John A. Rittgers immigrated from Prussia around 1795 to escape the turmoil of war there, married Catherine Comer and settled in the area of what is now Luray, Virginia, staying there until 1816, at which time he and his family moved to central Ohio. John and Catherine produced nine children, and these form the second of nine generations of descendants who spread from Ohio to various other states such as Indiana, Iowa and Missouri. Most of the book is about these descendants, following which there is an appendix of five generations of the ancestors of Catherine Comer. The main portion of the book uses a combination of the formats known as the Modified Register System and the Henry System, so that each descendant's name is accompanied by a number which indicates the person's generation and his or her position within the nuclear family. This book is called Volume One in the hope that, as a result of its exposure, readers will contact the author with additional information which might one day permit the compilation of a second volume. The full-name index contains about 5,000 names, of which 1,838 are Rittgers descendants. (1998), 2015, 51/2x81/2, paper, index, 306 pp