Genealogy of the Family of Jacob Blessing I of Pennsylvania and Virginia


Book Description

Jacob Blessing I (d. 1790) emigrated, probably from Wurttemberg, Germany, to Berks County, Pennsylvania before 1764, and married Elizabeth Ritschard Blessing, a Swiss immigrant. It is also possible that Jacob also came from Switzerland. The family moved to Dunmore (later Shenandoah) County, Virginia by 1780. Descendants and relatives lived in Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Tennessee, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Oregon, Washington and elsewhere.




Breathing Life Into Family Ancestors


Book Description

Realizing that crests are really assigned to a specific individual and not a family, I have still chosen to show the crests that are associated with the O’Malleys and Ritschharts. The O’Malley crest is a prominent fixture in any of the Irish Heraldry shops and I personally observed in inside the Catholic Abbey on Clare Island just off the coast of Westport in County Mayo. The Abbey dates back to the mid-15th century. The inscription at the bottom of the O’Malley crest translates to “Valiant by Sea and Land”. I observed the Ritschhart crest on a large wooden mural in the Church in Hilterfingen, Switzerland. The Ritschhart name and crest appears 8 times on the mural, donated in 1731 by 32 prominent families in the area.




Ordinary People Who Accomplished the Extraordinary--Our Immigrant Ancestors and Their Descendants


Book Description

Above is a photograph of Oberhofen Castle where at least three generations (circa 1585 to 1650) of Ritschards served as castle baliff. The photo was taken by the author during a visit in October 2004. This is the village where Christian Ritschhart, his family and 80 year old mother-in-law lived before emigrating to America in 1750.










Family Records Today


Book Description







A Genealogical and Biographical History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania


Book Description

The sketches in this book, numbering approximately 2,250 and naming a total of 50,000 related persons, generally treat subjects who were born in the early nineteenth century, with reference to immediate forebears of the late eighteenth century. The sketches typically mention the date and place of birth and marriage of the principal subject, the place of birth of his parents and often grandparents, sometimes the name of the first ancestor in America, and details of religion, education, military service, occupation, home, and residence.




Mennonite Family History April 2021


Book Description

Mennonite Family History is a quarterly periodical covering Mennonite, Amish, and Brethren genealogy and family history. Check out the free sample articles on our website for a taste of what can be found inside each issue. The MFH has been published since January 1982. The magazine has an international advisory council, as well as writers. The editors are J. Lemar and Lois Ann Zook Mast.




NGS Newsletter


Book Description