Bartholomaus/Bartholomaeus/Barthel/Bartel Rauchenberger/Rauenberger/Raumberger was probably the fourth child and third son on J. Caspar Rauchenberger and his wife, Catharina, who lived in Theilheim, Bavaria, from about 1711 through 1730. Catharina Rauchenberger, mother of Bartel and his siblings, died 14 April, 1730 at the age of 46, and thus had been born in about 1684. We have no dates for J. Caspar, but we know that he was a Roman Catholic and a miller at the Neumuhle just outside of Theilheim.

The misinformation about an English woman, Elizabeth Mather, being the wife of our Barthel has no foundation in fact. I traced that persistent lore back to some mimeographed and handwritten material distributed to some Romberger genealogists during the '60s by a Floyd Romberger of Missiouri (not Dr. Floyd Romberger of Indiana). When I met that Missouri Floyd in about 1970 and asked him about the source of that misinformation, he didn't remember where he found it or heard about it. He is now long since dead and gone. I acquired copies of some of his notes, but have learned nothing more. His widow had no interest in Romberger family history and asked to be taken off the mailing list. There is, of course, a well known Mather family of English (Puritin) origin which included the Cleric, Cotton Mather, in early Massachusetts. Their genealogy has been worked out and published. You are advised to strike out whatever you have about an English Elizabeth Matter in our lines. There were numerous German-speaking Matter or Motter people in our lines later, some named Elizabeth, but not in the early generations. Note that the English "Mather" would sound like the German "Matter" or "Motter" if pronounced by a German who couldn't manage the English "th" sound.

The first wife of Barthel Rauenberger/Raumberger was Anna Maria Brückner (which name was corrupted to Bricker in Pennsylvania). They were married, probably in 1742 in, or near, the village of Theilheim south of Würzburg in Bavaria. We have not yet located documentation of the marriage as it is not obvious where to look for it. Barthel was a Roman Catholic who was confirmed in the Catholic church in Theilheim on 27 May of 1725, which record gives the names of his parents. Anna Maria Brückner, though, was from a Protestant family (in the minority is Bavaria then as now). Their three children were baptized in the Catholic church in Ingolstadt in 1743, 1745, and 1747. We have copies of those records. We have no information on the time or place of Anna Maria Brückner Raumberger's death.

Barthel's second wife was Anna Sabina Häss/Haas/Hess of Albertshausen in Bavaria. This village is only a few miles from Theilheim. I visited there in 1981. Barthel and Anna Sabina were married in the Lutheran Church in New Holland, PA, on March 30, 1761. They had four more children, all born near New Holland and baptized in the Lutheran church there.

Our common ancestor, Balthaser/Baltser/Baltzer Raumberger/Ramberger/Romberger can be called an immigrant, but he arrived with his family in 1753 when he was only six years old. His first wife was Anna Maria Traut (not related to the English Trout family). The marriage was probably performed in the Lutheran church in New Holland (Earltown) in about 1770. Baltzer's second wife was Susannah Lehman (b. 19 Feb. 1771 in Trappe, PA). They were married on 15 June, 1798 by the pastor of the Lutheran church in Harrisburg.

Please note that I have given all this information in "Historian's Reports" to the family over a 20-year period, and also in my 2003 booklet "Finding Our Roots in Bavaria", which is currently out of print. All the information therein was painstakingly derived through more than 20 years of scholarly research. Much of what you find in old county histories and on today's internet is not reliably correct.

Sincerely,

John A. Romberger

Direct Descendants of J. Caspar Rauchenberger

1 J. Caspar RAUCHENBERGER
... +Catharina ? b: Abt. 1683 m: Abt. 1710 d: April 14, 1730 in Theilheim, Schweinfurt, Bavaria, Germany
. 2 Bartholomaus RAUMBERGER b: May 04, 1716 in Theilheim, Schweinfurt, Bavaria, Germany d: September 25, 1800 in Annville, Lebanon Co., PA Burial: Hill Lutheran Church Cemetery, Quitapohilia, near Annville, Lebanon Co., PA Immigration: September 24, 1753 aboard ship "Neptune" from Rotterdam, last of Cowes, England
....... +Anna Maria BRUCKNER m: Abt. 1742 in Theilheim, Bavaria, Germany
..... 3 Balthaser ROMBERGER b: July 05, 1747 in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany Baptism: July 05, 1747 Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany d: Abt. 1825 in Mifflin Twp., Dauphin Co., PA
........... +Anna Maria TRAUT b: Abt. 1749 m: Abt. 1770 in Lebanon Co., PA d: Bef. 1798 in Mifflin Twp., Dauphin Co., PA
......... 4 Anna Maria ROMBERGER b: January 12, 1770 in New Holland, Earl Twp., Lancaster Co., PA d: February 26, 1838 in Mifflin Twp., Dauphin Co., PA Burial: St. John's Lutheran Church Cemetery, Berrysburg, Mifflin Twp., Dauphin Co., PA
.............. +John Michael MATTER b: October 03, 1763 in New Holland, Earl Twp., Lancaster Co., PA (appears in 1850 Washington Twp., Dauphin Co., PA census living with son Adam) Baptism: November 21, 1763 Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lancaster Co., PA d: February 11, 1852 in Dauphin Co., PA Burial: St. John's Lutheran Church Cemetery, Berrysburg, Mifflin Twp., Dauphin Co., PA Father: Johannes "Hans" Matter Mother: Anna Barbara (Arnholdin) Arnhold
............ 5 Balthaser MATTER b: July 07, 1795 in Dauphin Co., PA (appears in 1850, 1860 Lykens Twp. census, living with son Edward in 1870 Wiconisco Twp., Dauphin Co., PA census) d: December 21, 1871 in Lykens, Wiconisco Twp., Dauphin Co., PA Burial: Old Union Cemetery, Lykens, Wiconisco Twp., Dauphin Co., PA
.................. +Catherine "Kate" RITZMAN b: February 12, 1797 in PA Baptism: May 14, 1797 Zion (Klinger's) Church, Lykens Twp., Dauphin Co., PA d: October 17, 1864 in Gratz, Lykens Twp., Dauphin Co., PA Burial: Simeon Church Cemetery, Gratz, Lykens Twp., Dauphin Co., PA Father: Peter Ritzman Mother: Catharine Elisabeth Kerns
................ 6 Abraham MOTTER b: June 03, 1828 in Lykens Twp., Dauphin Co., PA (appears in 1850 Lykens Twp., Dauphin Co., PA census living with Thomas Botdorf family, 1860 Forreston Twp., 1870 and 1880 Maryland Twp., Ogle Co., IL census, came to IL about 1852) d: May 23, 1895 in near Adeline, Maryland Twp., Ogle Co., IL Burial: North Grove Christian Cemetery, Leaf River Twp., Ogle Co., IL Military service: Bet. December 09, 1863 - May 30, 1865 Civil War, Co. A, 64th IL Infantry, Was a Prisoner of War
...................... +Elizabeth SCHMELTZER b: May 1828 in PA (appears in 1850 Mifflin Twp., Dauphin Co., PA census living with son Nathaniel and next door to father Michael and family, 1900 Maryland Twp. and 1910 Leaf River Twp., Ogle Co., IL census) m: October 08, 1848 in David's Reformed Church, Dauphin Co., PA by Rev. John A. Leis d: February 25, 1916 in Egan, Leaf River Twp., Ogle Co., IL Burial: North Grove Christian Cemetery, Leaf River Twp., Ogle Co., IL Father: Michael Schmeltzer Mother: Elizabeth Weiss
.................... 7 Riley A. MOTTER b: June 02, 1854 in West Grove, Lincoln Twp., Ogle Co., IL (appears in 1880, 1900, and 1910 Ridott Twp., Stephenson Co., IL census) d: August 01, 1918 in Leaf River, Ogle Co., IL Burial: North Grove Christian Cemetery, Leaf River Twp., Ogle Co., IL
.......................... +Mary A. LIGHT b: June 15, 1860 in Leaf River Twp., Ogle Co., IL (appears in 1920 and 1930 Leaf River, Leaf River Twp., Ogle Co., IL census) m: November 20, 1879 in Stephenson Co., IL d: December 21, 1941 in Leaf River, Ogle Co., IL Burial: North Grove Christian Cemetery, Leaf River Twp., Ogle Co., IL Father: John O. Light Mother: Catherine Schucker
....................... 8 Addie Mae MOTTER b: May 03, 1880 in Ridott Twp., Stephenson Co., IL d: December 11, 1969 in Mt. Morris, Ogle Co., IL Burial: North Grove Christian Cemetery, Leaf River Twp., Ogle Co., IL
............................. +William Alfred SCHELLING b: February 27, 1864 in Leaf River Twp., Ogle Co., IL (appears in 1900 Leaf River Twp., 1910, 1920 and 1930 Leaf River, Leaf River Twp., Ogle Co., IL census) m: June 24, 1909 in Winnebago Co., IL d: November 11, 1940 in Leaf River, Ogle Co., IL Burial: North Grove Christian Cemetery, Leaf River Twp., Ogle Co., IL Father: Henry Schelling Mother: Susan Amanda Henan
........................... 9 Elva Florence SCHELLING b: January 05, 1912 in Leaf River, Ogle Co., IL d: September 20, 1990 in Rockford, Winnebago Co., IL Burial: Willwood Burial Park, Rockford, Winnebago Co., IL
................................. +Ralph Walter CRAMER b: April 20, 1909 in near Egan, Leaf River Twp., Ogle Co., IL m: June 13, 1936 in Rockford, Winnebago Co., IL d: February 02, 1987 in Rockford, Winnebago Co., IL Burial: Willwood Burial Park, Rockford, Winnebago Co., IL Father: Louis Clarence Kramer Mother: Jennie Cady Hoverland
............................... 10 Roger Ralph CRAMER b: Warmolts Clinic, Oregon, Ogle Co., IL