The Neth Family
Mary Rosa Neth was born in Philadephia on August 5th, 1860. Growing up in a mostly German neighborhood, English was her second language. Even as an adult in Missouri, Mary had a very strong German accent. It was widely thought, through her children and grandchildren that Mary herself had immigrated to America as a small child. After researching the Neth family, I have determined that Mary's mother is the one that came to America at a very early age. Again, Mary's use of the English language may have lead the family to think she was speaking of herself and not her mother. Both of Mary's parents had traveled from Wuerttemburg, Germany. Mary's father, Peter, immigrated to America in 1854, but mother, Barbara, came in 1835.
Barbara Neth came to America in 1835. She was only 5 years old. Nineteen years later, her 7th cousin once removed, Peter Neth, would step foot in Philadelphia. Peter Neth came to America as a young man, 19 years old, in 1854. His father, Phillip, and his mother Anna Rosina (Belser) remained in Wuertemburg. Sometime prior to 1858, Barbara and Peter would marry. Their last child, Harry, was born approximately 1869. The family is listed as living in Philadelphia in 1870, however, by the 1880 census, Barbara and the children,(with the exception of Harry), were living in Hannibal, Missouri with Barbara's nephew, William Schanbacher. No record can be found of Peter at or after this time, so I have concluded he must have died prior to 1880. It is unclear whether Barbara and Peter went together to Missouri, or if Barbara ventured west after the death of her husband.
Barbara's parents, Johannes and Anna Maria (Hoch) had immigrated from Germany with 4 daughters, landing in Philadelphia. In Germantown, they made their home.
Johannes' lineage has been traced back to Hans Neth, born in 1550, in Seissen, Germany (of course, it wasn't Germany at that time). The Neth family remained in that same area for over 300 years. Although many Neth's came to America during the mid 1800's, very few descendants carry the Neth name. The surname Neth ranks 18,067 in the USA with a .001 % frequency.
