Included on this site is information about direct and collateral lines related to the Reiss family of Nordrhein-Westfalen,Prussia. Franz Reiss, a watchmaker, was born in Heggen bei Attendorn. His family moved to the Gut Listernohl estate located on the Lister River in 1820. Franz went to Koblenz to learn the trade of watchmaker/jeweler. While there, he met Elisabeth Ducro. They were married in 1838 in Heggen. He emigrated from Kreis Olpe, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Prussia in 1846 with his wife and son. They sailed from London on the ship Diadem and arrived at Castle Garden on August 12. Also included in the emigrant family group were his mother (Elisabeth), two brothers (Theodore and Carl), Theodore's wife and three children, and sister Caroline. The ship manifest identifies the two Elisabeths as milliners. Another passenger in the family group was a Regina Zucker, also identified as a milliner.

Franz and his wife and son settled in lower Manhattan. It is not known where the rest of the family went since they have not been found in any census records.

This website also includes known data about families that are linked to the Reiss line by marriage.