“Pray and Labor”
The Russwurm family crest, shared by Edmund Arthur Russwurm Blennerhassett

I’ve been told that our family name “Russwurm” is old, but it is uncommon. There are clumps of Russwurms here and there around the world. But my presumption is that all Russwurms are related, and the only question is how.

To date I have not managed to link up the disparate branches of the Russwurm Family, but I expect that will happen in time. This blog as a place to aggregate and share Russwurm Family geneological information as I discover it.  This is purely a hobby, so things happen when they happen.  It has taken a few years between the time I decided I needed a blog like this and actually getting it up and running;  and it has been some years since the online Russwurm digital family tree was last updated, but it is an excellent resource just the same.

While our online family tree may not yet reflect all the information we have, it will soon (hopefully), but in any event, the information here will always be free for anyone to access. This information is part of the historic record. Even if genealogical information could be thought to belong to anyone, it would belong to the descendents. I am appalled by online geneological websites that get their customers to share their family history then try to keep it locked behind a paywall.

We have only been able to trace my own branch of the Russwurm Family back as far as my great great grandparents. Over a period of centuries, France and Germany fought over Alsace-Lorraine, so although my forbears were decidedly German, when Valentin and Catharine set off to North America their homeland was firmly part of France. Valentin Russwurm was born in Alsace,  and married Catherine Rossel around 1838.  They already had their first two daughters, Louisa and Alvena when they emigrated to North America.

The Russwurm family were listed as Catholic when they landed at Batavia, in New York.  Battavia is the birthplace of their third daugter, Katharina was born in 1841.  After that they headed north into Ontario, Canada in time for Valentin Jr. to be born in Wellesley in 1842.   But they didn’t really put down roots until their arrival in Bruce County.  They set down roots and established their home farm near the town of Carlsruhe, Ontario. They also had more children: Barbara, George, Jacob, Frederick (Fritz), Johannes (John), Heinrich (Henry, Adam and Elizabeth.

The Internet shows us is a pretty substantial Catholic Cathedral established in tiny Carlesruhe in 1853, so that may have been the initial attraction. But at some point before he died, Valentin must have parted ways with the Catholic church and converted to Lutheran, because he was buried in the original St. John’s Church Cemetery in Carrick, Ontario.

This blog is part of the Russwurm Family Website.