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Johann Heinrich Zur Oeveste
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Johann Heinrich Zur Oeveste (* 19. October 1801 in Rieste; † 2. March 1878 in White Creek (Indiana)) was a farmer's son from Rieste. His name is today known by the 31 letters, that he send to his Parents in Rieste from America and which letters are considered an importent document of the colonization history of America. Biography Emigration Born as an elderly son without any right to inherit the husbandry, he left his home, to find his good fortune somewhere else. In May 1834 he reached Baltimore and some weeks later Cincinnati, where he took part in the establishment of the North German Lutheranian Church. Johann Heinrich Zur Oeveste married 19 November 1839 in Cincinnati with Regina Louise Geist, who had an farm in White Creek. Johann Heinrich Zur Oeveste is considered to be one of the founding fathers of the "Vereinigten Evangelischen Lutherischen und Reformierten St. Johannes Gemeinde am White Creek". Remarkable to this Lutheran Community was, that since 1847 colonists from the former parts of Tecklenburg and the East part of Westphalia were not allowed to join the Last Supper.. Letters From his letters he reaches forward as a person with a very strong faith who all his work performs to Higher Glory of God. In the first years of its arrival in America he continues to identify himself as a German, with a neutral opinion to the (historical) events in his new Country. In his later letters however he characterises himself by the strong identification as an American. From the letter he wrote to his parents concerning his marriage, we know that he counted his family to the honourable and distinguished families from the kingdom Hanover, however without an appearance of class distinction between himself and the sons of the labourers on the ancestral Estate in Germany. The reason why particularly these 31 letters are of such historic importance, is that the author in the first years of his arrival has a neutral position to the events surrounding him. Matters as slavery, the American civil war and the process of colonisation are described from a neutral position, that is rather uncommon. Next to this these letters give a good idea about prices, customs and the life of an Emigrant in that Era. Although similar documents exist from this Era, these letters are one in their kind as a Lutheran colonist who rightfully deserved the honourable title “Lutheran Chronicler” wrote them. Pioneers Although Johann Heinrich Zur Oeveste is the most famous member of this family, already an 50 year earlier his relative left for the North part of Holland and they were the first Shippers of peat in the Northern peat colonies. Others followed at the same time as Johann Heinrich Zur Oeveste to America to make their mark there. Name variations in this family include; Suuroverste, Zur Overste, Zuroweste, Zuroverste, Zuroveste, Zur Oveste, Zur Oeveste and Sieroversche. Print sources *Ferner thue ich euch zu wissen ... Die Briefe des Johann Heinrich zur Oeveste aus Amerika 1834-76, 175 pages, 120 illustrations, 8 1/2 x 9 1/2"hardcover * ISBN 3-86108-277-2 © 1995 by Edition Temmen *'Norddeutsche Bauernhöfe in der Geschichte: Hasemann, W.. Die Siedlungen im Kirchspiel Bramsche, Bez. Osnabrück, u. d. wirtschaftl. Verhältnisse d. Höfe bis Ende d. 18. Jh.'s. -- Bramsche, Brauer, 1933. IX, 147 pages. *750 Jahre Rieste: eine Chronik in Wort und Bild by Gerhard Geers, Ankum. Pfotenhauer. 1995. 414 pages : many illustrations. *Hölting-Protokolle 1583-1800: Höltig-Protokolle 1996. Niederschriften der Marktgedinge oder Holzgerichte von Bramsche der Marken Rieste, Achmer, Pente und Hespe, bearb. von Bührmann, Günther, Bramsche 1996, 246 Pages. Footnotes 
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