Bretsch & Bretch Lineage
1776 - 1932

The BRETSCH FAMILY in America

Researched & compiled by Homer Bretch 1932

The Bretsch family is of German stock. The name is common in Germany, being found in many parts of the country. The first of whom we have any record were all residents of Hesse near Darmstadt. Of that generation dating from 1776, some came to America: Adam, Philip and Lorenz were among those immigrants. As we shall notice hereafter, Adam married Victory Workman, and to that union were born four sons and two daughters: John Philip, Lorenz, Philip, Henry, Mary and Katherine. Philip married Anna Barbara Werner, and to that union three sons and six daughters were born: John, Adam, Philip, Margaret, Katherine, Phoebe, Elizabeth, Mary and Laura.

These did not all come to America at the same time. John Philip came in 1832 and Philip, of the second generation, in 1834. Both were sons of Adam. Then Adam and the remainder of his family came in 1837, accompanied by Philip and his family.

Only of the last named group have we any record of their journey. They left Egelsbach on Sunday, June 4th, 1837, (Sunday being chosen that relatives and friends might assemble to bid, them ?Good-bye?) and after eleven days of travel by boat, arrived at Bremen where it was necessary to wait twenty-three days before sailing. They then took passage on a sailing vessel called Clarmondena, carrying 200 or 300 passengers, and spent the next forty-nine days on the ocean. Arriving in New York, they proceeded at once to Albany by boat up the Hudson, to Schenectady by railroad, from there to Syracuse and Oswego by canal. Then they sailed across the eastern end of Lake Ontario and down the St. Lawrence River to French Creek, (now Clayton). The trip from New York to French Creek occupied seven days. Thus they arrived at French Creek on the morning of August 91, 1837 after a trip of ninety days. Having arranged so far as possible for the care of their families, the heads thereof, Adam and Philip, set out on foot through the forest for the little hamlet of La Fargeville. Although a distance of only seven miles, their path lay through a dense forest, and it was night before they reached the village. At this point, they were directed to the home of their friends, the Dorrs, about three miles in another direction. That home they found late in the evening, not without difficulty. The roads were trails made by ox-carts, unmarked by road signs. Then, too, they could speak only the German language, which made inquiry difficult. It was with a sense of relief, as well as joy, that they finally reached the homes of their friends. After the greetings, the travelers enjoyed a hearty supper of most wholesome food prepared and set before them by Mrs. Dorr and her daughters. Adam and Philip supplied the news-then ninety days old-from the homeland, and it was late for country people when they retired. For want of information on the subject, the writer leaves the topics of that conversation to your imagination.

Next morning, with three ox-carts, Adam and Philip accompanied by their host, retraced part of the path of the night before to French Creek where they were greeted by a not too much rested but hopeful group which for hours had awaited their coming. Having arranged the mothers-there were, three of them, - the young children and the baggage in the conveyances, the return trip was begun with most of the nineteen walking. It was not difficult for the pedestrians to keep up with the procession, for when did oxen ever hurry?

In due course, our forbears reached their destination to begin life anew in the land of their choice. How that party was fed and cared for in that little home is a question that would set the modern housewife thinking and all, perhaps, to no purpose. But, where true hospitality exists, ways and means are of secondary consideration, and hospitality was always a synonym for Dorr. The house was small, but the roof was rain proof and the floors were of soft pine. Moreover, the new hay in the log barn was softer and yielded a pleasant odor. Sleep for tired children and adults under such conditions needed no invitation. The rich soil of the gardens had produced abundantly, the meal from homegrown corn was plentiful and there was poultry and game in abundance. Why worry?

How long did they stay? Did the children quarrel? Was it necessary to search for them in the dark woods while they were gathering nuts? Did Henry tear his shirt or Mary her dress? Why ask? Private documents do not reveal the answers, and one guess is as good as another.

But of this we may be sure, each did his share of the work and faced the future with determination; I had almost said hopefully. With one of the party it was different. One of Philip's sons told the writer personally that his father was very much disappointed with the new country. Look where he would, all was forest. The low land was swampy and the high, dry ground was rocky. So discouraged was Philip that except for a scarcely negligible condition, he would have returned to Germany. The fact is, he had spent nearly all of his money coming to America. It seems that Adam who was fifteen years older, and whose children were correspondingly older, accepted conditions as he found them. He was, at that time, sixty-one years old, but looked forward hopefully to the time when his home would be established under his own roof-tree.

At first, all of Adam's family lived on a farm, which John Philip had bought on the East Ridge Road from LeFargeville to Tanners Corners and about a mile from the latter place. (Now, 1932, owned by Byron Sargent.)

The Bretsches, like most of the residents of Egelsbach, were farmers. They sometimes added to their incomes by filling certain offices in the village. For example, Adam, at one time, served in a position similar to our Justice of the Peace, and his brother, Lorenz, was village clerk. The duties of these offices were not arduous and interfered little with their regular occupations. It was natural then that these new arrivals should continue to be farmers.

Mrs. Frederick Emerich, a daughter of Philip, told the writer that in Egelsbach, Adam Bretsch was considered a rich man. Indeed, just before leaving Germany, he had sold his farm for the equivalent of $1500--a large sum in that day. His sons had a little money left after paying their traveling expenses and added to it by working for neighbors when opportunity offered. The pay received for such services was ten dollars per month and board; but as their expenses were correspondingly light, each in time purchased a farm for his own. It was only natural that those speaking a foreign tongue from a foreign country gather in a community of common language. And thus we find that the five farms owned by those pioneers were all contiguous in the vicinity of Tanners' Corners. But the next generation, that of my father began uniting with families of other blood; and today the descendants of those early settlers also bear many different names.

Before the end of 1837, Lorenz (the writer's grand-father) who was married and had two infant sons, bought a part of the farm (1932) owned by one of his great-grandsons, Carl Getman. It might be well to note that in all these nearly 100 years, that farm has been in continuous possession of his direct descendants. The brothers Philip and Henry bought their farms in 1848. In the meantime, John Philip, a bachelor, had disposed of his farm and thereafter made his home with his brothers.

Philip Bretsch bought a fine farm of "bottom land" which remained is his possession and that of his daughter, Margaret, for many years. It was part of the farm (1932) owned by Harold Bretsch. In 1844, two of Philip's sons, Adam and Philip Jr., went to Chicago. From there, Philip went to Defiance, Ohio, where he was married. He with his family then lived in several paces in the Mid-West: Racine, Wis., Germantown, Ind. and Dayton, Ohio. He and his wife then moved to Hobart, Oklahoma., where two of his sons were in business. It was the information gained from my correspondence with this Philip Bretsch when he was nearly ninety that suggested the preparation of these notes. After some years, Adam and his son George P. Bretsch returned to Watertown where the latter entered in business. Most of the other Bretsches of the earlier generations did not venture far from the old homes; but their descendants of later generations are to be found in, at least, seventeen different states from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

For the most part , the Bretsches have lived quiet, civilian lives; but at the call of their country, they have willingly followed the colors to Wit: "Philip was for nine years a soldier and, at one time fought under Napoleon. He was present at the burning of Moscow in 1812 and was one of a remnant of an army that 'escaped alive.' John Haller mentioned hereafter as the husband of Mary Bretsch; Peter Dorr, husband of a daughter of Adam Bretsch; and Adam J. Bretsch all served under the Union Flag in the Civil War of United States. In that war, Peter Dorr made the Supreme Sacrifice. Brayton Bretsch and Floyd Bretsch served in the Spanish American War in 1898."

Most of the Bretsches and their descendants have been tillers of the soil, but some have strayed from that well-beaten path to become manufacturers, brokers, merchants, engineers, lawyers, doctors, artisans and teachers. The last named occupation has attracted a large number. The family, from the beginning, has always held education in high esteem. The members have always availed themselves of educational opportunities and are thus qualified to fill their places in society with credit. No attempt is made here to name the Training School Certificates, State Certificates, Normal Diplomas, College and University Degrees with their holders. But such a list would be creditable and interesting.

My study of the records leads me to the conclusion that the members of the Bretsch Family have been known for their industry, thrift, integrity and sobriety more than for notable achievement, a record not to be regarded lightly.

Note 1. The family name was originally spelled with an s -- Bretsch. Nearly all of the descendants of Adam Bretsch retain the s in their names. Nearly all of the descendants of Philip Bretsch now omit the s, as do also those of Lorenz Bretsch.

Note 2. Of the third brother, Lorenz Bretsch (Generation I.) and his family, we know only that they came to America in 1840 and settled in Pittsburgh, Pa. For nearly a century, no communication has passed between that family and those of northern New York. In 1930, the writer learned, through the Pittsburgh Directory, the names and addresses of several Bretsches in that city who are probably descendants of that brother. Although he has addressed all such persons several times by letter, only one, Miss Florence Bretch, has replied, and the information thus obtained is very scanty.

Note 3. There are other Bretsch families in this country whose ancestors came from other parts of Germany, the descendants of Federick Bretsch came from Alzey and those of Rudolph Bretsch came from Stettin, Germany.