Front matter, pp. IV–VIII
Transcribed by Claude from Christopher’s photos, 2026-10-31. Per AGENTS rule 1, a mailing address and a personal detail about living contributors have been left out (marked [omitted]).
p. IV: Dedication
Edna Ramseyer (Kaufman), 1910–2001
We dedicate this book to Dr. Edna Ramseyer Kaufman for her fifty plus years of dedication, researching, numbering, and recording most of the names in this book, along with dates of birth, weddings, deaths, occupation, and church affiliation. Her beginning goal was to collect and record the families of her great-grandparents, Peter and Barbara Reich Ramseyer, but as time went on, she gradually became acquainted with families from all nine of Peter’s brothers and sisters. So now, this book represents the families of Edna’s great-great-grandparents, Johannes and Barbara Kaufman Ramseyer with over 45,000 names.
We are grateful for her dedication, persistence, and patience in getting our family’s history recorded.
p. V: Table of contents
| Section | Page |
|---|---|
| Foreword | VI |
| Preface | VII |
| Acknowledgments | VIII |
| Introduction: The Ramseiers (Ramseyers) of Eggiwil | IX |
| — Der Stammvater (Ancestral father) | IX |
| — Der Taeufer (Anabaptist) | X |
| — Der Familia Johannes | X |
| Map of southern part of the Alsace in France | XV |
| List of Passengers on the Ship Richmond | XVII |
| Map of Southeast Portion of [[Stark County (Ohio) | Stark County]], Ohio |
| Land Purchase Agreement between Johannes and Barbara Ramseyer and Joseph Sommers, 1835 | XXI |
| Will of Johannes Ramseyer | XXIV |
| The Story of Anna Ramseier (Ramseyer) and Johannes Schwartz’s Trip to America | XXV |
| Letter from J. E. Ramseyer (Johannes’ grandson) | XXIX |
| Northern Bible Society Museum, Duluth, Minnesota | XXX |
| Description of Peter Ramseyer Barn, Paris, Ohio | XXXI |
| Old Ramseyer Recipes | XXXV |
| Ramseyer Song | XLVII |
| Abbreviations | L |
| Johannes Ramseyer’s Ancestors 1535–1780 | LI |
| How to Use the Numbering System in this Book | LII |
| Johannes and Barbara Kaufman Ramseyer Descendants 1780–2002 | 1 |
| INDEX of Johannes and Barbara Kaufman Ramseyer Descendants 1780–2002 | 659 |
| Johannes Ramseyer (1800) and Barbara Amstutz (1817) Descendants | 797 |
| INDEX of Johannes Ramseyer (1800) and Barbara Amstutz (1817) Descendants | 810 |
| Bibliography | 815 |
| NOTES for Future Additions | 816 |
p. VI: Foreword (Diane Ramseyer Schwendeman)
I have always loved jigsaw puzzles. Be they 250-piece or 2500-piece, I loved the challenge. If anyone wanted to help, I’d let them. But, as soon as they left, I would quietly pop out any pieces they found and mix them deliberately back into the carefully sorted piles of those yet to be discovered. It was crucial to my sense of satisfaction that I place each and every piece into its rightful place.
Searching one’s genealogy, or roots as it may be said, has been often compared to putting together a jigsaw puzzle. You create the overall outline of the piece, and sort out the pieces of sky, clouds, and picture into their own piles as you begin to fill in the puzzle. Each piece is unique and has its own particular spot, which can be both frustrating and rewarding to find. However, with the puzzle of one’s roots, it would be foolhardy to turn away or recreate the findings of others. This Ramseyer Genealogy has had many hands helping it come together. It took the police officer, Adolph Ramseyer, in Switzerland with the hobby of researching Ramseyers. It took the family members who painstakingly sorted through years of records. And, it took those who made efforts to document their memories and history for their own family, and for those to come. But it still would not have been possible without the fifty-year dedication of Edna Ramseyer Kaufman, who got bit by the bug attending family reunions in Stark County, Ohio, as she grew up. It was Edna who traveled throughout Europe and the United States, looking through libraries and telephone books, not afraid to ask, “Might we be related?” Edna, who filled her house with page after page after page, not to mention boxes, of family lines. Carefully organizing and numbering each, bringing that puzzle together. This is a testament to her dedication and forbearance, and deep appreciation for her roots.
Recognition should also be given to those who helped her sort and number each name, taking up the task when her health no longer permitted her direct participation. To Arden and Mae Ramseyer, who lugged all those boxes from Kansas to Ohio, enlisting any brother, sister, niece, or nephew who dropped in for a visit in the arduous task. [omitted: personal detail about living contributors]
All of you have the gratitude of us who lay claim to a Ramseyer ancestry, either through blood, marriage, or, like me, the luck of adoption.
Now, while I somehow was never around when the “boxes” came out, I did get in on several hours of taped “story telling” by Aunt Edna. So, it has come to me to put this history down on paper, so that we may know more than just names; we may know “our story.”
— Diane Ramseyer Schwendeman
p. VII: A Challenge
No genealogy book is 100% complete because every day there are new descendants that could be added. With more time and research, there could be additional names and information added to each of the ten children of Johannes and Barbara Kaufman Ramseyer.
We would like to challenge someone from each of the ten families to carry on the genealogy records of Johannes and Barbara’s decendants. Of course, each family could also be divided for different persons to collect their particular line in the family. We would be happy to help you with any information we have, to get you started. You then could develop a book that would have available space for more information, old letters, occupations, pictures, etc. This would take a person who is interested in genealogy and has a desire to keep the family records up to date. You would find it a pleasure to learn more about your cousins and in many cases, they will become your friends.
— Arden and Mae Ramseyer, Smithville, Ohio [omitted: mailing address]
p. VIII: Acknowledgments
Edna’s family would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have contributed to this book by gathering information about your families, filling out charts, helping to update material, and proofread.
You may notice that not all of the information submitted is recorded in this book, Because of the computer genealogy program and the size of the book, it wasn’t possible for all of it to be included. However, it will be available in the Edna Ramseyer Kaufman files at Bluffton College Library, Bluffton, Ohio.
Special thanks to Roger and Robert Geiser for all of their advice, help and encouragement; without their interest in genealogy and their computer expertise we feel this book may never have been published. We sincerely thank Brian Gentry for all his dedicated hours of entering these thousands of names and information into the computer program of Family Origins.
The goal in printing this book was to make the information as correct as possible and to organize it in such a way that it would be easy for the reader to use. Because some of the information came from several sources, unfortunately there were sometimes contradictions.
We have done our best to make the text as error free as possible, and ask your forgiveness for any errors you discover.
— Edna Ramseyer Kaufman; Arden and Mae Ramseyer
Two archives hold Edna's genealogy files
The acknowledgments say the material left out of the book is in “the Edna Ramseyer Kaufman files at Bluffton College Library” (now Bluffton University, Musselman Library). That is a second collection besides Edna Ramseyer Kaufman Papers (MS 300) at Bethel College, Kansas.
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.