George E. Rafferty

Hildegard (Haase) Rafferty was born in Napoleon Township, October 5, 1911, the daughter of Henry F. and Anna (Wachtman) Haase. Her father engaged in farming. Henry's parents were George and Julia (Plassman) Haase who immigrated to this country from Lippe Detmold, Germany. Julia and her parents, Fred and Johanna (Bokerman) Plassman, set out from Bremen, Germany, in 1852 and arrived in New York City ten weeks later.

After staying a year in Cleveland, Ohio, they came to Napoleon Township, Henry County, to live on a farm.

Anna (Wachtman) Haase's father William Wachtman was the son of John and Mary (Sachs) Wachtman; he came when young from Hanover, Germany, to Napoleon Township to farm. Anna (Wachtman) Haase's mother Anna (Badenhop) Wachtman came from Visel Hoevede, Germany, to Freedom Township with her parents Henry and Mary Badenhop at about the age of fourteen years.

George E. Rafferty Jr. was born in Napoleon, Ohio, September 3, 1910, the son of George E. and Myrtle J. (Anderson) Rafferty. George Sr. was a barber, city clerk, Henry County Auditor and banker in Napoleon.

George Sr.'s grandparents, John and Mary (Graham) Rafferty, immigrated from County Westmeath, Ireland, about 1835 to Montreal, Canada, where he worked in the timber. From there he came to Maumee, Ohio, to work on the construction of the Miami and Erie Canal and later settled on a farm in Napoleon Township. George E. Rafferty Sr.'s father Alexander Rafferty, son of John and Mary Rafferty, was a farmer in Napoleon Township and his wife was Catherine Ringwalt who was born in Allen County, Indiana.

Jacob Ringwald founder of this name in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, left Wurttemberg in southwest Germany in 1753. He went down the Rhine River to Rotterdam and sailed on the ship Halifax and arrived in Philadelphia in September of that year. Jacob was a blacksmith and married Anna Barbara Wagner. He anglicized his name to Ringwalt and left the Lutheran church when his earnest efforts failed to secure the advantage of English preaching once a month in the church.

George E. Jr. and Hildegard (Haase) Rafferty Family. Seated, left to right: Linda Babcock, Sally Babcock, George E. Rafferty Jr., Hildegard Rafferty, Anley Oberdick, Fleety Phillips; standing, left to right: Tom Babcock, Earl Babcock, Steven Babcock, Jonathan Oberdick, David Ober-dick, Mary Oberdick, Glenn Oberdick, Alisa Phillips, Thomas Phillips, Amy Phillips.

Jacob Ringwalt Jr. and his wife Catherine Diller had eighteen children and resided in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The Diller family is traced back to Michael Diller court preacher of the Electorate in 1543 a native of Alsace; he was a French Hugenot. Casper Diller (16751775) his descendant was the progenitor of the Diller family in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and one of his three sons, Hans Martin Diller, was the father of Adam Diller who married Elizabeth Brown in 1775 and they  resided in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Adam and Elizabeth Diller were the parents of Catherine Diller who married Jacob Ringwalt Jr. and from this marriage one of the eighteen children named William Ringwalt married Catherine Stouffer in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in 1833. William and his wife settled on a farm in Allen County, Indiana, and one of their six children, Catherine, married Alexander Rafferty.

George E. Rafferty Jr.'s mother, Myrtle J. Anderson, was born on a farm in Madison County, Ohio, the daughter of James B. Anderson and Amelia J. Deyo. Mr. Anderson was a miller, farmer, and county commissioner.

The father and mother of James B. Anderson were Stephen and Margaret (McCowan) Anderson. They resided on a farm in Madison County, Ohio.

The father and mother of Stephen Anderson were Thomas and Rebecca Anderson who came to Madison County, Ohio, from Virginia. The name of Anderson is Scandinavian and our remote ancestors came into Scotland with the Danes who for a time held the eastern coasts of Scotland and England.

Amelia J. (Deyo) Anderson, the mother of Myrtle J. Anderson, was born in Pickaway County, Ohio, the daughter of Jeremiah and Hanna (Alkire) Deyo. They resided on a farm. Jeremiah Deyo was the son of Jonas Deyo a native of Ulster County, New York, and his father before him came from Germany. He was a French Hugenot who left France because of religious persecution and lived in the vicinity of Mannheim, Germany, before coming to New Paltz, New York. Deyo is the anglicized name of the French name of De Joux.

The parents of Hanna (Alkire) Deyo were Robert Alkire and Elizabeth Douglas who were born in Kentucky and Robert's father's name was William who resided in Kane Ridge, Kentucky. The Alkires originated in Germany and the American branch of this family settled in this country many years ago.

George E. Jr. and Hildegard D. Rafferty have lived on a farm in Section 23, Harrison Township, Henry County, Ohio, for the past thirty-one (31) years. Before coming to this farm George was a justice of the peace and an insurance agent in Napoleon. Farming, income tax service, county commissioner, and township trustee have been his activities since living on the farm. Vegetable and Christmas tree growing have been two of the main crops. George and Hildegard have three daughters; Sally Lee Babcock, Anley Oberdick, and Fleety Phillips.

Sally married Earl Babcock and theyhave four children: Steven, John, Tom, and Linda. They reside on a farm in Harrison Township, Henry County, Ohio.

Anley married Glenn Oberdick, a Lutheran pastor, and they live in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. They have three sons: David, Jonathon, and Mark.

Fleety married Thomas Phillips who is a shop foreman for Snyder Chevrolet in Napoleon. They have two children: Alisa and Amy.

Submitted by Rafferty Family