Greetings,
Is there a genealogist from around Bad Bibra who is interested
in checking relevant archived material to see if my wife and I have
arrived at the correct location from which we can obtain a fuller
picture of my wife's ancestors?
We have the following ship's passenger list and US census records --
(1) Passenger List. All of these individuals arrived on 13 August 1852
in New York City on the ship Adelheid. On the four-page passenger
list, they are grouped as follows:
Line 7: Carl Reese M Age: 27 Bibra (indexed as Bebra) (a)
Line 8: Ernstine Reese F Age: 23 Bibra (indexed as Bebra)
Line 17: Friedrick Pfeiffer M Age: 22 Steinberg (b)
Line 62: Carl Albrecht M Age: 42 Steinberg
Line 63: Charlotte Albrecht F Age: 33 Steinberg
Line 64: Carl Albrecht M Age: 11 Steinberg
Line 65: Wilhelm Albrecht M Age: 10 Steinberg
Line 66: Theodor Albrecht M Age: 8 Steinberg (c)
Line 67: Emilie Albrecht F Age: 6 Steinberg
Line 68: Pauline Albrecht F Age: 4 Steinberg
Line 69: Charlotte Albrecht F Age: 9/12 Steinberg
Line 70: Rosine Hodamm F Age: 58 Steinberg (mother-in-law?)
(2) 1860 US Census, Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio, USA, 6 June 1860:
Occupation: Farm Laborer (d)
Head: Charles Albright [ALBRECHT] M Age: 45 (e)
Wife: Charlotte [nee HODAMM?] F Age: 41
Dau: Emily [Emilie] F Age: 15
Dau: Polly [Pauline] F Age: 13
Dau: Adaline [Adelheid] F Age: 3
(3) 1860 US Census, Waverly, Pike County, Ohio, USA, 24 July 1860:
Occupation: Day Laborer (d)
Head: Charles Roese [R�SE?] M Age: 35 (a)
Wife: Ernstina (Ernstine?) F Age: 31
Dau: Adelheit [Adelheid] F Age: 5/12
Dau: Ernstina F Age: 5/12
Rosine HODAMM F Age: 67 (mother-in-law?)
(4) The 1900 US Census, Waverly, Pike County, Ohio, USA, confirms that
Charles Roese/Racey arrived in the United States in 1852.
Notes:
(a) We have the following progression for the surname REESE/RACY/RACEY
1852 Ship's List: Carl REESE
1860 US Census: Charles ROESE [R�SE?]
1870 US Census: Charles RACY
1880 US Census: Charles RACY
1900 US Census: Charles RACEY (born Jan 1825)
1900 US Census: Elmer RACEY (son of Charles RACEY)
1910 US Census: Elmer RACY
1920 US Census: Elmer RACY
1927 OH Death Index: Elmer RACY
Another variant of this surname is RASEY. By 1870, Charles Roese had
hanged the spelling of his name to 'Racy'/'Racey.' Many R�SE's went
from Roese to Racy/Racey in the late 1800's in the US? Why? Is it
possible that 'Reese' is the actual German name? If so, the
pronunciation of 'Racy'/'Racey'/'Rasey' in English may be close to the
German pronunciation for 'Reese.'
(b) PFEIFFER is on the list because he is from Steinburg. Given the size
of Steinburg, he could be related.
(c) Theodore Albright [ALBRECHT] is my wife's grandfather.
(d) Distance between Chillicothe & Waverly is 20 miles (33 km).
(e) The ALBRECHT family changed their surname to Albright shortly after
arriving in the US.
Gestalt 1) Carl Reese and Charles Roese are the same person: age in 1852
matches age in 1860, Both wives are named Ernstine and their ages match,
Charles & Ernstine Roese named a daughter Adelheid after the ship
Adelheid (as did the ALBRECHT family). Rosine HODAMM is helping with the
new twin daughters in 1870.
Gestalt 2) In 1852, Charlotte ALBRECHT is 33, Ernstine REESE is 23,
Rosine HODAMM is 58. It is possible based on age that Charlotte and
Ernstine are Rosine HODAMM's daughters born at age 25 and 35. Another
individual who looked up Albright [ALBRECHT] family records in
Chillicothe, Ohio and Kankakee, Illinois circa 1980 has provided
Charlotte ALBRECHT's maiden name as Holderman or Holdren or Hilderman --
she clearly did not find a definitive name. The H-d-m matches HODAMM.
Gestalt 3) Both families came from nearby places in Germany and settled
in nearby places in Ohio, USA. At a minimum, the families became good
friends during the trip. In my mind, the ties between Rosine HODAMM at
age 58 and these two families have to be stronger than a for-hire Oma
who baby sits young children -- these families were not that financially
well off and the trip was a major, major life change for Rosine HODAMM
at age 58 (not to mention the change for the Reese and the Albrecht
families). In my mind, something more significant than a baby-sitter
relationship would be required for Rosine HODAMM to make this trip.
Our current working assumption is that the ALBRECHT, HODAMM, and REESE
families are related by marriage, and the towns from which they likely
emigrated (courtesy of Genealogist Klaus Struve, Kiel) are today
Bad Bibra, Burgenlandkreis, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Steinburg, Burgenlandkreis, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
These two towns are some 5 km apart.
Samuel & Virginia Key
Great Falls, Montana 59404
USA