When Johan Peter Ratz was born on 5 March 1746, in Westfeld, Schmallenberg, Hochsauerlandkreis, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, his father, Philip Heinrich Ratz, was 32 and his mother, Anna Catharina Georg, was 33. He married Mary Elizabeth Geckler on 16 October 1764, in Hanover, York, Pennsylvania, British Colonial America. They were the parents of at least 3 sons and 3 daughters. He died before 9 October 1811, in Lurgan Township, Franklin, Pennsylvania, United States.
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Thomas Jefferson's American Declaration of Independence endorsed by Congress. Colonies declare independence.
The Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. The liberty bell was first rung here to Celebrate this important document.
Serving the newly created United States of America as the first constitution, the Articles of Confederation were an agreement among the 13 original states preserving the independence and sovereignty of the states. But with a limited central government, the Constitutional Convention came together to replace the Articles of Confederation with a more established Constitution and central government on where the states can be represented and voice their concerns and comments to build up the nation.
Some characteristic forenames: German Otto, Bernd, Gottlieb, Hans, Heinrich, Helmut, Hermann, Juergen, Kurt.
German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): nickname, probably for an agile or opportunistic individual, from Middle High German ratz ‘rat, marten, polecat’.
German (also Rätz): from a short form of any of various ancient Germanic compound personal names formed with rād, rāt ‘advice, counsel’. Compare Raetz .
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
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