohio. I found very little information on him, but did find a great deal of information about his family during my research.

The 1860 census shows a Peter (born 1798 in Germany) with Frederick (born 1829 in Germany) and Mary (also born 1829 in Germany) and their children Frederick Jr., Elizabeth and John (all born in Ohio). The 1880 census adds two more sons, Charles F. and Jacob. Peter is either father of Frederick or, less likely, an older brother.

The 1880 census lists Frederick Jr. with his wife Mathilda and three daughters - Mary, Lilly and Kate. Neither John nor Charles show up in the 1900 census and most of 1890 records were destroyed, but they do show up in the City Directories (which are like phone books, but before phones). It is possible that Charles never married, because he is always listed at the same address as his father, except for a brief period around 1895, after which, he moves back to where his father is.

Frederick Sr. is listed as a Tinner for more than twenty years, and later as a BookBinder. John and Charles ran a (or the) Crystal Drug store at 244 South 4th Street and were both listed as Druggists and Physicians. John's son Karl J. shows up in the 1900 directory as a student, with a residence of 251 South 4th Street.

I did find a 1920 census record for Karl and his family. He listed in Cleveland with wife Marie and three children, Nelson, Mildred and Karl Jr.

I have always known that I had ancestors who were from France, or at least from the region of Alsace-Lorraine. I have discovered three families that originate in France, all of whom were in America long before my German ancestors arrived. I have also discovered an Italian line (PIENOVI), which surprised me - none of my relatives ever mentioned an Italian connection. I may be getting a few more surprises, because I still do not know who the wife of Richard CALROW was (his family is supposed to be from France - real spelling CALREAUX), or the maiden name for Isabella PIENOVI.

Here is a piece of the Family tree, showing the non-German lines

Louis

REISZER

b. France

Louis E. A.

REISZER

b. 1850 NY

Frances

VERDUN

b. France

Cecelia

REISZER

b. 1874 NY

Richard

CALROW

Joseph

CALROW

b. 1829 NY

Mary Isabella

CALROW

b. 1850 NY

Joseph

PIENOVI

b. 1796 Italy

Cecelia M.

PIENOVI

b. 1829 NY

Isabella

b.1802 NY

I do not know exactly when any of these families arrived in America, but for some, I at least have an approximate date, knowing that a parent was born in Europe, and a child was born here.

My grandfather's middle name may have been REISZER, which was the maiden name of his mother, Cecelia (but he might have had two middle names - Louis Edward - the confusion comes from the fact that I think he had two birth certificates).