THE SOUND OF MUSIC IN GERMANY AND FRANCE

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. Psa 121:3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. Psa 121:5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. Psalm 121:1-5)

Tracing the family Reitenauer to the 1500's, we learn that their ancient home was Alsace, France, which is located at the eastern border of France, 275 miles from Paris and right in the heart of Europe. It is flanked on the west by the Vosges Mountains, and on the east by the Rhine River and the Black Forest. Once part of the German Empire, Alsace only became French under the Louis XIV, who was called 'Le Roi Soleil, "The Sun King," or as Louis the Great, (In French: Louis Le Grand) Or simply Le Grand Monarch, "The Great Monarch." At his birth at the royal Chateau de Saint-Germain-en-Laye in 1638, his parents, Louis XIII and Anne of Austria, who had been childless for 23 years, regarded him as a "divine gift," christening him Louis Dieudonne (Dieudonne" meaning God given." The blood of many of the Royal Houses of Europe ran in Louis's veins. His paternal grandparents were Henri IV of France and Marie de' Medici, who were French and Italian. Both his maternal grandparents were Hapsburgs, Phillip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria. His paternal ancestry in unbroken succession was from Saint Louis, King of France.

Louis XVI is famous for his phrase "L'Etat, c'est moi" (I am the state!") Louis XVI ruled France for 72 years, the longest reign of any European monarch. He also increased the power of France in 3 wars: The Franco-Dutch war, the War of the League of Augsburg, and the War of Spanish Succession.

Germany later re-annexed it twice, from 1870-1918 and from 1940-1945. From a tourist's point of view, Alsace projects a fairy tale image of half-timbered houses adorned with flowers, gabled roofs, and chimneys - sometimes topped by stork nests. The upper Vosges, with majestic forests and peaceful lakes, presents inviting panoramas to the hiker and the intrepid mountain-bike rider. Here are some of the birds which abound in Alsace. The mountains have provided not only inspiration and afforded times of quiet solitude. During seasons of severe persecution, the mountains have afforded a place of refuge in times of danger. David and his band of faithful men hid at times in dens and caves from Saul and his army.

France was rocked by religious wars between 1562 and 1598. The Edict of Nantes, signed by Henry IV in April, 1598, ended the Wars of Religion, allowing religious freedoms in France.

THE FRENCH HUGUENOTS

The precise meaning of the term "Huguenot" is not known. It's considered to be a combination derived from both Flemish and German, for Protestants who met to study the Bible in secret. They were called Huis Genooten, meaning "house fellows," much like we understand the house church movement of modern times. They were also referred to as Eid Genossen, or "oath fellows" indicating people who were bound by an oath. Other possible derivations are listed in the Encyclopedia Britannica:

1. "Huguenot", according to Frank Puaux, at one time President of the Socitie Francaise de l'Historie du Protestantisme Francais and author of the article about the Huguenots in the eleventh edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica:
"is the name given from about the middle of the sixteenth century to the Protestants of France. It was formerly explained as coming from the German Eldgenosen, the designation of the people of Geneva at the time when they were admitted to the Swiss Confederation. This explanation is now abandoned. The words Huguenot, Huguenots, are old French words, common in fourteenth and fifteenth-century charters. As the Protestants called the Catholics papistes, so the Catholics called the protestants huguenots. The Protestants at Tours used to assemble by night near the gate of King Hugo, whom the people regarded as a spirit. A monk, therefore, in a sermon declared that the Lutherans ought to be called Huguenots, as kinsmen of King Hugo, inasmuch as they would only go out at night as he did. This nickname became popular from 1560 onwards, and for a long time the French Protestants were always known by it."
2. The current edition Encyclopedia Britannica offers a somewhat different explanation, although agreeing the word is a derivative of the German word Eldgenosen:
"The origin of the name is uncertain, but it appears to have come from the word aignos, derived from the German Eldgenosen (confederates bound together by oath), which used to describe, between 1520 and 1524, the patriots of Geneva hostile to the duke of Savoy. The spelling Huguenot may have been influenced by the personal name Hugues, "Hugh"; a leader of the Geneva movement was one Besancon Hugues (d. 1532)."
REVOCATION OF THE EDICT OF NANTES IN 1685
Revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV in October, 1685, began renewed religious persecution in France, and sent people fleeing to other countries for religious freedom. Children born to Protestant families were to be forcibly baptized by Roman Catholic priests, and Protestant places of worship were demolished. The Edict formally denied Huguenots permission to leave France, but about 200,000 defied this authority, taking with them their skills in commerce and trade. Many were artisans, craftsmen, and professional people, well-received in the countries into which they'd fled for refuge when religious discrimination or overt persecution forced them to leave France. Most of them went initially to Germany, the England, Switzerland and Holland.
The book of Revelation speaks of God's people as (the woman) who would flee into the wilderness where a place of safety was prepared for her from the dragon (Satan). "And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days." Revelation 12:6.
As we study the geography of Europe we see a place of refuge that God prepared for His people. In southeastern France are majestic mountains which provided a protective wall between those who wanted to know their God and those who wanted to wipe out every trace of the name of God and the people that named this name. In those pristine valleys between the mountains was the home of those that called themselves "His People." A people that guarded the sacred scriptures for posterity, to preserve the truth of God's Word from the corruptions of Rome.
MY ANCESTORS
It's been many years now that I opened an old box, and my eyes fell upon the yellowed photograph of Selinda Jane Ridenour, who was my great grandmother. She is seated with her husband Joseph Madison Burger, and her children, among whom is the sweet young face of her daughter Margaret Elizabeth, my own grandmother, who died early in young married life, leaving two small sons, one of whom was my father, Galen Hunt. With this photograph were the faces of the ancestors that I am descended from. There's a picture of Joseph Madison Burger and Selinda Jane in their later years, wearing her white cap as Brethren women did, as well as one of a man with a shock of white hair that was Selinda's father, Samuel Ridenour.
The Reitenauer name and the history of the Reitenauer/Ridenhour/Reutenauer/Ritenour/Ridenour family can be traced back for hundreds of years, to a time when the family lived in Alsace, France. With the old pictures, is another precious photo that was sent to me by a family member, of the dark haired Ridenour brothers, David and Daniel.
Selinda Jane was born April 24, 1853 in Wabash Co., Indiana, the daughter of Samuel Ridenour and Phoebe Jane Murphy,.
She married Joseph Madison Burger. Our Ridenour family name has numerous spelling varients and has been spelled Ridenour, Ridenhour, Reitenauer, Reitnower, Ridenhour, Ritenour, Reutenaur. The family lineage has been traced to the country of Switzerland in the 1500's, with the family progenitor ANTHONY/ANTON REITNOWER and his son HANS and later, Nicholas Reitenauer (Ridenhour) born Feb 14, 1711, Drulingen, Alsace, France.
The 15th century sees Alsace become the cradle of a new technique or industry, the art of printing. It attracts all those who want to spread new ideologies. Many of its towns played a major role in the birth and development of Protestantism. Many famous theologians such as Martin Bucer, Beatus Rhenanus, Luther and Calvin lived and taught here.
This prosperity abruptly comes to an end with the 30 years war between 1618 and 1648. Alsace is invaded many times and devastated by plague and famine. The treaty of Munster in 1648 brings about the progressive integration of the province - except Strasbourg and Mulhouse - to the French Kingdom. Louis XIV succeeds in restoring its material wealth while allowing its intellectual and religious freedom. In 1681 Strasbourg is also annexed and the Rhine is established as the border.
From the 13th century to the French Revolution, the history of this village of Hilly Alsace was linked to the fate of the lordship of Diemeringen to which it belonged, like the village of Ratzwiller did. Archeological diggings proved that the place was already inhabited as early as the Neolithic age, but it was in a donation record written in 737 at the Wissembourg Abbey that the name of the village was cited for the first time. And it was only in 1212 that Dehlingen appeared in its present day spelling, named after the knights dynasty who lived in the village.
Like the county of Salm and the lordships of Puttelange and Morhange, the lordship of Diemeringen was part of the possessions of the Palatine Electors or Rheingrafen, also called Wild Counts. The Reformation settled in Dehlingen about 1570, as it happened in the whole lordship. During the 18th century, the village was used as a refuge by many protestant refugees. Bas-Rhin, France, (also known as Alsace) was devasted as a result of the Thirty Years War (1618-1648). In order to repopulate the area, immigration was encouraged. Many Swiss from Canton Bern emigrated to Alsace,
Between 1670 and 1673, several trials for witchcraft sent a dozen of inhabitants of the lordship to the stake.
A Jewish community, of up to a hundred people about 1850, lived in Dehlingen from the late 1700's to the early 1900's.
Dehlingen was incorporated into France in 1793. Dehlingen counted 440 inhabitants in 1776, 491 in 1801, 824 in 1831, 755 in 1836, 698 in 1851, then the population continued to decrease and there were less than 600 people in 1885, the 535 in 1910, lesz than 500 in 1931 and 356 inhabitants in 1990. The first church book of the Reformed Parish of Dehlingen dates back to 1704. Before this date Dehlingen depended on the parish of Diemeringen. The village of Dehlingen is located near the Eichel Valley, on the slope of a hill in a part of Alsace called Hilly Alsace. The place was inhabited as early as the Neolithic Age. About 200 A.D., the village was close to a Roman road, therefore it had a real economic importance at this time. The mainly calcareous soil produced small crops but it provided the material used to build the houses. This is the reason why the village hosted more craftsmen than farmers. The main farms of Hardtwald and Langenwaldt are located on more fertile grounds above the village. In the valley, the Klappacher mill is no longer in use and stopped its work a long time ago.
In 1776, 440 people lived in Dehlingen, most of them were of protestant religion, but there were also 22 jews and 3 catholics. The village was annexed to France in 1793. Before 1821, the population of the village had highly increased and reached 788 inhabitants. During the next years the increase was less important and then from 1850 the population decreased as low as 361 inhabitants today. Dehlingen was a Jewish settling that had its synagogue and its cemetery. After WWI, most of the jewish inhabitants left the village and settled in bigger towns looking for better economic conditions.
In the past the population of Dehlingen earned its living by agriculture and handicrafts. But year after year, many villagers abandonned their agricultural and artisanal activities for economic reasons. More and more frequently farmers had a secondary activity at the pottery workshop of Diemeringen or at the crockery workshop of Sarreguemines and this work became progressively their main activity. Today many inhabitants work in the big german factories in the neighbourhood of Dehlingen. Diemeringen.
King Louis XIV of France took advantage of a weak and disunited Germany to seize Alsace (in German: Elsass) in the late 1600s. Called the Sun King, because he used the "sun" as his symbol of power, Louis XIV did not want any assistance running his country. So he removed the nobles from his government. He became king at the age of 5 and ruled for 72 years. It was France's dream for generations to make the Rhine River its eastern border. Fortunately, Alsace has been France's only lasting success in that regard, which is still sad enough.
Political negotiations between the Austrian Habsburgs and King Louis XV of France in the mid-1700s confirmed France's possession of German Lorraine (in German: Lothringen); that is, eastern Lorraine, western Lorraine having always been French. The major city in German Lorraine is Metz.
Following France's defeat at the hands of the German states under Prussia's leadership in the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, Alsace and German Lorraine became part of the new unified Germany because the people living there were ethnic Germans, and France had earlier taken those territories from Germany. The new German Government then combined the two territories into Alsace-Lorraine (in German: Elsass-Lothringen), with Alsace's capital Strassburg (in French: Strasbourg) becoming the capital of the new German province of Alsace-Lorraine.
In 1919, following World War I, France took Alsace-Lorraine away from Germany again. In 1940, Germany took it back again. But then in 1945, France took it away from Germany yet again and it remains part of France today.
The first immigration of our Ridenour family to the New World was aboard the ship Robert & Alice which landed in Philadelphia, PA on September 11, 1738.
In the late 1600's there were three brothers living in Alsace, France, (Now Bas Rhine, France) who immigrated to America. Their names are as follows:
- Anthony Reitenauer born 1586, married Margret Christen on September 24, 1611, Gondiswil, Bern Switzerland. The village of Gondiswil is located very close to the village of Reitenau.
- Hans Reitenauer born 1612; married Catharina Schar on February 10, 1634, Gondiswil, Berne, Switzerland.
- Nicholas "Claus" Reitenauer born June 8, 1651 in Gondiswil, Berne, Switzerland, married Susanna Windstein daughter of Nicholas Windstein and Otilla Eich about 1680 in Alsace, France. Susanna was born June 22, 1654 in Ingweiler, Alsace. Both died in Tieffenbach, Susanna on March 28, 1713 and Nicholas Claus on February 27, 1717, just two years after the King Louis XVI died, who was termed The French Sun King.
The history of the city of Berne, Switzerland, begins with its founding by Duke Berchtold V of Z�hringen in 1191. The legends of the area tell us that the Duke vowed to name the city after the first animal he met on the hunt; as this turned out to be a bear, the city had both its name (Bern can stand for B�r(e)n, bears) and its heraldic beast. At that time, much of today's Switzerland (then considered part of southern Burgundy) was under the authority of the house of Z�hringen. The Z�hringer leaders, although with no actual duchy of their own, were styled Dukes by decree of the German King and exercised imperial power south of the Rhine. To establish their position there, they founded or expanded numerous settlements, including Freiburg (in 1157), Bern, Burgdorf and Murten.[5]

1. ANTON 1 REITNOWER was born Bet. 1586 - 1593 in Reitnau, Aargau, Switzerland. He married MARGARETE CHRISTEN February 04, 1610/11 in Gondiswill, Aargau, Switzerland 1. She was born Bet. 1581 - 1590.
Children of ANTON REITNOWER and MARGARETE CHRISTEN are:
- 2. i. HANS2 REUTENAUER, b. Abt. 1612, Bern, Switzerland.
- ii. DANIEL REUTENAUER, b. Abt. 1614.
- iii. BARBEL REUTENAUER, b. March 13, 1613/14;
- iv. ANTON REUTENAUER, b. Abt. 1616.
- v. ULRICH REUTENAUER, b. Abt. 1618; m. (1) ANN JAGGI; m. (2) VERENA FIECHTER.
Generation No. 2
2. HANS2 REUTENAUER (ANTON 1 REITNOWER) was born Abt. 1612 in Bern, Argau, Switzerland. He married KATHERINA SCHAR October 02, 1634 in Gondiswill, Aargau, Switzerland1. She was born Abt. 1614.
Children of HANS REUTENAUER and KATHERINA SCHAR are:

i. HANS JAKOB3 REUTENAUER, b. June 08, 1634, Gondiswil, Bern, Swit.; d. December 18, 1720, Alsace, France; m. (1) MAGDALENA CATHARINA; m. (2) VERENA ROTH, January 16,1661/62. ii. ELISABETH REUTENAUER, b. February 03, 1636/37, Gondiswil, Bern, Swit. iii. ANTON REUTENAUER, b. January 17, 1640/41, Gondiswil, Bern, Swit. iv. BALTHASER ULRICH REUTENAUER, b. March 17, 1642/43, Gondiswil, Bern, Swit.; d. August 03, 1715, Tieffenbach, Alsace, France; m. VERONICA JAGGI, Gondiswil, Bern, Swit.; b. 1647, Gondiswil, Bern, Swit.; d. July 28, 1712, Tieffenbach, Alsace, France. In 1798, invading French revolutionary armies plundered and largely destroyed the original Old Town of Berne, and the Canton was considerably weakened � Waadt and Aargau became separate cantons in themselves. v. MIRIAM REITENAUER born: Aug 29, 1649 in Gondiswil, Bern, Swit. vi. DANIEL REITENAUER born: Mar 2, 1644, Gondiswil, Berne, Swit. vii. EVA REITENAUER born: Aug 1, 1647 in Gondiswil, Berne, Switzerland
v. DANIEL REUTENAUER, born: March 02, 1643/44, Gondiswil, Bern, Swit.
vi. EVA REUTENAUER, born: August 01, 1647, Gondiswil, Bern, Swit.
vii. MIRIAM REUTENAUER, born: August 29, 1649, Condiswil, Bern, Switzerland.
3. viii. NICHOLAUS "CLAUS" REUTENAUER, born: August 07, 1650, Condiswill, Aargau, Switzerland; d. February 27, 1716/17, Tieffenbach, France.

Nicholas Claus Reutenauer's life would have been dramaticly impacted by the Act of Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, which occurred in 1685, and which took away both the civil and religious liberties of the French Huguenots and ushered in a new wave of Huguenot persecution and discrimination. Nicholas would have a man of 35 years old at this time that all Huguenot worship and schooling was strictly restricted and all Huguenot churches were ordered destroyed or transformed into Catholic churches. All Huguenot clergymen were ordered to leave France within fourteen days.

To further harass the Huguenot population, some 400,000 forced "converts" were ordered to attend mass and participate in the Catholic Eucharist. Many of those who refused were condemned to the stake or imprisoned. As might be expected, there was a tremendous exodus of Huguenot families from France. Of the 1,500,000 Huguenots living in France in 1660, almost one fourth left the country in the decade following the Revocation. This exodus resulted in the extension of Huguenot family branches into England, Germany, Switzerland, and Holland, and would eventually result in links to the English, German, and Dutch colonies of North America.

Generation No. 3

3. NICHOLAUS "CLAUS"3 REUTENAUER (The son of ANTON 1 REITNOWER) was born: August 07, 1650 in Gondiswill, Aargau, Switzerland1, Christened: June 8, 1651, Gondiswil, Canton Berne, Switzerland. Gondiswil (local dialect Gumiswil) is a municipality in the district of Aarwangen, in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. It lies in the Oberaargau in the Swiss Plateau.

NICHOLAS REITENAUER died: February 27, 1716/17 in Tieffenbach, France. His occupation was that of a Roof Shingler, schindeldecker. His religion was considered Luthern. He married SUSANNA WINDSTEIN Abt. 1674 in Tieffenbach, Alsace, France.

Children of NICHOLAUS REUTENAUER and SUSANNA WINDSTEIN are:

i. CATHARINA ELISABETHA4 REUTENAUER b. 1687. She was a twin. No confirmation record exists for her, so she may have died in childhood.
ii. CATHARINA MARGARET REUTENAUER, m. HANS GEORG EBERHARD 1711 in Tieffenbach, Alsace, France. She was a twin.
iii. JOHAN MICHAEL REUTENAUER, b. Abt. 1680/2; m. ANNA CATHARINA JOHANNA EBERHARDT July 19, 1701 in Tieffenbach, Alsace (Bas Rhin) France
iv. ANNA EVA REUTENAUER, b. January 27, 1680/81, Tieffenbach, Alsace, France. Died: 1701
v. JOHAN NICOLAUS REUTENAUER, JR., b. Abt. 1683, France; d. 1760, Maryland. m. ANNA MAGDALENA ARNETT Nov. 26, 1705 in Rexinggen, Alsace, France
vi. HANS LUDWIG REUTENAUER, b. May 25, 16852; m. ANNA SOPHIA FISCHER feb 13, 1701/02 in Tieffenbach, Alsace, France.
vii. JOHANNES ADAM REUTENAUER, b. March 05, 1689/90, Tieffenbach, Alsace, France; d. November 03, 1755, Pike Twp., Berks Co., PA.
viii. ANNA CHRISTINA REUTENAUER, b. May 08, 1692, Tieffenbach, Alsace, France2; m.DANIEL KLINGENSCHMIDT, a widower from Lutzeinger, Wurttemburg. Immigrated: Sept. 11, 1738 from France to America on Robert & Alice to Philadelphia, PA. They were married January 02, 1717/18, Waldhambach, Alsace, France. ANNA CHRISTINA REUTENAUER confirmed 1707-Luthern Church

From "Reitenauer Immigrants, The Early Years by Nona Harwell and Mona McCown., "Two of Nicholas and Maria Magdalena's sons, Heinrich and Peter, came to America on the ship "Robert and Alice" with their uncle, Balthasar Reitenauer and their aunt, Anna Christina (Reitenauer) Klingenschmidt in the summer of 1738 (arriving in Philadelphia and signing the oath Sept 11, 1738)." The emigrant ship with Nicholas Reitenauer aboard came to America by way of Rotterdamthrough Cowes-for supplies
Baptism: May 08, 1692, Waldhambach, Alsace, France. The town of Waldhambach is located in the Canton of Drulingen, which is a French administrative division, located in the department of the Low-Rhine and the Alsace area.

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