Peter is my great-grandfather. He came to America in 1849 or 1850 at the age of 25 years. He lived in Portsmouth, Ohio, and Wheelersburg, Ohio, both in Scioto County, and finally in Pine Grove, Ohio in Lawrence County.

I first located Peter in the US census of 1850 of Scioto County, Ohio. He was living in Portsmouth along with many other German immigrants who came to this area to work in the iron ore mining industry. The hotels name is unknown but it was next door to the White Bear Hotel. The landlord was Nathen Kricker. This hotel was in the main part of town near the Ohio River docks where Peter must have landed.

Peter may have arrived or met with other Haas immigrants in Portsmouth as I found a John Haas, age 24, and a George Haas, age 45, in the same 1850 census. I later found the death records of a Joseph Haas at Saint Mary`s Catholic church in Pine Grove, Ohio. He was killed on 27 September, 1851, in the Pine Grove furnace where he worked. His death record stated that he "died in the hot furnace". This passage was written in Latin and was difficult to read. I believe that this man was the same man found in the 1850 census as John. I also believe that both John and George were Peter's brothers. My aunt Laura Blake Haas, wife of my fathers brother William Lawrence Haas, told me that she thought Peter arrived in the Port Of New Orleans with two brothers but was not sure of their names. She said that one was George. The other could have been John Joseph. Laura is 95 years old at this writing.

Peter was virtually invisible as far as local records were concerned. He has no citizenship records in the Scioto and Lawrence county court houses. He did not serve in the Civil War even though he was only 40 years old at the beginning of the war. Many southern Ohio Germans did serve in the war. In fact, a pure German outfit was assembled in Portsmouth and Ironton, Ohio and served their new country with distinction. This all German unit was necessary as most could not communicate in English as yet.

The next time Peter became visible was in the 1860 census of Vernon Township, Scioto county, Ohio.(post office was Iron Furnace ). He is 35 years old, a furnace laborer, listing his birthplace as " The Rhinebarron " or " Rhineland ". He listed the same for his mother and father. He claimed personal assets of $100. He was living with a Mr. Leonard Laubner and family. Apparently, they were good friends as Peter was always present at Mr. Laubners` children's christening at Saint Peter's church in Wheelersburg. Laubner was also from the Rhineland in Germany.

While searching through some old records in the dark basement of the Scioto County courthouse, I found a marriage record for a Peter HAUS and Fredericka Thieken dated 14 June 1862 completed by the probate judge indicating that both parties were not married, were of legal age and were no closer related than second cousins. A marriage license found at Saint Mary's church in Portsmouth and dated 30 June 1862 joined Peter and Fredericka thereby starting the family in southern Ohio known as THE HAAS FAMILY.

The name HAAS means "one who lives at the sign of the rabbit". Haas means rabbit in German and is closely related to the German dish of Hasenpfeffer. People with this name used a picture of a rabbit in front of their house long before surnames were used. It was Napoleon who decreed that those under his authority must select and register a last name to identify themselves.

A story related to me on April 13, 1963 by a Mrs. Elizabeth Bihl of Wheelersburg was about Peter's and age difference. This is a first hand story by one who lived in the community at the time. Mrs. Bihl lived next door to Peter and his family. She was only five or six years old but could remember seeing Peter come and go to and from work. He was a very old man compared to Fredericka and the Thieken family was very upset that she married a man so old. Mrs. Bihl also told me that she was the same age as my grandfather Will whom she played with many times in their yards. This was William Henry Haas, my father's father. It is my belief that due to the Thieken's objection to Peter, Fredricka waited until she was 18 years old to marry so that she did not have to have her parents permission. The age difference was 19 years.

Peter must have anguished over this age difference and perhaps did not get along with Fredericka's family as well as he would have liked. In the 1850 census he was age 25, In the 1860 census he was age 35. However he reported his age in the 1870 census as age 40???. He carried this age shortage of five years throughout his life presumably to make him more acceptable to his in-laws. Peter died on October 15,.1895. The age on his death record does not agree with any ages given earlier. The record says he was 80 but he had to be only 70. I believe that his family knew about his life long age problem and knew that he was older than he claimed ....but over shot the mark.

Peter's civil record says:

"Peter Haas born in Germany, occupation miner, died of old age October 15, 1895 at age 80 yrs., 2 months and 20 days. Buried at Saint Mary's Church, Pine Grove, Ohio. (ref: Ledger 2, page 188 Register 303 Lawrence Co. Courthouse, Ironton, Ohio)

Peter's church burial record says: