Janelle Richardson

The German Bachelor and the French Girl Janelle Richardson

The German Bachelor & the French Girl tells the story of 35-year-old Lewis Rinn marrying Marguerite Clair the day she turned 19. The book opens with the couple meeting in Indian Territory in the summer of 1876 when their lives changed forever. It depicts their 29 years of marriage living in Kansas and homesteading in Oklahoma while raising nine children.

The story includes Marguerite's early life in France and her coming to America when she was 12 to live in a Kansas commune. Lewis's early life in Germany and his family's migration to Pennsylvania when he was 10 is described. Told are the many challenges Lewis faced fighting for the Union army during the Civil War. After the war, he headed west and ended up in Indian Territory.

The lives of the nine Rinn children, who were often called "the spirited bunch," are chronicled. The narrative concludes with pictures of Rinn family gatherings. Containing more than lists of names, dates and places, this book tells the Lewis Rinn family story illustrated with more than 200 photos and graphics in the hopes of preserving their family history for future generations.