John Reister

Who was John Reister?

John Reister was a German immigrant to America who founded the town of Reisterstown, Maryland in 1758.

Born in 1715 and raised in Germany, John Reister moved to America in September 1738. Departing from Rotterdam in the Netherlands and arriving in Philadelphia, Reister originally settled in York, Pennsylvania and began using his background in farming to start earning a living. In 1746 he married a York innkeeper's daughter named Margaret Sohn and moved south into Maryland where he had purchased a 50-acre tract of land just to the west of modern day Westminster, Maryland.

The Reisters used this land for farming and were able to create a comfortable life for themselves. While living on this farm, the Reisters had their six children John Jr., Mary, Margaret, Catherine, Philip, and Elizabeth.

On March 2, 1758 Reister purchased a 20-acre plot of land to the east of his original property. This land was located at the intersection of several roads that led to Baltimore and points to the north in Pennsylvania. It is believed that Reister decided to purchase this land while traveling along the road on his way to Annapolis.