The Rossiters have lived in the Wexford area since the 1100's Rathmacknee Castle was built by Sir John Rossiter of Wexford in 1451. He was Knighted by King Henry II of England and was given 2000 acres in Forth and lands in Bargy also. He had other castles in Bargy, Slevoy, Tomhaggard, Tacumshane, Ballygarvan, New Castle (Kilmannon) as well. In 1650 Oliver Cromwell under King Henry VIII invaded Wexford and the castles were taken. Rathmacknee remained inhabited until the 1760's. The castle is located 7.5 miles SW of Wexford Town ...off a minor road with a signpost reading NRG: T037143. and is today a National Monument.(The above written by Merv Rossiter for the family newsletter)
My concentration now is to close the gap on all the information I have on this family!!!
ROSSETER. Here lies the body of Patrick Rosseter who died 26
July 1776 aged 78 years also Elizabeth Rosseter who
departed this life 09 Nov 1807 aged 91, also their sister
Catherine Rosseter who departed this life 12 May 1809
aged........years.
Requiscant in Pace...............Rosseter of Killane who
departed this life.........aged 72 years.
(Patrick Rosseter born 13 July 1698 s/o James Rossiter and Betty Cody.)
ROSSETER. Here lieth the body of Anstis Rosseter who
departed this life 04 Dec 1779 aged 65 the Lord have mercy
on her and also her grand daughter Anstis Rosseter aged 17
months.
ROSSETER. Here lyeth the body of Catherine Rosseter alias
Barry who departed this life 18 Oct 1784 aged 37 years
the lord have mercy on her soul amen also the body of
Patrick Rosseter who departed this life 26 January 1800 aged 53
years. Lord have mercy on his soul amen
ROSSITER. Erected by Patrick Rossiter in memory of his
mother Anne Rossiter of Killean who departed this life 17
August 1858 aged 63 years also his father and his mother.
ROSSITER. In loving memory of Thomas Rossiter Lightwater
died 07 April 1911 aged 70 years his wife Mary Anne
Rossiter died 20 June 1919 aged 78 years and his son James
Rossiter died 03 May 1934 aged 54 years. Patrick
Rossiter Graguenamanagh died 02 June 1934 aged 56 years.
There seems to be two main Rossiter lines to enter the USA.
Edward ROSSITER born: 1575 his wife born: 1577 and two daughters Jane born: 1614 and Joanne born: 1616 . Nicholas ROSSITER born: 1599 , his wife Ann born: 1601.Bryan ROSSITER born:1610 , his wife Elizabeth ALSOP born:1612. And Hugh ROSSITER born: 1615. All arriving May 30, 1630 in Masachussets on the "Mary and John."
Thomas Rossiter (born c 1685 England). Still looking for information on his arrival in the USA. Thomas
married Hannah FLEXNEY who was born 01 June 1696 at Whitney, Oxfordshire, England, daughter of John and Ann
FLEXNEY(who had Ann born:29 Mar 1687, John born: 16 Mar 1698 and Hannah)
Thomas and Hannah lived in Providence, Philadelphia, PA and raised six children:
* ROSSITER, Thomas, born:1685 Eng, died: 1748, Providence, marr: Hannah FLEXNEY
* Thomas II, born: 1715, d 1790 Chester Co
m 1751, Elizabeth ADDAMS
.......Anne, marr: 1743, William POWELL
.......Hannah, born: 1727, died: 1887
.......Elizabeth
.......John, born: 1727, died: 1810 Chester Co
.......Daniel, born: 1732, died: 1790
Children of Thomas II and Elizabeth
.........* Samuel C, born: 1753 Chester Co., died: 1823, marr: Mary Elizabeth STEPHENS
.........Thomas III, born: 1755 Philadelphia, died: 1848, marr: 1780 Elizabeth COATES
.........Elizabeth, born: 1756 Chester Co., died: 1845 Ohio, marr: 1770 Ralph ROBINSON
Children of Samuel and Mary
........... Thomas Washington, born: 1781 Valley Forge, died: 1852
...........* Abijah Stephens, born: 1783 Chester, died: 1865 Ohio, marr: Elizabeth YOUNGBLUE
...........Jesse Marion, born: 1784 Chester, marr: 1831 Minerva RODGERS
...........Stephen, born: 1786 Valley Forge
...........Mary, born: 1788 Valley Forge
...........Lindsay, born: 1797 Valley Forge, marr: Eliza SEITZINGER
...........Ann, born: 1799, marr: 1743 William POWELL
Children of Abijah and Elizabeth
.............Mary Ann, born: 1810 Chester
.............Margaritha, born: 1812 Chester
.............Samuel Frederick, born: 1814 Chester
.............* Jesse Marion, born: 27 Dec 1816 Ohio, marr: 1838, Eliza Jane BENNETT
.............Ann, born: 1818
.............Thomas Llewellyn, born: 1820
.............Abijah Stephens, born: 1823
.............James, born: 1826
.............Elizabeth, born: 1829
Children of Jesse and Eliza
...............Margaret Ann, born: 1838
...............Thomas, born: 1841
...............William B, born: 1841
...............Mary Elizabeth, born: 1843
...............Malissa, born: 1845
...............Clemetine, born: 1847
...............* Abijah Steven, born: 10 Jul 1850 Ohio, died: 04 Dec 1930 Colorado
........................................marr: 16 Nov 1871 Ohio, Mary Elizabeth SEIVERZ(SEEVERS)
...............Amaurel Alancel, born: 1852
...............John W, born: 1854
...............Minerva, born: 1856
...............Lenore, born: 1858
...............Alonidas, born: 1859
...............Linley M, born: 1860
...............Jesse Marion Jr, born: 1863
...............Wilma, born: 1867
Children of Abijah and Mary
.................*Lillie Bell Zorah, born: 1872, died 1958, marr: Lewis Miller BOYER
.................Harvey Marzelous, born: 1873, died: 1954, marr:Flora LAIRD
.................Eliza Jane, born: 1875, died: 1960, marr: Albert LAIRD
.................Alverna, born: 1876, died: 1877
.................Linley Morris, born: 1878, died: 1966, marr: Kate GEIGER
.................Jesse Melville, born: 1878, died: 1915, marr: Julia Ann LEWIS
.................Johnnie Clearmont, born: 1880, died: 1964, marr: 1907, Julia Etta GEIGER
.................Frances Rebecca, born: 1881, died: 1952, marr: LT Colonel CURNEL
.................Orlando Elwood, born: 1883, died: 1968, marr: Bertha GEIGER
.................Julia M.A., born: 1885, died: 1966,
marr:Samuel McCALL
.................Cora Elmyria, born: 1887,died: 1964, marr: thrice
.................William Arthur, born: 1889, died: 1967, marr: Mary KEIL
.................Icelona May, born: 1891, died: 1961, marr: Earl MARVEL
.................Emma Tennesse, born: 1892, died: 1979, marr: Samuel BROWN
.................Magnolia Pearl, born: 1895, died: 1930, marr: Robert QUICK
Children of Lillie Belle Zorah and Lewis Miller BOYER ................*Ethel Mable BOYER born:1 Jan 1891 died: 1985 (Idaho)marr: John BLASCH(first marriage)Marr: Frank SMITH
................Elsie May BOYER born: 1892 died: 1974
................Lawrence Miller BOYER born: 1894 died: 1949
................Abijah Stephens BOYER born: 1897 died: 1984
................Rachael Elizabeth BOYER born: 1900 died: 1992
................David Marion BOYER born: 1902 died: 1972
................Althea Luetta BOYER born: 1904 died: 1923
................Minnie Buelah BOYER born: 1907 died: 1986
................Clarence Michael BOYER born: 1909 died: 1961
................Hope Marcella BOYER born: 1916
Ethel Mable BOYER was my grandmother , My mother is Anna Gertrude BLASCH born :Jan 1929 Married Billie Francis (Marion) FISK having two children, Shirley in 1949 and myself (Linda Lee FISK)in 1948.
The following is a letter written in 1979/80 by Albert Richard ROSSITER(1909 - 1991 and contributed to the Rossiter newsletter by Merv Rossiter)
(It has been paraphrased in places for the benefit of the reader.)
"My father, Johnnie Clearmont ROSSITER and his family left Longdale, Oklahoma, in 1922 with his brother Orlando
Elwood ROSSITER, and his family, Anthony GEIGER and his family, and Ralph GEIGER and his two children. (The
GEIGER and ROSSITER families were related through marriage)
The Johnnie Clearmont ROSSITER family included Johnnie, his wife Julia Etta ROSSITER nee GEIGER, and their
children Delbert Milton, Albert Richard, John W, Marion J, and Edna V. (Edith was born in Colorado in October 1923)
The Orlando Elwood ROSSITER family included Elwood, his wife Bertha ROSSITER nee GEIGER and their children
Pearl, Leroy, Mabel and Ethel. I believe Everett also, if so, he was a very small boy.
The Anthony GEIGER family included Anthony, George, Glenn, Edward, Monford and Donald.
The Ralph GEIGER family included Ralph, Mary and George
We left our place in May 1922, and went to Ceiling, Oklahoma to Uncle Lynn's place, (Linley Morris ROSSITER,
1878 - 1966, married Kate GEIGER), where he worked as a blacksmith for the Cronkhite Ranch. We rented twenty
acres of pasture for the horses and camped near the well. The wagons had to be repaired. The "tires" had to be shrunk
fitted to the wheels again, brake-locks had to be repaired., we were there for nearly three weeks.
We left Ceiling, Oklahoma, the last week of May. We were headed for Delta, Colorado. We travelled a few days and
stopped for a couple of days near Buffalo, Oklahoma. We were near a creek so we tried fishing while Dad and Uncle
Elwood went to town to find the road to Colorado. We sure had a wonderful time. This was the only fishing we did.
Wheat harvest was about to start when we arrived in Minneola, Kansas. Uncle Anthony got a job there and he dropped
out of our train of wagons with his boys. They never did come to Colorado.
There were three covered wagons and a feed wagon. We passed through Canyon City, Colorado. The 4th of July we
came to Salida, Colorado. The horses were getting tired and needed rest so we stopped at the fair grounds for two or
three days. We met Mack and Lola YOUNG and their family there, and had a great time visiting and talking of our trip.
They stayed for a while after we left to go on to Delta.
We crossed over the Monarch Pass. It took all day to go twelve miles. We stayed all night on the west side of the pass
and it froze ice over the water pail that night. The next morning we went on to Gunnison. From there we went to
Sapinero where we met some people by the name of BLACK. They went with us over Black Mesa as far as Hotchkiss
and we went on to Delta.
We went to Uncle Colonel and Aunt Becky LEONARD's place. We visited with the family for a few days and then
rented a small house across the road from them. We boys continued to sleep in the covered wagons for the rest of the
summer. We helped Uncle Colonel pick beans he had planted for the cannery.
The last of October our family, Uncle Elwood's family, Alvie and Maud LEONARD and family and Uncle Frank and
Aunt Hattie TYLER all moved to Utah.
On the trip we encountered ice and snow and on some of the mountains we would have to leave a couple of wagons at
the bottom of the hill and take the horses that pulled them and double team up the hill. We would then leave those
wagons and come back to get the wagons at the bottom of the hill and double team them up. Sometimes it was late,
dark and very cold. The next day we would move on.
Dad rented a log house and 160 acres of ground. We planted about 40 acres in corn. It came up and looked very good
but we had a killing frost the 15th of June. Within two weeks we were on our way to Delta, Colorado. We got jobs
picking potatoes and topping onions.
Dad rented a farm and we farmed there for nine years. Then the depression came and we were broke, so we came to
the West Coast. We went to Olympia, Washington, and stayed one summer. We camped in the woods on George
CHANNEL's pasture. Emmanuel and Cecil ROSSITER camped with us there.
In the fall 1932 we all moved to Grants Pass, Oregon. Emmanuel and Elsie stayed here for the winter. But Cecil and
Mabel went on to McKinleyville, California, when we got to Grants Pass, as Uncle Lynn's family was there.
We stayed at Grants Pass and got jobs at the sawmill. When Dad retired, he and Ma moved to Marysville, California.
Some years later they moved to McKinleyville, California and lived there until Ma passed away. Dad came to stay in
Oregon a while before he passed away. They were buried in a cemetery at Arcadia, California. Marion, Edith and I have
lived in southern Oregon for over 47 years."
(I was raised in McKinleyville, and I remember some of the above Rossiters. My grandmother and I went to church with many of the above people in the 1950's.....Linda Chandler)
Portions created by Merv Rossiter from the Rossiter newsletter included here for information only.