The Rosebrock Family

The Frederick and Maria Meier Rosebrock and family of five children immigrated to America from Hanover, Germany, in 1876.

The trip was made by sailboat in approximately five to six weeks. They docked at Baltimore, Maryland. From there they went to Freedom Township, Henry County, for a short period of time, then to Lutherville, Johnson County, Arkansas, for a period of nine years.

While in Lutherville, George, one of the children, met his future bride. Wilhelminna Lueck was born in Province Posen, Sumotschin, Germany, in 1863. In 1886 she left Germany and immigrated to America by boat. She spent some time in Kinsley, Kansas, before going to Lutherville, Arkansas, where she met and married George Rosebrock in 1888.

To this union were born eight children: William, Wilhelminna, Henry, Walter, and Adeline were born in Arkansas. In 1900 they came by train to Defiance County, Ohio, where they lived on a farm on Route 66, known then as the Holgate Pike. In 1911, they moved to Henry County to a farm, two miles east of Ridgeville Corners on U.S. 6. In Ohio three more children were born: Anna, Ella, and Augusta.

Henry Rosebrock was born in 1893. As a youth he operated a steam engine for threshing of grain in summer and for sawing logs in the winter. It was during this period of his life that he met Anna Clara Hasemeier. Anna was born in Defiance County in 1895. They were married on December 27, 1914.

To this union ten children were born: Frieda, Alvin, Helen, Frederick, Clara, Laura, Esther, Carl, Henry, and Henrietta.

They lived in several homes in Ridgeville Corners, before moving to their present home in 1925.

Henry (Hank as he is known to his many friends) had many abilities of which knowledge was acquired by self-learning method. Among them were: carpenter, welder, electrician, plumber, painter, and general maintenance.

The surrounding countryside has many houses, barns, and other buildings he helped build. Some of the windmills he erected are still standing.

He also did many projects that were done as a civic-minded person such as being the first fire chief of the Ridgeville Volunteer Fire Department, lineman for the Ridgeville Telephone Company, and others. He helped install the first incubators in the Neuhauser Hatchery in Ridgeville Corners. Alvin (Rosey) was employed at the Neuhauser hatchery.

Henry worked as a general maintenance man for Lugbill Brothers at Archbold, Ohio, until his retirement. Three of his sons are presently employed at Lugbill, known as Eckerts now, and presently known as Dinner Bell Meats, Inc. They are Frederick, Carl, and Henry.

Three sons also served in the Armed Forces: Alvin, Frederick, and Carl.

The girls all married: Frieda Darst, Clara Reynolds, and Laura Bitzinger, and Henrietta Libey. All the children live in the surrounding area and were educated in the Ridgeville Corners School. Two daughters are deceased: Helen and Esther. Henry's wife Anna passed away in 1971 so he is a widower. Henry has twenty-nine grandchildren, fourteen great grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.

Submitted by Frieda Rosebrock Darst