Reed Family History

The name REED had its humble beginnings in the late 1800s. Prior to that, the name was RIETH or RIET, even RITH, depending on which history you read. As usual, in the case of family history and written information, there are variations in this history. I would like to point out some differences and you can be the judge. I do not have an older map of the countries to pinpoint the following locations, so I am just guessing that these contradictions would be one and the same, only at different times in history.

In 1709, John George Riet (Johann Georg Rieth), his wife, Anna Catherine Berne, and their eight children, joined a group of fellow Palatines on a journey through the Netherlands to Rotterdam and then to London, where they embarked for the New World. The first contradiction is that their home was Alsace near Strasburg, to Mahneim Baden. Another history has them migrating from the Duchy of Wurtemberg, or Plalz region of Baalborn, Germany near Kaiserslautern.

The family sailed from Holland to England and resided temporarily near London. On December 24, 1709 with about 4,000 others, they sailed from Walworth, England (another contradiction?). John George was stricken ill, died during the trip and was buried at sea. The rest of the family landed in New York City on June 13, 1710, after a trip of almost six months. They settled for a time in Livingston Manor, NY in 1710-1711, then the Simmendinger Registeres listed them as living in three places: first, New York City, second, New Stuttgart, and third Weisersdorf, Schoharie Valley, NY. Here Conrad Weiser was sent ahead to negotiate with the Indians and paid an equivalent of $300 for the land. In two weeks, some 50 families (700 people), settled in seven villages.

They were disposed of their lands when a bitter hatred developed between the Holland Dutch and the new settlers. Sir William Keith, governor of the colony of Pennsylvania, being in Albany at the time, invited them to settle in his state. During the time of the dispute, George Rieth, the eldest, supposedly visited Tulpehocken Valley and in 1719, several Rieths led scouting parties to the unsettled parts of William Penn's colony.

In 1723, a band of 30 families set out to Tulpehocken. They traveled from Schoharie to the headwaters of the Susquehanna, cutting roads for the cattle to travel, while the wives, children and household goods were traveled on rafts and boats. They followed down the Chenango river where it unites with the east branch of the Susquehanna River, past future sites of Binghamton, NY, Wilkes-Barre, PA, and Harrisburg, and still farther until they reached a point (then Chester County) near Womelsdorf.

An old survey map titled "Tulpehocken Valley, Pioneer Homesteads, 1723" lists the names of T. Michael Rieth, Casper Rieth, Nicholas Rieth, J. Leonard Rieth and George Rieth.

Here they established homes and farms, selecting over 1,000 acres of land. Leonhardt built his home near the Tulpehocken Creek and erected a grist mill on the north bank of the Tulpehocken. At his home, there were held church meetings and Leonhardt granted seven acers of land for a church, school and burial purposes. Leonhardt lost his life by being accidentally cuaght in the cog wheels of his mill and crushed to death in 1747, being found floating in the mill race of the mill.

Caspar Rieth was the youngest son of John George Rieth and is the ancestor of most of the Reeds in the Schuylkill County, PA area. He was born in 1702, died in 1788 and had nine children.

You can reach me by e-mail at: sfreeman@ptd.net

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