Recksrodt, Rexroth, Rexroad Family of Blacksmiths 1620-1933
*Nancy Simmons
**Paul Simmons - father
***Walter Simmons -
grandfather
****Andrew Simmons -
great-grandfather
*****Aaron Simmons married
to Phebe Rexroad - great-great-grandparents
******John Rexroad - 3x great-grandfather
*******Johann Georg Rexroad - 4x great-grandfather
********Johann Zachariah Rexroad
– immigrant ancestor - 5th great-grandfather
*********Johann Balthasar II
Rexroth - 6th great-grandfather
**********Johann Balthasar I
Rexroth - 7th great-grandfather
***********Wenzelslaus Recksrodt - 8th great-grandfather
************Johannes
Recksrodt - 9th great-grandfather
 |
| Village Blacksmith - Library of Congress photo collection |
The Rexroad family earned their living relying on the occupation of blacksmithing for at least seven generations. My great great-grandmother, Phoebe Rexroad, married Aaron Simmons in 1859. She was the daughter of John Rexroad and Phebe Arbogast. John Rexroad, his father, as well as several brothers were all skilled blacksmiths. As I researched the Rexroad family back into the 18th and 17th century, it came to light that many of the Rexroad family were employed as blacksmiths for over 200 years.
As early settlers in New
England and Virginia were fighting with native Americans in the 1600s, my
German ancestors were engaged in the Thirty-Years War 1618-1648 in Europe. This
conflict started as a religious war called the Bohemian Rebellion. From
1620-1629 Catholic forces dominated the Protestant efforts and captured
Bohemia. Bohemia lost 50% of their population with over 100,000 Protestants
fleeing to neighboring regions. YES! Our German ancestors were refugees.
 |
| Wenzelslaus Recksrodt was born in Smirice, Hradec Kalove, Bohemia German spelling of Smirice is Smirschitz |
My 8th great grandfather, Wenzelslaus Recksrodt 1621-1705, was born in Smirschitz, Koniggrate, Bohemia. The Bohemian spelling of the surname was Recksrodt, the German spelling was Rexrodt, and the Anglican spelling was Rexroad. Records state Wenzelslaus Recksrodt was born in Smirshitz, Bohemia. The German name for this village is Smirshitz but the Bohemian spelling is Smirce. This village is located in the present-day Czech Republic.
Wenzelslaus’ father was Johannes
Recksrodt born in 1590 in Wanfried, Cassel, Hessen in Germany and was a
blacksmith and weaponsmith. He fought in the Battle of White Mountain near
Prague on November 8, 1620. This battle marked the first major victory of the
Roman Catholic Hapsburgs over the Protestant Union, an alliance among the
Protestant states of Germany.
 |
| Battle of White Mountain - November 8, 1620 near Prague in Bohemia Painting by Peter Snayers - Wikipedia |
Shortly after the birth of Wenzelslaus’ son, Johann Balthasar in 1645, Wenzelslaus returned to Erbach, Odenwald, Hessen, in present day Germany, with a count in the Imperial Austrian Service. He served as a Hut-und Waffenschmied (German for ferrier and armor). A ferrier did many things that were necessary for horses. Their activities included making horseshoes and nails and caring for the welfare of the horses. An armor is one who repairs and replaces worn parts of firearms. If you needed someone to make a weapon, the blacksmith was the man to see. Blacksmiths were highly trained men who worked at their craft for their entire life. Johann Wenzelslaus died in Erbach on June 21, 1705.
 |
| Death document of Johann Wenzel Rexsrodt Archion website: Erbach, Erbach, Beerdigungsregister 1600-1674, page 289, image 204 Translation: 1705 - On 21 June dies M. Wenzel Rexsrodt, citizen and master blacksmith here, was buried according to Christian custom on the 25th of the same month. Age 84 b. 1821 |
 |
| Hut-und Waffenschmied Ferrier and Armorsmith |
 |
| Route from Smirschitz, Bohemia to Erbach im Odenwald 380 miles |
Wenzelslaus' son, Johann Balthasar Rexrodt 1645-1694, had many children including seven sons. In 1669 two of his sons were named as a master blacksmith in the guild book. His son Johann Balthasar Rexrodt II, born in 1673-1734, attained status of Schmiedemeister (master smith).
Going to another
generation, Johann Balthasar Rexrodt II's son, Johann Zachariah Rexroad, was
born in 1725 in Erbach and immigrated in 1749 to Pennsylvania. There he married
Anna Marie Vogelin 1751 at Stouchsburg, Lancaster County (later Berks County),
Pennsylvania. According to Morton’s History of Pendleton County, Zachariah
settled in Pendleton County in the early 1770s near Brandywine with a
blacksmith shop where he made excellent bells. Zachariah died in Pendleton
County, Virginia (now West Virginia) in 1799.
Zachariah had nine children and his second child, Johann George Rexroad, is my 4th great-grandfather. He was born about 1754 in Berks County, Pennsylvania and he married Elizabeth in 1791 in Pendleton County, West Virginia. Johann George Rexroad, as well as his son John Rexroad born about 1790, were also blacksmiths. This takes us to the next generation when my great-great grandmother Phebe Rexroad was born in 1833 in Pendleton County and she married Aaron Simmons in 1859 in Ritchie County, West Virginia.
For over 250 years from
John Rexroad born in 1833 back six generations to Johannes Recksrodt born in
1590 we have seven generations of Rexroad men that earned their living by being
blacksmiths.
 |
Pedigree Chart Johannes Recksrodt to his 10th great granddaughter, Nancy Simmons |
* Banse, Heidi, Vorfahren der Familie Banse, http://www2.genealogy.net/privat/h.banse
* Eye, Walter, The History of the descendants of Zachariah Rexroad, of Pendleton County, VA. (WV)
* Moeck, Mary, Rexroad Book, FamilySearch.org, Books
* Rexroad, Wm. D., A Line of Rexroad in America, FamilySearch.org, Books
* Rexroad, Wm. D., Johann Zacharias Rexroth: the Pioneer, FamilySearch.org, Books
No comments:
Post a Comment