George Rienerth (1883-1973)

Today is the 38th anniversary of the death of my great-grandfather, George Rienerth. Here is a small tribute to him with the information I have to date (please note that not all of this information has been verified).

He was born on 18 Aug 1883 in Reusmarkt, Transylvania, Hungary in a German settlement. His parents were George Rienerth and Sophia Reuss. He was the oldest of six known children (there is a possible 7th). His siblings are, in order, Sophia (Konnerth), Mary (Schonauer), Katherine (Stancel), Simon "Sam," and Martin. He immigrated to America on 13 May 1903 via Ellis Island, New York on the Friedrich der Grosse, which had departed from Bremen. He was headed to Youngstown, Ohio from there.

George married Regina Konnerth on 10 Mar 1907 in Mahoning County, Ohio by the Pastor of Martin Luther Church. They allegedly met  On their marriage record, her parents are listed as John Konnert[h] and Katy Fronius.  The children of George Rienerth and Regina Konnerth are Hilda, Karl, Herman, Paul, and George Jr.

George & Regina Rienerth with baby Hilda, ca 1908

He first lived in Youngstown and then moved to farmland in Boardman, Mahoning Ohio, where he built his own home made of brick and stucco. He was a mason by trade. His grandchildren remember spending time at his house on Sundays and listening to his stories about the "old country." He was said to be a very healthy and loving man although he had a bad heart.

George lost his wife in 1943 and it doesn't appear that he ever remarried. He died on 23 Mar 1973 in Youngstown, Ohio from coronary artery disease. According to his obituary he was a self-employed brick mason who was known for installing fireplaces. He was a member of the Good Hope Lutheran Church in North Lima as well as Bricklayers Local 8.

As I was compiling the information for this blog post, I realized how little information I actually have. I have what I call the "skeleton" of his story, but no real meat on the bones. Hopefully by next year, I will be able to tell more about this ancestor!