Joseph Jessing, 1836-1870

Bornon November 17, 1836, in Münster, Westphalia, Germany, Jessing worked at a variety of trades and served in the Westphalian artillery before immigrating to the United States in 1867. The following year he entered Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary of the West, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and upon completion of his studies was ordained a priest on July 17, 1870. He was appointed rector of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Pomeroy, Ohio, where, in 1873, he founded the Ohio Waisenfreund, with profits from this publication going to the orphanage school he founded there. In 1877, Jessing moved the orphanage from Pomeroy to Columbus.

A photo of Father Jessing with two young boys. Jessing is wearing clerical garb; the boys are wearing suit jackets and collared shirts.

Additional information: John Joseph Jessing (Wikipedia)

John Joseph Jessing and Orphans photograph from Ohio Memory Collection.