Most of the church records were extremely difficult to read, however, and I likely missed many pertinent ones.  The Riechmann name may be found spelled in various ways, e.g. Richmann and Richman.  Some of these may be inadvertant misspellings by census takers, but in some cases the family changed the spelling of their name after coming to America.

(My direct ancestors are shown in bold type.  Colors indicate generations.)

Heinrich (a.k.a. Henry) Christoph Riechmann 1823 - 1902 and Eleonore (a.k.a. Leonora) Kölling, 1826 - 1874
the author's g-g-grandparents.  Eleonore is the daughter of Jacob and Anna Kölling who accompanied the Riechmanns to America along with their son Johann Heinrich Friedrich.  Also included in the group was the Kölling's daughter Sophia and granddaughter Sophia Dorothea Eleonora.  The latter is the illegitimate daughter of an unlisted Kölling daughter and is a foster child of the Richmanns. It is assumed that the foster child's mother was deceased.

I only found one record in the Lauenau Parish, Germany; that of the marriage of Heinrich Christoph Riechmann and Eleonore Kölling.   Although Heinrich Riechmann's obituary states that he was born in Pohle, Germany, his marriage record states that he was from Antendorf which is only a five miles from Pohle and about 15 miles SW of Hanover.  At that time the area was known as Kurfurstentun Kurhesse and is now the state of Hanover.  Eleonore is  from Pohle, 5 miles NE of Antendorf.  Henry and Eleonore were married in 1849. They had at least three documented children in addition to a foster child:

           Sophia Dorothea Eleonora Kölling (foster child)
          Johann Heinrich Friedrich Riechmann (1849 in Germany)
          Sophia Riechmann (1858 in Illinois)
          Heinrich C. Riechmann (abt. 1864 in Illinois) married Ida ????
                Nora Riechmann (abt. 1887 - )
                Charles Riechmann (abt. 1890 - )
                Martin Riechmann (abt. 1893 - )
                Bessy Riechmann (1900 - )

The 1860 census lists Henry and Eleonore, Dora (14), Friedrich (10) and Sophia (2).

Henry took his wife and son to America, departing from Bremen onboard the bark Adonis, a three-masted sailing ship. According to the arrival passenger list, Henry and Eleonore were 31 years old, Fred was 8.  Accompanying them were Jacob Kölling (73) and his wife Anna (64) (Eleonore’s parents?), and their daughters Sophia (21) and Dorothea (11).  They arrived in the port of New York on May 22, 1857.

Henry and Leonora  first settled in Palataine, Cook County, Illinois where Sophia was born in 1858 and Henry was born in 1864. The 1820 census lists Henry as a farmer with a real estate value of $1200 and personal property of $500. 

On reaching Bremer County, Henry purchased land in Warren Township. The 1870 US Census lists the family as follows: Henry (age 44), Eleonore (44), Frederick (20), Sophia (11) and Henry (6). He is listed as a farmer with a real estate value of $8000 and a personal property value of $1330 which, in today’s dollars, would approach $175,000. Obviously life was good for the Riechmanns. The family became members of St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Artesian.

Henry's son Henry C. farmed in Frederika, Bremer County and a 1900 US Census entry lists Henry  Richman (sic), age 26 and his wife Ida (33) and children Nora (11), Charly (10), Martin (7), and Bessy (3/12), and Henry's father Henry (76).  The 1894 plat map of Frederika shows their property on the north edge of town.  .

Henry is buried in St. John's Cemetery, Frederika.  His wife Eleonore died in 1874 and is buried in the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church cemetery, Artesian. Henry was a naturalized citizen.

Fred Kölling, a possible relation?

Another Kölling family appears in Maxfield Township, Bremer County in the 1880 US Census and the 1885 Iowa State Census that could be a brother of Eleonore. It includes 

             Fred Kölling (age 47)
            Wilhelmina Kölling (49)
            Fred Kölling (23)
            Henry Kölling (20)
            William Kölling (20)
            Mina Kölling (16)
            Sophia Kölling (11). 

The ages would be right for Fred to be Jacob’s second child and it states that they are from Kur Hesse which is where Jacob and Anna were from. Although I am not sure of their exact relationship, I am assuming they are related.  In addition, several Köllings own land in Maxfield Township in 1917. I have no further information on these families.

Johann Heinrich Friedrich Riechmann (a.k.a. Fred), 1849 - 1932 and Wilhelmine (a.k.a Mena) Meier, 1847 - 1936  the author’s great-grandparents, were married in Denver, Iowa in 1873.  Mena was from Apelern, Kurfürstentun Hessen, Germany in 1873.   Apelern is only a few miles from Pohle.  They had nine children: 

     Wilhelmina Riechmann (1873 - ) married Henry Bade
     Sophia Riechmann (1875 - 1946)) married Hermann Thies
           Hermann Thies Jr. (1904 - )
           Frederick Thies (1906 - )
           Laura Thies (1906 - )
     Louisa Riechmann (1876 - 1965) married Henry Moeller
          Elda Moeller (1915 - ) never married
     Heinrich Friedrich K. Riechmann (a.k.a. Fred, 1879 - 1941) married Wilhelmina Dreier 

          Heinrich Friedrich Riechmann  (1910 - never married
         John Riechmann (1912 - ) married Ellen Tiedt
              Allen Riechmann (1948)
              Lois Riechmann (1951)
         Wilhelmine Riechmann (1914 - ) married John Eimers
              Jerry Eimers (1948)
              Darwin Eimers (1951)
     Anna Louise Riechmann (1880 - 1963) married Wilhelm Kueker
         Frederich Kueker (1906 - ) 
         Eleonora Kueker (1909 - ) 
         Leona Louise Kueker (1912 - ) married Henry Heine 
         Alfred Herman Kueker (1914 - ) married ???? 
             Sandra Kueker married Garald Guge 
     Emma Riechmann (1882 - 1946) married John Dreier 
         John Drier Jr. (1911 - )
         Fred Drier (1913 - ) 
     Wilhelm Friedrich Riechmann (1884 - 1968) married Augusta Pipho 
         Esther Riechmann (1914 - ) married Elmer Kirchhoff (no children) 
         Walter Riechmann (1921 - ) never married
         Leota Riechmann (1925 - ) married Arthur Foelske (no children) 
     Bertha Marie Riechmann (1886 - 1912) 
     Heinrich F. C. (probably Freiedrich Christoph) Riechmann
              (1890 - 1979) married Caroline Dreier
         Henry J. Riechmann (1914 - ) never married
         Elenora Riechmann (1920 - ) married Herman Junker 
             Richard Junker
             Ruth Junker
             Floyd Junker
             Mary Junker
        Werner Riechmann (1922 - ) married Violena Sommerfelt 
             Zelda Riechmann married Everett Kramer 
             Zelma Riechmann married Rick Day 
             Craig Riechmann married Jeani ?? 
             Calvin Riechmann 
             Suzette Riechmann married ??? Jacoby 

In the 1880 Census, we find Fred (age 30), Wilhelmina (33), Wilhelmina (6), Sophia (5), Louisa (3), Fred (1) and Fred's brother Henry (16). 

Fred was a very successful farmer and they farmed 200 acres in Warren Township.  They belonged to St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, in Artesian.  Fred was naturalized in 1872 and his wife was also naturalized.  He died in 1932 and Mena died in 1936 and both are buried in the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church cemetery, Waverly. 

Fred and Mena  may have known each other in the old country as Apelern and Pohle are only a couple of miles apart. They likely belonged to the same church parish. I do not know whether they immigrated at the same time or not. 

Other Riechmann /Richmann families appear in censuses of Maxfield Township, Bremer County but I do not know their relationships to the above persons. 

Read Fred's Obit                Read Minnie's Obit