Johannes (John) Ramseyer
3 Apr 1780 – 4 Jul 1853, died at Paris Township (Stark County)
Christopher’s 4th great-grandfather · ancestor no. 96 · generation 7
Evidence: identity documented · link to parents strong inference
Family
- Parents: Isaac Ramseyer (c.1747–after 1817) and Anna Augsbourg (fl. 1780)
- Spouse: Barbara Kaufmann (1779–1844)
- Family notes: Johannes Ramseyer + Barbara Kaufmann (m. 1800)
- Children in this vault: Peter Ramseyer (1822–1880)
Life and evidence
A Swiss Anabaptist farmer. Married Barbara Kaufmann 30 May 1800 at Mancenans-Lizerne, Doubs (civil index “Jean Ramsheyer and Barbe Kaufman”). The family farmed “behind the château” of l’Hermitage at Mancenans-Lizerne, tending its orchards; earlier children were born at Les Brenets and Le Locle (Neuchâtel). “A farmer and an Anabaptist, [he] did not want his children to participate in the French wars and since he was not a French citizen, could not buy land” (1986 history).
Emigration: the Richmond from Le Havre, New York 5 July 1835 — “John Ramesay, 56, France,” laborer, bound for Ohio, with Barbara 55, Marie 23, Joseph 20, Ellen [Elizabeth] 18, Nicolas 15, Pierre 12; married daughter Catherine with husband Jacob Schwartz. Came with borrowed passage money (Peter helped repay). Bought 60 acres in Section 33, Paris Township, 13 Aug 1835. 1840 census “John Ramesayer”; 1850 widower, 70.
Son of Isaac (strong inference, Staker)
His daughter Babeli died at Mancenans-Lizerne in 1804, witnessed by her father “Jean Ramezin, 24” and her uncle “Christ Ramezin, 21”. Christ’s 1809 marriage names his parents as Isaque Ramesin and Anne Hausbourg; four other entries (1809–17) name Isaac and Anna Augsbourg as parents of Johannes’s siblings.
Ancestral home: “Eckenweil, Canton Berne” (1907) and “Eggiwil” (1986) — two family sources for Eggiwil.
Children who stayed in Europe in 1835: Johannes Jr. (d. 1839, Moos, Alsace), Anna, Barbara (widow Rich, later Ohio and Iowa), Marguerite (d. 1839, Switzerland). (Corrected 2026-10-31: these are his children, not his siblings.) Daughter Anna Ramseyer Schwartz (1804–1872) died at Berne, Indiana — first known tie between the two halves of the tree (a coincidence of place).
From the 2002 Family Record (family compilation)
Source: Family Record of Johannes and Barbara (Kaufman) Ramseyer 1780-2002, pp. X–XI; documents on pp. XVII–XXI (Ramseyer Family Record 2002 - documents and maps (pp. XVII-XXI)).
- Born 3 April 1780 at Mancenans, France, to “Issak and Anna Augsburger”; married Barbara Kaufmann there 30 May 1800. (The register numbers him no. 1.)
- Lived first at Moos (“probably held by France”), then Mancenans (by 1804), then the Maîche area, moving “where he could find work farming”. Families in the area changed farms on 11 March.
- The ten children:
| No. | Child | Born | Place | Married | Emigrated? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Johannes Jr. | 28 May 1801 | Moos | Maria Anna Klopfenstein | stayed (Mancenans) |
| 3 | Anna | 1 May 1804 | Mancenans | Johannes Schwartz | 1853, Adams/Allen Co., Ind. |
| 4 | Barbara (Babeli) | 6 Feb 1806 | Mancenans | Joseph Rich (d. 1853) | 1856; Orrville, then Wayland, Iowa |
| 5 | Marguerite | 3 Mar 1808 | Maîche | Johannes Ramseyer (b. 1800), her second cousin | stayed; died after her 6th child |
| 6 | Catherine | 19 Feb 1810 | Maîche | Jacob Schwartz | 1835 Richmond; d. 1853 Stark Co. |
| 7 | Marie (Mary) | 10 Apr 1812 | Maîche | Andrew Becker, 15 Dec 1835 | 1835; d. 1846 |
| 8 | Joseph | 12 Jun 1814 | Maîche | (1) Barbara Klopfenstein (2) Marie Sommer | 1835; minister; moved to Ontario, buried Baden |
| 9 | Elizabeth | 13 Jul 1817 | Maîche | (1) Michael Zehr, 1844 (2) Joseph Schwartz | 1835; d. 1860, Allen Co., Ind. |
| 10 | Nicholas | 28 Mar 1821 | Maîche | Barbara Sommer | 1835; Fairbury, Ill.; Apostolic church; d. Harper, Kansas |
| 11 | Peter Ramseyer (1822–1880) | 5 Nov 1822 | Maîche | Barbara Reich | 1835 |
- Why they left: France’s 1830 military draft. In 1834 they sent Joseph (20) to scout America; the trip took a year, and “his sisters made him sixty white shirts”. He liked the Canton, Ohio area.
- Route, 1835: six weeks by sail to New York; Hudson River to Albany; Erie Canal to Buffalo; Lake Erie to Cleveland; Ohio & Erie Canal to Canal Fulton or Bolivar; wagon to Minerva.
- Land: 13 Aug 1835, **60 acres for 200 note due 8 Aug 1836. The farm was on Paris Avenue about two miles west of Minerva.
- Death and burial: Barbara died 1844 (date unknown); Johannes 4 July 1853. “It is believed” both are in the Old Beech Cemetery, but no record or stone has been found.
Where they lived
- c.1785 — Le Locle
- 1800 — Mancenans-Lizerne
- 1822 — Maîche
- 1835 — Paris Township (Stark County)
In their lifetime
- 1789 — 1789 First Prussian Mennonites settle in Russia
- 1798 — 1798 Old Bern falls; religious freedom
- 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
Pedigree
%%{init: {"flowchart": {"useMaxWidth": true}}}%% flowchart RL n52315492["Christina Gosteli"] n31667365["Johannes Ramseyer (1780–1853)"] n97585052["Edith Balsiger"] n43742666["Isaac Ramseyer (c.1747–after 1817)"] n24533069["Christian Ramseyer (bapt. 1672)"] n88254489["Christian Ramseyer (bapt. 1700)"] n26652546["Anna Augsbourg (fl. 1780)"] n31667365 --> n43742666 n43742666 --> n88254489 n88254489 --> n24533069 n88254489 --> n52315492 n43742666 --> n97585052 n31667365 --> n26652546 class n52315492,n31667365,n97585052,n43742666,n24533069,n88254489,n26652546 internal-link;
Conflicts
- Birth: 1780 (Staker, French records) vs ‘Eckenweil, Canton Berne, 1776’ (1907 booklet)
Sources
- Staker - Amish Mennonites in Tazewell County Part 5
- Ramseyer-Rich Reunion booklet (1907)
- History of Wayne County Ohio (1910)
- The Schrock Ramseyer Story (1986)
From his grandson Daniel's biography, History of Wayne County, Ohio (1910), p. 986
“John Ramseyer was a poor man when he came to the United States, having to borrow part of the passage money. His son [Peter] afterwards helped to repay this debt. He landed in this country in 1834 [the Richmond is dated 1835 elsewhere] and came at once to Stark county, Ohio, where he spent his remaining days. He never succeeded in accumulating much material property and died a comparatively poor man.” See History of Wayne County, Ohio (1910).
Narratives and research
- Stories: The Ramseyer farm fortune
- History: 1789 First Prussian Mennonites settle in Russia, 1798 Old Bern falls; religious freedom, 1833 First Swiss Mennonite settler in Putnam County, Ohio, 1835 The Ramseyers sail on the Richmond, 1852 Swiss Mennonites found Berne, Indiana, Faith traditions
- Research: How far back each line goes, Ships and journeys of the immigrant ancestors
- Governments: France (Revolution and Napoleon)
- Sources: History of Wayne County Ohio (1910), Ramseyer Family Record 2002 - cross-reference and wish list, Ramseyer Family Record 2002 - documents and maps (pp. XVII-XXI), Ramseyer-Rich Reunion booklet (1907), Staker - Amish Mennonites in Tazewell County Part 5, The Schrock Ramseyer Story (1986)
Open questions
- Birth: 1780 (Staker, French records) vs ‘Eckenweil, Canton Berne, 1776’ (1907 booklet)
- Birthplace: Mancenans, France (2002 Family Record) vs Eckenweil/Eggiwil (1907 booklet); Staker places the family in Neuchâtel (Le Locle) around 1780
Research log
- 2026-11-01: History of Wayne County (1910) p. 986 (grandson Daniel’s sketch): ‘John Ramseyer’ of Switzerland came to the US poor, borrowing part of the passage money (repaid later by son Peter); landed 1834, went at once to Stark County; died a comparatively poor man
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.