ramsei

Peter Ramseyer (1822–1880)

Peter (Pierre) Ramseyer

5 Nov 1822 – 24 May 1880, born at Maîche, died at Paris Township (Stark County)

Christopher’s 3rd great-grandfather · ancestor no. 48 · generation 6
Evidence: identity documented · link to parents documented

Family

Life and evidence

Born at Maîche, Doubs, France, to a Swiss Anabaptist family. Came with his parents and siblings from Le Havre on the Richmond, arriving New York 5 July 1835 (passenger list: “Pierre, 12”); up the Hudson, the Erie Canal, Lake Erie and the Ohio–Erie Canal to near Canton. Worked on the Sandy and Beaver Canal (“Legend has it that Peter had 50¢ left upon arrival”).

Married Barbara Reich on 24 Nov 1844, Stark County, in a double wedding with his sister Elizabeth (who married Michael Zehr). Worked for his father-in-law; bought a hill farm, then in 1857 160 acres near Paris, Ohio; owned 412 acres at his death. The log cabin, and the 1859 house and barn (used for early Amish Mennonite services), still stood in 1979. Buried with Barbara under a shared stone.

Eleven children (county history and 1907 booklet): Jacob (c.1846), John, Peter, Joseph (1850–1926, m. Elizabeth Smiley), Catherine (1852–1927, m. John C. Conrad), Leah (1854–1920, m. John Sommer), Daniel Ramseyer (1856–1942), Mary (1859–1944, m. Christian Schloneger), Elizabeth “Lizzie” (1862–1896, m. Jacob Conrad), Sarah (1865–1930, m. David Hooley, then Cornelius Maaswinkel), Amos (1868–1936, m. Lillie Shaffer), Amanda (1871–1936, m. Michael Krabill).

Wealth

From “50¢ left upon arrival” to **412 acres and about 1,000 to Daniel). See The Ramseyer farm fortune.

The "1834" arrival explained (2002 Family Record, p. X)

The family sent Peter’s brother Joseph to scout Ohio in 1834, and he returned before the whole family sailed in 1835. That scouting trip is the likely source of the “1834” in the county history and the 1986 booklet. Peter is probably no. 11 in the Family Record’s numbering (Johannes = 1, his ten children = 2–11 in birth order); confirm on the page.
The book’s map (p. XIX) marks Peter and Barbara’s 1859 farm, house and barn north of Paris, and the Old Beech Cemetery where they are buried.

Where they lived

In their lifetime

Pedigree

%%{init: {"flowchart": {"useMaxWidth": true}}}%%
flowchart RL
  n49867489["Peter Ramseyer (1822–1880)"]
  n97585052["Edith Balsiger"]
  n31667365["Johannes Ramseyer (1780–1853)"]
  n43742666["Isaac Ramseyer (c.1747–after 1817)"]
  n2234993["Peter Kaufmann (d. 1803)"]
  n17242263["Barbara Kaufmann (1779–1844)"]
  n11511160["Barbara Klopfenstein (fl. 1779)"]
  n88254489["Christian Ramseyer (bapt. 1700)"]
  n26652546["Anna Augsbourg (fl. 1780)"]
  n49867489 --> n31667365
  n31667365 --> n43742666
  n43742666 --> n88254489
  n43742666 --> n97585052
  n31667365 --> n26652546
  n49867489 --> n17242263
  n17242263 --> n2234993
  n17242263 --> n11511160
  class n49867489,n97585052,n31667365,n43742666,n2234993,n17242263,n11511160,n88254489,n26652546 internal-link;

Conflicts

  • Birth day: 5 Nov 1822 (French civil index via Staker) vs 5 Oct (headstone)
  • Arrival: 1834 (county history, 1986 booklet) vs 5 July 1835 (Richmond passenger list) — prefer 1835

Sources

From his son Daniel's biography, History of Wayne County, Ohio (1910), pp. 986–987

Peter “was loyal to his parents and worked hard, contributing to their support”; when he married he had “but fifty cents in cash”. He worked for his father-in-law (Jacob Reich), then bought a small farm in the Stark County hills on credit, “commencing with a yoke of oxen”. In 1857 he bought 160 acres near Paris, Ohio, where he spent the rest of his life; at his death he owned 412 acres and $12,000. “He invariably sold his crops at the top of the market.” Amish Mennonite from boyhood. Children: Jacob, John, Peter, Joseph, Catherine, Leah, Daniel, Mary, Lizzie, Sarah, Amos. See History of Wayne County, Ohio (1910).

  • Read the German Herold der Wahrheit page images for the death year (archive.org derheroldderwahr*; Fraktur OCR unusable) for an obituary task/ai

Narratives and research

Open questions

  • Birth day: 5 Nov 1822 (French civil index via Staker) vs 5 Oct (headstone)
  • Arrival: 1834 (county history, 1986 booklet) vs 5 July 1835 (Richmond passenger list) — prefer 1835

Research log

  • 2026-11-01: History of Wayne County (1910) pp. 986–987 (son Daniel’s sketch): worked to support his parents; married with 50 cents; worked for his father-in-law; hill farm with a yoke of oxen; 1857 bought 160 acres near Paris; died owning 412 acres and $12,000; Amish Mennonite from boyhood; eleven children named
  • 2026-11-01: Herald of Truth (English) for the death year searched by name, date and place (Stark/Wayne): no obituary found. Stark County Amish Mennonite deaths were probably reported in the German Herold der Wahrheit (not yet searched)

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.

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