A Remarkable Collection of Books, Documents, and other Items,
Relating to the early history of the Reist Homestead,
Collected over several decades by a Reist descendant.
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Above: The Reist Homestead on Google Maps Street View.
Eight Books from the Reist Homestead:
Book Number 1:
A 1762 book of Psalms,
Inscribed with the names of two Reist brothers born at the Reist Homestead:
Above: This 1762 book of Psalms was printed in Germantown by Christopher Saur. It is inscribed for two children of Johnnes Reist (1728-1812) and wife Elizabeth (Longenecker) Reist (1732-1806). Johannes and Elizabeth built the 1753 farmhouse at the Reist Homestead. The two children's names inscribed here are Peter Reist (1761-1842) and Christian Reist (1770-1855). Christian lived his entire life on the Reist Homestead. He received the farm from his father John in 1804. Peter owned land in Manheim Township, Lancaster County. This copy lacks its title page with the book's title, Der Psalter Des Königs und Propheten Davids.... (Book: private collection)
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Book Number 2:
A 1777 book of Psalms,
With ownership inscription of Johannes Reist who built the 1753 Reist farmhouse:
Above: This is a 1777 book of Psalms, Das Kleine Davidische Psalterspiel, printed in Germantown by Christpher Saur. It has a 1780 ownership inscription for Johannes Reist (1728-1812) who built the Reist Homestead in 1753. This psalter was popular in Pennsylvania with Mennonites and other Germanic church groups. Inscription translation: "This songbook belongs to me Johannes Reist in Warwick Township, if it were not mine then I would not write my name in it. Written on the 15th of February, 1780." (Book: private collection)
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Book Number 3:
A 1785 Ausbund,
With ownership inscription of Elisabeth Keiser, a housekeeper at the Reist Homestead:
Above: This Mennonite songbook is inscribed for Elisabeth Keiser, who lived at the Reist Homestead where she worked as a housekeeper for the widower Christian Reist (1770-1855). The book is a 1785 Ausbund, printed in Germantown by Leibert and Billmeyer. Inscription translation: "This book belongs to me Elisabeth Keiser from Christian Reist. Oh dear God make me devout that I will be with you in Heaven."
The Reist Mennonite meetinghouse had been located on the southern portion of the Reist Homestead. This Ausbund probably had been used in that meetinghouse, before Christian Reist gave the book to his housekeeper Elisabeth Keiser in the mid 1800s. By that time this hymnal was not as popular with Mennonite congregations as it had been earlier. (Book: private collection)
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Book Number 4:
The 1804 first edition of the Lancaster Mennonite hymnal,
With ownership of Christian Reist:
Above: This songbook has an ownership inscription for Christian Reist (1770-1855), who lived at the Reist Homestead. This is the same Christian Reist who gave the Aubund hymnbook to his housekeeper Elisabeth Keiser, shown previously on this page. The Unpartheyisches Gesangbuch (Impartial Songbook) replaced the older Ausbund in Lancaster Conference Mennonite congregations. Inscription translation: "This book belongs to me, Christian Reist." (Book: private collection)
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Below: Four Books with ownership inscriptions of John Reist (1805-1877)
(He renovated the Reist Homestead farmhouse in 1856.)
Book Number 5:
A rare children's book, ca. 1810,
Inscribed for seven-year-old John Reist:
Above: This rare little book is scarce as hens' teeth. Young John Reist received this copy in 1812. The book is about Jesus and the Virgin Mary. The inscription reads, "This new little book belongs to me, Johannes Reist. This little book was received in the year 1812, written the third of March 1812." The book is attributed to the Lancaster press of Heinrich and Benjamin Grimer, and was published ca. 1810. (Book: private collection)
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Book Number 6:
Eleven-year-old John Reist signs his lesson book in 1816:
According to Wikipedia, this title was "well known to generations of doodling school children."
Above: This book, lacking its title page, is a lesson book titled A New Guide to the English Tongue by British cleric Rev. Thomas Dillworth. Eleven-year-old John Reist signed his name to a front flyleaf, with the date 1816. This popular schoolbook went through countless editions and was "well known to generations of doodling school children" according to Wikipedia. (Book: private collection)
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Book Number 7:
An 1827 New Testament,
With an 1828 owner's inscription for John Reist,
Two days after his marriage to Maria Brubacher:
Above: It looks like 23-year-old John Reist got a New Testament for a wedding gift. John married Maria Brubacher on March 18, 1828, two days before this book's inscription, "This book belong to me John Reist, March the 20th year 1828."
The Testament was published in 1827 in Carlisle, by Moser and Peters. It's not the most practical wedding gift in the world, but the inscription suggests John Reist approved of the book. (Book: private collection)
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Book Number 8:
A medical book for 33-year-old John Reist,
With his 1839 inscription:
Above: This 1831 medical book is a guide to maintining and restoring health. It is titled Gesundheits Schatzkammer (Good Health Treasury), by Dr. Henry Heinen. The book was published in Lancaster by Johann Bär. John Reist lived to the respectably-old age of 72, so apparently this health book provides good advice. The inscription reads, "John Reist owns this book March the 13th AD 1839." (Book: private collection)
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A memorial record for Johannes Reist, born in 1756 at the Reist Homestead,
He and his family were pioneers to Ontario.
(He was an uncle of John Reist whose four books are above.)
The 1933 Reist genealogy book paints a colorful portrait of Pioneer Johnnes Reist, whose memorial record is above. Johannes was born here on the Reist Homestead. In 1798 he bought a 181-acre farm located in Earl, Warwick, and Manheim Townships. In 1804 John and wife Esther (Hochstetter) Reist became pioneers to Canada. They purchased a farm that year on the site now known as Old Fort Erie, in Ontario. Their property was later taken to make room for the fort. They then bought a farm farther inland, but when the War of 1812 broke out the Reists sold their farm in Canada and moved to New York, to a 250-acre tract which became part of Williamsville, Erie County. Williamsville's Reist Street was named for this adventurous Reist family.
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An 1821 sampler made by Maria Brubacher.
She married John Reist, whose four books appear above, and they lived at this Reist Homestead:
Above: 1821 Sampler by 12-year-old Maria Brubacher (1809-1887)
Young Maria Brubacher stitched this sampler when she was living with her parents at the Brubaker Homestead on Brubaker Valley Road. (This sampler is included on that homestead's page also.) In 1828 Maria married John Reist (1808-1877), when she was 19 years old. John was born and raised here at the Reist Homestead. John and Maria owned a farm near Mt. Joy. After John's father's death in 1855, John and Maria returned here to the Reist Homestad and renovated the stone farmhouse extensively. (Sampler: Private collection)
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An 1868 Plot Plan of the Graveyard at Kauffman's Mennonite Meetinghouse,
By Surveyor / Scrivener Israel Erb
For his Father-in-law John Reist Sr.
Click Here for a larger image of this plot plan.
Surveyor Israel Erb was newly married to Sarah Reist, when he penned this graveyard plot plan for Sarah's father, John Reist Sr. Sarah had been living here at the Reist Homestead when she and Israel were courting. Apparently Israel Erb became a well-accepted member of this Reist family. At the 1904 Reist reunion here at The Homestead he gave a speech about the history of this farm to the assembled Reist clan. (Plot plan: Private collection)
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