SEVENTH GENERATION

106. Godfrey (Godfried Ratz) Ratts(1) was born on 22 Apr 1743 in Wuerttemburg, Germany. He died on 1 Dec 1804 in Rowan County, North Carolina. He was buried in St. Lukes Lutheran Church Cemetery at Sandy Creek, near Lexington, N. C.. Godfrey Ratts is one of my few relatives to have slaves. In the 1790 Rowan
County, North Carolina Census, Godfrey Rats is listed as head of household,
wife Margaret, two sons under 16 years of age, three daughters, and three
slaves. Godfrey's daughter, Catherine, was married to John Blessing at this
time and doesn't show up in the 1790 Census. She was 18 years old. [Danny A.
McBee, January 14, 1999].

In the name of God, Amen. I Godfried Ratts of the County Rowan
of State of Nth. Carolina, planter, being very weak in body but
of perfect mind & memory, Thanks be given with God calling unto
mind the mortality of my body & knowing that it is appointed to
all men once to die, do make & ordain this my last will & test.
That is to say principally & first of all, I give & recommend
my soul into the hand of Almighty God that gave it, and my body
at the direction of my executors nothing doubting that at the
general resurrection I shall receive the same again by the mighty
power of God & as touching such worldly estate wherewith it has
pleased God to bless me in this life, I give devise & depose of
the same in the following manner & form:
First I do give & bequeath to my beloved wife Marget the house
& plantation whereon I now live containing one hundred acres,
likewise all my household furniture & one horse of her choice
saddle & bridle three cows & one Negro of her choice all to be
for her use as long as she remains a widow in my name and if she
marries or at her decease I do allow all that I have here willed
bequeath to her, to be sold at public sale & an equal division of
the money made amongst all my children.
Likewise, I do give & bequeath to my son Henry Ratts the plan-
tation whereon he now lives containing two hundred & seventy five
acres to him & his heirs forever.
Likewise, I do give & bequeath to my daughter Catherin Blessing
twenty Dollars.
Likewise, I do give & bequeath to my son Godfried Ratts the plan
tation whereon he now lives containing two hundred acres & another
tract of land that joins to it containing two hundred acres both
containing four hundred acres to him & his heirs forever.
Likewise, all the rest of my land not here willed & bequeathed I
do allow & give to three of my daughters to wit Elizabeth Cope,
Mary Ratts & Magdelina Ratts to pay Catherin Blessing twenty
dollars out of the land.
Likewise I do allow all the rest of my inereable property & Negroes
not here willed or bequeathed I do allow to be sold at public sale
and the money to be equally divided amongst all my children & my
wife to have a childs part with them and I do hereby make & ordain
my beloved wife and my son Henry Ratts executors of this my last
will & testament in witness whereof I the said Godfred Ratts have
to this my last will & testament set my hand & seal this 17 day of
June in the year of our Lord 1803.
Signed, Sealed, published and declared
by the said Godfried Ratts test. as this
last will & testament in the presence Godfried Ratts
of us who were present at the same time (Seal)
of signing & sealing thereof
Robert Wilson X
Henry Clement
Isaac his Lovless
X
Mark
Division of the land of deceased Godfrey Ratz as specified in his
Last Will and Testament, dated 17 June, 1803, to 3 Daughters:
BK. 21 page 103 BK. 23, Pg. 358 June 5, 1813
The Plantation of 659.75 Acres
Lot # 1 - 113.30 Acres to John Cope, Elizabeth's husband.
Lot # 2 - 208 Acres to Warren Roberts, Magdaline's husband.
Lot # 3 - 193.75 Acres to Mary Ratz.
[Taken from Last Will and Testament located in the library in Salisbury,
Rowan County, North Carolina. Danny A. McBee, September 6, 1999]. He was married to Maria Margaretha Elisabetha Schwiessguth in 1780 in Rowan County, North Carolina.

107. Maria Margaretha Elisabetha Schwiessguth(1) was born in 1743 in Wuerttemburg, Germany. Margaret Swicegood has been given another date of birth by another genealogist. February 22, 1746/1747 in Bierstadt, Wiesbaden, Germany. [Danny A. McBee, September 6, 1999]. She died on 6 Mar 1806 in Rowan County, North Carolina. She was buried in St. Lukes Lutheran Church Cemetery at Sandy Creek, near Lexington, N. C.. She was also known as Margaret Swicegood. Charles Swisegood, P.O. Box 225, Adair, Illinois, 61411-0225, states that Maria Margaretha Elisabetha Schweisgut was born March 3, 1749, in Bierstadt, Ober-Hessen, now Germany. I, Danny A. McBee, had her date of birth listed as 1743. I list this information as the date Charles gave is probable correct. [Danny A. McBee, November 13, 1999]. Children were:

child i. Heinrich (Henry) T. or F. Ratts(1) was born on 14 Oct 1770 in York County, Pennsylvania. He died on 30 Dec 1833 in Washington County, Salem, Indiana. Henry moved to Washington County, Indiana in 1823. He was a hatter by trade.
He lived in Davidson County, North Carolina prior to moving to Indiana.

I have knowledge from the historical archives of the Kaufman County, Texas library about the Ratts and Beck and Pavey families who left Washington County, Indiana about 1844, went through Johnson County, Missouri and then took new lands grants in Mercer Colony. John J. Beck, oldest son of George Beck, took several families with him there. Henry T. Ratts had married Elizabeth "Betsy" Beck and they were in that migration. Their children were Margaret Jane and Sarah Elizabeth Ratts. He married again to Cinthia Keen and a lawsuit ensued after his death on behalf of Margaret and Sarah. A young man went with these families, including a Pavey. Email me if I can be of help. A descendant - Joyce Nell Beck Truitt

[Copied from America Online, September 5, 1999, by Danny A. McBee, Gastonia, North Carolina.]

Notes for HENRY T. RATTS:
[Brøderbund WFT Vol. 2, Ed. 1, Tree #4645, Date of Import: Mar 3, 1999]

Religion: Member of "The German Lutherans of Washington County. They organized
a number of Churches, the first of which was in 1822 when a small log church
was built near Harristown. Col. Henry Ratts and family became members. It was
abandoned in 1837 and another was built, called Zion Lutheran. Even later, a
larger Church was built in Salem.
!Death: Film The Henry T. Ratts Family by Margaret R. Hendrickson
Page 20 list cause of death as Palsey.
Will: Film 055028-1 Abstract of Washington County Wills Page 23
HENRY RATTS of Jackson Twp., Washington County, Ind.
pp.144-148, Probate Court "B"
Date: April 21, 1833 Probated: Jan.15, 1834
Wife: Barbary
Sons: Godfrey; Henry; Rinehart; Jacob; Fancis; Andrew.
Daughters: Margaret Click (and Jacob Click); Elizabeth
Land: In Washington County & Morgan County, Ind.
Executor: son Reinhart Ratts
Witnesses: Bartlett Scott; Thomas Brittain; Ransom Johnson.
!Burial: Old Blue River cemetery, Pierce Township, Washington county, Indiana.

[Copied September 6, 1999, Danny A. McBee, Gastonia, North Carolina.]

child ii. Catherine Ratts(1) was born in 1772 in Rowan County, North Carolina. Some Ratts genealogists have Catherine Ratts married to Henry Blessing. Henry and John could have possibly have been the same person;i.e. John Henry Blessing. [Danny A. McBee, Seoptember 6, 1999].
child iii. Gottfried Ratts(1) was born on 22 Apr 1778 in Rowan County, North Carolina. He died on 1 Dec 1840 in North Carolina. He was buried in Wesley Chapel, "Old Chapel Church" Cemetery, near Tyro, North Carolina. Gottried was married twice. The children ascribed to Gottfried could have been from both wives. [Danny A. McBee, September 6, 1999].
child iv. Elizabeth Ratts(1) was born in 1780 in Rowan County, North Carolina.
child53 v. Mary Ann Ratts.
child vi. Magdalene Ratts(1) was born in 1787 in Rowan County, North Carolina. She died in Nov 1842.

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