The big Redlingshafer outline

We don't have a photo of the patriarch of the American Redlingshafer family, George, who died at Guttenberg in 1856. But his widow, Dorothy, matriarch of Lucas County Redlingshafers, died in 1881 in Benton Township --- and we are lucky enough to have a photo of her. She is buried in Salem Cemetery.

I've been corresponding lately with Dr. Werner Gertberg, a German genealogist who is working on a family history of the Dully family. The Dully family is not directly related, but a member of that family, Anna Maria, married one of our Tazewell County, Illinois, cousins, John Redlingshafer (1843-1932). And so we've managed to get tangled up together in various Redlingshafer puzzles --- and there are many of them, although it seems like that a distinctive surname like Redlingshafer should simplify research (it doesn't).

Anyhow, I assembled this outline to show Werner how, in my opinion, our branch of the American family hangs together. What most likely was the largest number of American Redlingshafer descendants ended up in Lucas County thanks to siblings Anna Margaret (Redligshafer) Rosa, John G. Redlingshafer (my great-great-grandfather), George W. Redlingshafer and Margaret Anna (Redlingshafer) Hupp.

There's no doubt about the information regarding our ancestor George Redlingshafer's eldest child, Barbara; and the seven children of his second family, all of whom I've tracked down over the years. But there is considerable doubt about the two sons by his first marriage, James and John Kaspar. So this is a work in progress.

The Redlingshafers, spelled most often in German "Redlingshofer" --- with an umlaut over the "o" --- originally were Austrian, chased with hundreds of others out of the region around Gresten in the mid-17th century as its Roman Catholic rulers worked to rid their territory of pesky protestants. The name more or less combines "Redling," a region, with "hofer," farm owner or manager.

The Redlingshafers found a new home in the independent German state of Bavaria, ruled at the time by Catholics, too, but open to protestants. Villages west of Nuremberg often mentioned in relation to the Redlingshafers are Dietenhofen, Kirchfarrnbach, Grosshabesdorf and Seubersdorf. Here's the outline:

DESCENDANTS OF GEORGE REDLINGSHAFER (1787-1856)

GEORGE REDLINGSHAFER: Born 17 December 1787 in Bavaria (according to his son, John G. Redlingshafer); married 1st in Germany a woman known to the Lucas County family only as "Miss Wise" (probably an anglicized version of Weiss); they had three children, Barbara, James and John Kaspar, before her death ca. 1821. George then married ca. 1822 as his second wife a younger cousin, Doratha, who shared the surname Redlingshafer. They had seven children before emigrating from Bavaria to America in 1848. George and Doratha lived in Washington County, Pennsylvania, and at Pekin in Tazewell County, Illinois, before arriving in 1855 at Guttenberg in Clayton County, Iowa, where George died (again, according to John G. Redlingshafer) 7 January 1856; buried City Cemetery, Guttenberg (grave unmarked). 

George Redlingshafer's children by his first marriage:

1. BARBARA REDLINGSHAFER: Born 26 Mary 1809, Bavaria; emigrated at age 30 (ca. 1839-40) to American with her younger brother, James; married Jacob Fisher (1804-1851) ca. 1844 probably in Greene County, Pennsylvania; died 11 February 1890 Carroll Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania; buried Fisher Family Cemetery, Fisher Heights, Washington County Pennsylvania. Three children:

a. Mary Anna Fisher (married Joseph Cowan)

b. Sarah Anna Fisher (married Graham Lee)

c. Aaron Jacob Fisher (married Mary Susan Kibler)

2. JAMES REDLINGSHAFER: Born ca 1811 in Bavaria; reportedly accompanied his older sister, Barbara, to America ca. 1839-40; married Catherine Brewer, daughter of Aaron and Elizabeth (Fischer) Brewer, ca. 1852 in Greene County, Pennsylvania; lived most of his life near Smock, Fayette County, Pennsylvania; died near Smock 11 March 1894; probably buried (grave unmarked) Pleasant View Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Smock. His descendants spelled their surname "Ridlinghaver." Six children:

a. Aaron Brewer Ridlinghaver (married Sarah)

b. Melvina Ridlinghaver (died as a young woman)

c. Alice Ridlinghaver (died young)

d. Elizabeth B. Ridlinghaver (married Jacob P. Mills)

e. James Ridlinghaver (died young)

f. Allen Ridlinghaver

3. JOHN KASPAR REDLINGSHAFER: Born (possibly) 13 January 1813, Bavaria; married Margaret (surname unknown) in Bavaria; emigrated to the United States 1849; died (possibly) 3 December 1868, Greene County, Pennsylvania; buried (possibly) Cumberland Presbyterian Cemetery, Jefferson Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania. Seven children:

a. Joseph Redlingshafer (no further information)

b. Anna Dorothea Redlingshafer (married John W. Weigel)

c. Allen Redlingshafer (no further information)

d. Michael Redlingshafer (married Anna Louisa Hickman)

e. Margaret Redlingshafer (no further information)

f. John Redlingshafer (married Anna Dully)

g. Henry Redlingshafer (no further information)

George Redlingshafer's first wife died when daughter Barbara was 12 years old, according to her family --- ca. 1821. George then married as his second wife a younger cousin, Doratha, also a Redlingshafer, ca. 1822. She was born 18 July 1803 in Bavaria; emigrated to the United States with her husband and children in 1848; and lived in Washington County, Pennsylvania, Tazewell County, Illinois, and Clayton County, Iowa, before moving to Benton Township, Lucas County, Iowa, where she died 13 August 1881. Buried Salem Cemetery, Benton Township, Lucas County, Iowa. George and Doratha (Redlingshafer) Redlingshafer had eight children:

1. ANNA MARGARET REDLINGSHAFER: Born 28 February 1824 in Bavaria; emigrated with her parents and siblings to the United States in 1848; married John W. Rosa (1822-1867) 12 June 1850 in Washington County, Pennsylvania. The lived in St. Louis, Missouri, Peoria, Illinois, Tazewell County, Illinois, and Bureau County, Illinois, before settling permanently during 1865 in Chariton, Lucas County, Iowa, where John died 23 October 1867. Anna Margaret married as her second husband Joachim Wulf in Lucas County. She died 7 February 1906 in Benton Township, Lucas County, Iowa. Buried Chariton Cemetery, Lucas County, Iowa. Anna Margaret and John W. Rosa had three children who survived to adulthood:

a. John W. Rosa Jr. (married Sarah Minerva Chynoweth)

b. Adam George Rosa (married Catherine A. Stockman)

c. Anna Margaret Rosa (married William P. Schreck)

2. JOHN G. REDLINGSHAFER: Born 9 May 1827 in Bavaria; emigrated to the United States with his parents and siblings during 1848; married Isabelle Greer 30 November 1856 in Pennsylvania after returning there from travels in the west; moved 1857 to Benton Township, Lucas County, Iowa; died in Benton Township on 8 February 1913; buried Chariton Cemetery, Lucas County. Isabelle had a daughter, Cora, from an earlier relationship. John G. and Isabelle had four children:

a. Mary Belle Redlingshafer (married Daniel Myers)

b. John William Redlingshafer (married Emma Bondurant)

c. Minnie Dorothy Redlingshafer (married Aquilla J. Davis 

d. Ernest Greer Redlingshafer (married Fannie Augusta Arnold)

3. MARY ANNA REDLINGSHAFER: Born 1830 in Bavaria; emigrated to the United States with her parents and siblings during 1848; married John Charles Ernest Dittmer 19 April 1852, probably in Washington County, Pennsylvania; moved to Guttenberg, Clayton County, Iowa, then to Delaware County, Iowa; died 27 January 1878 in Colony Township, Delaware County; buried Zion Cemetery, Colony Township. Mary Anna and John C.E. Dittmer had eight children:

a. John George Dittmer (married Mary Ann Katherine Kleeman)

b. George Martin Dittmer (married Jane Lindsay)

c. Henry Aaron Dittmer (married Margaret L. Holbert)

d. Mary Dorothea Dittmer (married John Peter Von Berg)

e. Martin Ernest Dittmer (married Virginia B. Wickersham)

f. Charles Lot Dittmer (married Rose M. Morgan)

g. Edward Benjamin Dittmer (married Jennie R. Sawyer; Nellie S. Salsbury)

h. Ernest Gustave Dittmer (married Dora Bell; Anna Rosell)

4. GEORGE W. REDLINGSHAFER: Born 7 February 1833 in Bavaria; emigrated to the United States with his parents and siblings in 1848; lived in Washington County, Pennsylvania, and Tazewell County, Pennsylvania, before settling in Benton Township, Lucas County, Iowa; married Frances Caroline Lewis 18 November 1860 in Lucas County; died 1 September 1905 in Benton Township, Lucas County; buried Salem Cemetery, Benton Township, Lucas County. George W. and Frances Caroline (Lewis) Redlingshafer had 12 children:

a. George David Redlingshafer (married Harriet Isabel Arnold)

b. Nancy Merit Redlingshafer (married Samuel T. Wilson)

c. Alice Melissa Redlingshafer (married William Samuel Pickett)

d. Irene Lorella Redlingshafer (married Harvey W. Whiteside)

e. Charles Martin Redlingshafer (did not marry)

f. Elma Frances Redlingshafer (married Ishmel Myers)

g. Lucy Caroline Redlingshafer (married John W. Norman)

h. Mary Agnes "Polly" Redlingshafer (married Charles A. Bruning)

i. William Lot Redlingshafer (did not marry)

j. Adelia Otis Redlingshafer (died young)

k. Lilly Belle Redlingshafer (married Oscar C. Anderson)

l. Nellie Geneva Redlingshafer (married William H. McKee)

5. MARGARET ANNA REDLINGSHAFER: Born 18 July 1835 in Bavaria; emigrated to the United States with her parents and siblings during 1848; lived Washington County, Pennsylvania, and Pekin, Tazewell County, Illinois, where she married Aaron Hupp on 11 March 1856; moved after marriage to Benton Township, Lucas County, Iowa; died 19 November 1904 in Benton Township; buried Salem Cemetery, Benton Township. Anna Margaret and Aaron Hupp had 12 children:

a. Jacob Hupp (married Paulena Schreck)

b. Elizabeth Dorothy Hupp (married James E. Van Gilder)

c. Josiah Hupp (did not marry)

d. Lucinda Hupp (did not marry)

e. John Hupp (did not marry)

f. William Hupp (did not marry)

g. Hannah Hupp (did not marry)

h. Susia Anna Hupp (did not marry)

i. Sarah Jane Hupp (did not marry)

j. David Hupp (did not marry)

k. Margaret Belle Hupp (did not marry)

l. Otto Hupp (married very briefly, but soon was home again)

6. ANNA MARY REDLINGSHAFER: Born 31 August 1837 in Heinersdorf, Bavaria; emigrated to the United States with her parents and siblings in 1848; married in Pennsylvania Martin Banschbach; settled in the Hollowayville/DePue area of Princeton County, Illinois; died 6 October 1931 at DePue; buried Hollowayville Church cemetery. Anna Mary and Martin Banschbach had six children:

a. George Banschbach (married Grace McKiernen)

b. Charles Banschbach (married Sophia Hosier)

c. William Henry Banschbach (did not marry)

d. Emma Banschbach (did not marry)

e. Elizabeth Ann Banschbach (did not marry)

f. Lilly Belle Banschbach (did not marry)

7. JOHN LOT REDLINGSHAFER: Born 14 February 1845 in Bavaria; emigrated to the United States with his parents and siblings during 1848; lived Washington County, Illinois, Tazewell County, Illinois, Clayton County, Iowa, Lucas County, Iowa, and spent many years in the gold fields of California before finally settling down in Washington County, Pennsylvania, where he married at age 50 Virginia M Carhart on 18 July 1895; died 14 October 1931 in Washington County; buried Fisher Family Cemetery, Fisher Heights, Washington County. No children.

8. ELIZABETH ANNA REDLINGSHAFER: Born 21 November 1847 in Bavaria; emigrated to the United States with her parents and siblings in 1848; Lived Washington county, Pennsylvania, Tazewell County, Illinois, Clayton County, Iowa, and Lucas County, Iowa, where she married her brother-in-law, William Banschbach, on 2 July 1872. They lived in Princeton, Bureau County, Illinois. Elizabeth died in Madison, Wisconsin, on 9 April 1931, and was buried in Princeton, Illinois. Elizabeth and William Banschbach had five children:

a. Edward Aaron Banschbach (did not marry)

b. William Martin Banschbach (married Edith French)

c. Omar Lot Bansbach (married briefly to Coral)

e. Winifred G. Banschbach (married Israel E. Putnam)

f. Lita Celia Banschbach (married George R. Bascom)