|
a.
|
Note: Godmother was Maria Theresia Mosberger. Witnessed by Johann Anton M�nch and Andreas Gimber (both of Rittersbach).
In 1786 the Palatine Government, at the request of Elector Carl-Theodor, offered this region of about 200 acres for settlement. Rineck was settled by vagabonds (Landfahrer), who in exchange had only to deliver a small amount of oats each year. There were originally twenty-eight families who were granted land in Rineck as tenant farmers. It was an experiment to settle tinkers, brush makers, basket makers, mole catchers, bear trainers, tool sharpeners, jugglers, hawkers and musicians. Nevertheless, since these people were not accustomed to farming or staying long in one location, the first years went well. Even though conditions were not very favourable, the people made their way honestly. The population grew to such an extent in a short time, that the Rineckers were not able to provide for themselves. Some later inhabitants did not always come voluntarily, but were forced out of other communities. Begging, stealing, cutting and robbing timber, and poaching had become common. The conditions in Rineck were the most dire as virtually all the citizens were classified as poor. It was not only that the people of Rineck were new settlers, but that they lacked an essential source of income, woodlands. Because the Rinecker community had no money available, the state of Baden had to pay the salary of the mayor, teacher, doctor, autopsy, gravedigger, etc., moreover several town policemen were stationed in Rineck in order to restrain the criminal element of many of the inhabitants. Because of theft and robbery in the surrounding towns, these people were in such disrepute that they were forced to emigrate to America by the year 1850. I am not sure how much of the theft and robbery was ordinary theft and robbery, and how much was robbing timber, which was needed for cooking and heat, and other such 'robbery'. The residents were moved in three groups: the first group left Rineck on 30th September 1849, the second on 11th May 1850 and the third on 13th May 1850. Father Mathias Volk, pastor of Sankt Georg Kirche (Saint George's Roman Catholic Church) in Rittersbach, gave every person a handwritten document with their birth, baptism etc. He also gave each head of a family a compete transcript of what the parish records were available on that particular family covering multiple generations. The immigrants were sheltered in New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Richmond and Detroit through the help of the German Society. Many of the Rineckers settled in Philadelphia.
Rineck was in the Palatinate of the Rhine (Rheinisch-Pfalz) until 1804. In 1804 it became part of the Principality of Leiningen. In 1806 it became part of Landkreis Mosbach, Baden. In 1815 Baden became part of Germany. In 1952 Baden and W�rttemberg were joined together. In 1972 the place that had been Rineck was incorporated into Gemeinde Elztal. In 1973 the area became part of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis. In 1838 the population was over 600, in 1846 the population was 994 and in 1910 the population was 8.
Heinrich & Katharina Eck and their family emigrated with the first group. The departure followed the last day of September 1849. The neighbouring villages had to send wagons for the transport from Rineck to Eberbach and from there they were transported by ship to Mannheim. On 3rd October 1849 they departed Mannheim. At first they travelled by ship to K�ln (Cologne), then by train to Bremen, then again to Bremerhaven, where they boarded the ship, 'Louisiana' on 10th October. After a 34-day voyage, 169 people finally landed in New York City; one mother with a child died, and three children were born at sea. The Baden Council, Schmidt, handed 24 gulden to every head of a household, and to each family member and each independent person was given 10 gulden and left to their own fate.
In the 1900 census she had ten children born alive, six living.
|
