Christian Reeser b. 1819 Alsace, FR d. 1922: The Schrock-Birkey Connection

Christian Reeser

Male 1819 - 1922  (103 years)


Personal Information    |    Notes    |    Sources    |    Event Map    |    All

  • Name Christian Reeser  [1
    Birth 1819  Alsace, FR Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Gender Male 
    Immigration 1839  New Orleans, LA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • to Butler Co., OH
    Religion Mennonite 
    Residence 1847  Muncie, Delaware Co., IN Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Residence 1857  Woodford Co., IL Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • North of Congerville on the Mackinaw River
    USR1 Old age 
    Death 1922 
    Person ID I9780  Schrock-Birkey Connection
    Last Modified 6 Apr 2017 

    Family Barbara Zimmerman 
    Marriage 1852  Muncie, Delaware Co., IN Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Children 
     1. Anna Reeser,   b. 17 Dec 1854, Muncie, Delaware Co., IN Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 1941, Eureka, Woodford Co., IL Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 86 years)
    Family ID F6904  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 30 Mar 2016 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsImmigration - 1839 - New Orleans, LA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - 1847 - Muncie, Delaware Co., IN Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - 1852 - Muncie, Delaware Co., IN Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - 1857 - Woodford Co., IL Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 

  • Notes 
    • A bit more about Christian Reeser, from Mennonites in Illinois by Willard H. Smith:

      “Christian Reeser was an unusual person. He was born in Alsace in 1819 while Napoleon was still living and James Monroe was president of the United States; in 1923, at Eureka, Illinois, at age 103, he died when Warren G Harding was president. He arrived in the United States in 1839 by way of New Orleans, and located first in Butler County, Ohio. About 1847 he joined his brother John near Muncie, Indiana, and in 1852 he married Barbara Zimmerman. The wife had a good education for her day and complemented her husband well, for he had wide experience and much common sense but very little formal training. In 1857, at that time with three children, the couple moved to Woodford County, Illinois and settled on the Mackinaw River a few miles north of Congerville. The decision to locate in this area came largely because Reeser’s friend Nicholas Maurer was there and gave the new arrivals a hearty welcome. The Reeser farm on the Mackinaw remained the home of the family for many decades and became a historic landmark. For the fifty-six years of his ministry Christian Reeser served in the Roanoke congregation and community except for 1903-07 when he lived with a daughter in Missouri.” (pp 73-74)
      Smith also notes that Christian Reeser voted for Lincoln in 1860 and 1864 but otherwise voted for every democratic ticket from James K. Polk in 1844 to and including James M. Cox in 1920. He was over 100 years old when he cast his vote for Cox. (p 417)
      Christian Reeser’s great-granddaughter Ethel Reeser Cosco wrote a biography: Christian Reeser: The Story of a Centenarian. Smith used her work as a source.

      At his death, he had 82 grandchildren and 101 great grandchildren.

  • Sources 
    1. [S11] Obituaries of Individuals.

    2. [S45] Willard H. Smith, Mennonites in Illinois, (Herald Press, Scottdale, PA, 1983).


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