fl. 1800 – ?
Christopher’s 5th great-grandfather · ancestor no. 212 · generation 8
Evidence: identity family compilation
Family
- Spouse: Elizabeth Goldschmidt (fl. 1800)
- Family notes: Christian Gerig + Elizabeth Goldschmidt (m. unknown)
- Children in this vault: Joseph Gerig (fl. 1841)
Life and evidence
The Gerigs in Alsace ( Genealogy of Meyer Family; Joseph Goldsmith and his descendants)
“The parents of Jacob Gerig (Christian Gerig and Elizabeth Goldschmidt) were wealthy land owners and farmers”; the family were Swiss Anabaptists who “had moved to France from Switzerland about 1750” and spoke “Alsatian Dutch”. Their son Jacob lived at Pfastatt (now part of Mulhouse), lost his inheritance through bad investments, and had 13 children; the grandchildren came to Wayne County, Ohio, then Iowa and Oregon, to escape military service. Jacob was presumably a brother of Joseph Gerig (fl. 1841) (inference).
Joseph Gerig’s father (1986 history).
In their lifetime
- 1833 — 1833 First Swiss Mennonite settler in Putnam County, Ohio
- 1835 — 1835 The Ramseyers sail on the Richmond
- 1852 — 1852 Swiss Mennonites found Berne, Indiana
- 1869 — 1869 The Fieguths move from Prussia to Am Trakt
Sources
Narratives and research
- History: 1833 First Swiss Mennonite settler in Putnam County, Ohio, 1835 The Ramseyers sail on the Richmond, 1852 Swiss Mennonites found Berne, Indiana, 1869 The Fieguths move from Prussia to Am Trakt
- Sources: The Schrock Ramseyer Story (1986)
Research log
- 2026-10-31: archive.org full text (‘Christian Gerig’ Goldschmidt): Meyer genealogy and Mennonite Encyclopedia (already used); The Family of Joseph and Fannie (Roth) Gerig is a different line (Johannes Gerig b. 1782 of Rosheim, son of Johannes Gerig and Barbara Goldschmidt), showing repeated Gerig-Goldschmidt marriages but not this couple’s parents. The Jacob and Josephine Gerig Family Record (mentions an earlier Christian Gerig of Ste-Marie-aux-Mines) would not download (server error)
- 2026-10-31: next: Ste-Marie-aux-Mines Anabaptist records / Rebert-Goldschmidt chart at Goshen (MC USA Archives)
Record compiled 31 October 2026.
About this research
Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.