Lizzie’s Friendship Coverlet and Her Daily Diary

August 2, 2010

LIZZIE’S FRIENDSHIP COVERLET AND HER DAILY DAIRY by Donna Schrock Birkey Originally published in the Spring 2010 (Vol. XXXVII  •  No. 1) Illinois Mennonite Heritage Quarterly (http://www.imhgs.org) (Used with permission of original publisher) INTRODUCTION Author’s note: While attending Ropp Immigration Day in Metamora several years ago I noticed a coverlet displayed in the Illinois Heritage [...]

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Amos and Bertha: A Tribute by a Niece

February 13, 2010

by Ruth Hieser Oyer   Condensed and adapted by Donna Birkey from an unpublished manuscript archived at East Bend Mennonite Church, Fisher, IL. Originally published in the Spring 2008 issue (Vol. XXXV, No. 1) Illinois Mennonite Heritage Quarterly  (http://www.imhgs.org) (Used with permission of original publisher)   _______________________________________________ After a four-year courtship, Amos Hieser and Bertha [...]

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Ancestry and Ministry of the Bishop: Peter Zehr (1851-1922)

September 18, 2009

The Ancestry of the Bishop: Peter Zehr (1851 – 1922) by Donna Schrock Birkey Originally published in the Winter 2008 (Vol. XXXV  •  No. 4) Illinois Mennonite Heritage Quarterly (http://www.imhgs.org) (Used with permission of original publisher) “Recently I found indications that the Amish Zehr name may have roots in the very early Zehringen family. The [...]

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The History of the Family of Peter Yordy – 1815-1897

February 24, 2009

The article is made up of three parts: Part 1 From Ancient History to Switzerland and France Part 2 The History of the Family of Peter Yordy (1815-1897) The Yordy Siblings of Central Illinois—Peter Yordy, Christian Yotty, and Jacobina (Philabena) Yordy Part 3 Yordy Addendum French Birth Records and Ancestry of Peter Yordy .  .  [...]

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John and Mary Schrock – An Unlikely Couple

February 24, 2009

The Personal Story of an Illinois Amish Mennonite Family by Donna Schrock Birkey Originally published in the Spring 2006 issue (Vol. XXXIII, No. 1) Illinois Mennonite Heritage Quarterly (http://www.imhgs.org) This story is based on remembrances of a grandchild who shared their lives and knew this John and Mary intimately. AHD lived next door, down the [...]

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Immigrant Michael Salzman – 1779-1861

February 24, 2009

His Ancestors and His Descendants by Donna Schrock Birkey Originally published in the Winter 2004 issue (Vol. XXXI, No. 4) Illinois Mennonite Heritage Quarterly (http://www.imhgs.org) (Used with permission of original publisher) A 1589 Swiss record of the surname (Trina) Salzman is shown below. Over the years some families added a “t,” others added an extra“ [...]

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Barbara Birki Sampler

February 24, 2009

156 year-old Sampler Surfaces and Escapes Auction Oblivion Co-authored by Donna Schrock Birkey and Donald D. Kauffman Originally published in the Fall 2003 issue (Vol. XXX, No. 3) Illinois Mennonite Heritage Quarterly (http://www.imhgs.org) (Used with permission of original publisher) 1. Introduction, description, present owner A 10″ x 10″ unframed piece of embroidered linen fabric almost [...]

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Immigrant Johannes Schrock, 1801-1875, of Illinois

February 24, 2009

by Donna Schrock Birkey Originally published in the Winter 2002 issue (Vol. XXIX, No. 4) Illinois Mennonite Heritage Quarterly (http://www.imhgs.org) (Used with permission of original publisher) (Additional information has been found about the Johannes Schrock family since this 2002 article and that information is reflected in other sections of the website.) As I became interested [...]

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