52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - #29 Christina S. Schenkel

I decided to venture across the ocean again and write about one of my German ancestors.

Christina Sophia Schenkel was my maternal 4th great grandmother. I have her birth year as 1748 and her death year as 1816. I didn't record where I got these years, but I probably got them from a family tree on ancestry.com years ago when I first started compiling the tree. I don't have any parents or siblings listed for her. She married Johann Nicholas Roedelsperger/Rodelsperger, and they are the parents of Johann Adam Roedelsperger (John Adam Redles), my German immigrant 3rd great grandfather and husband of Sarah Rulon.

I found a Christina Sophia Schenkel in an index on ancestry.com called Germany, Select Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898. It lists her birth date as February 8, 1747 in Groß Umstadt, Hessen, Germany, and her death year as 1816 in Germany. She was baptized the day after her birth on February 9, 1747. It lists her parents as Johann Conrad and Sophia Elisabetha Schenkel. This could be my Christina, but I'll need to do more research to confirm. Another record in that same index on ancestry.com gives the place of baptism as Evangelisch, Gross Umstadt, Starkenburg, Hesse-Darmstadt. I found records of two more children of Johann and Sophia: Anna Maria born in 1744 and Maria Philippina born in 1749. These could be Christina's sisters.

One of my German Rodelsperger cousins, who has done extensive research, put together a pedigree chart several years ago for the Rodelsperger/Redles branches. He has that Christina Schenkel and Johann Nicholas Rodelsperger were married October 1, 1767, in Heubach, Germany (a district in Groß Umstadt, Hessen, Germany). He gives Christina's death date as January 14, 1816, in Heubach and that she was buried on January 17, 1816. Besides Johann Adam (my 3rd great grandfather), he lists their other children as Johannes (b. 1767), Johann Jakob (b. 1769), Catherina Elisabetha (b. 1771), Johann Nicholaus (b. 1774), Johann Leonhardt (b. 1777), and Margaretha Elisabetha (b. 1778). He notes that Christina's father was Johann Eduard Schenkel.

Click on the map below for a larger view.

Heubach, a district of the south Hessian town of Gross-Umstadt in Darmstadt-Dieburg, Germany (Google maps)

Several years ago, my mom, her sister, and my youngest sister went to Heubach, Germany, for a reunion of Rodelsperger/Redles descendants. I wasn't able to go, but I hope someday to have the opportunity!

Catherine

This post is part of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge by genealogist Amy Crow at No Story Too Small.

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Treasure Chest Thursday - Family History Handwritten on a Church Brochure

I would have to say that the entire collection of correspondence, military records, miscellaneous papers, and ephemera that belonged to my maternal grandparents William Liming Redles and Leona Roberts is a treasure trove. There is so much to be learned about their lives tucked away in them. In addition, my mom has two large three-ring binders filled with family history, copies of photographs I had not seen before, current correspondence between my Aunt Catherine and several Redles and Rodelsperger cousins (here in the U.S. and in Germany), and more. I thumb through them every now and then, and I always spot something I hadn't noticed before. (Click on each image for a larger view.)

I'd seen the Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church brochure before in one of my passes through the binder, but the other day, I finally read what my grandfather had written in the margins. He wrote about his family's relationship to this historic church in Philadelphia and added some church history. He probably sent this to my grandmother when he was courting her in 1922-1923. I'm so glad he wrote this! I learned something new, and now I have more research to do. What fun!

The front page of the Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church brochure.

On the left side of the front page of the brochure (above) he wrote: "Grandfather Redles [John Adam Redles Jr.] & family were members of this church. He was a vestryman of this church for about 40 years. Father [George Albert Redles] was babtised [sic] (by sprinkling) in this church and later he was confirmed. Grandfather's funeral services at this church were held when I was 7 years old. I attended [this church and] remember the services." On the right side of this page he wrote: "Graves of Grandfather Redles, Grandmother Redles & 3 of their children [he drew an arrow pointing to the location of the graves]. Great, great, great Grandfather Sandar of Sweeden [sic] the 2nd Sweedish [sic] pastor is also buried in the churchyard. Great, Grandfather von Redlesburg [Johann Adam Roedelsperger] is also buried here." Wow! This is full of information.

Page 2 of the Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church brochure

Page 3 of the Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church brochure

At the top of page 3, he wrote "The church is now kept up on account of its early history."  The bottom says, "The Sweedish [sic] families intermarried with the English colonists. Long before 1842 the congregation thru marriage became English and were largely Episcopalians & no longer Sweedish [sic] Lutherans."

The last page of the Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church brochure

The top of the last page says, "Beautiful stained glass windows shed softly colored lights on the interior. This is the oldest Protestant church in the United States if you count from date of the block house." He has an arrow pointing to "grandfather's pew for his family & himself" and one arrow pointing to where he sat "I remember sitting here during Grandfather's funeral services. I was then 7 yrs old." On the bottom of the page he wrote, "The old church is kept in excellent order. The old families are gone but endowments largely keep it going."

Now, back to what he wrote on the front page of the brochure. We have since found out that the original Redles family name was not von Redlesburg. Rather, it was Roedelsperger (I've also seen it spelled Rodelsperger and Rodelsberger). At some point, our immigrant ancestor Johann Adam Roedelsperger changed his name to John Adam Redles.

The surname Sandar is a new one! I'd never heard that one before. I was very excited and thought "Oh, goody, this should break down a brick wall!" I immediately began researching. It was fairly easy to find on the Gloria Dei Church's website that the name of the second Swedish pastor of this church was Andreas (or Anders or Andrew) Sandel and not "Sandar" as my grandfather had written. I don't think he's buried at the church, but two of his young sons Peter and Andreas are buried there (see a photograph of their headstones here). I'll write more about my research into Andreas Sandel in a later post, but so far, I've not found a connection to my family.

All in all, you just never know where you'll find clues about your family history! Had I not taken the time to finally read what my grandfather had written on this church brochure, I would have missed these tidbits!

Catherine

Breaking News! Ruel Rulon Escapes from France!

[Warning, there might be sarcasm.]  Anonymous sources tell us that the Huguenot Ruel Rulon has escaped from France by hiding on board a ship in a hogshead (kind of like a wine barrel for those more familiar with such things).  Alleged accomplices are his two brothers (who are Catholic) who it is believed helped him escape.  If the Catholic Rulon brothers are found guilty of aiding and abetting the Huguenot Rulon, they will be dealt with!  Actions like this will not be tolerated!  The ship is believed to be heading for America, possibly New York.  If anyone has any information about this escapee-from-religious-persecution, please alert your local authorities!  Do not approach him yourselves.  A reward for information leading to his capture is being offered (but only if you are Catholic)!

The Rulons in America

Ruel Rulon, my maternal 7th great grandfather, was a Huguenot (Protestant) who left France sometime between 1684 and 1704 during the persecution of the Huguenots [1].  The above paragraph about his escape is based on family lore written about in The Rulon Family and Their Descendants by John C. Rulon [2].  (This book is free on Google Books.)  The story goes that Ruel’s brothers (who were Catholic) hid him in a hogshead and put him on board a ship bound for America so that he could escape the persecution.  Once he was a safe distance from France, he got out of the hogshead.  I wonder how he explained his sudden appearance on the ship if this story is true! 

It is thought that Ruel landed in New York [3].  He settled in Monmouth, New Jersey, at least by 1704 [4].  He is apparently mentioned in some documents from that year, and his son David, my maternal 6th great grandfather, was born around that time [5].  Several family trees (including mine) on ancestry.com list Ruel’s wife as Margaret Paulding.  I haven’t confirmed this. 

How I Connect to the Rulon Line

Below is my descent from Ruel Rulon down to my mother.  The family tree on the left that I scanned from a copy of the original was drawn by my maternal grandfather William Liming Redles.  It begins with Ruel’s son David Rulon and includes the Redles line.  I haven’t confirmed all of the information below.  Some of it is from John C. Rulon’s book mentioned above and from the tree my grandfather drew. 
1. David Rulon (1704-1778), son of Ruel Rulon and Margaret Paulding, married Exercise Allen (1705-?), daughter of Henry and Hannah Allen. 
2. Henry Rulon (1732-18100), son of David Rulon and Exercise Allen, married Theodosa Robbins.
3. John Rulon (1758-1833), son of Henry Rulon and Theodosa Robbins, married Sarah Burt.
4. Sarah Sallie Rulon (1785-1851), daughter of John Rulon and Sarah Burt, married Johan Adam Rodelsperger/Redles (1781-1869).
5. John Adam Redles (1817-?), son of Sarah Sallie Rulon and Johan Adam Rodelsperger/Redles, married Jane Eliza Meyers (1818-1885).
6. George Albert Redles (1843-1912), son of John Adam Redles and Jane Eliza Meyers, married Isabella Liming (1844-?)
7. William Liming Redles (1873-1932), son of George Albert Redles and Isabella Liming, married Martha Leona Roberts (1895-1955).
8. Leona Roberts Redles (1925), daughter of William Liming Redles and Martha Leona Roberts, married Albert Sidney Pendleton, Jr. (1925-2006).

For a history of the French Huguenots see The National Huguenot Society. 

We’ll probably never know if  the above account of Ruel Rulon’s escape from France is truth or fiction, but it sure makes a good story. 

Any family legends in your family?  I’d love to hear about them!

Catherine
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[1] John C. Rulon.  The Rulon Family and Their Descendants.  (Lineaweaver & Wallace, Philadelphia, 1870).
[2] See footnote 1 above.
[3] Albert F. Koehler.  The Huguenots or Early French in New Jersey. (Genealogical Publishing Company, Baltimore, reprinted 2007).
[4] See footnote 1 above.
[5] See footnotes 1 and 3 above.