MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

HO! HO! HO! Merry Christmas!

Yeah..hard to believe the last Sunday of Advent is nearly upon us (and I still have a few presents to make! Guess they will arrive at their destination the 27th of Dec or so).

I am off from college right now, and one would think with all the free time on my hands I would be all done with Christmas "stuff"...what is it about free time that slows us down? Perhaps the promise of another day we can do what needs done? Or another day to procrastinate doing the household tasks that we find not so fun (in my case: laundry. I find it immensely frustrating as I know I wear socks two at a time, yet I end up with singles at the end! ARGH! Makes me think my washing machine has a sock fetish).

I leave you with a story from my life about time. Take time, slow down just a little and hug someone today!

Elsie was crippled by arthritis and bothered by the depression that can come with the lingering, progression of it. She could still feed herself (slowly) and wash her hands and face. She could no longer dress without assistance, stand up, or even comb her hair. But she could laugh. Her laugh would come all the way up from her toes and her blue eyes would twinkle as she gave you her special “yeah, right” type of look out of the corners of her eyes. My most cherished memories with Elsie happened on the days when I could snitch an extra 15 minutes beyond our normal 5 or 10 minutes from my self-imposed time-line to sit on the edge of her bed and visit. She spoke very slowly in a soft, shaky voice, and it was necessary to wait for the words to come out. You could not rush her...you had to be patient. Elsie was also on quite a few medications. She could no longer just pop them in her mouth and swallow. They had to be crushed and mixed with applesauce. Any nurse that has to crush medications will tell you: There is an art to perfecting the amount of sauce needed to moisten the resulting powder enough to stick it together, yet allow it to slide...and to not exceed a “bite size”. Once is bad enough, but to subject someone to it two bites? Not unless you have to! Have you ever let an aspirin or a tylenol dissolve on your tongue? Have you ever crushed one of each, put them in your mouth for the time it took you to lean forward in your chair to grab your water glass off the table and wash them down? It doesn't taste like Hershey's kisses!

Anyway, Elsie put up with this routine four times a day, not counting the days where the scheduled pain medications didn't work and an “as needed” dose or two was necessary to keep her pain tolerable. We got comfortable enough with each other over the last two years of her life, to try making medication time a little more fun. I would crush the pills, mix them into the applesauce, then bring them to her. She would give me a wary look, as I came into her line of sight, coupled with a slight deepening of her dimples. I would give her a huge grin and a hearty “HIYA, ELS!”. Then I would pull up a chair, sit down and give a final stir to the “goo” (as we called it). I would then look into eyes that were now twinkling back at me, cause we both knew what came next: the subliminal suggestion. I would ask her what we tried last and she would tell me (our favorite suggestion was “hot, homemade apple pie with a huge ol' scoop of vanilla ice cream just starting to melt on top”). I would suggest a flavor (aided by her telling me if she really liked it or not. If not, I picked another), pull the water glass closer to her reach, and ask if she was ready. She always answered gamely with a chuckle and an “I guess”. I would feed her the spoonful of goo, say “Yum! Yum! Mmmmm that tastes good!” and be ready to help steady her hand while she drank some water. Then to complete the game, I had to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. If I tried to rush off because I felt I was running behind, she would always call me back for her hug and kiss.

Lesson: Time moves inexorably onward. We cannot stop it, but we can make the most of it. When they say it is the little things that count? They are right.

HUGS!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I too am wondering where the year has gone (and is going!). Thanksgiving is next week and I am planning on heading back to the Iron Range for a few days over the holiday. Notice I didnt add "weekend" onto that. I have to work the weekend at my nursing home.

I dont mind, really. In this economy, I am thankful I have a job...and I am thankful for all the smiles and hugs (and Myrna-love-pats) I do get at work.

Looking back over the year, I am astounded at how our family has grown. There was always that question out there: "Are there more of us?" which through the grace of the internet was answered with a resounding YES!! Some of you may spell the name a little oddly, but I am happy to claim you as family anyway!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Jen

Well, Labor Day is tomorrow...any plans for the day? My folks are here in Iowa visiting me. Tomorrow the plan is to:
1) Sleep in;
2) Have a nice, leisurely breakfast;
3) Hit the Flea Market up in the Lakes at Vick's Corner.

Realize, Pops, though I love him dearly, seems to think that 7:00 a.m. is "slept in". I know what will happen: I will awaken at 0530 with Mother Nature screaming my name. With luck I can stall her til 6. At the sound of the flush, Pops will wake up, take a shower, shave, pace around the apartment until 7, then drive to the Hy-Vee to get a newspaper and a cup of coffee. The sound of the door shutting will awaken Ma. She will attend to Mother Nature's demands, come into the living room and ask me if Pops went to get the paper, start my little coffee pot (love the smell, don't really care for the taste), and check her email.

I love having them here. I am suffering horribly from the Empty Nest Syndrome. It really isnt all it is cracked up to be. At least with the extra noise in the house, I dont need to leave my tv running at night to sleep by. (Not only that, I get babied: Ma makes me lunch, iced tea, and has supper plans by the time I get home from college!). They are heading back up to Minnesota on Tuesday...and my College Freshman son (and likely some of the other kids in his high school class) will be here this coming weekend!! Noise in the house (and no left overs)! YAY!!!

Any of you have any old Labor Day family picnic pictures, current plans or family stories to share?

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY, Family!

Well, today is the 4th of July. Personally, I would like to thank those members of our family that have already, are doing and will serve in our country's military. Looking back at the information collected about our family, all I can say is: Wow! There are a lot of us past and present that have served the United States of America. Makes one proud to be an American. Just think, we have over 5 generations of history here...Sardin and his boys were here during the Revolutionary War! Can you imagine what Sardin would think about the state of the Union today?

Here is a link that you may enjoy playing with. You can create your own fireworks show of sorts. Turn up the speakers and click away! (It helps if you have John Phillip Sousa blasting away on the hi-fi (stereo for you younger folks :) to help keep a rhythm to the explosions)

John's Relatives

Hey there again! Remember a month or so (maybe more by now...time flies) when I posted about "Some dude"? Well, he facebook-ed a few pictures that I naturally stole to post here as well.

Forrest H. Nesselrode 1887-1956


John H. Nesselrode 1922-2004


Yes, it is hard to read, but well worth it! Mr. and Mrs. J.H. Nesselrode and Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Deem (J.H. and Mrs. J.R. were brother and sister) celebrated their 50th wedding Anniversaries on the same day! (Yes, the couples were married in a double ceremony.) A part of the article along the side of the pictures says:
"Fifty years ago, J.H. Nesselrode and his sister, Dolly were married at a double ceremony in the same house that will house the Saturday gathering. She became Mrs. Deem and her friend, Anna Moulton, Mrs. Nesselrode."

Thanks, John for more "stuff" on us!!

HUGS!

Family Photos 1 Images NOT resized

Allright. You were warned. Here are some photo reprints obtained while I was "up nort" visiting my folks over Easter.

Here is a rather handsome looking fellow. He was known as Whitey to his Civilian Conservation Corps crew, and Milford to his Kansas family and relatives.
James Milford Nesselroad, Sr.

Not too bad, hey? Well now we are going to go back in time a bit and then come forward again. Why? Because as we head forward, I know the people! I will stick a couple up on facebook too, and those will be marked here with an "FB". That way when you get here, you will know where you "just saw that picture somewhere" :o)
"FB"
Back Row L->R: Osmer Wesley Nesselroad, Lura Nesselroad-Gehring, James Nesselroad (killed in an accident)
Front Row: John Nesselroad and Margaret J Hendershot-Nesselroad
Correct?


Jane Grimes Nesselroad? (Osmer's Grandmother if we have this photo labeled correctly)

Now it gets dicey. See it looks like a family gathering in the next one. Looking carefully, we can identify some folks. This is where I am hoping someone out there can fill in our gaps.
"FB"
Here is what I have on the back of the photo...it could be erroneous! The '?' mean someone I don't know. I am going to use 3 rows of people since the last 2 sort of blend in with each other anyway.
Front Row L->R: Newt Nesselroad, ? on lap, ? (Mrs. Newt :o) )
Second Row L->R: ?, ?, ?, ? (boy), ? (orientation note: These are 4 young ladies and one young lad right behind Mrs Newt).
Back 2 Rows (go face by face to follow the '?') L->R: ?(Flora Martin), Helen Nesselroad, ?, James Nesselroad Sr, ?, ?(Lura Nesselroad-Gehring?), ? (Osmer?)

Whew! Here are some pictures where we are 99.9% sure of who is pictured:

Face by Face, L->R: James Sr, Helen, Annie Beatty (Nellie Beatty-Nesselroad's mom?), Carl Nesselroad (died from appendicitis), Mildred.

Scary looking Grandma, huh? This is Nellie Geneva Beatty-Nesselroad. She was James Sr's mom. Pops says he remembers being a little scared of her when she would come to visit. L->R: Janet Mary Nesselroad-Nori, Nellie, Little Pops...umm James Milford Nesselroad, Jr.

Finally a family picture before my Uncle Wes entered in. This is the original homestead of the Nyssela Family (Noooo-Seh-Luh), my Grandma's family.

L->R: Janet Mary Nesselroad-Nori, James Milford Nesselroad, Sr., Elma Elnora Nyyssela-Nesselroad, James Milford Nesselroad, Jr.

Facebook strikes again!

Picture it. I am sitting at my keyboard, tonight, trying to expand my fenced in area for my sheep on FarmTown (an addicting facebook app), when I look up and notice I have a message.

It is from some dude (sorry John...) that basically says "I found your blog. We are related." And lists relatives back to Sardin's son, Christian!

Then he made a suggestion. Now I dont know how many of you are familiar with geeks (the ones that can lay hands on your computers and bend them to their will, or painstakingly read the instructions on assembling nearly anything...and understand them!), but the suggestion awakened the geek in me. So...we now have a group on facebook!

Invitations went out to everyone in my facebook friends who is a Nesselroad (or related to one). Look for the group: Nesselroad, Nesselrode, Nazelroad...oh heck.

Here is a link to it (you do have to be a member of facebook). The group is wide open in the hopes that others will stumble across it and actually admit they are related to the rest of us!! :oD

It is free and if you message a Nesselroad (regardless of spelling), they can befriend you and hook you up ;o)

So, Welcome to the Family, John!

CHEERS!

The Haus Nesselrath and the Coat of Arms

Reading through the links that Angelika provided, here is the house that keeps popping up as the Haus Nesselrath and the Coat of Arms for same.





Here is the official description of the crest with the original German in parentheses:
The master Crest shows in red a silver exchange Peaks bar with the top four and bottom Three Peaks. (Auf dem Helm ist ein am Hals mit dem Zinnenbalken belegter roter Brackenrumpf.)
The helmet is a neck with the bar occupied Zinnen red Brack fuselage. (Die Helmdecken sind rot-silbern.)
The helmet covers are red and silver.

The hound is not mentioned, but as Angelika's post describes, meant that the family had hunting rights.

Remember the mantling that shows as a cape around the hound's shoulders was added AFTER Sardin had come to America.

Confirmation of information from Germany!

Hello again, family!! What a wonderful happening today for us!!

Imagine my surprise when I checked the blog's email box today and there, in black and white (with some photos thrown in), is a response to an email I wrote to Schloss Dagstuhl over a month ago!

From Angelika Mueller in Germany:
"We are a conference center for computer science and our house Schloss Dagstuhl has a more than 1000 year old history. One of the main families who reigned over Dagstuhl was the family von Sötern (or Soetern). One of their daughters Anna Katharina von Sötern (1592-1629) married Adolf von Nesselrode zu Erishofen (or Nesselrode-Ehrishoven and more other spellings). Later their son Bertram became guardian for the young Phillip Franz von Sötern, who’s father died before he had the age to reign by himself.

Therefore the Nesselrode family had the regency over the Dagstuhl dominion from 1652 to 1660.

In one of our historical rooms are the coat of arms of Nesselrode-Erichshofen (see attached photo). A photo of the door you mention is also attached. The coats of arms of all Dagstuhl-related families are on that door.

Some information about the Dagstuhl history is here:
http://www.dagstuhl.de/en/about-dagstuhl/history/
We have also a brochure about the Dagstuhl history with many photos including this famous door. You can download this brochure (Note from me: 3.03 MB, 24 pages, about 30 min to an hour on dial up) from our history page or I can send you one specimen by air mail. In that case I need your surface mail address.

Some information about your ancestors:
Nesselrath is the village with a nearby medieval castle where the Nesselrode family once lived. This village is indeed at the boards of the river Wupper. (Search maps.google.com with "Haus Nesselrath")

Many other spellings are common for the family. But Nesselröden and Nesselrodt are other families. The word means "to stub the nettle". I found it funny, that when transforming this name to an english version in the 18th century, the word for stub (roden) was transformed to road! The sound is much the same!

Some pages about this family (in German):
http://www.tetti.de/SOLINGEN/NESSELRATH/
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nesselrode_(Adelsgeschlecht)
In this page they explain the coats of arms:
A beam of pinnacles (merlons) as symbol of the castle or principality. The head of the hound symbolizes the hunting rights of the family. The hound also shows the beam of pinnacles around his neck.
The colors are read and silver.

Relation to the Sötern family and genealogy (I converted the link to make the family name "clickable", the link didn't copy nicely on its own)


Hope this information helps you. If you once have the occasion to travel to Germany, please visit our house. You need to be announced, since it is usually closed for visitors."

And! And! here are the photos that corroborate with Talwin's research:







If you look closely, you can see the familiar shield with a dog's head on it (not quite what was pictured in the Coat of Arms post) on the wall in the dining room and also on the lower right hand side of the door (as you face it).

Needless to say,I sent a HUGE thank you to Angelika for her information and the photos.

So...how many of you are now applying for passports and buying tickets to Dagstuhl? :oD

Personally, I will be scrounging through the links sent by Angelika, much the same way I suppose as an anteater looking for ants in an anthill. Unfortunately, my gratification will be somewhat delayed as I have 2 tests this Thursday...

Cheers!

P.S. If you copy each link and paste it into the Google search engine, you can click the "Translate this" link to get it in English.

The Coat of Arms we have...

Hello again, to the Nesselroads and assorted other-named relatives!

Finally was able to get my hands on the Coat of Arms plaque that hung in my Grandpa Nesselroad's house for years. Ma thinks they were purchased from someplace in Ireland in the mid-60's ("like '64 or '65"). Actually as you refer to the picture and the decriptions, you can see that the folks that did this in Ireland did their homework!



Here is what I have managed to dig up on the parts of the whole:
Starting at the top working our way down:

Obviously the family name. (In English heraldry, the motto and name are reversed)

Red dog: Ok, so it isn't called a red dog. Technically it is a"Rampant Dog". It stands for courage, vigilance, loyalty. The erect tail means (of all things) aggression. So, we are aggressively loyal, vigilant, and courageous. :o)

The crown the dog is standing in is called a "ducal coronet". It isn't an official part of the blazon (ie "the official written description of all the parts") and its shape/style varies with rank.

Red and White wreath: The wreath was originally 2 braided silk scarves which set the helm apart from the shield and hid the joining seam. One was in the color representative of the metal and the second in the first named color. So our metal would be "argent" (silver) and the color would be "gules" (red). Collectively called "the colors".

Helm: In profile means warrior, peer. Since we know we aren't royalty, thanks to Talwin, it is a given the helm would be steel and the closed visor means: Gentleman

Shield: Three parts: Red, White and Stepped line:
- Red stands for military strength, brave, strong, generous and just.
- White stands for peace and sincerity.
- Stepped line means walls of a fortress or town or fire.

The flower vines on either side: hope and joy.

If you refer back to Talwin's description of the coat of arms and some of the history, yes, it matches! HOORAY!!

Now, if we were to construct a "blazon" (remember, it means official, written description) of our parts, it may read something like: "Arms: Gules, argent embattled fesse. Crest: A dog rampant gules"

Fesse is referred to as "an ordinary". We know it is honorable as it occupies 1/3 of the shield.

Pretty fancy wording for: "red shield with white double-sided stepped line, across the middle. Topped with a red dog standing on its hind legs", isn't it? ;o)

The websites where I dug up some of this stuff:
http://www.fleurdelis.com/meanings.htm
http://www.fleurdelis.com/coatofarms.htm
http://www.fleurdelis.com/shieldsdividing.htm
http://genealogy.about.com/od/heraldry/Heraldry_Coats_of_Arms_and_Family_Crests.htm
http://www.coatsofarms.addr.com/pimbley.htm

Now with your curiosity piqued, I have a question for you: How many of you out there have a similar plaque hanging in, or have seen hanging in, an elderly relatives house?

And don't be bashful about sharing this blog with relatives! The more information we can gather together in one area for the purposes of posterity and linking us together, the better!

Talwin Research: Starting with Sardin Christian

NESSELROTH-NESSELROAD-NESSELRODE-NESTLEROTH-NESTLERODE-NESTLEROAD-NESTELROAD

SARDIN CHRISTIAN NESSELROTH (1737-1813). Born in Germany. He sailed from Hamburg, Germany aboard the 'Queen of Denmark', and arrived in Philadelphia, Pa. on Nov. 2, 1752. He settled in Lancaster County, Pa. He married Elizabet (Kurz). His occupations were farming and fishing. They raised five sons- (I have been unable to verify any daughters). The Nesselroths were members of 'The Trinity Lutheran Church'. Elizabeth died in 1843 and is buried with her son John and his wife in the family cemetery. It is located on the farm about one mile north of Ravenwood, W. Va. Their sons were:

I. Christian Nestleroad (1762-1835). This is the spelling used in the will. His tombstone spelling is NESTELROTH. The family cemetery is located a mile northeast of Blanchard, Pa. He served in the Revolutionary War with the '4th Battalion of the Lancaster Militia'. He purchased land in Centre County, Pa. in 1801. His occupations were farming, lumbering, and fishing. His first wife - Markat - gave birth to ten daughters:- Sussana (1782), Elizabeth (1783), Catherine (1787), Christina (1788),
Anna (1792), Barbara (1801), others born (1790, 1791, 1802, 1804). Two sons that died young- Johanis (1881-1881) and Jacob (1797 -1806). The other four sons were:
1. John Nestleroad (1784) - See page 2.
His wife, descendants changed spelling to Nestlerode about 1850.
2. Christian Nestleroad (1785) - See page 3. Same spelling by descendants.
3. Israel Nestlerode (1795) - See page 4. Same spelling used by descendants.
4. Daniel Nestlerode (1799) - See page 5. Same spelling used by descendants.
Christian's 2nd wife- Cathrine- gave birth to five daughters: - Hetty (1814), Margaret (1816), Sara (1817), Maria (?), Magdelena (?). One son:-
5. Samuel Nestlerode (1812) - See page 6. Samuel's oldest son used the Nestelrode spelling, his other sons used the Nesselrode spelling.

II. Israel Nestleroth (1763-1833). He, and his descendants remained in the Lancaster, Pa. area, and continued using this spelling to this date. He was the owner and operator of a tavern in Conestoga Township. His wife- Anna Christina- gave birth to seven daughters:- Mary (1785)(she married Christian's son, John (1784), Elizabeth (1795), Catherine (1797), Anna Nancy (1800), Margaret (1803), Sussana (1805), Christina (1809). Two sons born 1788 and 1790, That died as children. Two other sons:- 1. Christian (1787) - See page 7. 2. Johannes (1792) - See page 7.

III. John Nesselroad (1765-1825). He, and his wife:- Mary Hannah- purchased land in Mason County, Va. about 1802. This property is now located in Jackson County, W. Va. They were farmers. They had three daughters between 1795 and 1810- Sally, Mary and ?. They had one son:-
1. Elios (Ellis) Nesselroad (1798)- See page 8. Most descendants carried the same spelling, but two of Elios's grandsons (one by each of his two sons) changed to the Nesselrode spelling arround 1900.

IV.Daniel Nestlerode (1769- ?). He, and his wife- Catherine, settled in Fairfield County, Perry Township, Ohio before 1820. They had one son. I have been unable to find any record of them after 1820.

V. Christopher Nesselrode (1774-1848). He, and his wife- Mary Ann, were farmers in Morgan County, Olive Township, Ohio. He served in the Ohio Infantry during the 'War of 1812'. They had six daughters:- Mary Ann (1810), Sarah (1812), Charlotte (1817), Julia (1818), Roxana (1829), Lucy (1835-1840). One son born between 1835 and 1840 that died young. Four other sons:-
1. John Nesselroad (1806) See page 9 (All descendants)
2. Christopher Nesselroad (1814) See page 9. ( used this )
3. George W. Nesselroad (1820) See page 9. ( spelling )
4. Robert C. Nesselroad (1825) See page 10. Spelling changed to 'rode'

Talwin's Research, Page 9A

The following is an outline compiled and typed by Talwin.

Sardin Christian (1737), Christopher (1774), John (1806):

A. David (MG) Nesselroad 2:1830- 1903 Ohio.
Farmer- Jackson County, Ravenswood District, W Va.
Wife (1st)- Mary M. 1821-
Son- Robert 1852-1860 Va.
Wife (2nd)- Ruth Agnes 1858-1927
Daughters Sadie(1883), Jane(1890), Clara(1892) W Va.
1. James Madison --Never Married-- 1874-1960 W Va.
2. John Newton --Washington Co., Pa -- 1887-1961 W Va.
Wife- Ethel
Daughters- Daisy ( ), Marie ( ), Mabel (1909), Alice ( )
a. Ralph 1917-1978 Pa.
Wife- 2 Daughters
b. John Frederick - Hancock Co., W Va. 9/29/1919 - 7/20/1982 Pa.
Wife- 1//1923 - 3//1966
Daughters- Katherine ( ), Judy ( ), sally ( ), Melissa ( ), Leta ( ).
1. John F. Jr. --St. Petersburg, Fla.-- 3/4/1943 W Va. -
Wife- Linda 9/9/1953
Daughter- Edith ( )
(a.) Travis
c. Charles David --Hancock Co., W. Va.-- 10/27/1893 - 8/28/1985 W. Va.
Wife- Clara 8/26/1899 - 10/5/1972 W.Va.
Daughters- Virginia (1917), Freida (1921), Woneta (1923), Norma(1927)
(a.) Clarence --Riverboat Captain-- 4/20/1919 - 8/12/1987 W.Va.
Wife- Virginia 4/22/1921 -
Daughters- Judy (1942), Joy (1948), Tracy (1961) W.Va.
4. Clarence William - Hancock Co., W.Va., 12/1/1897 - 1/20/1936 W.Va.
Wife- Estell 1902 - 1974
Daughter- Edna(1921)
a. Paul William -Perry Co. Ohio- 8/19/1924 - 1970 Pa.
Wife- Dolores
Daughters- Bonnie ( ), Linda ( )
b. George H. -Mesa, Ariz.- 12/23/1927 - Pa.
Wife- Josephine --No children--
5. Okey Sherman -Hancock Co., W.Va.- 4//1904 - 8//1979 W.Va.
Wife- Aria
Daughters- Wilma (1930), Eileen (1945)
a. Sherman Edward 6//1925 - W.Va.
Wife- Mae Bell
(1) Larry William 8//1950 - W.Va.
Wife- Vicky
(a) Jestin James 1977-
(2) Thomas 1956- W.Va.
Wife-
b. James Ray -Seneca Co. Ohio- 7//1933 - W.Va.
Wife- Maxine
Daughter- Holly Rae 1960- Ohio.
(1) Mark James 2//1957 - 1975 Ohio.
(2) James Ray Jr. 1//1967 - Ohio.
Wife-
(a) Justin 9//1986 - Ohio.
(3) Matthew Brian 10//1967- Ohio.
(4) Perry David 5//1972- Ohio.
(5) Phillip 9//1974- Ohio.
c. Randall Lee 6//1948 - 1981 W.Va.
Wife-
Daughter- Jenifer (1973) W.Va.

Talwin's letter to Jack and Hazel, 1989

"Dear Jack and Hazel,
Enclosed are all the records I have gathered on the descendants of Christopher (100% to 1985). Also pages (#3 to #11) listing all male descendants (related) in America. I believe I sent you the first 4 pages. If not, let me know and I'll send pages #1 & #2. Page's #3 & #4 were rewriten, because I was able to eliminate all the ? marks this past summer. When I spent 30 days crisscrossing our country and getting the info that people did not or would not furnish me by phone or mail.

I am now closing out my research, and sent the entire manuscript to the Mormon Library in Utah to put on microfilm for future generations. A copy will also be in the Library of Congress in Wash DC.

To furthur clarify the mix up as to which branch of the family you belong as I discussed by phone with Hazel, I offer the following reasons that many people besides your brother questioned me about placing you in the Ohio (Christopher) branch. John (1765) and Christopher (1774) left Lancaster, PA in the mid 1790's, and went to Ohio. John's first son, Elias (1798) was born in Ohio. They then went downriver to Ravenswood, VA (now W. Va), and John obtained property there in 1802. Christopher lived there until 1811, when he obtained property in Morgan County, Ohio (at that time it was still a part of Washington County) his first son John (1806) and daughter Mary Ann (1810) were born in Va. By the time that Elios (1798) and John (1806) were listed in the census reports in 1830, showing their state of birth, many people put John (1806) as John's (1765) son because he was born in Va., and figured he moved to Ohio when he was married and got land near his Uncle Christopher

This of course was a mixed up assumption. John (1806) was Christopher's son (as I found records of proof). As my papers show, John (1765) & Christopher (1774) were brothers along with Christian (1762), Israel (1763), and Daniel (1769).

I call Christopher's descendants the Ohio branch, John's descendants the W. Va branch, Christian's descendants the Pa branch, Israel's descendants did not need to be pinpointed as a branch because they were the only ones that maintained the "Roth" ending. Daniel (1769) did not have any descendants.

I hope this makes thing's clearer for you. It is very understandable that your brother and others thought the way the[y] did because of a letter from a post master in the W. Va that was distributed to many people in the early 1900's he also stated that John (1765) was a Russian and a descendant of Count Karl, which was not the truth. John is 100% German his mother Elizabeth was 100% German like S. Christian (1737).

I have really enjoyed doing all this research, and wish to thank you again for all the material you sent to me.

*signature of Talwin W. Nestlerode*

P.S. I believe we are 5th cousins 5 times removed.

Talwin's Research Family Crest

This is a Paintshop of the family crest (real pic of crest will follow), The following is from a group of papers gathered together by the late Talwin W. Nesselroad.

"This is the family symbol. It is on the family seal, and on the family crest. The original 'Coat of arms' had a dog standing on his hind legs with a black collar band of the above design. The lion and the black band with a six pointed star were added in 1389, when the family obtained the properties of the Stein and Ehreshofen families through marriage. The spelling of our name was derived from the name of the castle 'House Nesselrath'. It is located on the Wupper river, where it flows into the Rhine river. When 'sur' names were being added, these people adopted the name of 'Nesselroth'.

The first record I was able to find of this 'Coat of Arms' was in 600 AD. it belonged to the Masters of Opladen. Opladen is a city located on the Rhine river, about 15 miles north of Cologne, Germany. A man named Flede, a son of the Masters of Oplanden, was one that adopted the name Nesselroth. In 1288, eight sons of Count Nesselroth were knighted using the spelling 'Nesselrode'. In 1303, Count Flede Von Nesselrode was the head of the family.

There were other members of the family that had moved to other parts of Germany, Holland, and Austria, that kept the spelling Nesselroth. I have been unable to find the parents or the birthplace name of Sardin Christian. Nesselroth's were still living along the Rhine from Cologne to Dusseldorf in 1750, and some still live there today. Also, some Nesselroth's were in Austria in 1750. I believe Sardin Christian is descendant from this group that kept the 'Roth' spelling. He was probably from Germany, because they used the German language.

The 'eagle wings' that appear on some 'coat of Arms' does not belong to our family in America. They were added when Wilhelm Nesselrode married into Russian royalty. He was born in Germany in 1724. Wilhelm is the father of Count Karl Robert Nesselrode, the famous Foreign Minister of Russia, during the 1800's. They are descendants of those that changed to the Nesselrode spelling. Furthermore, the wings were not added until after Sardin Christian was already in America.

I'm sorry I was not able to find more accurate information, but I did the best I could with the time and effort I was able to put into this project.

*signature of Talwin W. Nestlerode*
Talwin W. Nestlerode

"PS*- There is one other family in this country that has a simular overseas connection. Aman named Fredrick Nesselrode came from Hesse, Germany with the British. After the Rev. War, he decided to stay in America. He settled in the area of Rockingham, and Pendleton County, Virginia. Due to his looping the end of his signature over the large 'e' and 't', his descendants spelled their name Nesselrodt. some of his grand children changed it to Nesselrotte. Two of his sons that lived in Shennandoah County, changed the spelling to Nazelrod, because of the unfriendliness towards Germans. Their descendants spread into Ohio, Ill., Missouri. Many of these Nazelrod's have changed the spelling back to Nesselrode or 'road in the early 1900's."

*Note from Jen: I will publish the photo as soon as I receive it.*

Huge-MONGOUS? Gigantical? Tre-normous? Update

OK. I heard from Paula today... and all I can say is "Wow." We can now trace a twig of the family tree (thanks to Matthew's wife) all the way back to the 1200's in Devonshire and Warwickshire England (although personally, I wouldn't want to live where one family did: St. Pancreas). Other areas of Devonshire and Warwickshire such as Giddecote, Leigh, Wollegh and Compton Murdock lend wings to the imagination.

Since I have my mom with me in Iowa this week, I am going to take advantage of her secretarial skills (and her ability to type almost as fast as I can read), and read her some of the "stuff" and begin expanding the lineage, literally, exponentially.

Keep an eye out...big things are coming!

PS: My brother, James III (Jamie) Nesselroad e-mailed this to me from geocities (will have the link at the end):

Nestlerode Family History

By Talwin Nestlerode

The additions of surnames began in Northern Italy about 1000 A.D., and spread northward. Most Europeans had surnames by 1500.

The first Nesselrode I found was Berthold, Esquire, the Administrator of Altenberg (12.5E-51N) in 1275. His family resided in Thuringia (a German State) for a long time. Berthold could have been a Thuringian, a Frank, or a Saxon. All were Barbaric Germanic tribes. The Thuringians were the first Germanic tribe civilized by the Romans about 350 A.D. The Franks controlled Thuringia from 531 to 908. During the Franks' Rule, the Thuringians were Christianized by ST. Boniface (a Frank) in the early 720's. In 908, Thuringia was placed under the control of Saxon Dukes. In 1039, the area was ruled by the Royal Saxon Family of Ludowing. The control passed to the Royal Saxon Family of Wettin in 1264.

Other notable Nesselrodes were:

1. Walter, Administrator of the Saxon Administration of Drefurt in 1338. I believe this to be Erfurt today.
2. William, received (by marriage) the Lordship of the Stein and Erheshofen, by their death in 1389. He was to devide the control of the Stein, Ehreshofen, and Rhode Branches.
3. Johann (von), Marshall by heredity, was the Administrative Aide of the Count of Berg in 1466. Johann was of noble birth, with the same name of his ancestral home, by the Wupper, near Solingen.
4. Baron Bertrand (of the Stein Branch) was Marshall (by heredity) of the Berg Duche. The Berg Duche was established in 1610.
5. Bertrand's son was Chamberlain and Counselor of the State of the Elector of Cologne, and Governor of the lands of Nest for 58 years. His name could have been Phillip Wilhelm Christopher Von Nesselrode, who was Baron of the Empire 3/7/1653.
6. Baron Franz Karl Von Nesselrode (1713-1798), a native of Hungary, of the Catholic line became a Count 20/11/1729, following the death of Count Schalt Zu Ehreshofen Wien of 4/9/1705.
7. Count Wilhelm Nesselrode (1724-1810) of the Orthodox line. I believe this man to be the Wilhelm born in Nesselrode, Germany near Solingen, that became the Ambassador of Russia to Portugal. He was one father of Count Karl Robert (1780-1862), born in Bisbon, and was the Foreign Minister of Russia in the mid 1800's.

I found several references to Nesselrode, Germany-near Solingen. See #3 and #7 above. Today a suburb of Solingen is called Nesselroth. Therefore, I believe the original spelling of our name was Nesselroth, and modernized by our ancestors sometime after 1760. There were other adult males living in the 1760's, by the names of William, Frederick and Charles. I'm sure there were many more male Nesselrodes not mentioned here that would be descendants of Berthold (#1), for there were Nesselrodes and Nesselroths in Austria, Hungary, Holland, and Russia, as well as in other parts of Germany. We could be descendants of any one of them.

J. Christian Nesselroth (1737-1813) sailed from Hamburg, Germany aboard the "Queen of Denmark", and landed in Philadelphia, PA, on Nov. 2, 1752. He signed the passenger list with an X. He is listed as Sardin Christian Nesselroth on his land purchase records in Lancaster County, PA. He married Elizabeth (Kurz). They had three sons, Christian (1762), Israel (1763), and Daniel (1769).

Christian (1762-1813) married Markrat (Bottin), and moved his family to Centre County, PA. about 1801. His first son John (1784-1835) married Mary (Nesselroth), the daughter of Israel. There is a family cemetery located about 1/2 mile northeast of Blanchard, Centre County, PA. On the tombstones, the spellings are: Christian Nestelroth, John Nestleroad, Mary Nestlerode (1785-1863). (Note: See Christian's will on the documents page.)

Israel (1763-1833) married Christine (Klein). He and his descendants remained in the Lancaster, PA. area. All of their spellings are Nestleroth. (Note: See Israel's will on the documents page.)

Daniel (1769-182?) married Cathrine (Gatshall). They and one son (born about 1806 in Cumberland County, PA.) moved to Fairfield County, Perry Township, Ohio in 1820. I was unable to find any record of them after 1820.

In Baptism and marriage records of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Lancaster, PA., the names were Nesselroth or Nestelroth. I found wills of Christian (1835), and Israel (1833), and court records of J. Christian death (1813) intestate.

John (1765) and Christopher (1774) Nesselroad were first located in 1800 (by name) in Brooke County, VA. (now W.VA) There was no record found of their entry into this country, or of them being sons of J. Christian (1737). The only listings of Nestlerodes, of any spelling, in the 1790 census was J. Christian and his three sons, in Lancaster County, PA. It is possible that these two men (I believe them to be brothers) entered the U.S. from Canada, or with the British Military during the Revolution, and accepted the option to remain in the U.S. after the War.

John (1765), wife-Hannah, settled in the Ravenwood area of Mason County, VA. (now Jackson County, W.VA.) about 1802.

Christopher (1774), wife Mary Ann, settled in Olive area of Morgan County, Ohio. Their oldest son John (1806) was born in VA. Christopher was in the Ohio Infantry during the War of 1812. His youngest son- Robert )who was in the Indiana Infantry during the Civil War) claimed his father was born in Germany. I have received reports that his parents were Peter and Christina. (No proof).

I have received many other reports that I have not been able to verify. However, I believe some of our family have been too hasty in trying to relate to Count Karl (1780). We may be related, but not descendants, J. Christian, John, and Christopher were all born before Count Karl. Furthermore Count Karl was a German.

Christian (1762-1835) was a member of the 4th Battalion of the Lancaster Militia. Therefore, his female descendants are eligible to be members of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Henry Nesselrode (1832) and wife-Anna Mary (1852), both born in Germany, entered this country about 1880, and settled in Pope County, Ill. They had 2 sons and 6 Daughters, I have not been able to make contact with any of their descendants after 1900.

The westward movement of the family was to Indiana - 1855, Illinois - 1860, Iowa-1861, Missouri-1870, Kansas - 1876, Oklahoma-1892, and California 1900.

"http://www.geocities.com/heartland/hills/5807/historyn.html#nestlerode"

Information on the Matthew branch!

I recieved this from Paula Kay Nesselroad-Butcher of Colorado: (THANK YOU, Paula!!)

Matthew Nesselroad, born 1830 in Noble, OH. (to John and Jane Grimes-Nesselroad)
He married Margaret Parrish in 1855.
They had five children:
Charles H,
Clarence,
Eva E,
Luther, and
Alvin born 1858.

Alvin married Susan Kesler in 1880 in Guthrie, IA.
They had three children:
Eugene Elliot,
Orley Elbert born 1884 (my grandfather), and
Dory Ellis.

Granddad (Orley) married Alice Woerner in 1912 (I think) in Kansas City, MO.
They had five children:
Louise (d.2008),
Orlene,
Matthew Edward,
Paul Alvin born 1921 and deceased 1973(my dad), and
Jack "Jackie Robert."

I will add my cousins when I have their permission.

My dad, Paul, married Billy Jean Cunningham in Kansas City in 1946.
They had the three of us:
Paul Edwin of Missoula, MT,
Paula Kay of Colorado Springs (me), and
Nancy Anne of Anchorage, AK. There you have it so far ...

See? We aren't alone Iron Range Nesselroads! There are more of us out there!

It's a Small World! Really!

So my family is new to facebook. I have been playing on it off and on since college started this fall. Ma received an email from an acquaintance so she signed up. Out of the blue, this Mark Nesselroad in West Virginia adds her as a friend. Shortly thereafter, a Paula Nesselroad-Butcher adds us as friends as well. A few messages later and we realize that we are COUSINS! Their branch is the Mathew branch and we are eagerly awaiting more information to add to the Nesselroad tree.

On facebook, Paula wondered if there were a way to blog a family tree...well, I am willing to try!

This blog is searchable, so if there are other curious Nesselroads out there, may they be led to us and added to our tree!!

Family rediscovered through a Family History project

Last year, my nephew, Hunter, was assigned a family history project. My brother and sister-in-law threw themselves into the project and dragged me along with them. We discovered quite a bit about the Nesselroad family and even began attempting to dig into other branches.

We did learn one hard, fast truth about looking up one's lineage: Landowners are by far easier to track than migrants or "poor folks".

So, starting with the Past, here is what we know about "our branch" of the tree.

In 1737, Sardin Christian Nesselroad was born in Germany. Approximately in 1752, he emigrated to the United States. In 1769, he married Elizabeth Kurz. They had 5 children:
Christopher 1774-1848
Christian Nestlerode 1762-1835
Israel Nestlerode 1763-1833
John Nesselroad 1765-1825
Daniel Nesselroad 1769-?

Sardin passed away in 1813 in Lancaster PA. Elizabeth may have passed away in West Virginia in 1843.

Our branch sprouts with Christopher. He married Mary Ann Cass from West Virginia in 1796 and they had one son: John 1806-1888

In 1828, John married Jane Grimes (born 1806, Mason WV). They had 9 children:
Mathew 1830-1916 (Moved to Ohio)
Christopher Columbus 1832-1915 (moved to Iowa after the Civil War)
Margaret 1836-?
Jasper 1840-?
Isaac Newton 1843-? (Moved to Kansas)
John 1847-1897 (Moved to Ohio)
George Washington 1848-?
Martha 1850-?
David McGary Nesselroad ?-? (shows as 1830, but no mention is made of Mathew and David being twins)

Now, John 1847 is the one we are following.

John 1847 married Margaret Jane Hendershot (1846-?) before 1869 and they had 3 children:
Osmer Wesley 1869-1928(?) (Moved to Kansas)
Malura "Lura" 1871-1951 (Moved to Kansas)
James A 1872-1904

In 1900, Osmer married Nellie G Beatty (1881-1956) in Iowa, and moved to Kansas sometime before the 1920 Census. They had 4 children:
Florence Helen 1906-?
James Milford 1909-1986
Mildred G 1912-?
Carl 1913-? (He died in his late teens due to a ruptured appendix)

Sometime after Carl was either conceived or born, Osmer disappeared. The family story is that Osmer fancied himself with a gun and "went off down Oklahoma Territory way" and was never heard from again.

James moved to Minnesota with the Civilian Conservation Corps. He met and married Elma Nyyssela. They had 3 children:
Janet Mary 1936-?
James Milford Jr 1938-?
Paul Wesley 1943-1989

James Jr married Judith Ann Merk in 1961. They had 2 children:
James Milford III 1965-?
Jennifer Mary 1966-?

Janet married Walter Nori and they had 3 children:
Shannon Kay 1960-
Michelle Jeannine 1963-
Colleen Marie 1967-

Paul Wesley married Winone Holtman and they had 2 children:
Andrea Winone 1975-
Chad Paul 1984-

(Believe me, if I have the years of the cousins wrong, they will correct me! :o)