Johannes Riedesel was born October 20, 1810 in the Wunderthausen house known as Weymers. He was the fourth of eight children of Johann Georg and Catherine Elisabeth (Fuchs) Riedesel. With two older brothers, his economic prospects were limited.

According to his naturalization papers in November/December 1842, he had come to America in March 1837. Those papers call him “John Reidel” though signed his name as “Johan Riedel.” He had married Maria Katherine Repp April 1, 1840. She was originally from the town of Aßlar, Germany. Between 1841 and 1855 they had at least eight children while living around Oxford, New Jersey. At some point they took to spelling their name “Radle”, at least as often as anything else, and that is the name most descendants carried.

After living at Scranton, Pennsylvania, they moved again to the Wheatland, Iowa, community which was home to a large number of fellow Wunderthäuser. Katherine died there on May 29, 1869. She is buried in St. Pauls’ Cemetery as “Catharine Riedesel.” John and some of the children moved on to Cherokee County, Iowa, where they used the name Radle. But even among them, the spelling varied. He died June 30, 1873 by his own hand and is buried in the Silver Cemetery of the Silver Township.

The 1850 Census implies that he was born in 1813 (rather than 1810) but that is in error. Church records are clear on the point. Nor was he “Jacob.”

Death Report in the newspaper (English and German)
His ancestry
Descendants
Naturalization papers (1843)