Rosenstiel: Below is a report on the descendants of Jacob Rosenstiel and Dorothy Schuetzenmeister. They immigrated from Germany to America about 1842, along with 5 sons, their daughter and son-in-law. All of the sons had large families, leaving many Rosenstiel descendants, particularly in Stephenson county Illinois. In May 2005 I had the good fortune of corresponding with Rhonda Hansch, a delightful Rosenstiel “cousin”, who has done some excellent work compiling Rosenstiel data. See more on Rhonda Hansch's work on the Rosenstiel Family. Much of the material you see here comes from her book. I am not attempting to duplicate her efforts. This account is brief and only outlines three generations, beginning with Jacob Rosenstiel and identifying his children and grandchildren. Census records given here are the primary addition to Rhonda Hansch’s work.
Descendants of Jacob Rosenstiel
Generation No. 1
1. JACOB ROSENSTIEL was born on the 9th of July 1793 in Grossfurra Thuringen Germany. Family records give his name as Johann Jacob Rosenstiel and identify his parents as
Johann Christoph Rosenstiel and Johanna Maria Elisabeth Wezel. Jacob Rosenstiel was married on the 9th of February 1812 to DOROTHY SCHUETZENMEISTER in Grossfurra Thuringen Germany.
Her christian name is given as Johanne Dorothea Sophie Schuetzenmeister and her parents are named as Johann Andreas Schatzenmeister and Rosalie Catharina Hilpert.
There may have been alienation between Jacob Rosenstiel and his father over his choice of a wife. But, the young couple remained in Grossfurra Thuringen Germany
for thirty years after their marriage and all of their seven children were born there. These children have been identified as: Katherine Rosenstiel who died young,
John Rosenstiel, Mary Rosenstiel, Charles Henry Rosenstiel, Christian Rosenstiel, Henry Rosenstiel and Fred Rosenstiel.
Rhonda Hansch's work on the Rosenstiel Family gives interesting details of Jacob Rosenstiel's family in Germany, and their immigration to America.
Apparently he worked as a forester and a superintendent on a local estate. His two oldest sons, John Rosenstiel and Charles Henry Rosenstiel were probably the first to come to America in 1840.
During this period many families sought ways to remove their sons from the forced military service of their nation. The young men found America to their liking and the rest of the family immigrated in 1842.
They took passage on the ship Albert and after an eighteen-week voyage, landed in Baltimore Maryland on the 20th of June 1842. The arrival papers list the family as "peasants",
but there are indications that at least one of their sons had a university education. The 1860 census shows Jacob Rosenstiel as a "retired gentleman".
Descendant Joey Rosenstiel visited in Germany in 1991 and brought back this interesting excerpt from the Chronicle of the Church Community of Grossfurra, 1842 (translated):
In the spring of this year six families and four single young males emigrated from here to America, altogether twenty six people, to wit:
Jacob Rosenstiel with his wife and three sons; Friedrich Gassmann with his wife and one child; Gottlieb Schmidt with wife; Volkmann Sieber and his wife and one son;
Christoph Rampenthal with his wife and two sons; Gottlieb Daniel with wife, his sister Christine Daniel and two children; Wilhelm Mannstedt, a son of Gottfried Mannstedt of this town;
Heinrich Volkmann, a son of the Master Cooper Andreas Volkmann; Friedrich Dorre and Heinrich Krahmer.
copied, with permission, from Rhonda Hansch's work on the Rosenstiel Family
Jacob Rosenstiel's 'three sons' would be his younger sons, Christian Rosenstiel, Henry Rosenstiel and Fred Rosenstiel. The next person on the immigrant list, Friedrich Gassmann, would be his son-in-law.
Several of the immigrant families settled near each other in Stephenson county Illinois. All of the Rosenstiel sons gradually took up farms in the area.
Fifty years later, Rosenstiel and Gassman descendants were still farming and living in various small communities in Stephenson county, Illinois. Some were eventually drawn to the larger town of Freeport.
Descendants are still in the area today.
Census records show the following:
1850 Census of Stephenson county Illinois – page 327
| Jacob Rosenstiel | 61 – Germany – farmer – re $1000 | |
| Dorthea | 60 - Germany | |
| Frederick | 15 - Germany |
1860 Census of Stephenson county Illinois – Erie township about page 250
| F Rosenstiel | 26 – Germany - farmer | |
| Johanah | 25 - Pa | |
| Marthana | 7 - Ill | |
| Anne | 3 - Ill | |
| Jacob | 79 – Germany - retired gentleman | |
| Merty | 75 |
Jacob Rosenstiel and his wife Dorothy Scheutzenmeister lived in Stephenson county Illinois about twenty years. Jacob died on the 31st of August 1863 and Dorothy on the 11th of February 1864. They are buried in the Lena Burial Park in Stephenson county Illinois.
Read more on the Homeland of our German Ancestors.
Read more on Coming to America.
Learn more about Rhonda Hansch's work on the Rosenstiel Family.
| i. | KATHERINE ROSENSTIEL was born on the 2nd of June 1812 in Grossfurra, Thuringen, Germany. Her christian name is given as Henriette Maria Catherina Rosenstiel. She died before her second birthday on the 11th of January 1814. | ||
| 2. | ii. | JOHN ROSENSTIEL, b. November 20, 1814, Grossfurra, Thuringen, Germany; d. February 11, 1890, Stephenson co, Illinois. | |
| 3. | iii. | MARY ROSENSTIEL, b. December 26, 1818, Grossfurra, Thuringen, Germany; d. August 15, 1846, Erin ts, Stephenson co, Illinois. | |
| 4. | iv. | CHARLES ROSENSTIEL, b. April 18, 1821, Grossfurra, Thuringen, Germany; d. July 16, 1902, Freeport, Stephenson co, Illinois. | |
| 5. | v. | CHRISTIAN "CHRIS" ROSENSTIEL, b. July 30, 1823, Grossfurra, Thuringen, Germany; d. January 16, 1899, Goddard, Sedgewick co, Kansas. | |
| 6. | vi. | HENRY ROSENSTIEL, b. August 22, 1827, Grossfurra, Thuringen, Germany; d. June 26, 1898, Stephenson co, Illinois. | |
| 7. | vii. | FRIEDRICH "FRED" ROSENSTIEL, b. April 03, 1835, Grossfurra, Thuringen, Germany; d. July 22, 1887, Eleroy , Stephenson co, Illinois. |
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Pamela Hutchison Garrett
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Citation: Garrett, Pamela Hutchison 2005 Looking Back: Family Stories and Genealogy http://pamgarrett.com/ [date accessed].