St. Joseph Twp. Families

(family histories, marriages, deaths, births, deeds, wills, town info., etc.)

Born in Maryland in 1798, John REICHMAN came to Williams County, Ohio with his parents (father and step-mother)
in 1844. He homesteaded a farm north-east of Edgerton in St. Joseph Township. One year later, in 1845, his father
(John REICHMAN, Sr.) died and was (according to John, Jr's. obituary) the first person buried in the Thomas Cemetery
about 1/2 mile from the family homestead. In 1846 at the age of 47 John REICHMAN married a neighbor's daughter,
Elizabeth KLINE, who was just 16 years old. They had nine children, four died in childhood from various diseases that
swept through the area at that time. Four sons and one daughter lived to adulthood. On March 5, 1896, at nearly 98 years
of age John REICHMAN died. He died on his 50th. wedding anniversary and his wife, Elizabeth, died just three years
later at the age of 69. Both John and Elizabeth are buried in Thomas Cemetery and their tombstone can easily be seen
by anyone who passes by. The 160 acre farm was inherited by their children.

From the time the REICHMAN farm was homesteaded until the late 1800's there was merely a log cabin and barn on
the land. In the late 1800's a frame home was built near the log cabin by John REICHMAN's son, Noah. The old barn
was moved near the new home and was attached to a new barn which along with several other outbuildings was built
around the same time as the frame home. the log cabin was torn down shortly after the frame home was built. The frame
home has since been remodeled. The barn, both old and new parts, is still standing (although in disrepair) and the original
hand-hewn log structure is still in use.

Noah REICHMAN and his wife, Sarah (FIX), bought back most of the original farm from his siblings and passed it on to
their only child, Harvey REICHMAN and his wife, Alma (FREYMAN). They had two children, Evelyn and Maurice.
Maurice died at 17 from polio. Evelyn married Raymond HEISLER and lived on the farm for many years. Their oldest
son, Allan HEISLER, bought the farm in 1962 from his grandmother, Alma REICHMAN. Allan still owns most of the
original homestead which now consists of 120 acres on which his family still lives. It has been in the same family for
over 150 years.