Roth Roots

We planned to travel the east side of the Rhine north of Worms so I might find some information about my grand father Jacob.  Little did I know the treasure trove of information about the history of the Roth family that awaited.
We started at the Reidstadt Rathaus (City Hall) where a helpful woman who could speak some English let us know that the records we needed (prior to 1875)  were at the museum or church in Erfelden and that they were closed for the next four days. Disappointed we explored the town and took some pictures of the church and Museum.
The next morning as we were planning to leave, a conversation with a hotel employee resulted  in an appointment with the museum Curator to visit the museum and view its files. What we discovered was a treasure trove of the history of Erfelden and the Roths.
Erfelden in Hessen, Germany was home to the Roth family for several centuries.   With the help of a most gracious bilingual translator from the hotel we had stayed at, we were able to learn of multiple generations of the Roth family in Erfelden.

Erfelden Rathaus now the village museum.

The Curator Walter Glock, Ken and Monica looking at the ancient records, many hand written in a barely readable old German script.  Without Monica's translating skills, we would not have succeeded in gaining this family history.

Among the many documents from the past was this 1909 photograph of the fishermen of Erfelden.  From the left: Heinrich Roth,  Ludwig Kessel, Adam Roth, two unknown, Ludwig Roth, Peter Elmer, Michal Shatner, Philipp Roth and the boys Johann Roth,  Peter Roth, and Valentin Roth.  

The stacks of binders in the little museum were impressive for such a small village.

We worked at reading the documents.  Some were hand written and others, while typed, were still in a format we were not used to seeing. Walter knew what we were looking for and succeed in finding the link to the earlier Roths in the village. My Grandfather Jacob was there in the records along with his eight siblings.  The parents of Jacob, Johann, Christian ll  and mother Anna Margarethe Mathew. Johann's father and mother are also listed, Johann Wendel ll née 21.01.1784 and mother Magdalena Roth née 20.08.1785.
Many others also listed will take some time to sort out and to find the links with the present day Roths still living in Erfelden.

The Roths hard at work.

The Roths lived at Fischergasse 7.

Thank you Walter, you made my day!