The Family of
John Henry Tasset and
Caroline Roesner

"In Loving Memory Of Those Who Came Before Us!"

JOHN HENRY TASSET and CAROLINE ROENSNER are my
Maternal 2nd Great-Grandparents.

Their son, JOHN H. TASSET, is
my Great-Grandfather.

JOHN HENRY TASSET was born 23 January 1837
in Sage, Germany in the Province of Hanover.

He is the son of JOHANNES TASSET and
ANNE MARIE RUBERG.

This John Henry Tasset went by the name of "Henry" which is what I will refer to him as in this biography. That may help making so many "John's" less confusing.

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CAROLINE ROESNER was born 6 May 1837
in Bachum, Oldenberg, Germany.

Her parents names are still unknown.

Henry Tasset immigrated to the U.S. from Germany in 1856 at the age of 19 years with his parents and 3 sisters.

His one brother, Bernard, remained in Germany.

Caroline Roesner also immigrated to the U.S. in 1856 from Germany.

(See "Other Information" below)

When Henry arrived in the U.S., his family settled in Cincinnati, Ohio.

In Feb 1878, Henry and Caroline moved to Kansas. Henry helped with the creation of the Township of Windthorst in Ford County, Kansas. It was there that they owned their own farm and lived for the remainder of their lives.

(See "Other Information" below)

Henry Tasset and Caroline Roesner were married in 1859 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Henry and Caroline became the parents of ten children. Six of them died in infancy or early childhood. The four children that lived to adulthood are:

1.  JOHN HENRY TASSET

Born 5 June 1860 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

He married Mary C. Schuck
on 12 Feb 1891 in Denver, Colorado.

He died 2 Nov 1932 in Denver, Colorado.

2.  ANNA TASSET

Born 1862 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

She married Henry Nau in 1880.

She died in 1937 in Windthorst, Kansas.

3.  EMMA A. TASSET

Born 21 April 1877 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

She married George J. Peppercorn in 1902.

She died 27 July 1963 in Windthorst, Kansas.

4.  HARRY FERDINAND TASSET

Born 9 Oct 1879 in Windthorst, Kansas.

He was one of the first children born
in the Windthorst community.

He married
(1) Lizzie Duesing in 1904
(2) Clara Duesing (Lizzie's sister) in 1909
(3) Evaline Schmidt in 1929.

He died 13 January 1963 in Dodge City, Kansas.

Henry Tasset was fortunate enough in not having to participate in any war, nor did he ever enlist in the Armed Forces.

Henry and Caroline were very devout Roman Catholics.

(See "Other Information" Below)

Henry Tasset died 12 August 1900
at the age of 63 years.

Caroline died 5 years later on 14 December 1905
at the age of 68 years.

They are both buried at the Holy Cross Cemetery
in Windthorst, Kansas.

A history book from the Immaculate Conception Church in Windthorst, Kansas, states that Henry Tasset was a farmer and was one of the three men who went on an exploration trip first to Arkansas and then to Kansas in 1876 to look for land to settle.

They were dissatisfied with the living conditions in Cincinnati. In Kansas, they saw many possibilities with the wide open prairies, plenty of buffalo grass, fertile soil, good and plentiful supply of water and a better climate than what Cincinnati could offer these sturdy Germans.

Henry Tasset also helped with the creation of the Townsite of Windthorst, Kansas in Ford County.

On 24 February 1878, Henry and Caroline, along with six other families and three single men, arrived in Offerle, Kansas by Santa Fe Railroad. They had brought with them lumber to build their future homes. A freight car loaded with their possessions cost these people $75.00 from Cincinnati to Offerle, this price included the fare for the individuals who had to ride in the freight car.

From Offerle, they hauled their possessions to the Windthorst settlement in a wagon pulled by oxen.

No church could be built immediately because times were hard and money was scarce. Mass was held in the Tasset home once a month by Father Ferdinand Wolf. On Sundays when Father Wolf could not be present, the people gathered at the Tasset home to pray the Rosary, read the Epistle and the Gospel to the assembled group to help keep the faith alive and furnish some spiritual comfort to these sturdy settlers.

There were very few wagons and no buggies in 1878 and many people walked for miles in all kinds of weather to get there.

Updated July 9, 2000