Rausch, Jacob Died 1880

SPIELMAN, WERNER, HAUER, BALK, MEYER, KRUSE, BUCHEIT, HACKMAN, BODENSTEINER, MOUDRY, LOESCH, NOLTE, HUINKER, HAUBICH, LANSING, NEUZIL, HASS, HUBER, MARUSKA, SMITH, VOLL, BARBARICK

Posted By: Paul Maruska (email)
Date: 3/30/2012 at 16:48:04

Rausch, Jacob and Margaret (Spielman)
(Lorraine Kuennen)

Among the first settlers in the Fort Atkinson area were Jacob and Margaret (Spielman) Rausch. Both were born in Bavaria; they met and married in Oldenburg, IN [Indiana]. In 1849, when their son John was only a few months old, they joined several other Oldenburg families for the long journey to the Fort Atkinson area. Fore several years they lived in the town, where Jacob practiced his shoemaking skills.

In 1853, they bought 40 acres of land west of town from the U.S. government which was the start of Jacob’s lifetime as a farmer. In addition to John, they became parents of 5 more children. Tragedy struck in 1863 when in one week the mother, Margaret [Spielman], and three of their children died of diphtheria. The surviving children were John, Joseph and Margaret.

John, born 13 Feb 1849 in Oldenburg, IN, married Elizabeth Werner 3 Aug 1875 at St. Clemens Church near Spillville. They farmed west of Fort Atkinson and became parents of 12 children: Theresa (m. Michael Hauer), Barbara (m. Joseph Balk), Frances (m. Frank Meyer), Ottilia (m. John Kruse), Andrew (m. Petronella Bucheit), Clara (married Henry Hackman), Hugo (m. Barbara Hackman), Johanna (m. Carl Bodensteiner), Philip (died at age twenty-five), Clement (died in childhood), Otto (m. Regina Moudry). Joseph, born 21 Feb 1851 in Fort Atkinson, married Mary Loesch 17 Sep 1877. They also farmed west of Fort Atkinson and raised 7 children: Anna (m. Joseph Nolte), William (m. Katherine Huinker), Frank (m. Kate Haubich; after her death he married Minnie Lansing), Julius (m. Mary Neuzil), Leon (m. Agnes Hass), Edward (m. Alice Huber), Louise (m. Alfred Huinker). Margaret, born 4 Nov 1861 near Fort Atkinson, married Frank Maruska. They farmed near Lourdes and raised 9 children: Frank, Joseph, George, William, Edward, Margaret, Anna and Mary. One daughter returned to the Fort Atkinson area: Anna Maruska and married John P. Smith.

In 1865 Jacob Rausch married Dorothea Voll. They had one child, Anna, who married John Barbarick. They lived on the original Jacob Rausch farm until their deaths. Jacob Rausch died 22 Sep 1880.

"Winneshiek County, Iowa Biographies - 1996, An Iowa Sesquicentennial Project of the Decorah Genealogy Association,” Page R-5, Decorah Genealogy Association, Anundsen Publishing Co., 1996.

Festina Cemetery gravestone
 

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