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The Reichel Family's European Roots

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There's a story I remember hearing from my great-grandmother, Elisabeth Ottilie Maria Reichel Baker, about her ancestry. Her grandparents were cloth weavers who owned a cloth manufacturing business in Germany. Sadly, a fire destroyed the factory, and they lost everything. With the help from a cousin who lives in Germany, I know more about that story.  The cloth factory was located in Bernstadt auf dem Eigen, where my cousin researched the historical records of the clothmakers' guild. The records revealed that Elisabeth's grandfather, Ernst Traugott Reichel, was initially a journeyman clothmaker who later became a master craftsman.  Ernst Traugott Reichel The photo of Ernst Traugott Reichel was taken in what was Germany at that time. The wallpaper in the room was typical of Silesian wallpapers with a large, colorful pattern that darkened the apartments. Ernst is wearing a patterned cloak from an unusual fabric that was probably made of woven cloth from his factory. The long ...
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Reichel Descendants Chart

In this family chart, each generation is numbered and indented, with the oldest generation numbered 1. The abbreviation sp refers to a spouse. I will attempt to edit this list as needed, so please feel free to post a comment or email me if you can correct any mistakes or fill in any holes. My email address is dawncerf [at] gmail.com. The place names are represented as they existed at that date with the current place names in parentheses. See the next post entitled The Reichel Family's European Roots to follow the years when the places changed their names. My great-grandmother, Elisabeth Ottilie Maria "Lizzie" Reichel, is in generation 6. She is the last of eight children of Ernst Gustav "Hermann" Reichel and Marie Emilie "Auguste" Sacher and the first to be born in the United States.  A note about privacy: I will never include names or information about living relatives beyond their gender. 1-Johann Gottfried Reichel, b. 1715, Bernstadt auf dem Eigen, ...
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