The Trail to Goetzis, Austria (Charles GEISSINGER) 1993 This is an interesting story. How many years has the family been researching the origins of Charles GEISSINGER? 50 or 60 that I know of. I know that research has been conducted by many individuals in our family and many family groups for many years. Tedi Jeen and I have been intensively studying these records for 3 1/2 years.

Last winter I remember being quite discouraged on the Charles GEISSINGER line. We had found some interesting clues about him in America after his arrival in 1766--- such as the fact he had been an indentured servant (slave) for a period of time and had run away twice from that service. We also learned he had been a soldier in Portugal before coming to America in 1766. We found his Revolutionary War record, found he had been a prisoner of war to the British. We found a Catholic church record in Adams Co., Pa that we thought was his---but was he Catholic? His immigration record of 1766 said those on ship were Catholic. There were just lots of clues that were interesting, but didn't seem to be of worth to help us find him.

In November 1992 the L.D.S. church, in Austria, microfilmed the Catholic church records of Goetzis, Austria. About that time I started looking for more European expertise to help us locate Charles. I obtained a list of certified, accredited genealogists and wrote 6 of them letters. Only two responded. Both said that this was like finding a needle in a haystack and that we would be extremely fortunate to find the clues we needed. We were already aware that it would be a difficult task.

I finally settled on Trudy SCHENK, which looking back, was a fortunate decision. Trudy happened to be from the area of Germany lying close to Austria. She is very familiar with Latin. She has relatives from this area of Germany and some in Austria. All of these things combined to help us. Trudy was the one who found a small note in the Freiburg Church book of a Karl GISINGER who came from "Gezeiss". Where Gezeiss was no one knew. She certainly didn't and neither did any of the experts at the Family History Library.

She told me she studied all the records, poured over all the maps, talked to every expert, and even made the problem a matter of prayer and then she had the idea that perhaps the town of Goetzis, Austria was the right place. Perhaps "Gezeiss" was a previous version of Goetzis, since they both are pronounced similarly.

I wrote Dr. Bernd GOELZER, our German specialist in France who was so helpful to us with the MAURER Zweibruecken records about the name Gezeiss. He wrote back immediately that Goetzis was a very likely modern version of the name and he agreed with the probability. So what if Goetzis was Gezeiss I thought--- that still doesn't prove our Charles came from that area. The records of Goetzis were not even at the Family History Library this spring and had to be ordered down by special order.

When the records arrived our clues were verified. The christening of Charles was found on 5 November 1740. The clue of the ad which ran in the Pennsylvania newspaper when Charles ran away from his indentured servant status in 1767 said he was 27 years old. That clue suddenly became very valuable. The fact he had been a soldier in Portugal was verified when Trudy found references in the Goetzis church books that young men had died in the military in Spain in the 1760's. Then she found the birth of another man who had also come to America in 1766 on the same ship with Charles. She found where a German prince had taken troops to fight in Portugal in 1762. And of course, the clues were verified in the Catholic church records which verified the Adams Co., Pa Catholic christening records we had found previously. The GEISSINGERs were Catholic. This also helped explain the ship record that said the men who came in 1766 were Catholics. Suddenly the puzzle came together.

Trudy SCHENK located the birth records for Johannes MAYER in Goetzis. He also immigrated on the Cullodian. There were 6 other individuals besides Johannes and Charles on that ship and she has located all 6 of those surnames in the Goetzis records. She has also noted in the Goetzis death records that some individuals' deaths occurred while serving in the military in Spain. Now that is compelling evidence in my mind that we have the correct Charles, especially when you put the newspaper ad together. It advertises for Charles, runaway, aged 27 years. This was 1767 when the ad ran. That places his birth about 1740. The Goetzis record verifies a Christening on 5 Nov 1740. He may have been born a few days up to a few months prior to that.

Another compelling fact in my mind is that we have linked a Johannes GEISSINGER to Charles. He served in the same unit in the Revolutionary War. The Goetzis records substantiate that Charles had a brother named Johannes. There is no record of Johannes GEISSINGER's immigration. He could have landed in North Carolina (or some other state), where many German speaking individuals landed. Few records exist of North Carolina immigrant ship lists. When I consider: (1) The newspaper ad age; (2) Charles' christening in 1740; (3) The Goetzis records substantiating all the surnames of fellow immigrants; (4) The locating of Johannes MAYER's birth record in Goetzis; (5) The linking evidence of his brother, Johannes; (6) The fact that the Goetzis records state soldiers from Goetzis were dying in the military in Spain--- I think the evidence is there that we have our man.

The fact that the Cullodian only had 8 immigrants tells me it was not an immigrant ship. It was probably a freighter which had room for 8 prisoners. A letter to a historical society in the Philadelphia may lead you to someone who has studied immigrant ships and could give you a history of the Cullodian.

Landing in Philadelphia was common in those days as that was a main port of entry and it required ships to list passengers and for them to take a loyalty oath. Many ships had three lists, one signed by the Captain--- usually recording the names as his scribe thought they were spelled--- incredibly mis-spelled. And one list when the immigrant himself signed the loyalty oath. The signature list is that list.

The fact that the men on the Cullodian had to appear before the Mayor, indicates they were not free men. Other immigrants did not have to appear before the Mayor, it was not required for free persons. Seeing that Charles was sold into indenture (across the river into New Jersey) substantiates the fact he did not come as a free man. Seeing that he ran away from service twice indicates he was being held against his wishes in a position he did not like.

Paula GUISINGER has also compared the ship signature list with the signature of Charles when he apprenticed his son, John, to be a blacksmith in Frederick County in 1794. The signatures indicated that the same man signed the Cullodian ship list in 1766 and the apprentice papers in 1794. Thus the Charles who immigrated is the Charles who apprenticed his son.