Descendants of Jacob Rathvelder

Introduction

I would like to thank the following for their help in researching the Rathfelder family in Latvia:

Catherine Watts
Inge Taschke-Pfeiff
Janice Schultz

Most importantly, I have used the excellent and most highly recommended research of Gustav Gangnus. Without his work I would not have had any of first 300 years of the Rathfelder history and much of the information in the last 100 years. Gustav's indispensable publications (in German) are:

1) his essay "400 Jahre Rathfelder" (1996)
2) his book "Vom Elsass hinaus in die Welt" (2003).

The Rathfelders in Europe were originally from Germany and lived for over 150 years in Latvia.

Germany

Rathfelders in Germany 1500's to 1700's

The Rathfelders in Germany lived to the East of Strasburg and Southwest of Stuttgart. The star on the map to the right is Bondorf where the Rathfelders lived prior to moving to the Hirschenhof colony in Latvia. Before living in Bondorf, they lived in Sulz or Sulz Am Eck. This is not to be confused with Sulz Am Neckar to the South. This area is in historical Wurttemburg and present day Baden-Wurtemburg.

Generation One

1. JACOB¹ RATHVELDER was born circa 1561. He married Anna (--?--) circa 1585. He died between 31 Jan 1622 and 20 Oct 1625.
He lived at Sulz, Würtemberg.
Children of Jacob¹ Rathvelder and Anna (--?--) were:

2. i. MICHAEL² was born on 23 Nov 1603 at Sulz. He married Catharina (--?--) circa 1621. He died on 14 Jul 1670 at Sulz at age 66.

Generation Two

2. MICHAEL² ROTHFELDER (Jacob¹ Rathvelder) was born on 23 Nov 1603 at Sulz. He married Catharina (--?--) circa 1621. He died on 14 Jul 1670 at Sulz at age 66.
Children of Michael² Rothfelder and Catharina (--?--) were as follows:

i. JACOB³ was born on 2 Apr 1628 at Sulz.
ii. CONRAD was born on 23 May 1629 at Sulz.
iii. CATHARINA was born on 25 Oct 1631 at Sulz.
iv. MICHAEL was born on 25 Nov 1633 at Sulz.
v. JOHANNES was born on 27 Feb 1635 at Sulz.
vi. ANNA was born in Oct 1637 at Sulz.
vii. JOHANNES was born on 8 Sep 1641 at Sulz.
He was a ropemaker.
viii. BARBARA was born on 7 Dec 1642 at Sulz.
ix. MICHAEL was born on 13 Mar 1644 at Sulz.
3. x. JACOB was born on 29 Jan 1647 at Sulz, Eck. He married Maria Hägele, Hägelin on 30 Apr 1672 at Bondorf. He died on 1 Oct 1705 at Bondorf, Herrenberg, at age 58.
xi. JUDITHA was born on 20 Aug 1649 at Sulz.

Generation Three

3. JACOB³ ROTHFELDER (Michael², Jacob¹ Rathvelder) was born on 29 Jan 1647 at Sulz, Eck. He married Maria Hägele, Hägelin on 30 Apr 1672 at Bondorf. He died on 1 Oct 1705 at Bondorf, Herrenberg, at age 58.
He was a linen weaver.
Children of Jacob³ Rothfelder and Maria Hägele, Hägelin all born at Bondorf were as follows:

i. MARIA⁴ was born in Jul 1648. She died on 11 Sep 1748 at age 100.
She unmarried.
4. ii. HANß JACOB was born on 25 Apr 1673. He married Catharina Föhr, daughter of Paulus Föhr, on 23 Aug 1701 at Haslach. He died on 9 May 1725 at age 52.
iii. ANNA was born on 15 Jun 1674. She died on 25 Jan 1675.
iv. ANNA MARIA was born on 10 Oct 1676. She died on 6 May 1677.
v. MICHAEL was born on 12 Jul 1678. He died on 14 Nov 1725 at age 47.
He unmarried.
vi. CATHARINA was born on 18 Dec 1681. She died on 30 Dec 1750 at age 69.
She unmarried.
vii. ANNA BARBARA was born on 14 Jun 1686. She married Andreas Contz. She died on 21 Feb 1748 at Öschelbronn at age 61.

Generation Four

4. HANß JACOB⁴ RATHFELDER (Jacob³ Rothfelder, Michael², Jacob¹ Rathvelder) was born on 25 Apr 1673 at Bondorf. He married Catharina Föhr, daughter of Paulus Föhr, on 23 Aug 1701 at Haslach. He died on 9 May 1725 at Haslach at age 52.
He was a linen weaver and court official.
Children of Hanß Jacob⁴ Rathfelder and Catharina Föhr were as follows:

i. ANNA MARIA⁵ was born on 5 Jul 1702 at Haslach. She died on 15 May 1708 at Haslach at age 5.
ii. MICHAEL was born on 15 Jun 1704 at Haslach. He married Rosina Vischer on 18 Sep 1731 at Haslach. He died before 1741.
He was a taylor at Haslach.
iii. JOHANN JACOB was born on 19 Feb 1706 at Haslach.
iv. HANNß JERG was born on 18 Mar 1708 at Haslach.
v. HANNß JACOB was born on 13 Dec 1711. He died at 1719.
vi. MARIA BARBARA was born on 24 Feb 1715 at Haslach. She married Hans Jerg Fellnagel at Haslach.
5. vii. BLASIUS was born on 9 Jan 1726 at Haslach, Herrenberg, Würtenberg, Germany. He married Margaretha Hämmerle on 20 Jun 1747 at Haslach, Herrenberg, Wurtenberg. He married Anna Maria Nonnenmacher on 10 Feb 1756 at Bondorf. He married Maria Ursula Sannwald on 24 Jun 1779 at Linden. He died after 1782 at Livland.

Generation Five

5. BLASIUS⁵ RATHFELDER (Hanß⁴, Jacob³ Rothfelder, Michael², Jacob¹ Rathvelder) was born on 9 Jan 1726 at Haslach, Herrenberg, Würtenberg, Germany. He married Margaretha Hämmerle on 20 Jun 1747 at Haslach, Herrenberg, Wurtenberg. He married Anna Maria Nonnenmacher on 10 Feb 1756 at Bondorf. He married Maria Ursula Sannwald on 24 Jun 1779 at Linden. He died after 1782 at Livland.
He was also known as Rothfelder.
Children of Blasius⁵ Rathfelder and Margaretha Hämmerle were as follows:

i. JACOB⁶ was born on 3 Dec 1747 at Bondorf. He died on 2 Jul 1748 at Reutin, Bondorf.
ii. JOHANN JACOB was born on 27 Jun 1749 at Bondorf.
6. iii. HANS JERG was born on 17 Jan 1752 at Bondorf, Germany. He married Juliane Bittenbinder on 27 Jan 1775 at Linden. He died on 5 Jul 1828 at Hirschenhof at age 76.

Children of Blasius⁵ Rathfelder and Anna Maria Nonnenmacher were as follows:

i. ANNA MARIA⁶ was born on 24 Jan 1757 at Bondorf. She married Georg Friedrich Schilling on 29 Jan 1775 at Linden.
She lived at Wirt 80, Hirschenhof.
ii. ANNA was born on 22 Feb 1758 at Bondorf. She married Johann Georg Erhard on 9 Nov 1781 at Linden.
She lived at Wirt 56, Hirschenhof.
iii. DOROTHEA was born on 22 Jun 1761 at Bondorf.
iv. JOHANN CHRISTIAN was born on 4 Oct 1762 at Bondorf.
v. JOHANN FRIEDRICH was born circa 1768 at Hirschenhof?
He lived in 1798 at Hirschenhof.
vi. CARL CHRISTIAN was born circa 1769 at Hirschenhof? He died on 21 Feb 1773.
vii. MICHAEL was born circa 1771 at Hirschenhof? He died circa 1802.
He lived in 1795 at Riga.
viii. MARIA CATHARINA was born on 8 May 1772 at Hirschenhof. She died on 13 Jun 1773 at age 1.

Children of Blasius⁵ Rathfelder and Maria Ursula Sannwald were:

i. CHRISTIAN FRIEDRICH⁶ was born on 19 Nov 1781 at Hirschenhof. He died in Sep 1782.

Plot #3 Hirschenhof

The text above is from a book on Hirschenhof written by Werner Conze in 1930. Blasius was the first settler of Plot #3.

Inge Taschke-Pfeiff from Bochum, Germany has researched some of the Latvian Rathfelders. She says that Blasius Rathfelder his wife and 7 children were from Bondorf near Nagold in Württemberg. They all emigrated to Hirschenhof, Latvia in 1766. Blasius was originally a weaver and had 5 more children in Hirschenhof. At that time, Katharina II of Russia, who was a German, was encouraging Germans to live in the Wolga area of Russia by offering land.

Life in Hirschenhof, Latvia

Since the 13th century, Latvia has had a history of being occupied by Germany, Poland and Russia. During the time the Rathfelders were in Latvia, the Country was ruled by Russia. According to www.geographic.org, " Besides the Baltic barons and other Germans, the greatest impact on the formation of the Latvian nation came from Russia, the giant neighbor that began the conquest of Latvia in 1710 under Peter I (the Great) (r. 1682-1725) and completed the process eighty-five years later. For more than 200 years, Latvians had a unique mixture of elites. The German nobility was dominant in economic, cultural, social, and local political life, and the Russian bureaucracy was in charge of higher politics and administration."

According to information at the Roots-saknes.lv web site, "The Tzarin Catharine II (she was also a German by ethnicity) organized some migrations of Germans to Russia in the 18th century and one of her projects was directly related to the region of Latvia. The Germans were invited to Vidzeme [Livland] province and settled in Hirschenhof manor. This was a State (Crown) owned manor. Hirschenhof in Latvian language was changed to Irši and the colony is usually mentioned in Latvian as Iršu kolonija. The first 321 person arrived in spring 1767, and in 1902 the number of their descendants was estimated at about 10,000 /KV, vol.2/, though many of them then lived in Riga and in other cities and towns of the Empire. Irši [Hirschenhof] as a German settlement disappeared after the German mass emigration in 1939."

Hirschenhof (Irsi) and Liepkalne

Irsi is South of ErgLi on a recent internet map. Liepkalne, where the Linden Church was is directly to the Northwest of present day Irsi. It is in the Modona District. Districts are referred to as Aprinki, while Hirschenhof was a Pagasts (the plural is Pagasti). Irsi or Ergli is the area closest to what was formerly Hirchenhof. It appears to be about 200 Km East of Riga.

The Religion of the Germans in Latvia was Evangelical Lutheran. The Linden Church was located to the North of Hirschen in Ohselhof. Click on the map titled Erbe 29 to see the location. A reproduction of the Church is shown below from the Gangnus Family book. Catherine Watts has translated a section from a book on the Gangnus Family from German.

The Protestant parish of Linden in Latvia.

The parish of Linden lay between Kokenhusen (Koknese near Riga) on the Daugava River in the south and the River Oger in the north. It consisted of estates owned by German landowners and two estates that had been the property of the Russian Crown since 1720. The two provinces of Hirschenhof and Helfreichshof were populated in 1766 with German colonists after the removal of the original Latvian resident farmers to other provinces. The church itself lay in the area of Ohselhof.

The Linden Lutheran Church

The Protestant vicar of Linden served an ethnically mixed parish, a Latvian and a German community, and preached in both languages. The Latvian community consisted of serf farmers, whose emancipation began in 1819 in Latvia (in Russia the emancipation of the serfs took place in 1861). The German community consisted of families of noble landowners, vicars, administrators, as well as non-professional craftsmen and the newly arrived colonists. The German section of the community was the highest in this part of the country thanks to the arrival of the colonists – although the Germans still only made up under 50% of the whole parish.

One differentiated oneself based upon one’s social status. The most important differentiating characteristic was perhaps language.Attempts to Germanify the Latvians were not made. If a Latvian were to achieve freedom, and adopted the German language, this was considered to be an increase in social status, and he/she would often take on a German name, if not already suggested by the German landowner.

In the eyes of the Baltic Germans, marriage to a Latvian was frowned upon. The colonists also took on this biased snobbery. Marriages to Poles were slightly better regarded, as from the beginning the Poles were considered as free people that could be employed upon the farms as opposed to mere serfs.

These colourful relations between the Germans and the Latvians are reflected in the church records of Linden. There were special books for the baptisms, weddings and burials of the Germans, and separate records for the “Un-Germans”, the Latvians.

In the family trees,births and deaths are recorded as Hirschenhof – even if the plot was in the smaller Helfreichshof – whereas the weddings are registered as Linden, as they took place in the church at Linden, which was outside of the areas of both colonies.

Generation Six

6. HANS JERG⁶ RATHFELDER (Blasius⁵, Hanß⁴, Jacob³ Rothfelder, Michael², Jacob¹ Rathvelder) was born on 17 Jan 1752 at Bondorf, Germany. He married Juliane Bittenbinder on 27 Jan 1775 at Linden. He died on 5 Jul 1828 at Hirschenhof at age 76.
He was a farmer. He lived at #3, Hirschenhof. He was also known as Johann Georg.
Children of Hans Jerg⁶ Rathfelder and Juliane Bittenbinder were as follows:

    7.  i.   JOHANN ADAM⁷ was born on 2 Nov 1775 at Hirschenhof. He married Anna Catharina Elisabeth Rothweiler. He died on 1 Mar 1814 at age 38.

      ii.   ELISABETH CATHARINA was born on 23 Mar 1777 at Hirschenhof.

    8.  iii.   JOHANN GEORG was born on 1 Jun 1778. He married Anna Charlotte Mertz, daughter of Johann Peter Merz Mertz and Anna Margarethe Muth. He died on 21 Jan 1856 at age 77. He was buried either 25 Jan 1856 or 26 Jan 1856 at Linden (Lipkalne).

      iv.   ANNA MARIA was born on 29 Nov 1779 at Hirschenhof. She married Gustav Merz, son of Johann Peter Merz Mertz and Anna Margarethe Muth.

      v.   ANNA CHARLOTTE was born on 8 Jul 1787 at Hirschenhof. She married Johann Eppinger on 10 Nov 1804. She and Johann Eppinger were divorced. She married Joh. George Peter Hauk on 8 Aug 1807. She died on 17 Sep 1820 at Ascheraden at age 33.
She lived at #29, Hirschenhof.

      vi.   GEORGE ADAM was born on 4 Oct 1788 at Hirschenhof.

      vii.   BURCHARD GUSTAV was born on 23 May 1790 at Hirschenhof.

      viii.   JOHANN GEORG was born on 15 Apr 1792 at Hirschenhof. He married Catharina Elisabeth Margaretha Hofmann on 14 Apr 1813.

Generation Seven

7. JOHANN ADAM⁷ RATHFELDER (Hans⁶, Blasius⁵, Hanß⁴, Jacob³ Rothfelder, Michael², Jacob¹ Rathvelder) was born on 2 Nov 1775 at Hirschenhof. He married Anna Catharina Elisabeth Rothweiler. He died on 1 Mar 1814 at age 38.
Children of Johann Adam⁷ Rathfelder and Anna Catharina Elisabeth Rothweiler all born at Hirschenhof were as follows:

      i.   JOHANNES⁸ was born on 2 Nov 1796. He died circa 1853.

      ii.   GEORG ADAM was born on 5 Feb 1798. He died on 13 Mar 1877 at age 79.

      iii.   CATH. JULIANE was born on 20 Sep 1800.

      iv.   JACOB BERNHARD was born on 11 Sep 1802.

      v.   JACOB GEORG JOHANN JACOB was born on 9 Aug 1805.

      vi.   FRIEDRICH SIMON was born on 24 Nov 1806. He died on 16 Dec 1806.

      vii.   FRIEDRICH JACOB was born on 2 Jun 1809. He died on 8 Jun 1809.

      viii.   MARIA BARBARA was born on 12 May 1810. She died circa 1840.

      ix.   GEORG LUDWIG was born on 30 Jun 1812. He died on 8 Jan 1866 at age 53.

8. JOHANN GEORG⁷ RATHFELDER (Hans⁶, Blasius⁵, Hanß⁴, Jacob³ Rothfelder, Michael², Jacob¹ Rathvelder) was born on 1 Jun 1778. He married Anna Charlotte Mertz, daughter of Johann Peter Merz Mertz and Anna Margarethe Muth. He died on 21 Jan 1856 at age 77. He was buried either 25 Jan 1856 or 26 Jan 1856 at Linden (Lipkalne).
He lived at Erbe 3, Hirschenhof. He was a farmer.
Children of Johann Georg⁷ Rathfelder and Anna Charlotte Mertz were:

    9.  i.   JOHANNES⁸ was born on 14 Mar 1819 at Hirschenhof, Latvia. He married Rosine Schwechheimer, daughter of Johann Gottfried Schwechheimer and Anna Charlotte Maria Gangnus, on 7 Feb 1843 at Linden. He died after 1899.

Generation Eight

9. JOHANNES⁸ RATHFELDER (Johann⁷, Hans⁶, Blasius⁵, Hanß⁴, Jacob³ Rothfelder, Michael², Jacob¹ Rathvelder) was born on 14 Mar 1819 at Hirschenhof, Latvia. He was baptized on 30 Mar 1819 at Evangelical Lutheran Church, Linden, Latvia. He married Rosine Schwechheimer, daughter of Johann Gottfried Schwechheimer and Anna Charlotte Maria Gangnus, on 7 Feb 1843 at Linden. He died after 1899.
He was a joiner.
Children of Johannes⁸ Rathfelder and Rosine Schwechheimer were as follows:

    10.  i.   JOHANN HEINRICH⁹ was born on 26 Mar 1846 at Hirschenhof, Latvia. He married Maria Elisabeth Laura Gangnus, daughter of Johann Philipp Gangnus and Jacobine Lütke. He died before 24 Mar 1921.

    11.  ii.   ANNA CHARLOTTE was born on 26 Nov 1848 at Hirschenhof, Latvia.

    12.  iii.   GEORG GUSTAV was born on 30 Jan 1851 at Hirschenhof, Latvia. He married Charlotte Kroeger.

    13.  iv.   JOHANN GOTTLIEB was born on 9 Aug 1853 at Hirschenhof, Latvia. He married Catharina Schmidt.

      v.   GEORG GUSTAV was born on 21 Jan 1857. He was baptized on 29 Jan 1857 at Linden. He died on 30 Jan 1857. He was buried on 1 Feb 1857 at Linden.

      vi.   CARL GUSTAV was born on 4 Nov 1858 at Hirschenhof, Latvia. He was christened on 4 Nov 1858.

      vii.   CATHARINA CHARLOTTE was born on 9 Sep 1859 at Hirschenhof, Latvia. She was christened on 18 Sep 1859.

Johannes lived in Parcel #29 in Hirschenhof. This is Erbe 29 in German and means "heritage". The farms were passed from father to eldest son. It appears that Johannes may have married a relative. The map to the right shows the area. The unshaded areas are the farm areas. The shaded areas are where the craftsment lived. It appears that the family all lived here. A Gustav Rathfelder, son of Johann also lived on the farm with his children and grandchildren. He may have been a younger brother of my ancestor Johann (father of Johann Heinrich). Further, there were other Rathfelders in the shaded are of Erbe 29. Their connection to the family is more unclear. Altogether, there could have been as many as 40-50 Rathfelders living on Erbe 29 at one time.

Generation Nine

Marie Gangnus

10. JOHANN HEINRICH⁹ RATHFELDER (Johannes⁸, Johann⁷, Hans⁶, Blasius⁵, Hanß⁴, Jacob³ Rothfelder, Michael², Jacob¹ Rathvelder) was born on 26 Mar 1846 at Hirschenhof, Latvia. He was baptized on 21 Apr 1846 at Linden. He married Maria Elisabeth Laura Gangnus, daughter of Johann Philipp Gangnus and Jacobine Lütke. He died before 24 Mar 1921.
He was a joiner or cabinet maker (tischler). He was also known as Henry.
Children of Johann Heinrich⁹ Rathfelder and Maria Elisabeth Laura Gangnus were as follows:

      i.   JOHANN PHILIPP NICOLAI¹⁰ was born on 22 Jul 1874 at Hirschenhof, Latvia. He married Otilie Dorothea Spatz on 8 Jun 1899 at Linden.

      ii.   MARIA CAROLINE was born on 15 Feb 1876 at Hirschenhof.

      iii.   ERNA AUGUSTE was born on 13 Apr 1877 at Hirschenhof.

      iv.   CAROLINE ANTONIE was born on 23 Oct 1878 at Hirschenhof, Latvia.

      v.   JOHANN JACOB REINHOLD was born on 20 Nov 1880 at Hirschenhof, Latvia.

      vi.   HARRY EDUARD was born at Hirschenhof, Latvia. He died young?

      vii.   ROBERT ERNST was born on 14 Dec 1882 at Hirschenhof.

1882 Riga and Surrounding Areas

      viii.   MARIE OTILIE HILDA was born on 31 Oct 1888 at Hirschenhof.

      ix.   LUDWIG ARTUR WILMAR was born on 12 Nov 1890 at Hirschenhof.

    14.  x.   ALEXANDER SIEGFRIED OSCAR was born on 11 Jun 1894 at Riga, Latvia. He married Emma Nicholson Lentz, daughter of Jacob George Lentz and Ann Eliza Nicholson, on 24 Mar 1921. He died on 18 Jan 1948 at 1140 Roosevelt Drive, Upper Darby, PA, at age 53. He was buried on 21 Jan 1948 at Arlington, Drexel Hill, PA.

    15.  xi.   LEONHARD FLORENTIN was born on 17 Oct 1896 at Latvia. He married Lidia Vasiljeva, daughter of Mikhail Vasiljeva, on 14 Jul 1917 at Rozhdestwensky Orthodox Church, Arkhangelsk, Russia. He and Lidia Vasiljeva were divorced on 25 Oct 1928 at Riga, Latvia. He married Clara Zvirbulis on 11 Jul 1931. He and Clara Zvirbulis were divorced on 29 May 1935. He married Iraida Pantelajeva on 29 Dec 1935 at St. Peter's Ev. Lutheran Church, Riga.

St. Peter's Church in Riga c. 1920

My great grandfather, known as Henry apparently moved to Riga before the birth of my grandfather Alexander. I assume the farm then went to Johann Philipp Nicolai. According to Inge Taschke-Pfeiff, a specialist in the area, Woldemar Rathfelder was the owner of the farm in 1939. I suspect he may have been the eldest son of Johann Philipp Nicolai.

The picture above right is from the front of a postcard from Riga, Latvia. This is most likely Marie Gangnus. Much more is known about her side of her family at this time than the Rathfelder side. There is some confusion as to when Henry Rathfelder died. Click on the photo to get a larger view. I think that it is possible that the person next to Marie is Leo Rathfelder.

The picture to the right is of the old City of Riga. St. Peter's Church is prominent in the picture. The spire was once thought to be the tallest wooden structure in Europe. The Rathfelder family attended this church. Leo, and possibly Alexander, were baptized here. Alexander was confirmed at this church at age 16. The Rathfelders lived in the part of the City that the picture was taken from. They would have been to the Southwest of the old city. Maria Gangnus Rathfelder lived at Gimnastikas Str. 9 in 1920. So this may be where the family also lived prior to that time.

11. ANNA CHARLOTTE⁹ RATHFELDER (Johannes⁸, Johann⁷, Hans⁶, Blasius⁵, Hanß⁴, Jacob³ Rothfelder, Michael², Jacob¹ Rathvelder) was born on 26 Nov 1848 at Hirschenhof, Latvia. She was baptized on 29 Nov 1848 at Linden.
She Anna Charlotte may have married into the family as I have no husband for her presently. She may have been a Hauk as this family appeared to occupy the land previously.
Children of Anna Charlotte⁹ Rathfelder both born Hirschenhof, Latvia include:

      i.   JOHANN GOTTLIEB¹⁰ was born either 9 Feb 1873 or 9 Sep 1873.

      ii.   CARL ROBERT was born on 1 Oct 1878.

12. GEORG GUSTAV⁹ RATHFELDER (Johannes⁸, Johann⁷, Hans⁶, Blasius⁵, Hanß⁴, Jacob³ Rothfelder, Michael², Jacob¹ Rathvelder) was born on 30 Jan 1851 at Hirschenhof, Latvia. He was baptized on 4 Mar 1851 at Linden. He married Charlotte Kroeger.
Children of Georg Gustav⁹ Rathfelder and Charlotte Kroeger were as follows:

      i.   JOHANN JAKOB CARL¹⁰ was born on 25 Jul 1879 at Hirschenhof, Latvia.
He was possibly the son of Georg Gustav and a previous wife.

      ii.   NIKOLAI ROBERT was born on 20 Jun 1890.
He was also known as SCHRIFT (CYRILLIC OR RUSSION).

13. JOHANN GOTTLIEB⁹ RATHFELDER (Johannes⁸, Johann⁷, Hans⁶, Blasius⁵, Hanß⁴, Jacob³ Rothfelder, Michael², Jacob¹ Rathvelder) was born on 9 Aug 1853 at Hirschenhof, Latvia. He married Catharina Schmidt.
Children of Johann Gottlieb⁹ Rathfelder and Catharina Schmidt are:

      i.   OTTILIE BARBARA¹⁰.

Generation Ten

Alexander in London circa 1915

14. ALEXANDER SIEGFRIED OSCAR¹⁰ RATHFELDER (Johann⁹, Johannes⁸, Johann⁷, Hans⁶, Blasius⁵, Hanß⁴, Jacob³ Rothfelder, Michael², Jacob¹ Rathvelder) was born on 11 Jun 1894 at Riga, Latvia. He married Emma Nicholson Lentz, daughter of Jacob George Lentz and Ann Eliza Nicholson, on 24 Mar 1921. He died on 18 Jan 1948 at 1140 Roosevelt Drive, Upper Darby, PA, at age 53. He was buried on 21 Jan 1948 at Arlington, Drexel Hill, PA.
He was a Hairdresser at Strawbridge & Clothier's Store. He Social Security # 183-01-0977 Worked at Strawbridge & Clothier's Store Lived at 1140 Roosevelt Drive for 8 years at time of death. Died of heart attack @ 8:30 a.m. from shoveling snow at age 53. His wife was 47. He was confirmed on 3 Apr 1911 at St. Petri Lutheran, Riga, Latvia. He emigrated on 15 Dec 1915 from Archangel, Russia. He immigrated on 15 Jan 1916 on the S.S. Czaritza, New York, NY. He was a chaffeur on 13 Jan 1920 at New York. As of 13 Jan 1920, he was also known as Alexadra Rathfellow. He appeared on the census of 13 Jan 1920 as a roomer with Charles Grosh at 609 West 135th Street, Manhatten, New York, NY. He was a Student in 1921. He lived in 1921 at 153 E. 8620, New York, NY. He lived in 1924 at 1114 East Earl Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylsvania. He was naturalized on 9 Mar 1925.
Children of Alexander Siegfried Oscar¹⁰ Rathfelder and Emma Nicholson Lentz were as follows:

    16.  i.   GLADYS MARIE¹¹ was born on 23 Dec 1921 at Philadelphia. She married James Frazer Hartley, son of James Hartley and Marion Margaret Frazer, on 2 Aug 1947 at Llanarch Hills, Upper Darby, PA.

    17.  ii.   MURIEL ANTONIA was born on 18 Sep 1924 at Philadelphia. She married Frank Breen.

    18.  iii.   RUSSELL CONWELL was born on 8 Dec 1925 at Philadelphia. He married Yolande Kelley. He married Jesse Stevens.

      iv.   VERNON ALEXANDER was born on 29 Jul 1929 at Drexel Hill, PA. He died circa 1944.

    19.  v.   ROBERT HENRY was born on 7 Apr 1933 at Drexel Hill, PA. He married Vera (--?--). He died on 5 Jun 1990 at Florida at age 57.

SS Czaritza

In 1905, Latvians held a general strike. Later that year the Russians killed 2,000 Latvians. In 1915, during WWI, the Germans occupied half of Latvia. Riga was taken by the Germans on 3 September 1917. The Germans surrendered a little over a month later. The Latvians declared their independence late in 1918 and fought for 2 years to keep Germany and Russia out of their country. With all the turmoil of the time, it is not surprising that many would want to leave.

According to Alexander’s naturalization papers, he emigrated from Archangel which is in Northeast Russia. His Certificate of arrival for Naturalization purposes says that he arrived in New York, N.Y on Jan. 15, 1916 on the S.S. Czaritza. "No record of his arrival could be found for the reason that Deserting seaman."

Archangel or Arkangel’sk, Russia

I have recently checked the NY Times and found that the Czaritza did arrive in New York, but at slightly different dates than stated above. The ship picture to the right was recently advertised and sold on EBay. This ship is noted in the Times 4 times in January of 1916:

1/2/1916 Due Tomorrow (Monday) Sailed out of Archangel Dec. 19
1/4/1916 Arrived Monday, Jan. 3 Due to sail out Saturday to Archangel
1/9/1916 Due to sail Wednesday
1/12/1916 Due to sail tomorrow to Kola Bay Mail close 10:00 A.M. Vessel sails 2:00 P.M.

It appears that the ship left later than originally. Planned. Did this give Alexander extra time to jump ship? Or was there extra time recruiting ship workers or looking for Alexander? Kola Bay is at Murmansk (see map). Also note that another ship out of Archangel arrived the same day and that the destination of the Czaritza apparently changed also from Archangel to Kola Bay.

Thanks to some picture postcards which Alexander kept, we can locate where he lived. On April 24, 1916 his brother Leo addressed a postcard to him at the German Hospital 77th E. Apparently Alexander was working and living there. Postcards from his mother probably sent in 1917 are addressed to 324 E. 87th Street. An undated postcard from Brother Leo was sent from Englan to the same address. Leo gave his address as Glasgow.

When Alexander was enumerated in the 1920 Census, he was living in a New York City apartment. He and others in the apartment first listed their birthplace as Latvia and then crossed it out and put down the U.S. In 1920, he was 26 years old and living in Manhattan on West 135th Street and working as a chauffeur. His three house mates were also from Latvia and employed as waiters. Soon after, he met Emma Lentz from Philadelphia at Atlantic City. They married and had 5 children. The first three children were born at the home of Jacob and Annie Nicholson Lentz at 1114 East Earl Street, Philadelphia.

Leo Rathfelder

15. LEONHARD FLORENTIN¹⁰ RATHFELDER (Johann⁹, Johannes⁸, Johann⁷, Hans⁶, Blasius⁵, Hanß⁴, Jacob³ Rothfelder, Michael², Jacob¹ Rathvelder) was born on 17 Oct 1896 at Latvia. He was baptized on 8 Dec 1896 at St Peter’s Ev. Lutheran Church, Riga, Latvia. He married Lidia Vasiljeva, daughter of Mikhail Vasiljeva, on 14 Jul 1917 at Rozhdestwensky Orthodox Church, Arkhangelsk, Russia. He and Lidia Vasiljeva were divorced on 25 Oct 1928 at Riga, Latvia. He married Clara Zvirbulis on 11 Jul 1931. He and Clara Zvirbulis were divorced on 29 May 1935. He married Iraida Pantelajeva on 29 Dec 1935 at St. Peter's Ev. Lutheran Church, Riga.
He was also known as Leo. He lived in 1920 at Artilerijas Str. 66, Riga, Latvia. He was a hospital attendant in 1922 on the S/S Latvia. He lived in 1923 at Gimnastikas Str. 22, Riga, Latvia. He lived in 1927 at Vasaras Str. 11, Riga, Latvia. He and Iraida Pantelajeva immigrated on 10 Nov 1939 to Germany.
Children of Leonhard Florentin¹⁰ Rathfelder and Lidia Vasiljeva were as follows:

    20.  i.   HERMAN¹¹ was born on 14 May 1918 at Arkhangelsk, Russia. He married Veneranda Martinson. He died in Sep 1977 at Manchester, Lancashire, UK, at age 59.

Nina Rathfelder

      ii.   VERA was born on 17 May 1921 at Riga, Latvia. She married (--?--) Strazds in 1944.

    21.  iii.   NINA was born on 27 Jul 1922 at Riga, Latvia. She married Voldemars Ciemgals on 24 Dec 1939 at Jesus Evangelical Lutheran Church, Riga.

There were no children of Leonhard Florentin¹⁰ Rathfelder and Clara Zvirbulis.
There were no children of Leonhard Florentin¹⁰ Rathfelder and Iraida Pantelajeva.

Generation Eleven

16. GLADYS MARIE¹¹ RATHFELDER (Alexander¹⁰, Johann⁹, Johannes⁸, Johann⁷, Hans⁶, Blasius⁵, Hanß⁴, Jacob³ Rothfelder, Michael², Jacob¹ Rathvelder) was born on 23 Dec 1921 at Philadelphia. She was baptized on 19 Mar 1922 at 1st Presbyterian Church of Kensington, Philadelpia. She married James Frazer Hartley, son of James Hartley and Marion Margaret Frazer, on 2 Aug 1947 at Llanarch Hills, Upper Darby, PA.
She was a Housewife.
Children of Gladys Marie¹¹ Rathfelder and James Frazer Hartley all born at Wareham, MA, are as follows:

      i.   HEIDI ANNE¹² was born on 11 May 1948. She married Kenneth Maitland Jr., son of Kenneth Maitland and Belva _, on 16 Sep 1972 at Marion, MA.

      ii.   JAMES VERNON was born on 16 Aug 1949. He married Ritsuko Kawahara, daughter of Nariyuki Kawahara and Fumiko Isayama, on 3 Feb 1972 at Fukuoka, Japan.

      iii.   JONATHAN FRAZER was born on 19 Feb 1951. He married Deborah Ann Stevens on 14 Mar 1981 at Wareham, MA.
He was a Accountant.

      iv.   JOEL DAVID was born on 4 Feb 1956. He married Linda Marie Jarek on 12 Aug 1978 at Rochester, MA. He and Linda Marie Jarek were divorced in 1990. He married Marie Elizabeth Butler, daughter of Richard Martin Butler and Joan Elizabeth Ellis, on 6 Aug 1994 at Snow's Pond, Rochester, MA.
He was a Environmental Engineer.

      v.   LORI JEAN was born on 6 Jan 1960. She married Michael Wilson.

      vi.   SHARON SUSAN was born on 11 May 1961. She married Eric Sylvia, son of William Ernest Sylvia and Bernice Louise Decker, on 26 Jul 1986 at Middleborough, MA.

17. MURIEL ANTONIA¹¹ RATHFELDER (Alexander¹⁰, Johann⁹, Johannes⁸, Johann⁷, Hans⁶, Blasius⁵, Hanß⁴, Jacob³ Rothfelder, Michael², Jacob¹ Rathvelder) was born on 18 Sep 1924 at Philadelphia. She married Frank Breen.
Children of Muriel Antonia¹¹ Rathfelder and Frank Breen are as follows:

      i.   GREG¹².

      ii.   .
RUSSEL also went by the name of RUSTY.

Bob, Russell and Vernon

18. RUSSELL CONWELL¹¹ RATHFELDER (Alexander¹⁰, Johann⁹, Johannes⁸, Johann⁷, Hans⁶, Blasius⁵, Hanß⁴, Jacob³ Rothfelder, Michael², Jacob¹ Rathvelder) was born on 8 Dec 1925 at Philadelphia. He married Yolande Kelley. He married Jesse Stevens.
He was a Salesman.
There were no children of Russell Conwell¹¹ Rathfelder and Yolande Kelley.
Children of Russell Conwell¹¹ Rathfelder and Jesse Stevens are as follows:

      i.   LINDA¹².

      ii.   HEIDI.

19. ROBERT HENRY¹¹ RATHFELDER (Alexander¹⁰, Johann⁹, Johannes⁸, Johann⁷, Hans⁶, Blasius⁵, Hanß⁴, Jacob³ Rothfelder, Michael², Jacob¹ Rathvelder) was born on 7 Apr 1933 at Drexel Hill, PA. He married Vera (--?--). He died on 5 Jun 1990 at Florida at age 57.
Children of Robert Henry¹¹ Rathfelder and Vera (--?--) are as follows:

      i.   ROBERT¹².

      ii.   CINDY.

      iii.   DEBBY.

20. HERMAN¹¹ RATHFELDERS (Leonhard¹⁰ Rathfelder, Johann⁹, Johannes⁸, Johann⁷, Hans⁶, Blasius⁵, Hanß⁴, Jacob³ Rothfelder, Michael², Jacob¹ Rathvelder) was born on 14 May 1918 at Arkhangelsk, Russia. He married Veneranda Martinson. He died in Sep 1977 at Manchester, Lancashire, UK, at age 59.
He was also known as Hermanis.

Children of Herman¹¹ Rathfelders and Veneranda Martinson are as follows:

      i.   ANDREW¹² was born at England.
He witnessed the death of Lidia Vasiljeva on 6 Jan 1982 at Altrincham General Hospital. As of 1996, Andrew Rathfelders lived at Andrew Rathfelder, 59 Wentworth Drive, Sale, Chesire, England, M33 6PW.

      ii.   LIDIA was born on 20 May 1944 at Varaklani, Latvia.

Children of Herman¹¹ Rathfelders and Mary Worswick are:

      i.   CATHERINE¹² was born on 8 Jul 1972. She married Phil Watts on 12 Sep 1998.

21. NINA¹¹ RATHFELDER (Leonhard¹⁰, Johann⁹, Johannes⁸, Johann⁷, Hans⁶, Blasius⁵, Hanß⁴, Jacob³ Rothfelder, Michael², Jacob¹ Rathvelder) was born on 27 Jul 1922 at Riga, Latvia. She married Voldemars Ciemgals on 24 Dec 1939 at Jesus Evangelical Lutheran Church, Riga.
Children of Nina¹¹ Rathfelder and Voldemars Ciemgals are:

      i.   BENITA¹² was born on 5 Jun 1941 at Riga, Latvia.

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