My husband Bob Dubel had an ancestor Elizabeth Ridenour (Reitenauer) born
July 20, 1777 Frederick Co, MD, died 16 Feb 1850 Frederick Co, MD. I have a
photograph of the tombstone, it is an old tombstone but it is unknown when
it was erected.
Genealogy of Ridenour Family, Ephraim Valentine Ridenour, 1910, p.14 header
Evangelical Lutheran Church, Frederick Co, Maryland, Extracts From Baptismal
Register; p.15 says "Elizabeth, daughter of Adam Reutenauer and ux.
Elizabeth, born Feb. 27, 1777; bapt. 20 April, 1777. Witness, Adam R."
From this information I thought her parents were Adam Reitenauer and
Elizabeth --- [maiden name unknown] of Frederick Co, MD.
Mel Ridenour, who has researched this surname for many years, has a database
of over 16,000 people which in 1999 was downloadable from Internet. I
corresponded with him in August 1999 and he determined that Elizabeth's
parents were George Adam Reitenauer (1757-1828) and Marie Elizabeth Cassel.
A book Reitenauer Immigrants The Early Years, Nona Harwell & Mona McCown,
1999, pp.154 et al gives different information. In August 1999 I purchased
it from Nona Harwell, 3 Spring Creek Lane, Broken Arrow, OK 74014 for $20.00
postpaid and corresponded with author McCown. They believe Elizabeth's
parents were a DIFFERENT George Adam Reitenauer (born 1746, died between
1787 & 1799) and [Anna] Barbara Wilheit. This couple went from Pennsylvania
to Frederick
Co, Maryland, then to Shenandoah Co, Virginia and then back to Frederick Co,
Maryland. This couple had a daughter Elizabeth Reitenauer who was born 18
July 1778 Powells Fort, Shenandoah Co, Virginia, baptized 4 Apr 1779 St.Paul
Lutheran Church, Strasburg, Shenandoah Co, Virginia with sponsors Jacob
Lechleiter and wife Elizabeth. The authors believe this Elizabeth, born
1778, is the same as our Elizabeth, born 1777. This is a fine book and the
authors are good, careful researchers.
Does anyone have Cassel information that contains the above Marie Elizabeth
Cassel? She would have been born about 1757, perhaps in Alsace-Lorraine or
Frederick Co, MD. Thank you. Zelda Dubel. rvdubel(a)email.msn.com