RAUCH, JOHN JACOB, was born July 25, 1796, in Stutgardt, Wirtemburg, Germany. He came to America in 1818, and was eleven weeks on the passage from Amsterdam, arriving at Philadelphia in September. He entered into an agreement, before starting, with a man who came on the same vessel, by which that gentleman was to pay his passage across the ocean in exchange for labor Mr. Rauch was to perform. He had fulfilled part of the agreement before starting, and acted as servant to the gentleman and his wife on board the vessel. On arriving in Philadelphia he found that the money had not been paid. The only excuse the man made was that his wife objected to it. In the early history of the American colonies some of them enacted laws under which emigrants might be sold at auction to pay for their passage across the ocean. The custom still prevailed at the time Mr. Rauch arrived in the country, but I have thus far failed to learn that there was any law for it at that time. Seventy dollars was the amount demanded by the owners of the vessel, and he was put up at auction to raise the money. The lowest, and perhaps the only bid was to pay the money on consideration of his serving three years in return, at hard labor, as the following paper will show:

This Indenture Witnesseth: That Johan Jacob Rauch, of his own free will, to go to Alabama Territory, hath bound himself servant to Francis C. Clapper, of Philadelphia, merchant, for the consideration of seventy dollars, paid to Lewis, Haven & Co., for his passage from Amsterdam; as also, for other good causes, he, the said Johan Jacob Rauch, hath bound and put himself, and by these presents doth bind and put himself, servant to the said Francis C. Clapper, to serve him, his executors, administrators and assigns, from the day of the date hereof, for and during the full term of three years, from thence next ensuing. During all which term the said servant, his said master, his executors, administrators and assigns, faithfully shall serve, and that honestly and obediently in all things, as a good and faithful servant ought to do. And the said Francis C. Clapper, his executors, administrators and assigns, during the said term, shall find and provide for the said servant sufficient meat, drink, apparel, washing and lodging, and to give him, at the end of the term, two complete suits of clothes, one thereof to be new. And for the true performance hereof both the said parties bind themselves firmly unto each other by these presents. In witness whereof they have interchangably set their hands and seals. Dated the second day of October, A. D. one thousand eight hundred and eighteen.

Mr. Rauch was at once sent to Alabama, and labored faithfully for two and a half years, the principal part of the time at boat building, and must have earned many times the value of the money paid out for him. His food and clothing during the whole of that time was of the very worst description, in addition to which he was treated to all manner of indignities on account of his lack of knowledge of our language, and for any other cause which the caprice or malignity of those with whom he was associated might suggest. Six months before the expiration of his time his hardships became intolerable. He left Alabama and made his way into Muhlenburg county, Kentucky, arriving in 1821. There he found German people, who gave him employment by which he was soon able to clothe himself decently, and began to save money. He worked both in wood and stone as the opportunity for either presented itself. Oct. 24, 1824, he was married to Pauline Poley, sister to Joseph Poley. See his name. Soon after his marriage he built a sawmill on a small stream, and occasionally worked at his trades, doing a good business. As Mr. Rauch learned more of the influence of slavery, he resolved to seek a free country in which to bring up his family. He accordingly removed with his wife and two children, to Illinois, arriving Oct., 1829, in Sangamon county. In December he bought three-fourths of section thirty-three, which is the southern tier of sections in this county. It is in Auburn township, between the towns of Auburn and Virden. The stream called Sugar creek ran through his land, and among the first things he did was to build a saw and grist mill, and for many years Rauch's mill was known far and near, and hundreds of weary emigrants found rest under his roof, his house being on the road from Springfield to St. Louis. After arriving in Illinois, seven children were added to the family. Of their nine children--

ANDREW, born Aug. 14, 1825, in Kentucky, was married June 13, 1854, in Sangamon county, to Margaret E. Cassity, a native of Kentucky. They have five living children, FRANK, CLARA, EMMA, ELMER and A. LEE. Andrew Rauch and family reside in the vicinity of the old homestead, in Sangamon county, near Virden, Macoupin county, Illinois.

CHARLES, born Dec. 28, 1827, in Kentucky, was married Dec. 18, 1859, in Sangamon county, to Mary Brooks, a native of Delaware. They have four children, LOUISA, JENNIE, JAMES and JOHN, and reside at the homestead, in Sangamon county, near Virden, Macoupin county, Illinois.

ELIZABETH, born April 25, 1830, in Illinois, died in childhood.

SAVILLA, born Feb. 3, 1832, in Sangamon county, married Hiram Orr, and died five weeks later, at her mother's house.

JAMES, born Oct. 5, 1833, in Sangamon county, was married, April 3, 1863, to Jennie B. Goss, who was born August 25, 1837, at Littleton, Grafton county, New Hampshire. They moved to California, and James Rauch died there, Nov. 12, 1864, leaving a widow, who returned to Illinois, Oct. 26, 1865, and is now--August, 1876--residing in Virden, Illinois.

JACOB, born Aug. 16, 1835, in Sangamon county, was married, Oct. 27, 1859, to Emma C. Cassity. They have three living children, ADA, EFFIE and BYRON, and reside in Virden, Illinois.

FRANKLIN, born Oct. 11, 1837, died Dec. 17, 1848.

REBECCA, born Nov. 6, 1839, in Sangamon county, was married, Oct. 26, 1869, to John McGlothlin. They have three children, LOUELLA, HORACE and CHARLIE A., and reside five miles southwest of Auburn, Sangamon county, Illinois.

BARBARA A., born June 2, 1842, in Sangamon county, married Matthew Patton, Jun. See his name. They do not live in Chicago, as stated in connection with his name, but now--Sept., 1876--reside three miles southeast of Auburn, Sangamon county, Illinois.

John Jacob Rauch died Nov. 23, 1843, where he settled in 1829. His widow, Mrs. Pauline Rauch, resides there with her son Charles. It is in Sangamon county, near Virden, Macoupin county, Illinois.

Mr. Rauch left his family with the title to a sufficient quantity of land to make a good farm for each one; with a large amount of personal property, and his children are among the most respected citizens of the county. When we consider that he was twenty-two years of age at the time he came to America, without a knowledge of our language, compelled to lose so much of the best time of his life to pay for the privilege of coming, and that he died before he was fifty years of age, his success was wonderful, and it is highly probable that his early death was caused by over exertion. Although he had been so treacherously dealt with on coming to the country, and for the first three years after his arrival; yet his abhorrence of anything like repudiating a contract was such, that he charged his sons if the duplicate to the contract by which he was robbed of his three years time, should ever be presented, they should pay the whole seventy dollars, for the reason that he had not rendered the last six months service, and that because it was physically impossible for him to endure it. In the later years of his life, when pondering on the hardships and indignities he had endured, he wrote in German on the margin of the contract quoted, "Jacob Rauch says this indenture was not good." He doubtless alluded to the fact that it was not binding because it was never signed by himself. The back of the indenture bears an inscription, also in German, in his own handwriting. It appears to have been more intended as an expression of a sentiment than an address to any particular one of his children. It is in these words:

"DEAR CHILD, you had better remain in a low station of life; the higher you stand the more you may be humbled; and the Lord will love you better, for He is the Most High, and does great things by means of the lowly.