Documents Relating to Riedesel History and Genealogy
	Urkunden über die riedeselische Geschichte

Many of the place names in the genealogical records are towns and villages in or near the old counties of Wittgenstein.

Until the 19th century, almost all the common people there were feudal subjects or serfs of the counts. They were tenants, not owners. A tenancy consisted of a house with its outbuildings plus a fixed amount of land. Tenancy normally passed to the oldest child. The houses (and associated lands) were known by a name such as Kurts or Weymers. These house names were often used to identify their tenants.

Vorsichtig: Viele Ortsnamen sind Städte oder Dörfer in den alten wittgensteinischen Grafschaften. Bis das 19er Jahrhundert waren die Riedesels in Wittgenstein nur Bauern der Grafen. (Es ist schwer für die amerikanische Verwandten zu verstehen, daß sie nicht Eigentumer der Häuser und Felder waren). Nach dem ortlichen Gebrauchen war das erste Kind (Junge oder Mädchen) der Hoferbe. Alle Häuser waren bei einem Name genannt (z.b. Kurts, Weymers, Seimes) und die Urkunden erwähnen diese Namen.

Title	Author	Subject
Causes for Emigration From the German Counties of Wittgenstein	Karl-Ernst Riedesel	A compact review of the social history of Wittgenstein leading to the period of great emigration.
The Origin of the Riedesel Name in the Former County of Wittgenstein: What Is Known and New Theories	Paul Riedesel and Stefan Riedesel	Originally written and published in German. Examines all that is known about the earliest Riedesels in Wittgenstein in light of the histories of the different lines of knightly Riedesels. (pdf)
Die Entstehung des Namens Riedesel in der Grafschaft Wittgenstein: Bekanntes und neue Theorien (In der Zeitschrift Wittgenstein Dezember 2007 veröffentlicht	Paul Riedesel und Stefan Riedesel	Tatsachen und Spekulationen über useren Herkunft.(pdf)
Wittgenstein History and Genealogy	Paul Riedesel	Extensive information about the former counties of Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Wittgenstein-Wittgenstein.
Wunderthausen Auswanderer Zentrum	Paul Riedesel	Namen, Daten, und Bilder der nach Amerika gegangen Auswanderer aus Wunderthausen.
Why the Riedesels Went to Ohio in 1844/1845	Paul Riedesel	Recent evidence (2002) argues that one or more members of the Althaus family from Haase house in Wunderthausen had settled in Ohio before 1840 and was thus the magnet for the large Riedesel family group that followed.
Wunderthäuser in Oxford, NJ	Paul Riedesel	Several emigrants from Wunderthausen settled in or at least stayed for a period in Oxford, NJ (Warren County). They included two Riedesel families, though both went by the name Radle. Among the others were Potts, Strackbeins, Schneiders and Fuchses.
A Major Branch Off of the Wittgenstein Riedesels	Paul Riedesel	This paper documents the relationship between Riedesel families in the vicinity of Marburg and those who remained in the counties of Wittgenstein. Several American Riedesels whose connections with the rest of us were previously unclear are now known to be part of the same great family.
The Riedesels, Freiherrn zu Eisenbach	Paul Riedesel	An introduction to the history of the (noble) Riedesel family of Lauterbach, Germany.
The Riedesel Name	Paul Riedesel	English und auf Deutsch!
The Riedesel Families in Wittgenstein: Historical and Genealogical Notes	Paul Riedesel	An overview of the (peasant) Riedesel families of Wittgenstein and the area in which they lived. Includes photographs of the houses built by the great Mannus Riedesel in the early 1700s.
Die Riedesel Familien in Wittgenstein	Paul Riedesel/ von Udo Riedesel übergesetzt	Eine Geschichte des Riedesels in Wittgenstein, mit einer besonderen Betonung auf dem Dorf Wunderthausen.
From Wunderthausen to Wheatland	Paul Riedesel	An extensive report on the approximately 130 people who emigrated to the Wheatland area from Wunderthausen.
Wunderthausen and Wittgenstein	Paul Riedesel	An extract from a longer genealogy (1999)
First Five Known Generations of Riedesels in Wittgenstein (Updated February 2003)	Paul Riedesel	Family Tree Maker Report of the descendants of the first Henrich Riedesel. (pdf)
Blossoms on the Thistle	Gerhard Riedesel	Portions of an account of the lives and ministry of the Rev. and Mrs. Charles H. Riedesel (a son of one of the early Riedesel immigrants).
My Boyhood Days	Loyd Riedesel	An account of Iowa farm life in the 1920s and 1930s; Loyd grew up on the Louis Riedesel farm near Glidden, IA.
General F. A. Riedesel, FzE	Paul Riedesel	A brief biography of the best-known of the Lauterbach barons.
Last will and testament of Katharina (Riedesel) Laue (auf Deutsch)		Documents several members of this family from the Ebsdorfergrund area.

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This page was last updated on 07/05/08.