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ROCKTASCHEL

In the wonderful posting (from which I've learned much more than from visits to the location) about Bellamy Cemetery, Petrolia, Allegany County, I can add a bit about the ROCKTASCHELs of Alma Hill.
In Lot 59, Frederika Barbara "Barbary" SCHOENHEIT (ROCKTASCHEL), born about 1825, Hanover, Germany, was the second wife of Ferdinand ROCKTASCHEL, also Lot 59.

Ferdinand ROCKTASCHEL, son of Michael ROCKTOESCHEL (original anglicized spelling; email doesn't fashion an umlaut!), born November 19, 1825, in Aschau, Germany, immigrated with his first wife, Henrietta STROM (ROCKTASCHEL), born 1831 in Germany, to the US in about 1857-1860, with their son, George ROCKTASCHEL (born November 21, 1856). While the ship was in the NY Harbor a daughter was born: Agnes "Ag" ROCKTASCHEL (who later married Julius "Jules" C. QUICK - see the deaths of two of their sons at Lot 50)

I don't know how my Great-Grandfather Ferdinand and family happened to move to Alma Hill, but anyway, he became a US citixen and served in the Civil War (of both he was very proud; he'd earlier been a soldier in Germany). About 1865, Henrietta STROM (ROCKTASCHEL) died.

Gt-Grandfather Ferdinand returned to Germany, and came back to NYC with a new wife, "Barbary" SCHOENHEIT. While they were temporarily in NYC, my Grandmother Johanna "Annie" "Anna" Magdalena ROCKTASCHEL, was born February 14, 1866 at 240 West 47th Street, Manhattan, and baptized at home by a German Evangelical Lutheran pastor. They continued back to Alma Hill, where Grandmother eventually married in 1892 my Grandfather John Clayton MESLER (Sr.) - born February 1, 1871, on Alma Hill, a twin of James, who died young, sons of James L.MESSLER, born June 14, 1826, in Tompkins County, NY, (see Lot 75), and Mariah "Marrier" WHEELER (MESSLER), born April …, about 1830?, ….?, PA; they had married in 1851, at Caton?, Steuben County, NY. How they came to move to Alma is also a question.

Grandmother and Grandfather MESLER lived in a little house built for her by her father across a field from her half-sister's Julius and Agnes QUICK family in their huge house. Grandma and "Aunt Ag" were small and old-fasioned in comparison to my Mother's NEWTON family (That's a whole 'nother story).

If anyone can fill in any of the obvious gaps, help will be much appreciated. [I've tried to spell the surnames the way the individuals did. My Great Grandmother Rebecca LITTLE (MESSLER/MESLER), who survived Grandfather James by 13 years, seems to be the one who switched my line from MESSLER to MESLER; most of her children kept the original spelling, but Grandpa followed her lead. What a wonderful confusion that has created!]

Posted by Mesler, Ray Father frmesler@aol.com