Correcting an error in note 1649 above, the third paragraph should read (to correct my mix up in the Johns):
"Caty Huffman married her half-cousin Reuben Huffman. Caty was the daughter of Jacob, the son of 1714 John and his second wife, Maria Sabina Volck. Reuben was the son of John, the son of 1714 John and his first wife, Anna Catherine Haeger. The son John married Alice Fishback."
George Adam Raüser (Käiser according to Rupp) came to America on the ship Mary and Sarah , which arrived at Philadelphia on October 26, 1754. Also included on the Mary and Sarah was George Ludwig Nonnemacher, who settled in the Robinson River area of what is now Madison County, Virginia.
George Razor, using a spelling which become popular in some branches of the family, lived first in New Jersey, in Newton township of Sussex Co. On 14 May 1774, George bought 100 acres in the Robinson River Valley from Frederick and Sarah Baumgardner. Members of the family lived there about twenty years, and some of them moved to South Carolina.
Considering the unknowns in the Germany origins of the Raüsers and the Nonnenmachers, I have always been intrigued by the passenger list of the ship Loyal Judith which arrived at Philadelphia in 1732. There are two passengers of note, to me, on this ship. The first name on the ship’s list is Andreas Gaar, who shortly thereafter became a resident in the Robinson River Valley. A little farther down the list are Georg Adam Riser and Hans Georg Riser.
I have wondered if the earlier Risers were also members of the family that we are talking about, George Adam Raüser, who had essentially the same name. Andreas Gaar’s pastor in Illenschwang, Bavaria, recorded that Andreas was in a party of 300 people going to America. And Andreas’ comments in a letter home make it sound as if the group had traveled together. I believe that, if I were looking for the German home of the Racer or Razor family, I would first concentrate on the villages around Illenschwang.
George Razor married Margaret
?
in Pennsylvania or New Jersey before coming to Virginia. The eldest son of George and Margaret is Jacob, who is to be found in the Madison County Lutheran Church up to 1804. This is about the last appearance of any member of the family at the Lutheran Church. The spelling of the name at the church shows a lot of variants, such as Reser, Räser, Reiser, Rieser, Reaser, Risser, Raser, Raysor, and Racer.
(21 Apr 03)
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.