Tracing my Wessel roots has been a bit of a challenge beyond my 3rd great grandparents. Fortunately I’ve met a Wessel cousin (DNA-matched!) and kindred spirit through Ancestry.com who shares my passion for family research. We’re both on the trail of our common Wessel ancestors.

Marsha Fitzgibbon, my 4th cousin, 1x removed, is a direct descendant of Elise “Eliza” (Wessel) Giese Theermann, who came to America in 1845 aboard the same ship as my ancestor, Wilhelm Wessel. Elise’s age was recorded on the passenger list as 18 and Wilhelm’s as 33. Wilhelm’s wife, “Maria”, and his two oldest children were with them. Marsha’s mother believed Elise arrived with her siblings. I am inclined to agree.

After disembarking in Baltimore, Maryland, Wilhelm and his family went to Wheeling, West Virginia. From there, they traveled by covered wagon to Warren County, Missouri in 1850. Elise probably came with them, followed them or led them as she shows up later in Warren County as well.

It appears other Wessel family members lived in Wheeling which is probably why they stopped there first. Elise’s cemetery record in Warren County indicates the name of her father was “Rudolph Wessel”. Marsha came across another likely sibling, Johanna (Wessel) Delbrugge, who is buried in Wheeling and whose parents are listed as “Johann Rudolph Wessel” and “Catherine Marie Piepmeier”. There is a strong possibility that “Johann Rudolph” is Elise’s “Rudolph”.

Marsha and I have been exchanging information and family documents. Just recently, she shared one of her most prized family possessions with me: a picture of her son, James, who graduated from the prestigious United States Military Academy at West Point in 1992. It’s become one of my favorite documents, too, as James, my 5th cousin, is the first West Point graduate that I know of in my ever-expanding family tree.

Kenfolk: Tranthams
Relation: 4th cousin, 1x removed
Common ancestors: The Wessels of Germany