Part I of Four Families begins with the story of the Riddlebergers,  a family that emigrated from the Palatine area of Germany to America in 1733. The book follows that family's migration from its first settlement in Pennsylvania along the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road to Botetourt County, Virginia, located in the Shenandoah Valley. The narrative includes the family's experiences during the Civil War and their  move to Alleghany County, Virginia, in the post Civil War era. It begins with a Christian Riddlespurger (died 1790), followed by John Riddlesbarger (abt. 1735-1822), Samuel Riddlesbarger I (1773-1854), Samuel Riddlesbarger II (1799-), Samuel Riddlesbarger III (1833-1912 and concludes with Abraham Absolam Riddleberger (1865-1943), who married Mary Catherine Day, the maternal grandparents of Marion Heltzel Seder. A Table of Ancestors and a Family Tree may be accessed from the menu above. In addition, charts showing the immediate family of each ancestor may be accessed by clicking on the name of that individual in the narrative that follows. 

Part I

    Chapter One: opens with the arrival in America of the progenitor of the family, Christian Riddlespurger. The circumstances of his arrival in Pennsylvania, the history of the mass migration of settlers from the Palatine and the reaction of the English speaking citizens of Philadelphia are discussed. The chapter then follows Christian Riddlespurger's life, his migration to South Carolina and the terms of his Will.
    Chapter Two tells the story of Christian's son John Riddlesbarger. After serving in the Revolutionary War, John and his family made the trek along the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road from Pennsylvania up the Shendoah Valley, settling in Botetourt County, Virginia. The chapter examines life, work and religion in German speaking areas of Pennsylvania, a history of the Great Wagon Road, identifies the locality where the Riddlesbargers settled and tells something of the lives of the children of John and his wife Catherine.
    Chapter Three covers the life and times of John and Catherine's second son, Samuel Riddlesbarger Sr. (identified as Samuel I because the same given name appears in three generations. Samuel's marriage to Sarah Compton is reviewed and her family's genealogy traced. The narrative then examines life in Botetourt County in the early nineteenth century, including housing, crops, farming, religion, clothing, schools and recreation. The chapter concludes with a summary of the lives of Samuel and Sarah's children, saving Samuel Riddlesbarger, Jr. (II) for the following chapter.
    Chapter Four continues with the life and times of Samuel Riddlesbarger, Jr. (II) and his family, including the genealogy of his wife, Elizabeth Hart. Samuel's move to a farm on Patterson Creek in Botetourt County is related, together with the death of his wife and his remarriage to Nancy Barger. A detailed description of the family farm, which is now on exhibit at the Frontier Museum in Staunton, Virginia, is included. The chapter concludes with a summary of the lives of Samuel and Elizabeth's children except for Samuel III, who is reserved for the next chapter.
    Chapter Five is entitled "Samuel Riddlebarger III—The Civil War and What Followed". It tells the story of the next of the family—his marriage to Elizabeth Kelly, his experiences as a Confederate soldier and his postwar move over the mountain from Botetourt County to the community of Rich Patch in Alleghany County, Virginia, where he and his wife lived until their deaths in 1912. The events leading up to the Civil War are also examined, and the chapter concludes with a summary of Samuel and Elizabeth's many children. The history of their son Absolam Abraham Riddleberger (Ab), who married Mary Catherine Day, is reserved to Chapter Nine following an account of her ancestors.
    Go to the Day Family page to continue the account of Four Families.

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