William F. Roser, Application for Naturalization, Warren County, Ohio Court Records,
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William Fred. Roser, Declaration of Intention, September 1832 Term
Source: 
Warren County, Ohio, Series A, Box 88; recorded Common Pleas Volume 14, page 159
Repository: 
Edna L. Bowyer Records Center and Archives of Warren County Ohio
Comments: 
See below for biographical sketch of Dr. John Ross and for Journal of William Frederick Roser
Images: 
[Click on the thumbnails (if available) for larger images]

left: Wm. Frederick Roser (1797-1871) Germany-Ohio (g'df. JCR)
right: Hannah Nutt (1796-1870) Penn. - Ohio (Mrs. Wm. Fred Roser) (g'dm. JCR)
by
Thomas E. Rosser
27 August 2015


Warren Common Pleas
Sept Term 1832
W. F. Roser declaration
Series A Box 88
Filed 28th Sept 1832
J. K. Wilds clk.
Warren Common Pleas Sept Term 1832
William F Roser appearing in open court &
being sworn saith that he is a native citizen
of the Kingdom of Wurtemburgh that he came to
these United States in the year 1817. That it is bona
fide his intention to become a citizen of these
United States & to renounce forever all allegiance
& fidelity to any foreign prince potentate
State or Sovereignty whatever & particularly the
[...] King of Wurtemburgh
William F Roser
Sworn and subscribed in open Court 28th Sept. 1832
J. K. Wilds clk.

Image by
Arne H Trelvik
16 May 2015

Transcription by Thomas E. Rosser
27 August 2015

       

FOOTNOTES: [If you would like to add a related footnote to this page, email your comments to Arne H Trelvik]

27 Aug 2015 Thomas E. Rosser email

William is my Great Great Great grandfather. He came to Warren Co. in 1819 as an indentured servant of Dr. John Ross. He married Hannah Nutt, probably also in service to John Ross, on 30-Oct-1820 in Warren Co. They then settled in Darke Co. where he is buried. Let me know if you are interested in any more background information.
  History of Chester County, Pennsylvania, with Genealogical and Biographical Sketches
John Smith Futhey Gilbert Cope January 1, 1881
L. H. Everts

Dr. JOHN Ross was born in Bucks Co., Pa., May 2, 1762. He was the son of John Ross, who was also a physician. His grandfather, Thomas Ross, was born in the county Tyrone, Ireland, in 1708, and came to America about the twentieth year of his age. He settled in Bucks County, and, becoming a member of the Society of Friends, joined the Buckingham Meeting. He soon became an approved minister among the Friends, and visited their meetings in various places. Towards the close of 1783 he was drawn to visit the churches in Great Britain and Ireland, whither he sailed in the 4th month,1784. He died at Holdgate, near the city of York, at the house of Lindley Murray, Feb. 13, 1786, in the seventy-eighth year of his age. The subject of this-notice received a plain English education, and with his brother Thomas learned the trade of a millwright. Soon after they were free from their apprenticeship the brothers conferred together, and both resolved that they would not pursue the laborious trade which they had learned; and thereupon John went to study medicine, and Thomas studied law. Thomas was for many years one of the principal members of the Chester County bar, and died 10, 21, 1822. John Ross studied under a Dr. Derby, of New Jersey. He never graduated, yet by industry and close study he acquired a very respectable standing in his profession. When he had completed his studies he married a lady of the Fits Randolph family, in New Jersey. Shortly after this he removed to New Garden, in Chester Co., Pa., where he commenced the practice of physio, and continued it for upwards of thirty years. In 1819 he removed to the State of Ohio, and died at Lebanon some two or three years after his removal to the West. He left four children, of whom Hon. Thomas H. Ross, his eldest son, was a lawyer, and formerly a member of Congress from Ohio; a daughter, Mrs. Sarah B. Corwin, was the wife of Hon. Thomas Corwin, a distinguished representative and statesman of the Buckeye State. Dr. Ross was faithful, respectable, and popular as a physician; as a citizen, high-minded and liberal ; as a husband and parent, kind and affectionate; as a man, endowed with warm feelings, and generous to a fault.

27 Aug 2015 Thomas E. Rosser email

Here is the journal for William F. Roser.

I was born in the County of Marbach in the State of Wurtemberg, Germany, on the 8th day of March, 1797. As my parents were members of the Lutheran Church, I of course became also a member by birthright. Being educated according to all the rules and ceremonies of that faith and according to the laws of the State, I attended school from the age of six to the age of fourteen years, including the full term of eight years.

My school term having expired, I was lawfully apprenticed to my father to the trade of a carpenter and joiner, which trade I pursued till the age of twenty. Having during this time read the histories of most of the countries then known their governments and their operations upon their communities, I selected North America as the place for emigration and as the war between these United States and England had ceased and young men could obtain a passport with liberty to travel in outward states, I determined to improve the opportunity.

It was then considered by most of the common people there a fearful risk to cross the ocean but this did not prevail against my determination to make the trial and as we were informed by letters sent over from the United States, that those young men and women, who had not the means to pay their passage in advance, could over on this side redeem themselves by engaging to be servants certain length of time, to the person who paid their passage across the water.

I made it my business to gather a company of young men to the number of eighteen, who had courage enough in risking such an adventure, most all of us like myself only able to defray our expenses to the seaboard. Arriving at Amsterdam, a seaport of Holland, I determined if possible to sail in an American ship. At the end of two weeks we found the ship Amazon bound for Philadelphia, lieing in the Zuyder Zee within thirty miles of the port of Amsterdam, proposing to sail on the first of May. It had still an office open in the city and being in good part laden with emigrants willing to take in me and my company, consisting of eighteen, by paying eighty-five dollars, when arrived at Philadelphia. Accordingly we engaged passage, left the city, and traveled on foot to a small port called Texel, bordering on the seashore. There we hired a boat to carry us to the ship lieing with in three miles of land. Arriving at the ship, I produced my letter from the office in the city. After it being read Captain Caleb Adams received us on shipboard.

We were prevented from sailing on the first of May as a fire broke out on that very morning from under the cooking furnace of the upper deck. It delayed us two days to make the proper repairs, but on the third day we drawed anchor and soon sailed out of sight of land. We had not sailed more than half a day until I took the seasickness, being the first person affected by it. The vomiting was very severe for about two hours when it was all over and I felt well and was able during the voyage to wait on those sickly ones, there being a goodly number of them. We also had ten deaths on board the ship during our passage,
the last corpse being brought to Philadelphia and buried there. We consumed sixty-three days in crossing the ocean, being much becalmed in different latitudes, suffered but one storm of about four hours duration and thankful to God that we all got safe through.

We arrived in the Delaware River just as they were celebrating the Fourth of July, blazing away their powder from Uncle Sam's war frigates. It was a happy sight to be once more ushered into even strange society. Having arrived at Philadelphia, those who had paid their passage in advance were discharged. Some had friends who redeemed them, while many like myself, must wait until the papers proclaimed the news that a number of young men and women would be disposed of.

On shipboard, all deck hands drawed rations in a manner like soldiers. Some heavy eaters complained of not getting enough but for myself, I had some to spare, but the change of water and fresh provisions caused me to have a very heavy sickness and our ship doctor being but a quack, would soon have had me in the grave. I sent to the city for one who soon helped me on my feed again. Being so far recruited as to leave the ship, I engaged myself to Doctor John Ross of Chester County, Pennsylvania and on the second of September, 1817, I entered into an indenture before an officer to serve the said Ross for the term of three years for having paid for me the sum of Eighty-five Dollars to one Mr. Cross, owner of the ship, Amazon. On the following evening we arrived at this my new home in America. My indenture bound my master to give me three months schooling during my servitude, which he divided into two parts giving me on half the first and the other the second winter. Selling his farm where we then lived and fixing for a removal to the State of Ohio, we all left the old homestead in the early part of June 1819 and traveling about three months by land on those then bad roads we arrived at Lebanon, County Seat of Warren, about the last of June. As he had two sons living there we were divided among them until the family was prepared to go to keeping house


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This page created 16 May 2015 and last updated 16 September, 2015
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