The Zeisset Family in Germany

Written by Loretta M. Hoerman

While our ancestors did not leave a journal of their lives in Germany, we can use old church records and various other tools to determine part of what life may have been like for them, just as we did in earlier chapters. Significant additions to our knowledge of the estate at Kreuzfeld and the history there have been discovered in the State Archives at Neuenstein, Germany. What is different in this chapter is that some additional information has been handed down in personal accounts. In addition a little imagination and speculation has been added tocome up with a story of the Jakob Friedrich and Margaretha Müller Zeisset family in Germany.

Chapter 3. The Story of Jakob Friedrich Zeisset and Margaretha Müller

Jakob Friedrich Zeisset was born to Jakob Zeisset and Johanna Epp in Menzingen in 1837. He was the first born son. Jakob and Johanna had three more sons: Johannes, Isaak and Daniel and one daughter, Magdalena. Sometime between 1851 and 1854, the Zeisset family moved from Menzingen to Sindolsheim. We know that the Menzingen farm was leased until February 1851. We don’t know why the lease of the Menzingen farm was not renewed, but the family moved to another farm located at Sindolsheim. While living at Sindolsheim, the Zeisset sons began to marry. Isaak was the first to marry, when he married Bertha Hettinger from a nearby town. Jakob Friedrich was the next to marry when he married Margaretha Müller of Semd.

The Müller Family of Semd

Margaretha Müller was born in Semd, which was in the state of Hessen. Her father was Johann Georg Müller, III and her mother was Anna Marie Schneider. The town of Semd seemed to have a fondness for the name Johann Georg Müller, for there were at least seventeen men in a couple of generations with that name. As a son was born and given the name Johann Georg Müller, he was also given a number reflecting the order of his birth in relationship to all the other Johann Georg Müllers. Therefore, Johann Georg Müller could be the son of Jacob Müller, but as there were already 5 other Johann Georg Müllers in town, he would be given the number 6, though he was not the son of Johann Georg Müller the 5^th. Sometimes the number didn’t follow the name in the church records and the only way to determine which Johann Georg Müller was being documented was by the name of the wife. There was, unfortunately, a fondness for the name Anna Marie, so that the maiden name of the wife must be relied upon to determine which Johann Georg Müller was being documented. These naming patterns make for very interesting and challenging research.

Margaretha Müller’s grandfather, Johann Heinrich Müller, was probably born in Semd in 1765 to Philipp Müller. Johann Heinrich Müller married Elisabetha Jäger of nearby Lengfeld, and it was in Lengfeld where the marriage took place in 1791. Johann Heinrich Müller was a shepherd. Elisabetha Jäger’s father was also a shepherd. The first three children were born at Lengfeld and then the family lived in near-by Nieder-Klingen, where three more children were born. The next three children, including Magdalena Müller’s father, Johann Georg III (1806-1872), were born in Überau. The last two children were born in Semd. Since the father was a shepherd, perhaps he moved frequently in order to secure grazing land for his sheep. These villages were all within a five mile radius of Lengfeld, so the distance was not great. [Insert PHOTO of sheep grazing with Otzberg]

Semd church

Margaretha’s parents, Johann Georg Müller III and Anna Marie Schneider (born in Semd) were married in Semd on Christmas day in 1830. There were eight children born in Semd to this Müller couple, but only four survived: Elisabetha, Georg XVII, Anna Marie and Margaretha. Nothing more is known of Elisabetha. Georg married (to Margaretha Müller, to add to the confusion) and had at least two sons in Semd. Anna Marie Müller married Johannes Vogel, VII in 1868. Anna Marie Müller and her husband, Johannes Vogel, emigrated to the United States in 1870 to settle in Freeburg, St. Clair County, Illinois where they raised their six children. Margaretha’s parents both died in Semd; her mother died in 1862 when Margaretha was not quite 20 years old and her father died in 1872. [Insert PHOTO OF THE POSSIBLE MÜLLER HOME]

Marriage of Jakob Zeisset and Margaretha Müller

Jakob Friedrich Zeisset married Margaretha Müller in March 1864. At this time, Jakob Friedrich was living at Sindolsheim. Margaretha was from Semd, which is about 48 miles from Sindolsheim. Even with today’s modern roads and cars, the trip from Semd to Sindolsheim takes a little over an hour, so in Jakob and Margaretha’s time, it surely took twice as long as that. Semd is northwest of Sindolsheim. The marriage of Jakob and Margaretha took place in Adelsheim, about 9 miles south of Sindolsheim. We don’t know why the marriage took place in Adelsheim, although it was the county seat for Sindolsheim. [insert MAP of Semd, Sindolsheim, Adelsheim]

Adelsheim church, where Jakob Friedrich and Margaretha were married

The most likely explanation that we can propose at this time is that Margaretha was either attending or working at the girls’ school in Adelsheim, or perhaps she was a teacher. One of the sponsors for the marriage was a teacher from the girls’ school, and this is the only clue we have for the reason behind the location of the marriage. If Margaretha lived in Adelsheim, it is much easier to imagine how Jakob met and courted her than if we assume that the young lady was living several hours away from his home. They were married in March and moved immediately to Kreuzfeld.

Kreuzfeld is located about 38 miles east of Sindolsheim, an hour’s journey by car today, in a district of Germany that is called Hohenlohe. [insert Map of Sindolsheim and Kreuzfeld]

The Hofgut Kreuzfeld records at the Neuenstein Archive indicate that the lease of the farm extended from 1858-1870. The tenant for that lease period, Andreas Kolb, died before the lease had ended so that the property was then available. Records from the city hall (Rathaus) in Schrozberg indicate that Johanna Zeisset, Jakob Zeisset (tenant of the prince’s farm) and Isaak Zeisset all came to live in the Schrozberg region in February 1864. On the 5th of March 1864, ten days prior to Jakob Friedrich Zeisset’s marriage to Margaretha, Jakob Friedrich’s mother, �the widow of Jakob Zeisset�, and her oldest son, Jakob Zeisset from Menzingen (using the town of his birth or citizenship rather than the current residence at Sindolsheim), assumed the rental of the Hofgut Kreuzfeld for the remaining six years of the original lease. They were listed as “Wiedertäufer” (Mennonites) and relatives of Gutspächter (tenant) Baer of Nesselbach and Gutsbesitzer (landowners) Buehler and Schmutz of Obersteinach. The Baer family at Nesselbach was Peter Baer (1806-1880) and his wife Katharina Baer (1823-1901), discussed in a separate chapter, with whom there was a remote family relationship. The Schmutz family at Obersteinach was Jakob Schmutz (1817-1885) and his wife Barbara Zeisset (1828-1884). Barbara was an aunt to Jakob Friedrich. The Buehler family may have been related to Jakob Buehler, who was Magdalena Zeisset Baer’s second husband at Niedersteinach. Sisters Magdalena Zeisset Baer Bü and Barbara Zeisset Schmutz were aunts to Jakob Friedrich Zeisset. Though it may be difficult to keep these relationships straight, the primary reason for discussing them is to show that there was usually some family connection when moving from place to place for our Zeisset ancestors.

Jakob Friedrich Zeisset

Jakob Friedrich Zeisset and Margaretha Müller Zeisset, c 1877

Jakob Friedrich and Margaretha Zeisset lived in Kreuzfeld their entire married life. Family stories have been passed down describing Jakob Friedrich as the manager of a large estate. It has been told that the estate consisted of 520 acres and that Jakob Friedrich employed up to 72 men during harvesting and planting. He was considered to be prosperous. From information obtained in 2007 about the Hofgut Kreuzfeld, it appears that this wasn’t always the case. Mother Johanna and her oldest son, Jakob Friedrich entered the lease agreement together in 1864. The entire Zeisset family moved to Kreuzfeld from Sindolsheim, including mother Johanna, Jakob Friedrich and his new wife Margaretha, Isaak and his wife Bertha, Johannes, Daniel and Magdalena. Isaak lived at Kreuzfeld from 1864 until 1867 when he returned to an estate near his wife’s family. In 1870, the terms of the former lease under Andreas Kolb at Hofgut Kreuzfeld were ended and Jakob Friedrich committed to leasing the property from 1870 to 1888, so we can assume that all was well at Hofgut Kreuzfeld at that time. By then, brother Johannes had gone to Wiegelshof near Feuchtwangen in Bavaria to farm.

The photo of Jakob and Margaretha Zeisset was likely made around 1877, as Jakob looks to be about 40 years old. That would have been between the births of Bettie and Henry. Unfortunately the photo was not dated.

The Zeisset Family at Kreuzfeld

Jakob Friedrich and Margaretha Zeisset’s first child, Georg was born in November 1864. He lived only five hours. He was likely named after Margaretha’s father, Johann Georg Müller, or perhaps her brother, Georg. Eight months after the first born, another son was stillborn. One year after the second child, Johanna Luise was born in July 1866. This is Louise Zeisset who later married John Swart. She was named after her paternal grandmother and her baptismal sponsors were Isaak Zeisset, living at Kreuzfeld and Daniel Zeisset. In June 1867, a daughter Emma was born. She lived about 3 weeks. Her baptismal sponsor was Johannes Zeisset, who appeared to be living in Menzingen. Then Bertha was born a year later in June 1868. She would eventually marry Juergen Nanninga. Bertha may have been named after Isaak Zeisset’s wife, who was her baptismal sponsor along with Isaak. Isaak and Bertha were living at the Rosshof at this time. A stillborn son arrived the following year in May. In another ten months, Elisabeth Zeisset was born in March 1870. Her baptismal sponsors were her uncles, Johannes Zeisset living at Wiegelshof and Daniel Zeisset living at Menzingen. She later married George Weller.

Krailshausen church, where Margaretha was burried

The Zeisset family belonged to the church at Krailshausen, only 1-2 kilometers (about a mile) away. The records for this church were maintained in Schrozberg, the larger town also a short distance away (3.5 kilometers). The births and baptisms are listed then in the Schrozberg church records but these records show that all of the Zeisset children were actually baptized in the home at Kreuzfeld, where they were born. [insert copy of birth record]

In case the reader is not keeping track, the babies to this date were all born a year or less apart. Infant mortality was naturally higher in that time, with little or no prenatal care. The cause of death often listed for babies who survived past birth is “gichter”, meaning convulsions, which could have been a variety of serious illnesses for an infant. It is doubtful that Margaretha, was fully recovered from one pregnancy before she found herself pregnant again. Pregnancy and childbirth were considered to be very dangerous times in a woman’s life.

At the time of Elizabeth’s birth, Margaretha was 27 years old. The next baby, another stillborn son, was born in September 1871. Then it would be over two years before Georg Jakob was born in December 1873. His baptismal sponsors were Georg Seiffert of Kreuzfeld and Daniel Zeisset of Menzingen. He was called Jake and later married Christine Bohnenblust. Jake was surely named after both of his grandfathers. In April 1875, Barbara was born. Her baptismal sponsors were Georg Seiffert and her uncle Isaak Zeisset, living at Rosshof. She also used the name Babette, was mostly called Bettie and would later marry Ludwig Hoerman. Henry Zeisset was born almost three years later in February 1878. His baptismal sponsors were Georg Seiffert, of Kreuzfeld and Georg Müller, his mother’s brother, living in Semd. He had a third sponsor, Isaak Zeisset, now living at Eichenau.

Daily Life

By now mother Margaretha was 36 years old and father Jakob Friedrich was 41 years old, with six children in the home. Louise was nearly 12 years old when Henry was born. Margaretha probably had a least one hired woman or young lady to help with the household chores and the cooking, which may have included feeding the hired men. If the Zeissets were considered prosperous and if Jakob Friedrich employed up to 72 men, surely Margaretha also had domestic help. In that era, unmarried young female cousins may have also lived with the family. Where did the children attend school? Margaretha was surely educated, because of her connection to the girls’ school in Adelsheim. Did she have time to teach the children herself? In the photo of Margaretha and Jakob Friedrich, Margaretha is holding a book. Does this indicate the importance of learning to her? A book Schrozberg purchased on the Zeisset Family Tour in 2006 discusses the school in Krailshausen, so it’s quite likely that the children attended school there. The Krailshausen schoolhouse was built in 1876.

Former Zeisset residence at Kreuzfeld, 1985

There is still a home at Kreuzfeld where the Zeissets lived, though the occupant of the home in 1985 told this writer that she had gone to nearby Schrozberg to research the history of the Kreuzfeld house and determined that it was not old enough to have been the home where the Zeisset children were born. She said that the house was 100 years old in 1985 and that the previous home had burned. We have not seen documentation regarding the age of the home, but if the original house burned, the current house is likely a close replica.

In 2008, a copy of the floor plan for the house and a diagram of the house were found at the Neuenstein Archive. Jakob Zeisset built a new house on the estate in 1870 and this is the floor plan for the house which was built. The floor plan and the description of the house provide us with an accurate description of the home established by Jakob Friedrich and Margaretha Zeisset. [insert PHOTO OF FLOOR PLAN]

The door to house was situated on the east side of the house. On the 2006 Zeisset Family Tour, members of the Swart family had photographs taken at this door. PHOTO OF SWART FAMILY The entry to the house contained a stairway to the upper floor was located immediately to the right of the entry door. On the left hand side of the entry was a door to the “Wohnstube” or living room. The floor of the living room was wooden. On the north wall of the room, a bench was attached, as was the custom in that time. There were three lead glass windows which provided light for the living room. The room was heated by an Eremitageofen, which was an iron stove connected by a pipe to the kitchen on the other side of the wall. This stove stood on the same wall as the bench, but on the other side of the door. Those who were on the 2006 Zeisset Family Tour will recall visiting the open-air museum at Wackershofen and learning about this room in the family home. There was a table and chairs here where the family ate meals, as well as a cupboard with dishes and a loom or spinning wheel. In this room, the family rested and worked at chores, particularly in the winter. In the Zeisset home, there was certainly a cradle in this room. We can imagine that the mother, Margaretha, often read stories to her children in this room. [insert PHOTO OF LIVING ROOM FROM WACKERSHOFEN]

The living room had a door which opened into the large bedroom of the parents which also was heated by a stove. Just off of this room was a smaller bedroom, or nursery. Another door from the master bedroom led to a smaller room to the north was possibly a dressing room and storage room.

Returning to the entry hall, the kitchen doorway was directly across from the entry to the house. There were two small windows which provided light for the kitchen. To the right of the kitchen door and on the north wall of the house is the baking oven. The actual oven was located outside of the house walls in order to decrease the possibility of fire in the house and to decrease the temperature in the house during the summer months. The drawing of the house from 1870 has a diagram of the oven with its connection to the chimney. It appears that the cooking stove was positioned on the wall opposite the oven which would have been connected to the central chimney. A door on the west wall of the kitchen led to the pantry (Speisekammer).

One other important feature of the ground floor of the house is located in the entry with a door opposite the living room and to the right of the kitchen. On the floor plan, it appears as a small hall and is labeled “abbord” which is a misspelling of Abort, a word used at that time for toilet. This was the indoor toilet. This was a feature we also viewed at the open-air museum. It is interesting to note that our Zeisset immigrants grew up with an indoor toilet in Germany, but in America they had to put on their heavy coats in the winter to make a quick run to the outhouse several yards away from the nice warm home. [insert PHOTO OF WATER CLOSET FROM WACKERSHOFEN]

Eleven steps led to the upper floor of the Zeisset home. Immediately to the right of the stairs on the upper floor is the door to the upstairs toilet. A central hallway provides access to the rooms upstairs which where divided into sleeping rooms. Boys slept in one room, girls in another and if there were servants, they slept in yet another room. Smaller rooms on this second floor likely provided storage.

There was a third floor and it is likely that servants had their sleeping quarters here as well. Then there was a small attic above that which had a window on each end.

At this point, a disclaimer must be made, in that the floor plan shown in the photo was the original drawing by the builder. Jakob and Margaretha altered the floor plan by moving some of the walls and making the rooms different sizes than what is depicted here. Only the original floor plan was photographed and so there is another reason to return to the Archive at Neuenstein, to get the floor plan as built by the Zeissets.

South of the new house, where the older barn sits on the east side of the farm today, Jakob Friedrich built a stable. It may be the same building as can be seen today. [insert PHOTO OF THE BARN DRAWING AND OF THE BARN TODAY ] This stable was built on the site of what was previously a barn house. The stable was built before 1869 to accommodate 36 head of cattle on the north part and 6 horses on the south end. The 1880 diagram of the Hofgut Kreuzfeld buildings indicate that a new barn with a sheep stall was to replace the old house. Just north of the old house is an old horse stable and a swine building which runs between the horse stable and the calf barn which was built in 1841. To the east of the horse and cattle stable is a woodshed. South of the stable and woodshed is the site of a barn, built in 1855, which was burned sometime between 1878 and 1880. [insert 1880 FARM DIAGRAM]

Many farm homes in Germany were “house-barns”, with livestock housed on the ground floor in the winter and the family living quarters on the second floor. . The two older homes on the property were house-barns. The heat from the animals would help warm the human occupants above in the winter. In the summer, well, we can imagine that flies were plentiful, but the livestock would likely have been outside. The new Zeisset home however, was not a house-barn, but a building separate from the barn.

Diagrams of the farm which show changes made at various times can be found at the Neuenstein Archive. There are diagrams from 1869 before the new house was built, 1870 after the house was completed, 1878 when an inventory was done and then the last from 1880. [insert DIAGRAMS AND EXPLANATIONS]

We can wonder about the day to day activities of the family. Obviously Jakob Friedrich was busy with the management of the estate and his workers. From stories of our Bletscher cousins, we know that it was not unusual to arise at 2:00 in the morning to mow hay in the meadow, so farming was certainly not easy work. The Zeisset home previously had a bell at the top which would be rung indicating to the field workers that it was time to come in for a meal.

The Zeisset home was surrounded by orchards. There were also vegetable gardens, farming ground, meadows and pastures. Jakob Friedrich grew hay, “straw”, fruit, potatoes and root crops. Sheep were his primary livestock. The standard unit of measure for land during this time was the “Morgen”. The size of a Morgen was initially determined by the amount of land that could be plowed with a team of oxen in one morning. The size of a Morgen varied depending on what part of the country the land was in. For instance, in Northern Germany, a Morgen was equivalent to two-thirds of an acre. In the south, where Kreuzfeld is located, a Morgen was just less than 1.5 acres. The records show that Jakob Friedrich was in charge of 207 (and an eighth) Morgens and 10.8 Ruten. A Rute was a distance of 3 to 4.5 meters. So Jakob Friedrich farmed around 290 acres, not the 520 acres the family legend described. The farm rent (Pachtgeld) from 1877 to 1878 was 2640.25 Marks. The conversion rate in 1913 was 4 Marks to the US dollar, so that the rent for a year was about $660. In 2006, accounting for inflation, that would be $12059. [insert Photo of Deutsch Mark] The children would have been involved with some chores in addition to their studies. Margaretha probably spent most of the time caring for the youngest children. Since Jakob Friedrich’s brothers were living nearby, the families likely visited each other with some frequency. Both of Jakob Friedrich’s brothers had named a son “Jakob Friedrich” reflecting the level of respect they had for their oldest brother. We know that the cousins maintained contact with the six who emigrated to America, so we can assume that good friendships developed while all were still in Germany.

Mother Margaretha’s Death

In the year 1881, Margaretha Zeisset delivered her last child on the 19^th of February. Bettie Zeisset Hoerman recalled the day of the birth. She was sent outside to play, but sneaked back into the house and recalled seeing the lifeless body of her baby brother lying in a washtub. The midwife reportedly said, “Oh, she would have to see that!” She told this story to her granddaughter Betty Cott. The church records tell us that the baby was “frühgeburt” or premature, and that the mother, Margaretha, died the day following the birth of the infant. While the midwife was present for the birth of the child, perhaps a physician was summoned when the situation with the mother’s health appeared to be serious. But in those days there were no blood transfusions, there were no antibiotics and there was little help for a difficult birth. The Zeisset home would have been very somber and perhaps the children were gathered around the mother. Jakob Friedrich may have been by his wife’s side continually, but she slipped away from him at 7:00 o’clock in the morning after giving birth to the twelfth child.

Traurigweg to Krailshausen

The Zeissets attended church in nearby Krailshausen, as documented by the confirmations of Louise and Bertha in the church records, and this was where Margaretha was buried on the 22^nd of February at 1:30 in the afternoon. [insert photo of the grave] Relatives probably brought food and served a meal at noon. There would have been a funeral service in the home with all the relatives and friends there to view the body and remember Margaretha Müller Zeisset. Then the mourners processed over the “Traurigweg” or path of grief behind a cart bearing the coffin to the cemetery in Krailshausen. Margaretha was 38 years old at the time of her death. Her parents had died years before. One sister had emigrated to St. Clair County, Illinois in 1870 with her husband John Vogel and their two children. Margaretha’s brother remained in Semd and may not have received word of her death prior to her funeral.

Jakob Friedrich was left with his six children: Louise 14 years of age, Bertha 12 years of age, Lizzie 9 years of age, Jake 6 years of age, Bettie 5 years of age and Henry 3 years of age. Jakob Friedrich must have been paralyzed with grief and at somewhat of a loss as to what to do with his children. He was now 43 years old and had spent his life farming and managing farming operations. Johanna Zeisset was now 64 years old and may not have been much help in caring for her 6 grandchildren. Jakob Friedrich probably had very little to do with child rearing while Margaretha was living.

Farming woes and family illness

At some time prior to 1878, Jakob Friedrich experienced some difficulties in his farming operation. Apparently the main contributing factor was a bad fruit crop, due to too much moisture. Family illness was listed as a factor to the financial problems he began to encounter. Certainly there were many pregnancies and infant illnesses and death. On the 29th of July, 1878, the financial strains had become so great as to require the appointment of managers to oversee the operation of the farm. Jakob Friedrich’s brothers, Isaak, now living at Eichenau, and Johannes, now living at Erlach, were named as the administrators of the Hofgut Kreuzfeld. Essentially from that time on, Jakob Friedrich worked for them. There are several documents pertaining to these arrangements and there are letters from Jakob Friedrich as well as Isaak. (insert Copy of JFZ letter) Then in February 1881, Margaretha died, adding yet more to the burdens of Jakob Friedrich.

Things never really improved for Jakob Friedrich financially. On the 9th of November 1883, Jakob Friedrich Zeisset declared bankruptcy at noon in Langenburg, a town 20 kilometers southwest of Kreuzfeld. [insert photo of rathaus] From that time on, he is not mentioned in the records of the Hofgut Kreuzfeld which was then officially the responsibility of his brothers, Isaak and Jakob. At that time Isaak was still living in Eichenau, while Johannes was now at Niedersteinach.

Talk of Emigration

During this time in Germany, there would have been much talk about emigrating to America. From 1880-1889, nearly 1.5 million Germans left their homeland for better opportunities in America. In the previous century and first part of the 1800s, many people left Germany for religious reasons, hoping to find a land with more tolerance where they could live the principles of their chosen faiths.

 In the mid-to-late-19^th century, emigration from southern Germany was often prompted by the inheritance laws of the time. The possessions of the parents would be divided evenly among all the children. If, for instance, a father owned 100 acres and had six children, each child would inherit a little over 16 acres. For Jakob Friedrich, these laws would not have played a role as he didn’t own his land. But certainly he was considering what he would be able to leave to his children. It would have been difficult to purchase a large farm in those days, and as we now know, Jakob Friedrich Zeisset was financially destitute in 1883 and forced to declare bankruptcy. What sort of life could he provide for his children? Prior to the mid-19^th century, Mennonites were not allowed to own land in Germany, so there had been no accumulation of real estate by Jakob Friedrich Zeisset.

Emigration of Zeisset Relatives

When we consider the extended family of the Zeissets, there were several who had already emigrated to America. In Margaretha’s family, a sister Anna Maria Müller, her husband, Johannes Vogel, and their two children left Germany for Illinois in 1870. While none of Jakob Friedrich’s siblings ever left Germany, he had several cousins who went to America. His aunt Magdalena Zeisset Baer, living in Niedersteinach, had a son, Henry Baer who left Niedersteinach with his brother-in-law Peter Baer (who was married to Henry Baer’s sister Magdalena). [insert TABLE of family to show relationship]

Henry and Peter Baer came to America in May 1880 and went directly to Dickinson County, Kansas. The letters from these relatives must have sounded enticing. There was land available “for the taking”. In the booklet, “A History of the David Bletscher Family” written by Christ Bletscher and Laura Llewelyn in the 1960’s, the following statement was made about communication from Henry and Peter Baer, “These men, after coming to America, would write inviting letters to their loved ones in the Fatherland, telling them what a wonderful land America was. Here in America a man could take a gun, walk over the prairie, get his venison, all he wanted. Such a thing was against the law in Germany.” The author, Christ Bletscher’s mother was Anna Baer, sister to Henry and Magdalena, married to David Bletscher.

Jakob Friedrich Zeisset’s children

Looking to the church records, we can see that Bertha Zeisset (later wife of Juergen Nanninga) was confirmed at the church in Krailshausen in April 1882. This was over a year after her mother’s death, so we can be fairly certain that she was living at Kreuzfeld with the rest of the family at that time. Louise Zeisset (later John Swart’s wife) had been confirmed in the same church in April 1880. One would assume that many of the household duties and perhaps oversight of the younger children would be the responsibility of these two oldest daughters. It is also quite possible that Jakob Friedrich’s mother, Johanna, was living with his family at this time. We know that she moved with her family to Kreuzfeld in 1864 and at some time prior to 1883 was living in Schrozberg. She is not listed in the financial arrangements of the Hofgut Kreuzfeld after the initial rental agreement.

Louise Zeisset Swart’s autograph book (Posie-Album)

The next event that we can verify in the Zeisset household was the departure of Louise for America. Lee Swart has an autograph book that belonged to his grandmother Louise, of Posie-Album, that belonged to his grandmother Louise. It is filled with pretty pictures that have apparently been cut from greeting cards with a very fine scissor and is filled with verses from family and friends. It was disappointing to learn that there were no “personal” messages to Louise, but none-the-less, it is a treasure trove of information as to family members and their residences.

The book must have been given to Louise, perhaps by her mother, for the earliest signature in the book is from September 10, 1879 and is that of Margaretha Müller Zeisset. It is a verse about being on the sea of life and looking to God for strength. It is signed “from your Mother”, Margaretha Zeisset.

Verse signed by Margaretha Zeisset, 1879

The next entries in the autograph book are from 1883. Louise arrived in New York City on the steamship Belgenland July 13, 1883. There are a number of entries in the autograph book from June 1883, so we can assume that there were several farewell gatherings for Louise. Was it Louise’s idea to go to America? Her obituary says that she “came to the United States with friends at the age of sixteen. Her first two to three years in this country were spent in Pennsylvania, moving then to Riley Co., Kansas in 1885." From the ship’s passenger list, Louise is in a group of thirteen Germans who list their destination as Philadelphia, but none of the names are familiar to us. It was likely that her trip was arranged by the ship’s captain and that she was to work for a wealthy family in Pennsylvania for a specified period of time in order to pay for her passage. Or did Jakob Friedrich use the last of the little money he had to pay for her passage? His bankruptcy was declared in November of 1883, so perhaps he was able to help a little with her monetary needs the previous July. Was she to go to America to lead the way for the rest of the family?

Looking at the autograph book, we see that on June 9^th, 1883 Louise was in Eichenau where her uncle Isaak Zeisset lived with his family. Her book is signed on that day by her cousins, Ludwig and Heinrich Zeisset, sons of Isaak and Bertha Zeisset. Did she spend the night with the Isaak Zeisset family? For on the next day, the book is signed in Eichenau by Aunt Bertha Zeisset, Isaak’s wife. A rough translation of the verse written by Bertha is:

Also on the 10^th of June, Louise traveled to Niedersteinach where the following signed her book: Aunt Elisabeth Bär Zeisset and her husband Johannes Zeisset, Marie Moser (who later came to Kansas with her parents and was married to Christian Bletscher in 1884), and a friend Katharine Abendschein. Later that day, Louise was in Obersteinach where her father’s aunt Barbara Zeisset Schmutz lived with her family. [insert FAMILY TREE]. There Louise’s book was signed by her great aunt Barbara Zeisset Schmutz and Barbara’s daughter Anna. On the following day, June 11, 1883, the autograph book was signed by Magdalena Bühler in Niedersteinach, Louise’s great aunt, Magdalena Zeisset who had married Matthäus Baer. They were the parents of the Baers who also emigrated to Kansas: Henry, Lena, and Anna (who married David Bletscher). At this time in 1883, Magdalena Zeisset Baer was the widow of her second husband, Jakob Bühler. [insert FAMILY TREE] She was 63 years old now, and died the following year in January at Niedersteinach.

June 24, 1883

In the autograph book, the next farewell gathering is on June 24, 1883 in Krailshausen. A friend, Mina Albrecht wrote a verse titled “Despair not!” perhaps an indication of Louise’s anxiety about her upcoming trip. On that day in Krailshausen, the book was also signed by friends, Paulina and Marie Münz, Rosine Weber and Marie Belschner. These were likely childhood friends, schoolmates and friends from church. Paulina Münz was born at Krailshausen on the 11th of March in 1867, so had grown up with Louise who was born in July 1866. Did these friends write letters back and forth from Germany to America once Louise made her new home in America?

June 25, 1883

On June 25, 1883, Louise’s brothers and sisters signed her book in Kreuzfeld. There is a verse written in one handwriting and it appears that the signatures are in another “from your three siblings”, Jakob, Babette and Heinrich (Jake, Bettie and Henry). There’s a lengthy entry from sister Bertha, and another from sister Lisette (Lizzie). “Aunt” Lena Baer, wife of Peter Baer who was already in Kansas, signed the book at Kreuzfeld. This Lena Baer was actually a cousin and not an aunt. She was the daughter of Magdalena Zeisset Baer Bühler and emigrated the following year with her children to join her husband in Kansas.

Page signed by Bertha Zeisset, Louise’s sister

Page signed by Jakob Zeisset, 1883

June 26, 1883

There are two signatures on the 26^th of June and we imagine this was the day when Louise actually left Kreuzfeld. One verse in very bold writing is signed “a remembrance from your devoted father” Jakob Zeisset.

Page signed by Johanna Luise Zeisset, Louise’s grandmother, 1883

The last verse written in Germany on the same day was from Jakob Friedrich’s mother, Louise’s grandmother, Johanna Luise Epp Zeisset, written in Schrozberg, so we can assume that Johanna was living in Schrozberg. Did Louise perhaps depart by train from Schrozberg? Schrozberg is about 350 miles from the port of Antwerp from which Louise sailed. Did she meet friends in Schrozberg and travel with them to Antwerp? Rail was the most likely method of travel for Louise from Kreuzfeld to Antwerp. Imagine the excitement and anticipation of going to America for this 16-year-old young lady. Imagine also the sadness in leaving all of her family and the fear of traveling farther than she’d ever traveled in her young life, to a foreign land where German was not the preferred language. How brave she must have been. She traveled with her one trunk, along with 555 other passengers on the SS Belgenland. She arrived in New York City on Friday the 13^th of July, entering through Castle Garden as it was nearly a decade before Ellis Island would open.

Louise Zeisset in America

There are a few more clues in Louise’s autograph book. The first dated entry in America was in German from a friend, Friedrick Fritz in Valencia, Pennsylvania on February 3, 1884. There was a Friedrich Fritz was born at Waldenburg in 1873, but as he would have only been 11 years old in 1884, this was not likely the same person. Waldenburg is where Louise’s aunt Magdalena Zeisset Belzner Sonder lived and where her grandmother, Johanna Epp Zeisset eventually died. Friedrich Fritz emigrated from Waldenburg with his father, brother and sister in November 1882. Presumably they knew the Zeissets when they lived in Germany. This Fritz family eventually lived in Riley County, Kansas as well. Louise’s destination as listed on the ship record was Philadelphia. But we’re not certain where she worked. Did she remain in Philadelphia or did she go elsewhere in Pennsylvania? Valencia is just north of Pittsburgh, the opposite end of the state from Philadelphia. The book is also signed by Matilda Brand on the same day, February 3, 1884. A biography of John Swart in the History of Nemaha County, states that Louise came to America in 1882, worked as a domestic for three years in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for wages from $1.50 to $2.50 per week, and then worked a year in Clay Center, Kansas prior to her marriage. This information would have been provided directly by John and Louise for the book published in 1916. Louise married John Swart in February 1886 in Leonardville, so the time intervals from the biography are not correct. We know that she arrived in the United States in 1883, so she may have worked in Pittsburgh for two years and then for a time in Clay Center. Maria Fritz, sister of Friedrich, was living in Clay Center in 1883, married to Jacob Heer. The half-sister of Maria and Friedrich was named Barbara and she was living in Clay Center having married J. W. Hood in Clay Center in 1883. Mrs. J. W. Hood signed Louise’s book in September 1886. Could it be that Louise had worked for one of these two sisters when she moved to Clay Center?

Meanwhile, back in Kreuzfeld

We return our attention now to Germany in the summer of 1883. Louise has just left for America. The Zeisset family certainly must have missed the oldest daughter/sister. Over the next year, Lena Baer and her children were preparing to travel to America to join the husband and father, Peter Baer. Lena and her family would be traveling with her sister Anna Baer, now married to David Bletscher.

With all this talk of emigration and plans being made for the trip, perhaps Jakob Friedrich Zeisset was thinking of traveling to America as well. He owned no land, his wife was dead, he was bankrupt, his oldest daughter was now living in America, and several of his cousins were either living in America or would soon be going there. Could it be that he came up with a scheme to make enough money to pay for the fare for himself and his five children to also emigrate to America? We will never know for certain what motivated Jakob Friedrich to set his barn on fire in order to collect the insurance money, but this proposal seems almost plausible. And that is the crime with which he was charged and for which he was incarcerated.

From information obtained in February 2007 at the Neuenstein Archive records, we now know that Jakob Friedrich was in desperate financial straits and was quite likely guilty of burning his barn in an attempt to meet the financial debts he was encountering, trying to avoid bankruptcy. As of the present time, the actual date of the alleged barn burning is not known. The story passed down to us is that Jakob’s barn had burned down previously and that it had been rebuilt with the insurance money. According to the 1878 and 1880 farm diagrams, there was indeed a barn which burned in that time interval and this is likely the barn mentioned in the story about a previous fire. It doesn’t appear that a barn was rebuilt however.

The Fire

Presumably, some time in the summer of 1884, Jakob Friedrich was said to have ignited a wagonload of hay and run it into his barn. This is the story told by Alfred Kuppler, the farmer who was renting the former farm of Jakob Friedrich Zeisset in 1985. A letter had been written to Dr. Kuppler just before the 2006 Zeisset Family Tour, but he was very ill at that time and died shortly after. [insert PHOTO OF DR. KUPPLER AND HIS GRAVE] Dr. Kuppler’s account matches a story recounted in Merton Zeisset’s book, “Our First Century in America”: “…Jakob was in the tavern in Kreuzfeld when the cry was sounded that the barn was afire. He is said to have made a careless comment, something like ‘Let it burn; it’s covered by insurance!’”

Another possibility set forth in Merton Zeisset’s book is that “the village brickmaker was accused of setting the fire because he was short of work and hoped for the job of making brick for rebuilding."

Imprisonment

It seems quite certain that there was a fire and that Jakob was implicated in causing it for fraudulent purposes. He was imprisoned in Schwäbisch Hall in the Landesgefängnis (regional prison) on the 26^th of August, 1884 with a sentence of one month and 15 days for the crime of “Betrug” or fraud. In reviewing the prison day book, we find that six others were imprisoned on that day, with sentences ranging from 36 days for vagrancy to seven weeks for begging (which commonly appears as a crime in the book). One other man received a sentence of four months for theft and another man six months for robbery. Yet another man received a sentence of one year, four months for robbery. So Jakob Friedrich Zeisset’s sentence was not a lengthy one in comparison. Perhaps they took into consideration his children who were without their mother.

The prison would have been a terrible place. In August, it would probably have been very hot, dank and filthy. In addition to sharing his accommodations with other prisoners, he would have shared his space with rats. Rats carried lice and lice carried typhus, a common disease of that time. Symptoms of typhus would have included severe headache, body aches, fevers and a rash. Over a period of about two weeks, kidney failure and pneumonia would be likely. And so it was that on the evening of October 6^th at the end of his sixth week of a seven week prison sentence, Jakob Friedrich Zeisset died of typhus. Another prisoner died the same day of typhus. The City Hall in Schw�bisch Hall has a communication from the prison dated the 7th of October 1884 which states that the prisoner Jakob Zeisset, born the 31st of May 1837, evangelical (or Protestant), widower, tenant farmer at Kreuzfeld, citizen of Menzingen, died on the 6th of October at 5:30 p.m.

How did the family learn of Jakob’s death? They probably knew he was ill, if they were allowed to visit him; but we don’t know if visitation would have been allowed then as it is now. It is likely that one of the brothers was informed of Jakob’s death and it was his sad job to let the children know that they were now orphans. We don’t know if a funeral was held for Jakob Friedrich Zeisset, as his death is not indicated in the individual death records for the Krailshausen church. His death is recorded on the family group record in the Kreuzfeld records (with Krailshausen and Schrozberg). The record tells of his death in Schwäbisch Hall at the prison from Typhus, but also remarks that he was not a native of the local population. On the Zeisset Family History tour in August 2006, the previous custodian of the church at Krailshausen showed the location of the former grave of Margaretha Zeisset and distinctly remembered that her husband was buried in the same grave, but he recalled the name as Georg. This was the name of the first-born son. He recalled when the grave was turned over to another family in 1969, the family currently living on the Hofgut Kreuzfeld. In February 2008, a visit to the City Archive of Schwäbisch Hall, previously an unfruitful visit, turned up the burial of Jakob Zeisset on the 9th of October in the Nikolaifriedhof, the cemetery in the city of Schwäbisch Hall, with the pastor listed as Ströbel. PHOTO OF THE NIKOLAIFRIEDHOF (PHOTO of grave)

Interestingly, Lena Baer, her children, David and Anna Bletscher and their son Christian left Germany for America on the 27^th of August 1884 as told in “The History of the David Bletscher Family”. This was one day after Jakob Friedrich’s imprisonment. They would have needed to depart Niedersteinach several days before that in order to reach the port in Bremen. Did they know of Jakob’s alleged crime prior to their departure? Who wrote to inform them? Who wrote to tell Louise of her father’s death? There are many questions, but few answers.

The Zeisset orphans in Germany

We do know a little bit about the lives of the orphaned Zeisset children in Germany. The children were presumably taken in by their uncles immediately upon Jakob’s imprisonment, or possibly before. Uncle Johannes Zeisset lived with his wife Elisabetha Baer at Niedersteinach. Elisabetha’s sisters, Lena and Anna, had recently departed for America as previously mentioned. The mother, Magdalena Zeisset Baer Bühler, had just died in January 1884. Johannes and Elisabetha had three children of their own, but had room for Bettie and Henry Zeisset.

Isaak Zeisset was actually the godfather of Bettie and Henry, but he would not be able to take all five children. From the church records, we know that Lizzie was confirmed in April 1884 at Lendsiedel, where Isaak and his wife, Bertha attended church. [insert photo of Lendsiedel church] So Lizzie was living there before her father’s imprisonment in August of the same year. Jake also went to Eichenau to live and was confirmed at Lendsiedel in April 1887.

We don’t know where Bertha lived after her father’s imprisonment. Johanna Epp Zeisset, Jakob Friedrich’s mother, grandmother of the six orphans was living at the time of Jakob Friedrich’s death. She had presumably been living in Schrozberg, based on the entry in Louise’s autograph book. Did Bertha go to live with her? Johanna had but one daughter Magdalena, sister to Jakob Friedrich, Isaak and Johannes. This Magdalena was living in Schrozberg at the time of her first and second marriages (1873 and 1881), and the Schrozberg church records indicate that she moved to Fasanenmühle by Waldenburg in August 1887. Johanna Epp Zeisset died at Fasanenmühle on January 27, 1889, so we can assume that she went there to live with her daughter, Magdalena.

Bertha and Bettie

Less than a year after their father’s death, Bertha and Bettie embarked on their journey to America. It’s possible that the Baers were able to earn enough money in America to assist in paying for the passage for the two girls. Perhaps Uncle Johannes helped in paying the travel expenses as well. Bertha was quite likely working and earning at least a little bit of money. Bertha was almost 16 years old and Bettie was 10 when they boarded the SS Fulda in Bremerhaven to leave for America. This was the exact ship on which the Baers and Bletschers traveled less than a year earlier. On the ship’s record, Bertha’s age is listed as 17 and Bettie’s is listed as 8. Mertons Zeisset’s book says that Bettie would have traveled for half price if accompanied by one paying full fare. Between them, they had one piece of luggage. Imagine the arrival of these two German children in New York City on Saturday, the 6^th of June, 1885. They certainly had instructions on what to do upon their arrival. Did a kind stranger help them or were they just two very capable young women? It is told in Merton Zeisset’s book that the Baers met Bertha and Bettie at the train station in Leonardville. They lived for a brief time at Alida with the Baers, but then Peter and Lena Baer moved to Leonardville and we know that Bettie lived with this family for a time. Bertha was employed by a family in Leonardville, headed by the German merchant Richard Burk, until her marriage to Juergen Nanninga on the 26th of March, 1886.

Lizzie and Jake

Half of the orphaned Zeisset children still lived in Germany at this time in 1885. We assume that Lizzie and Jake remained with the Isaak Zeisset family the entire time prior to their emigration. Lizzie was 15 years old and Jake almost 12 years old in 1885. They would likely have been helping with the work in the Zeisset home in Eichenau and perhaps they were earning the money it would take for their fares to America. Isaak and Bertha moved their family to the Schlossgut in Darstadt, just south of Würzburg in Bavaria, as previously noted in February 1888. [insert PHOTO OF DARSTADT] As this village had only a Catholic church, the Zeissets belonged to the church in nearby Winterhausen. [insert PHOTO OF WINTERHAUSEN CHURCH] Jake Zeisset lived in Winterhausen only two years before he left Germany forever.

Sixteen-year-old Jake Zeisset arrived in New York City, through Castle Garden, on February 26, 1890, a Wednesday. He arrived in Leonardville on the 6^th of March, 1890. A notation in the March 13, 1890 edition of the Leonardville Monitor, reports that “Jacob Zeisset, brother-in-law of John Swart arrived here last Thursday from Germany to make his home in glorious Kansas, under the grand old flag of freedom.” Jake probably lived for a short time with the Swart family since they are mentioned in this way in the newspaper.

Lizzie Zeisset was also living at Eichenau with the Isaak Zeisset family when they moved to Darstadt. This village was about 60 miles north of Eichenau, with Kreuzfeld half-way between the two. Isaak Zeisset employed a young man named George Weller. George was born in Onolzheim, Germany, about 20 miles directly south of Kreuzfeld and 10 miles southwest of Eichenau. It is likely that he worked for Isaak Zeisset when the Zeisset family was living in Eichenau and then moved with the family to Darstadt. George Weller had more than one reason to move with the Isaak Zeisset family, as a romance had blossomed between him and Lizzie Zeisset. Harold Weller spent a great deal of time with his grandfather George Weller and heard many stories from him. Harold remembers his grandfather George telling him that he worked for Jakob Zeisset in Kreuzfeld. George Weller could have been 20 years old when Jakob Friedrich died. It’s quite likely that George then went to work for Isaak Zeisset. He recalled the time that they moved livestock, machinery and hired help to a different farm about 60 miles away in the cold weather. This would likely have been the move from Eichenau to Darstadt. Lizzie emigrated to America arriving Thursday, April 30, 1891 in New York City. George Weller followed his soon-to-be-bride, arriving the 10^th of July 1891, a Friday in New York City. One wonders why they didn’t travel together. They were married in Leonardville the 28^th of October 1891.

Henry

Of the six Zeisset children, only Henry remained in Germany after 1891, living at Niedersteinach with Uncle Johannes. Plans were being made for his emigration after he finished school at fourteen years of age and after his confirmation in Orlach. In August 1892 a cholera epidemic broke out in Hamburg, causing 10,000 deaths in three months before it was contained. Bremen was the main emigration port at that time and was spared the epidemic, but government controls were being set up to prevent further such outbreaks. Hence, Henry’s emigration was delayed until 1893. By that time, Louise, Bertha and Lizzie were all married, with families of their own. It was agreed that Bertha and her husband Juergen Nanninga would pay Henry's $88 passage fare and that he, in payment, would work for Juergen for a year. Using the Consumer Price Index to compare the value of the dollar in 1893 to the value of the dollar in 2005, the $88 fare would be $1971 in 2005! Henry said goodbye to his Uncle Johannes and Aunt Elisabetha and his cousins on the 22^nd of March, leaving on the train for Bremen. On Friday, March 24, 1893, Henry boarded the ship Braunschweig for departure from Bremen to New York City on the 28^th of March. Unlike his brother and sisters, Henry traveled in the cabin section of the ship, rather in steerage. He also took three pieces of luggage with him, whereas his siblings had only one piece of luggage each, except for Bertha and Bettie who shared a trunk. Henry arrived in New York City on Monday, the 10^th of April. He was the only one of the Zeisset brothers and sisters to enter America through Ellis Island, as it had received its first immigrants in January 1892. The others entered through Castle Garden, also in New York City. As a cabin passenger, Henry was able to forego the inspection process at Ellis Island after a brief onboard inspection. From New York City, Henry took a train to Chicago, then to Riley, Kansas where he was at long last reunited with his brother and four sisters.

Further Research

This then concludes the information we currently believe to be true regarding our Zeisset ancestors in Germany. There is much more to be discovered. Technology has simplified the search for our ancestors, first through the microfilm records which can be obtained to review through the LDS church. The LDS church is in the process of converting all of their records to digital images which will be available to anyone with a computer and an Internet connection. New records continue to be filmed and added to their collections. This is particularly helpful when distance is involved in research. The Internet has made the world a smaller place and connections have been made with our distant cousins which may never have been made before.

There are other questions to answer, such as how the Mennonite Zeiset family in Kansas and Oklahoma is connected to our Zeisset family. Their immigrant ancestor was Samuel Zeiset who was born in 1829 at Giebelstadt, just south of Würzburg, and who came to America in 1849, settling in Woodford County, Illinois. Another question is the relationship to Georg Zeiset, born near Kochendorf around 1793, who settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania around 1853. There’s the question of how the Heinrich Zeisset in Chapter 6 is related.

A typewritten note from September 25, 1960 listed Irene Zeisset Baehr (of the Isaak and Bertha Hettinger line) as the source of information relating that the Zeisset family lived in Basel, Switzerland and then went to Paris, France prior to going to Germany. Wilbert Hoerman, son of Bettie Zeisset Hoerman, used to say that there was French blood in the Zeisset family. Betty Latimer, remembers her grandmother, Bettie Hoerman, telling her that the Zeissets had lived in France and that the family was associated in some way with the Hugenots. This is an area yet to be explored in the Zeisset family research. The Zeissett family of New York claimed that their ancestors came from Alsace-Lorraine, an area sometimes under French, sometimes under German control. The Argentinian Zeisset family apparently had also heard the story that the family previously belonged to the Hugenots.

Prison at Schwäbisch Hall, where Jakob Friedrich died

For the descendants of the six orphaned Zeisset children who settled in Kansas, questions arise regarding the alleged crime and death of our great grandfather Jakob Friedrich Zeisset. He certainly becomes a focal point of our interest. How many other Americans make sure to include a prison in a small town in Germany on their vacation plans? There are things we may never learn, but we certainly know more now than we did even a decade ago. The prison in Schwäbisch Hall is currently undergoing renovation as a new prison was built several years ago outside of the city and the old one was standing vacant. It is being preserved as an historical building and will eventually be open for some sort of business. And now we know the “final resting place” of Jakob Zeisset, although graves are rented in Germany and the previous occupant’s bones are removed to a bone house.

The first Zeisset reunion in Kansas was held in Leonardville on October 18, 1969. The reunion was organized by Merton Zeisset, son of the youngest of the six immigrants, Henry Zeisset. Ninety-six persons attended this reunion. In 1970, Merton and Ina Zeisset and their son, Ray and his wife Carolyn visited Germany. The second Zeisset reunion was held in Leonardville on June 19, 1972. Since the first reunion, some research had been done by a professional researcher and it was learned that Jakob Friedrich Zeisset and his wife, Margaretha had twelve children, with only six surviving. It was at this reunion that most of us learned of the circumstances of the death of Jakob Friedrich Zeisset. George Weller, son of George and Elizabeth Zeisset Weller, reported that he had known of the father’s imprisonment for over thirty years, but had said nothing. Betty Latimer, granddaughter of Bettie Zeisset Hoerman, remembers her grandmother telling her Jakob Friedrich had died in prison and that there had been a fire. So there were some very well kept secrets. Since learning of Jakob Friedrich’s imprisonment, there have been various attempts at explaining the fact that he was in prison.

Ray Zeisset, Henry’s grandson, gives the following account: “After the program, however, George Weller approached me and said he had a story for me. He told me that it was something he hadn’t ever told anyone else, but thought someone should know. [A good thing, since he died not that long afterwards.] George said that once there was a crime committed in the Riley area that everyone “knew” must have been committed by a certain person. In talking about it, one of the Baers commented to George that they wouldn’t want to make the same mistake they made with Zeisset in Kreuzfeld. Mr. Baer, who had come to America later than our ancestors, had still been in the community for some time after Great Grandpa died and told this story: Great Grandpa had been in the “restaurant” [being good teetotalers, he didn’t say Jacob was in the tavern and had obviously had a few], when someone came in saying, “Zeisset, your barn is on fire!” to which Jacob replied, “Oh, let it burn, it’s covered by insurance.” Jacob’s barn burned down a few years before, and had been rebuilt with the insurance money. There were not private insurance companies—insurance was a government service. Based on his comment, Jacob was charged with fraud to collect insurance money, convicted, sent to prison, and the rest is history. However, as Mr. Baer continued, it became known in the community after Jacob’s death that it was actually the village brickmaker who had set the wood barn on fire because business was slow, and a new barn would likely be made from bricks. At the next reunion, we reported this story at the reunion. Either during that reunion or afterward, someone told Dad that one of Henry’s sisters actually had seen the brickmaker running past their house the day of the fire, and had passed the story on to the person telling Dad.”

Chances are that we may never know the truth. It is particularly difficult in Germany to try to trace the history of a purported criminal, due to the interference of the World Wars. There are some new leads on places to look for information regarding Jakob Zeisset’s imprisonment, so the research process will continue.

Since the discovery of the Kreuzfeld records at the Neuenstein Archives, we can certainly have a more accurate understanding of the events at the Hofgut Kreuzfeld. After only a day of research, a few basic facts were obtained but there are many more records to review. [insert PHOTO of record pile)

In August 2006, over thirty of the six immigrant Zeisset descendants and their friends traveled to Germany as part of the Zeisset Family History Tour to see, as a group, where our Zeisset families lived and worked. The first German Zeisset family reunion was held in Weisweil at the restaurant “Hofladen Zeisset” where descendants of Matthäus Zeisset (1830-1896), Isaak Zeisset (1839-1897) and Jakob Friedrich Zeisset (1837-1884) met for the first time.