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 Museum and thought it an intriguing piece of history. The item was a 79” x 80” friendship coverlet belonging to Elizabeth “Lizzie” Litwiller, made up of blocks embroidered by friends and relatives to commemorate her marriage to John Augsburger on 13 Dec 1893. The coverlet is made of white cotton with red embroidery. Esther (Mrs. Melvin) Glick had donated the coverlet, pillow shams and extra blocks to the museum after the death of her mother, Ella Augsburger, Lizzie’s daughter.

I asked about the coverlet—do we know who all the persons are and what their relationship is to Lizzie? The answer was that there had been an early attempt but the results were incomplete and not entirely accurate, and no one had taken the time since then to research further. Carolyn Nafziger put me in touch with Edith Nafziger in Goshen, Indiana, a granddaughter of Lizzie. Edith was interested in researching the names and relationships a bit more, and also supplied me with scans of pages from a diary she had in her possession that was kept by Lizzie over a period of years. This added much human interest and provided a picture of Lizzie’s life for about 10 years–from age 22. until her early death at age 32. Jo Ropp sent several lists of possible family connections, as Lizzie was a part of the large Ropp family through her mother. Little by little the blanks were filled in and now only a few are left unidentified. Perhaps after this article is published others will be able to supply missing information.

As I collected the various pieces of information I was able to chart it and put together a bit of the fabric of Lizzie’s short life. In the process I found her intersecting with some of my own family for the few years she and her husband John lived near Fisher. But because John was not a believer in photography there were no pictures taken after their marriage of him, his wife or young children.

A close look at the names embroidered on Lizzie's coverlet

LIZZIE’S STORY

Joseph Litwiller (1837-1902)

Joseph Litwiller (1837-1902) and Mary Ropp (1841-1920) were married 8 May 1862 in Tazewell County, Illinois, by Bishop Michael Mosiman. Joseph had acquired a homestead at Tremont and built a house on the land in the 1860s. The couple’s third child and second daughter Elizabeth “Lizzie” Litwiller was born 13 Jan 1867. Our story of Lizzie begins with her life as a young, single woman in Tremont at age 22. Picking up from Lizzie’s diary in 1889, she writes of attending church, working at household duties such as taking up a carpet, blacking the stove, sewing and filling the bed, frying sausage, and picking wool. She names a few visitors at the home, and at the end of the year comments that the New Year will bring her a new dress.

Joseph Litwiller home, Tremont, IL

The Litwiller Tremont home built in the 1860s

Over the following two years her diary records normal daily activities of washing clothes (usually on Monday), scrubbing, churning butter, picking geese, coloring rags for rugs, patching mittens, and “sewing Emma’s bonnet.” In July Lizzie said she “helped pick and can 56 qt. b. berries.” Another day she writes, “worked 30 buttonholes and sewed on 40 buttons,” then a few days later records that “Lida Davis gave me a thimble.” Perhaps Lida found out Lizzie had done all that work without a thimble? Most Saturdays were inscribed: “Sat.’s work.”

But there are also life events recorded: “To Katie Litwiller’s wedding” [married Valentine Springer 9 Mar 1890]; “Grandpa died,” and the next day, “Grandpa’s funeral.” This would have been Lizzie’s maternal grandfather, Bishop Andrew Ropp, who died 11 June 1890. “Andrew very sick, send for Davis,” and the next day, “Andrew died, Uncle P. Litwiller, Uncle Andrew and J. W. Ropp here.” Andrew was Lizzie’s older brother. In 1891 John Augsburger is first mentioned: “Will Ropps, John Augsburger and mother here.”

There are two mentions of John Augsburger in 1892: “Letter from John Augsburger,” and written one day between Christmas and New Year’s, “Work and knit, John Augsburger and Ben Litwiller here.” John and Lizzie evidently made known their intentions to marry during 1892, as many coverlet blocks are dated in that year.

The diary year 1893 is empty. One would guess that Lizzie was busy preparing for her marriage on December 13, the subsequent move to Champaign County, Illinois, and her new life as a farmer’s wife. Many more coverlet blocks are dated 1893, building on the one’s begun the year before.

Elizabeth "Lizzie" Litwiller, most likely before her marriage to John Augsburger

On February 24, 1894 the newly married Lizzie andJohn moved to a house near Tomlinson, two-and-one-half miles east of Dewey and six miles east of Fisher. At the time, Tomlinson was basically a grain elevator stop on the Short Line railroad between Rantoul and Havana, part of the Illinois Central Rail Road. Havana is located 20 to 30 miles southwest of Pekin, a straight shot west of Rantoul following Route 136. It was this line that made it quite handy for Tazewell County relatives to visit the Augsburger family in Tomlinson, and vise versa.¹

Very quickly that same year Lizzie easily took up the same work as she had been doing before marriage of keeping the house clean, sewing, planting, canning, but with a few new activities added: gathering seeds and nuts, setting incubators, baking bread. Her parents and other relatives visited, and Lizzie also records, “Drive to Hopedale for Conference.” There is an entry, “House work, finish pillow sham.” This was no doubt made from the blocks her friends had embroidered and given to her, for during the next year (1895) Lizzie comments, “Sew stitches on friendship spread” and “sew Mary Ropp block.” The blocks had been presented to Lizzie separately and she sewed them together into the coverlet.²

New names would appear in her notes in 1895—friends from Dewey and Fisher. Lizzie mentions visiting Dewey and the Griesers, as well as the Pete Schrock family in Fisher. The Grieser family was very likely George M. and Magdalena Baecher Grieser who lived in Dewey and were near to Lizzie in age. The Schrock family could only be my great-great-grandfather Peter Schrock and his wife Anna (Nancy)Garber who had a daughter, Lydia, about the same age as Lizzie. On another occasion, a Sunday in October, Lizzie reported, “I and children at home. John Schrocks here for dinner and Somers here in eve.” John and Mary Schrock are my great-grandparents, and two weeks later evidently Mary returned and brought along her mother (Fannie Sutter Birky, wife of Andrew, my great-great-grandparents) as she made an entry, “Mrs. Birky and Mary Schrock came.” Mid-November, “Sleeping preacher here 3 nights.” If this entry follows the same format as all the others, we can assume the Augsburger family entertained the “sleeping preacher” [John D. Kauffman?] in their home for three nights.

Home of Lizzie and John Augsburger near Tomlinson, IL. Their daughter Ella stands in the foreground

That same year the Augsburgers spruced up their house a bit by removing the wallpaper from the kitchen walls and painting it and a few other rooms. They also attended a conference in Elkhart, Indiana, taking the train east first to Chicago and Goshen, then “walked four miles to D. Johns.” After returning home by train, the same day Lizzie “brushed clothes and pounded bones.” Evidently Lizzie did some sewing for others for she records that she “sewed for Mrs. Geo Eichelberger,” and she “sewed a coat for Christ Eichelberger” on the same day that she “put away fruit under the sofa.” Two weddings were important to Lizzie that year: Amelia Unzicker and Cousin Lydia (Lydia Ropp, who married Allen Miller).

Marriages continued to show up in Lizzie’s dairy at the beginning of 1896, with Emma and Ben Litwiller’s wedding on January 2 and Mary Litwiller and Joseph Springer’s on February 9. But then came a big change of routine for the couple. On March 6, son Allen was born. The diary shows that husband John took on some of the household chores until other help arrived: “John helped me wash and baked cookies.” Then, “Ma came and Mrs. Hitzler worked here,” and a day or so later, “Pa came. Pa and John went to church.”

A few months after Allen was born, Lizzie wrote, “Wash. Go out in field with baby,” and toward the end of the year she sewed a baby dress and shoes, celebrated her wedding day anniversary on Dec. 13, and with the baby “went home to Tremont.”

John and Lizzie entertained quite a few friends and relatives during 1897: Anna and Martha; John and Barbara Heiser; Barbara Roth, Katie and Fannie Heiser; “Kansas Birkys here;” “Cousin A. Millers and his folks of Indiana came”—even a peddler and wife were put up overnight. Lizzie traveled to Picketsville and Stormer’s sale, and to Garber, IL. On December 11, a second child, Ella, was born. Again, Ma came to help. Before the end of the year Lizzie’s brother, Silas, was married in Indiana, but Lizzie stayed home with the baby and toddler and spent her time knitting and sewing while John attended the wedding.

The following year 1898, the last full year of Lizzie’s life, recuperating from giving birth Lizzie’s notes begin: “house work, nothing else for one week; Baby not well; I wash alone, bake bread, made cookies and sweep; to church for first time; Silas and wife came; “ [hired] hand came.” Her notes twice mention the doctor–once she traveled to the doctor and once he came to the house. A few months later she records that “we go to Urbana four days.” Could this indicate some kind of treatment for her illness?

Toward the end of the year friends and relatives began visiting regularly, probably knowing how sick Lizzie had become: “P. Schrocks and Andrew Birkys here; Slagels here, Johnny Birkys here; Val Birkys here; Silas came; John Teuschers here; John Zehrs here.”

Lizzie's gravestone in Pleasant Grove Cemetery, Tremont, I

The last entry in the diary is dated January 10, 1899: the simple, “Katie Rediger here” in another hand, most probably her husband John’s. Lizzie Litwiller Augsburger died February 11, 1899 of tuberculosis, leaving her husband, 4 1/2-year-old Allen, and Ella, two months past her first birthday.³

JOHN’S STORY

John Augsburger was born in Hopedale in 1868, son of Noah Augsburger (1817-1903) and Magdalena Schrock (1824-1914). Both his parents were born in Germany. Noah served as a bishop and minister of Hopedale Amish Mennonite Church (1862-1876 era).

After Lizzie’s death John and the two children continued to live in the same house for several years with the help of a hired hand, Dena Griner, who cared for the children and household duties. In 1903 his father Noah died near Hopedale. It was probably then that the family moved to Hopedale and lived with hired help and John’s mother, Magdalena, caring for the children.

The following year, in 1904, John married a single lady, Fannie Wyse, from Wayland, Iowa. They had three daughters, one died in infancy. After John’s death of flu during the 1917 worldwide epidemic, Fannie and her two daughters, accompanied by Ella, moved back to Wayland. It was there Ella met her husband, Fred Swartzendruber (1895-1981).

John and Lizzie’s children, Ella and Allen, were willed an 80-acre farm close to Noah Augsburger’s 160-acre farm, Ella (1897-1974) and her new husband began their married life there in 1921. They had four children: Esther Augsburger Glick, Frederick J., Edith Augsburger Nafziger, and John Dale. Allen (1894-1927) lived on the Noah Augsburger farm, a centennial farm to this day. Allen married Louise Horsch (1897-1979) in 1918, daughter of Henry Horsch and Katherine Good of Fisher, and died in 1927 of appendicitis. They had no children.

Endnotes

¹ These same train tracks go through Dewey and Fisher, and by the residents of those villages in the mid-1900s this line was known as the “punkin vine” because the train moved so slowly. There were never more than a few houses making up the small unincorporated railroad community of Tomlinson, and today only two homes survive from the past: the one for the railroad agent and the one for the operator of the grain elevator. Oral history of the village also includes the tale of a cold storage building for beer during the Prohibition era in the early 1900s. In a telephone conversation with James Murray who lived near Tomlinson for some years, I was told that a Ben Gifford influenced the Short Line to go through his land, and that the grain elevator was owned at one time by Leland Fowler, who also owned Fowler State Bank in Rantoul (now Bank of Rantoul).

² For identification of each name on the coverlet, shams, and extra blocks shown below and their relationship to Lizzie, see the detailed information included in the printed article in Illinois Mennonite Heritage Quarterly.

³ It is unknown where Lizzie’s funeral service was held, but since there is no record of her death, funeral or burial in Peter Zehr’s record books of East Bend Mennonite Church in Champaign County, and since she is buried in Tremont, the service was probably held at the Pleasant Grove Church.

Lizzie's Friendship Coverlet (side 1)

Lizzie's Friendship Coverlet (side 2)

Pillow Sham (no.2)

Extra Blocks (no. 1)

Pillow Sham (no. 1)

Extra Blocks (no. 2)

Schrock Immigrant Day is history and the event was successful according to many comments received. Here is a sampling of reactions:

A member of the planning group said, “I was surprised by the many positive comments on Saturday about the Day, and the thank you e-mails I received. I’m impressed when people take the time to send such messages. I heard people comment that the music alone, on Friday, was worth coming for the evening.  The popcorn event made for a family atmosphere.” Another planning group member commented, “The best outcome [of the event] was getting over 100 people together to remember each of the [five] immigrants.”

“The content of this reunion was just superior! Also, I must hand it to Frank [Kandel] especially for moving things along.  It takes a lot of energy and smarts to keep a large body of people happy and on schedule and he did it with elan. I loved it that we ate in the [farm museum] shed.  The popcorn and ice cream were such droll additions. I think we absolutely got our money’s worth. Thank you for a job well done and for the memory of this occasion that we will all value in the years ahead.”

“What a great reunion!  Thanks for all the effort and planning.  Your daughter-in-law’s [Debbie Birkey as Magdalena Schick] drama was a highlight.”

“All [the] years of research, [the] days and nights of planning for this weekend paid off in over 100 of near and far cousins enjoying a thoroughly delightful weekend.  [My husband] said this weekend should be the model for family reunions–guided information, lots of printouts, activities, a hospitable setting, perfectly coordinated timings for events like meals, ice-cold delicious ice cream.  So many times almost strangers gather and find they have lots of empty time and not much to say to each other.  This event was perfect!   Thank you so much for the gift of this weekend.”

“[Please] forward a big thank you to all the responsible people who made the Schrock Immigrant Day so enjoyable & successful (I’m not good with e-mail).  We certainly appreciated it all and had a wonderful & educational time with our many cousins.  Words simply can not repay all of you for all your hard work & efforts, but may God richly bless you all for what you have done on our behalf.”

” [We] really enjoyed our quick trip out to Illinois [from the east coast] this past weekend and want to thank [everyone] for all the hard work and attention to detail. It was a most memorable time! Thank you.”

“Thanks again for all the work [everyone] put into researching our family history and for the recent event.  I do not think any of the others of us could have done what [was done] but all our family has benefited from the greater knowledge of our past.  I sure wish I was confident this generation will pass on to future generations the blessings we have inherited.”

Schrock Immigrant Day has a presence on FaceBook. Become a member of the Group and get to know your Schrock relatives even before the reunion June 18-21, 2010 in Metamora, IL. The Group is open to all descendants of Joseph and Maria Neuhauser Schrag/Schrock. It can be accessed at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=184707186207&ref=mf

At the Schrock reunion/immigrant day event there will be time for descendants to share with others any family treasures they might have in their possession.

Please contact Donna Birkey if you have any family stories, genealogies, books, pictures, news clippings, letters, ship lists, titles, deeds, marriage licenses, obituaries, or other documents that provide information on the immigrants, their ancestors in Europe, or their children and descendants. (See document sample below left.) Also contact Donna if you have any family artifacts that you would be willing to bring and share as part of a “show and tell” presentation. Family artifacts might include furniture, dishes, recipes, clothing, tools, household utensils, special books (See Bible sample below right), etc. that belonged to the immigrants, their children, or their grandchildren.

You may reach Donna Birkey by e-mail at http://www.dbirkey@birkey.org, though the contact page of this website (http://birkey.org/contact/), or by postal mail at 1S710 Orchard Road, Wheaton, IL  60189.

Peter Schrock (1839-1922) Family Bible

Birth record of André Schrack, first son of Joseph and Maria, who evidently died as an infant since the third son was named André

Christian Birky (1783 – abt. 1840) has been added as a new name in the Family Histories section. He was son of Christian Birki (abt. 1700-abt. 1750) and the father of eight children. His wife is unknown. Thought to have had connections to Lutterbacherhof (near Saar-union) where other Birki families lived. Photos included.

Click on the chart: then again on the next chart to enlarge it.

This is the Zehr Family Ancestry Chart

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

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

Part 1
From Ancient History to Switzerland and France

By Gary L. Yordy
Originally published in the Fall 2007 issue (Vol. XXXIV, No. 3)
Illinois Mennonite Heritage Quarterly (http://imhgs.org)
(Used with permission of the author and original publisher)

Introduction

This document explores the ancient and historic roots of the relatives and descendants of Peter Yordy (1815-1897) of central Illinois. The surname “Yordy” is the Americanized form of the surname “Jordi.” While the surname itself can be traced to Switzerland, this article will begin by citing the probable origins of the family long before the surname came into existence. By combining information from the historic disciplines of anthropology, archeology, paleontology and etymology with recent developments in genetics, Part 1 of this article postulates the movements of the Yordy ancestors from pre-history until the arrival of Yordy families in America.

It is difficult to imagine that the ancestors of the peace-loving Mennonites and Amish were at one time violent warriors; or that the docile farmers whose lives are tied to an agricultural lifestyle are descendants of hunters who survived by eating what they could find or kill; or that the ancestors of those who shun makeup and ornaments were tattooed and wore many “magic” objects to fend off evil spirits; or that those who treasure their relationship with one God descended from those who worshiped many gods and feared as many evil spirits. Yet every scientific and social discipline indicates this to be the case.

The newly completed genome project offers that somewhere in the relatively small group of early humans was a many-times great grandfather of today’s Yordys. He could be identified by a unique part of his Y chromosome known as “Haplogroup I”.

As segments of peoples began to spread farther from their origins, a mutation in the Y chromosome of our ancestor (then living in north central France) occurred—the development of the haplogroup “I1c.” This change would have been unnoticed at the time, but its significance cannot be discounted, for it is this change that allows us to “track” our ancestor using modern genetic investigation.¹

Arrival in Switzerland

“The Helvetii ² were the Celtic inhabitants of modern Switzerland and to a larger extent Southern Germany. They were described by Julius Caesar in his De Bello Gallico. Under pressure from Germanic tribes in their home territory, they were planning to migrate into Gaul (France) with their entire tribe under the command of Orgetrix. According to his own account, Caesar was called upon by the Gauls of the province of Gallia Narbonensis, which had already been conquered and organized, to defend them from the invading Helvetii. Caesar, at the time, commanded six legions comprised of nearly 29,000 men. The Helvetii, according to Caesar’s writings, had 370,000 people (including children and women), but only 110,000 men-at-arms. Caesar hastily recruited two more fresh legions in preparation. By the time the tribe began its march, Orgetorix had died. Before leaving, the Helvetii burned their villages and destroyed what foodstuff and other commodities they could not take with them so they could not turn back. Lured to a disadvantageous position with the Romans taking the high ground near the Aedui capital of Bibracte, the Helvetii were attacked by the superior Roman forces that managed to kill nearly sixty percent of the tribe and capture another twenty percent as slaves. The remaining Helvetii were driven back into their old lands, Helvetti.” The Romans then began an occupation of the Helvetti lands (in what is now Switzerland) that would last 400 years. It is thus virtually certain that at the time of the birth of Jesus, our ancestor was also living under Roman rule, but far to the north of Bethlehem, in the area that today is far southern Germany or northern Switzerland.

If our ancestor was a Helvettian, he was one of the few to survive the ill-fated encounter with the Roman armies. But our ancestor may have been a member of a tribe located in southern Germany—the Alemannians. “The Alemannians crossed the fortified northern Roman boundary and settled in the area. German became the language of lands occupied by the Alemannians.”³ Of course, the populace had to deal with all of the daily dangers of accidents, diseases, including plague, and the impacts of weather on their lives. Our ancestor, like others of the time, presumably lived in a very humble thatched stone or sod home. He may have had a small plot of land on which to raise grains for bread.

Whether a surviving Helvettian, or a recently transplanted Allemanian, our ancestor’s life was greatly influenced by the Roman Empire. Between 900 and 1490, the lands of modern Switzerland that were once part of the Holy Roman Empire were divided among various Germanic rulers. In 1191 the city of Berne, Switzerland, was founded by Duke Berchtold V of Zharingen. In 1218 municipal rights were confirmed on the city by King Freiderich II of the German empire. At about this time, as with the rest of Europe, men were forced to adopt surnames. Precisely when this happened in Switzerland is unclear. The bulk of European surnames in countries such as England and France was formed in the 13th and 14th centuries. The process started earlier and continued in some places into the 19th century, but the norm is that in the 11th century people did not have surnames, whereas by the 15th century they did.

During this period, the Catholic Church slowly expanded its influence among the locals. One of the many indirect impacts was to influence “given names.” Converts began to give their children “Christian” names––names for early saints or biblical names. Our ancestor lived in close proximity to the first Roman Catholic bishop of Octodorus, named St. Theodore, in the Martigny-Valais district of southern Switzerland. In Swiss, he was called “St. Joder.” Sometime around 1100-1200 our ancestor chose or was assigned the surname “Joder.” Most of the descendants of this ancestor would come to be known as “Yoder” in America. Recent findings in Y-DNA tests confirm that the Yoders who originated in Switzerland and are found scattered throughout America today, and the Yordys from Switzerland, shared a common ancestor some 600 years ago. The first historic record of a man with the surname “Joder” is found in 1260 when Peter Joder from Joderhubel (“Joder Hill,” two kilometers west of Schangnau, Switzerland) is identified in a civil document. ⁴

Whether the surname was selected in honor of St. Joder, or whether it was derived from the residence of our Joder ancestor is unknown. Numerous places and geographical features bear the name Joder, such as the mountain called the Joderhorn in the French-speaking Alps; the small mountain church Saint Joder at Altzellen between Stans and Engelberg; and Joder Spring and Joder Pass in the high Alps of the French-speaking region. In the village church at Niederwald in Canton Valais there is a lovely ceiling painting with the legend, “How Saint Joder [Theodore] Multiplied the Wine.” All these may be taken as signs of the antiquity of the Joder family and the fact that Volume 4 of the Historical–Biographical Lexicon of Switzerland lists “JODER—very old, settled clan from Steffisburg,” speaks for itself.

Our Joder ancestors were not mere peasants and breeders of livestock. They were involved in commercial ventures: grain mills, tanneries, sawmills, brick factories, oil mills, fulling mills [for making felt], and stamping mills. They are also represented from early on in high offices of the regional and village administration.

“There is no doubt that Joders living in the Huttwyl and Joders in the Steffisburg-Amseligen-Thun and Sigriswil areas are a single clan from the earliest Middle Ages.”⁵ While most of the American Yoders appear to have emanated from the Steffisburg Joders, it is probable that the Huttwyl-area Joders are more closely related to the American Yordys.

Beginning around 1300, the city of Bern expanded its governmental control over surrounding lands. By 1328 the expansion had included the purchase of the city of Thun and in 1353 Bern became a “Canton” and joined the Swiss Federation. The lands encompassed by Canton Bern were areas where the Joder clan lived.

At some point between 1250 and 1530, one Joder man who lived in Canton Bern (probably in the area of Eriswil or Huttwyl) had the spelling of his surname changed from Joder to Jordi. Whether this name change was volitional or the result of spelling errors on the part of some bureaucrat is unknown. But the name change persisted. In 1530 a man named Jordi (no given name) is identified in Gondiswil. In 1550 his son, Johannes or Hans Jordi, was born in Gondiswil, and in 1554 a second son, Balthasar Jordi, was born there.⁶ It is possible that one of these brothers was the progenitor of the Anabaptist and Mennonite Jordis, though no direct link has been proven to date. Balthasar had fifteen children; most stayed in the Gondiswil area for generations. In the 1840s one descendant joined the Mormon Church and emigrated to Utah.

Although Canton Bern, Switzerland is the birthplace of the name Jordi, there were at least three other areas of Europe where a similar name originated. In Spain and in southern France two biologically unrelated families chose the surname “Jordy,” and in the Netherlands a family adopted the surname “Jorda.” These families selected the name after a different saint—St. George. These Jordy and Jorda families are mentioned because some members of the families subsequently emigrated to America and [very few] had their names Americanized to Yordy; however, the vast majority maintained the native spelling of their surname.

The earliest Swiss Jordis were members of the Catholic Church as were virtually all people of Switzerland before 1520. In 1519, John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli, former priests and political leaders in Zurich, began the Protestant Reformed Church. Within five years of the initiation, several members split from the church over the issue of infant baptism. These “Anabaptists” became known as the “Swiss Brethren.” The first congregation of historical record was found in Zurich in 1525 and was the congregation that later became known as “Mennists,” and shortly thereafter, Mennonites, after Menno Simons.

Reformation spread rapidly and on February 7, 1528, the Protestant Reformed Church became the state church of Canton Bern. The Anabaptist movement followed almost immediately in the Canton. The following 200 years saw multiple efforts on the part of the government and the state church to eliminate the Anabaptist movement. These efforts have been extensively chronicled in the history of the Mennonite Church.

Precisely when our ancestor joined the Anabaptist movement is unclear. By 1597, at least some Joders from the area of Thun had joined the movement. “According to the Thun Urbar of 6 April 1597, the mother-in-law of Jakob Joder in Amsoldingen (Frau Neuschwender) was served with a confiscation order in the amount of two hundred pounds, merely because she was Mennonite and would not recant. Her daughter’s husband, Jakob Joder, signed a warrant for this amount, for which both his brothers-in-law were guarantors. Two hundred pounds was, in today’s currency value, a huge sum. The Jakob Joder family had an especially large and well-located forest of fir trees that was coveted by a Bernese patrician councilman who sought it out for a summer residence he wished to build. The Bernese councilman believed that he could now get his hands on this fir forest on foot of the fine warrant, but the sons of Jakob Joder confounded his scheme by cutting down eight hundred of the most beautiful trees in a few days. Heini Joder, the eldest son of Jakob Joder, was punished for this by being forced to do ‘bell work . . . .’ ” ⁷

Between 1550 and 1700, the Jordi families were living within about a 20-square-mile area of Canton Bern. Civil documents reveal the families to be living in the communities of Durrenroth, Eriswil, Gondiswil, Huttwyl, Ochlenberg, Wiler bei Utzenstorf, and Wyssachen in Canton Bern. These areas are located in the Oberaargau in the Swiss Plateau and are primarily agricultural communities. To date, the historical record suggests that most of the Jordi families remained affiliated with the Protestant Reformed Church. A few retained their Catholic ties. But by 1700, at least one Jordi family had joined the Mennonite movement. This occurred during a time of extreme persecution that included, among other things, confiscation of property and banishment from the country.

Arrival in France

As a result of the persecution, some members of the Jordi family left Switzerland. Around 1680, Johan Georg Jordi emigrated to Oberbetschdorf, Alsace-Lorraine, France. His religious affiliations in Switzerland are unknown, but in France he and his family joined the Lutheran Church. By 1712, at least two members of the Mennonite Jordi family, Jakob Jordi and Peter Jordi, abandoned Switzerland. It is uncertain how these men may have been related, but it is probable they were siblings. They were part of the second major emigration of Mennonites from Switzerland to escape religious persecution. The refugees traveled “down the Rhine to Alsace and the Palatinate on both sides of the Rhine, as well as certain adjoining territories such as Durlach or Zweibrucken. Since the earlier Anabaptists in these territories were almost completely wiped out by 1600-1630, all the later Mennonite settlements in these areas were made by emigrants from Switzerland. The heaviest movement was in 1650-1690. Some Bernese Anabaptists migrated to the Jura region of the Bishopric of Basel early in the 18th century, and about 1711 some emigrated to Holland. In 1714 the Anabaptists were ordered expelled from Alsace, and many left to found the community in Montbeliard, France, at that time ruled by Wurttemberg.”⁸ Montbeliard is located close to the Swiss border and about 12 kilometers north of the community of Belfort, France.

It appears that Peter Jordi went to Holland from Alsace about this time. From there he joined Dutch Mennonites on a trip to America in 1717. The immigrants traveled at the invitation of William Penn and settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. When they arrived, Peter’s name was spelled phonetically. Since the German letter “j” is pronounced similar to the English “y,” Peter Jordi became Peter Yorde, and later, Peter Yordy. He was the progenitor of the Pennsylvania Yordy families that later lived in Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, Nebraska, and other western states. One of his descendants, Sam Yorty, became mayor of Los Angeles, California, a California congressman, and in 1972, unsuccessfully sought the nomination for President of the United States. DNA studies have closely linked this Peter Jordi with Peter Yordy who would emigrate from Bavaria to Tazewell County, Illinois in 1839. These studies indicate that Peter Jordi of Pennsylvania and Peter Yordy of Illinois shared a common ancestor, probably around 1700.⁹

Peter Jordi’s presumed brother, Jakob Jordi, remained in Europe. In 1715, he is identified as a member of the Amish congregation in Ste. Marie-aux-Mines near Belfort. It appears that some of Jakob’s sons stayed in the area of Belfort where some of his descendants remain to this day. At least two sons, Hans Jakob Jordi (1708-1752), and Ulrich Jordi, moved northeast into Germany. In 1732, Hans Jakob, his wife, and one child were living in Heppenheim.¹⁰ Hans Jakob Jordi appears to be the progenitor of all the Jordi (sometimes spelled “Jordy”) families from the area of Zweibrucken. Ulrich Jordi and his family left for the “New Land” in 1749 according to information found in the Palatine Mennonite Census lists.¹¹ However, to date, no additional information on Ulrich Jordi has been identified.

As noted, at least one of the sons of Jacob Jordi remained in the area of Belfort. He was apparent ancestor of Peter Yordy (born 1815) who would emigrate to Illinois in 1838.

Endnotes

¹ Family Tree DNA – Genealogy by Genetics, Ltd. 1919 North Loop West, Suite110 Houston, Texas 77008, USA
² http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helvetii
³ http://www.worldcoincatalog.com/CX/Switzerland/Switzerland.htm
⁴ Yoder Newsletter
⁵ http://www.yodernewsletter.org/nonamish/chronik.html
⁶ Genealogical record of the Jordi family of Gondiswil, Kt. Bern, Switzerland, abt. 1550-1905, compiled by Julius Billeter (1869-1957), p.60 ff., Family History Library International Film 128058, Item #3.  Original records in possession of Ruby M. Lee, 956 S.500 E., Orem, UT 84057.
⁷ http://www.yodernewsletter.org/nonamish/chronik.html
⁸ Krahn, Cornelius, Harold S. Bender and John J. Friesen. “Migrations.” Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1989. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 4 January 2007
⁹ Family Tree DNA analysis of descendants of Peter Yordy of Pennsylvania and Peter Yordy of Illinois, 2006.
¹⁰ 1732 Mennonite Census List Reconstructed, URL unknown.
¹¹ Guth, Hermann, et. al., “Palatine Mennonite Census Lists, 1664-1793”, pub. Mennonite Family History, 1987.

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

By Gary L. Yordy and Carol Yotty Heilman
Originally published in the Winter 2007 issue (Vol. XXXIV, No. 4)
Illinois Mennonite Heritage Quarterly  (http://www.imhgs.org)
(Used with permission of the author and original publisher)

The following is an overview of the lives of three siblings who arrived in Tazewell County, Illinois from Bavaria between 1839 and 1842: Peter Yordy, Christian Yotty, and Jacobina (Philabena) Yordy. The family surnames are “Americanized” versions of the family surname, Jordi (Switzerland) and Jordy (France and Germany). In review of many historical documents in Illinois, a total of 32 different spellings of the surnames was identified.

I. Peter Yordy

Peter Yordy was born July 12, 1815 in France.1 His birth name may have been Peter Jordy or Pierre Jordy or Peter Jordi. It is most likely that his actual surname was “Jordy,” an Anabaptist name in the region and one that originated in Canton Bern, Switzerland. In Peter’s case, the surname Jordy was “Americanized” to “Yordy” when he emigrated to the United States.

At the time of Peter’s birth in 1815, the Napoleonic wars had just concluded, and by 1816 emigration restrictions in Europe had eased. Despite the end of the Napoleonic wars, 150,000 English, Prussian, Austrian, and Russian troops occupied the area around Belfort, depleting the crops and supplies of the residents. Then extremely prolonged, hard winters in 1816 and 1817 destroyed crops and widespread famine ensued.² These severe weather years were the result of the eruption of the Mt. Tambora Volcano in Indonesia in 1815. As a result of the eruption, an ash cloud spread around the world causing widespread weather disruption and the worst famine of the 19th century. 1816 was known in many parts of the world as “the year with no summer.”³ Presumably as a result of these factors, in 1817, when Peter Jordy was two years old, his family moved to Bayern (Bavaria).⁴ He stated he grew up “about 20 miles south of Munich.”⁵

Nothing is known of Peter’s early years. Peter apparently decided to leave Bavaria for America around 1837. A review of ships’ records of all ships landing in New Orleans in 1837 and 1838 reveals no evidence of Peter on any passenger list. This suggests that Peter may have come to America as a “stowaway” and entered the country as an “illegal immigrant”. The exact date that Peter arrived in the U.S. in 1838 has yet to be ascertained.

In 1839, “Peter Yorte” arrived in Tazewell County and settled on Partridge Creek (near Metamora).⁶ There is no known record of Peter’s life immediately after his arrival in Illinois in 1839. It is likely that he worked as a laborer.

On February 9, 1847, Peter married Mary Birky, an Amish woman with a nine-year-old son.⁷ The couple was married in the Dillon Creek Amish Congregation in Tazewell County.⁸ Mary Birky was born in Bavaria on April 16, 1816,⁹ the daughter of Christian Birki and his first wife, Mary, whose surname is unknown. Mary Birky Yordy’s first son, John, was born October 23, 1838, in Bavaria. Presumably, he was born out of wedlock.

On June 17, 1844, the ship Baltimore arrived in New York from Havre. Five people from Bavaria were traveling together:¹⁰

Peter Zerr 25
Joseph Burger 26
Catharina Kunder 27
Mary Burger 28
Johann Horn 6

It is believed that the persons written on the passenger list shown above were later known by more familiar names:

“Peter Zerr” = Peter Zehr. Probably the son of Daniel Zehr II and Magdalena Unzicker. Born 30 Dec 1818 in Mannreid, Bavaria, Germany (he would have thus been 25 in 1844). Married Elizabeth Oyer on 12 Aug 1845.

“Joseph Burger” = Joseph Birkey, second oldest child and oldest son of Christian Birki; brother of Mary Birky. Born 1818 in Bavaria.

“Catharina Kenntner” = Catharina Kettner, daughter of George Kettner and Marie Birky Kettner, and first cousin of Mary Birky Yordy. She may have been traveling as a chaperone for Mary Birky and her son on the voyage. She apparently returned to Bavaria and emigrated with her father and siblings in 1849.

“Mary Burger” = Mary Birky, oldest daughter of Christian and Mary Birki and future wife of Peter Yordy.

“Johann Horn” = John Birky Yordy, son of Mary Birky. He was raised as a foster child by Peter Yordy and changed his name to John B. Yordy.

One family legend indicates that John’s biologic father was a German army officer. [It is possible that John B. Yordy’s relationship to Peter Yordy as a “foster son” would have remained a family secret were it not for the fact that John’s daughter, Fannie Yordy decided to marry Peter Yordy’s nephew, Joseph Yeackley (see Jacobina Yordy, below). As a result, it was made clear that John Birky Yordy was not the biologic son of Peter Yordy, and thus was not related by blood to Fannie Yordy.]

In the 1900 US Census, Mary stated that she immigrated in 1847 and had “resided in this country for 53 years.”¹¹ However, according to her son, John, they arrived when John was age six—1844.

After his marriage to Mary Birky, Peter Yordy became the foster father of John Birky. Although there is no record that Peter adopted John Birky, John went through life as John B. (for Birky) Yordy. In 1850, Peter (35), Mary (34), and children, John (12), Christian (2), and Mary (1), were residing on a rented farm in Tazewell County.¹²

Historic records indicate that Peter bought his first land in America on January 30, 1852, when he purchased three properties located in Tazewell County from Abner Hodgson. The properties totaled 145 acres: two plots in south central Groveland Township (today located on the northeast corner of Allentown Road and Rowell Road) totaling 85 acres; and a 70 acre plot, about four miles south of the other two, in north central Elm Grove Township. Peter paid $1400 cash for the land. On April 17, 1854, Peter sold 25 acres of the land in Groveland Township to his brother-in-law, John Ackerman (husband of Mary’s sister, Magdalena) for $300.¹³

On February 28, 1854, Peter’s brother-in-law, George Yeackley (husband of Peter’s sister, Jacobina), died. Peter was named the administrator of Yeackley’s estate and the guardian ad litem for his four children.¹⁴ Five months later, on June 12, 1854, Jacobina Yeackley married Henry Raab.¹⁵ Raab died unexpectedly in early 1860 and left his family with a significant mortgage. When the mortgage holder foreclosed on the property, Peter purchased it for the cost of the mortgage ($620.15). On September 18, 1860, Peter entered into a “land swap” with a man named August Knoll. Peter sold Knoll the Yeackley farm land for $2000 and purchased a house in the city of Pekin from Knoll for $700.¹⁶ This house was located on the northeast corner of Sixth and Ann Eliza Streets. Peter apparently did this because Jacobina needed a place to live with her small children. In the 1861 Pekin City Directory, Jacobina and children were living at this address.

In 1860, the Yordy family included Peter (54), Mary (49), John (21), Christian (11), Mary (10), Jacob (7), Elizabeth (4), Phillip [Peter, Jr.] (5), and Joseph (2). They were residing on the Elm Grove Township farm.¹⁷ In 1863, Peter paid the US Government $100 to purchase the release of his step-son John from service in the army during the Civil War.¹⁸

On February 10, 1865, “Peter Yordy of Tazewell County” purchased 80 acres of land in Nebraska Township, Livingston County, from Thomas Kinnahaw.¹⁹ This farm was located on the northeast corner of what is now the town of Flanagan. There is no evidence that Peter moved to Livingston County at the time. It appears from the record that Mary’s son, John Birky Yordy, moved from Tazewell County in 1865 and resided on the farm until about 1871 (John’s children, Peter [b. 1866], Simon [b. 1868], and John [b. 1869] were all born in Livingston County, near Flanagan).²⁰ When Peter’s daughter, Mary, was married in 1872, she and her new husband, Daniel Orendorff, moved to the farm near Flanagan while John B. Yordy and his family moved to Lombardville, Illinois. On February 28, 1874, Peter transferred title to the land near Flanagan to Daniel and Mary Yordy Orendorff.²¹

In 1867 (a year after the death of his father-in-law, Christian Birky) Peter and his family moved to Woodford County where he had purchased a 200-acre farm from Andrew Johnson. This farm was located about three miles east of Roanoke, on Panther Creek. At the same time, he rented additional nearby land.²²

It is stated that, “He arrived from the Dillon Creek congregation and that he joined the Roanoke Mennonite Church, but was [also] active in the Panther Creek Church of the Brethren.”²³ This is apparently partly due to the proximity of the Panther Creek Church to his domicile. The Panther Creek Church of the Brethren is located about 1/4 mile from the Peter Yordy farm, while the Roanoke Mennonite Church is located almost six miles away. According to local historian, Ken Ulrich, it was not uncommon for Mennonites located a distance from the Roanoke church to be active in the Brethren church, which was apparently the case for Peter Yordy. Another explanation for this dual church attendance may be that when Peter moved to Woodford County, the Panther Creek Church of the Brethren was an established church, having been built in 1852. The Roanoke Mennonite Church did not form until 1875, eight years after Peter settled in Woodford County. At the time of his death, Peter was a member of both churches. Peter’s great-great-grandson and namesake, Rev. Peter Yordy, is currently (2007) the pastor of the Panther Creek Church of the Brethren.

Peter’s farm in Roanoke Township was located approximately 3 ½ miles north of a farm owned by “Christian Yotty” in northern Olio Township. On March 15, 1867, Peter and Christian Yotty were co-signers of a note to Jacob Gangloff in the amount of $800 bearing 10% interest.²⁴ The reason for the indebtedness is not stated on the note.

When Christian Yotty died in 1870, his estate showed a debt to Jacob Gangloff of $946.74, an amount consistent with the unpaid principal and interest on the $800 note.²⁵ This would suggest that Peter signed as a guarantor for a loan made to Christian.

In 1868, the Woodford County Tax Records record the following on Peter Yordy:
“YORDY, PETER, farmer; Secs. 13 and 24; P.O. Roanoke; was born in Alsace, France (now Germany), June 12, 1815; he married Miss Mary Burky Feb. 9, 1847; She was born in Germany in 1816; they had eight children, seven living—Christian, Mary, Jacob, Elizabeth, Peter, Joseph, and Barbara; he lived in Alsace two years before moving to Buron [sic], in Germany; lived there until 1838, when he came to the United States; in 1839, he came to Illinois, settled in Tazewell Co., followed farming; in 1867, he came to Woodford Co., and settled on his present place; he came to the United States without any capitol; he now owns 200 acres in this township.”

In 1870, Peter and family were still in Roanoke Township²⁶ where he was farming in sections 13 and 24.²⁷ In 1870 and 1871, Peter hosted a private school where Amish children were taught English by Christian Ehrisman.²⁸ The 1880 census shows Peter, Mary, and children, Elisabeth, Peter (Jr.), Joseph and Barbara, still on their farm in Roanoke Township.²⁹

In April 1880, Peter Yordi, et. al., filed two lawsuits in the Woodford County Court against Peter N. Vance, et. al., and W.M. Meek, et.al. Both suits sought declaratory relief and an injunction. According to the records of the Court of Chancery in Woodford County, the cases revolved around a tax issue. In 1879, the Woodford County tax collector sought to collect $7000 from the village of Roanoke. The city refused to pay. The tax collector then tried to collect the monies from individual landowners within the city boundaries. Peter Yordy was one of the landowners. He owned one acre of land that he had purchased in order to donate it to the local school district to build a school within the town. Peter and the other property owners of Roanoke sought a restraining order claiming the County could not turn to individual municipal property owners if the city government refused to pay required County taxes. The court agreed and held for the plaintiffs. The County appealed and the appellate court held that the original restraining order was erroneously filed and dismissed the case. Peter and the others filed a second suit for a restraining order.

That case was also dismissed and no relief was obtained by Peter.³⁰ As a result, the 43 property owners were required to each pay a prorated portion of the $7000. Recognizing that Peter had only purchased his property to donate for a school, the other property owners paid Peter’s share of the property tax.

Between 1875 and 1890, Peter bought additional land in Livingston County. In July, 1885, Peter transferred an 80-acre farm in Livingston County to his son Jacob. This farm was located in Waldo Township, five miles south of the town of Flanagan on what was referred to as “the Gridley Road.” Peter also purchased 80 acres of land in western Rooks Creek Township that was transferred to his son, Joseph. Joseph sold the property to Valentine Augstein on October 17, 1885.³¹ Joseph used the proceeds to purchase land in Nebraska Township near Flanagan from Serratus Holt in 1883³² and additional land from Ezra Winn in 1885.³³

Peter apparently retired from active farming in 1883-84. Peter, 70 years old at the time, and Mary, left their “home place” near Roanoke and moved in with Daniel and Mary Orendorff near Flanagan. At that time, Peter’s son, Christian, and his family moved from Livingston County to the “home place” near Roanoke. A second house was built on the “home place” and Peter, Mary, Peter Jr. and Barbara, returned to occupy this residence. On October 13, 1889, “Peter Yordy and his wife, Maria, of Nebraska Township, Livingston County” deeded eight acres in Woodford County to their son Peter Jr.³⁴ This transfer of title was apparently done to avoid estate probate.

Thus, land records indicate that Peter divested himself of all of his property prior to his death and that he transferred all of it to his children, likely in exchange for an agreement to care for Peter and Mary in their old age, and to care for Peter, Jr. and Barbara, both of whom were mentally challenged. In so doing, Peter and Mary avoided the requirement for a will.

Peter Yordy died on July 2, 1897, in Woodford County. He was survived by his wife, Mary, who died May 13, 1902. Both Peter and Mary are buried in the Roanoke Mennonite Cemetery.³⁵ To date, and in keeping with their faith, there has been no will or estate record found for either Peter or Mary—nor has there been an obituary identified for either.

Following the deaths of Peter and Mary, their two mentally challenged adult children, Peter, Jr. and Barbara, were cared for by their siblings. In 1901, shortly before the death of his mother, Peter, Jr. became the ward of his brother-in-law, Christian Bachman.³⁶ In the guardianship record, Peter, Jr. is described as “distracted.” Barbara (also described as “distracted”) subsequently became the ward of her brother, Christian Yordy. When Christian died, Barbara’s guardianship was transferred to Christian‘s son, Amos Yordy, and later, to another nephew, Ezra Yordy.³⁷

Children of Peter Yordy (12 Jun 1815-2 Jul 1897) and Mary Birky (18 Apr 1816-13 May 1902)

A. John Birky Horn Yordy (23 Oct 1838-31 Dec 1906) m. Magdalena King (13 Dec 1842-11 Feb 1927) (John was the biologic son of Mary Birky. His biologic father is unknown. He was raised by Peter Yordy.)

1. Fannie (5 Mar 1863-31 Oct 1955) m. Joseph Yeackley (15 Feb 1848-18 Jan 1940)
2. Samuel (22 Dec 1864-10 Jun 1865)
3. Peter E. (12 Mar 1866-23 Mar 1951) m. Annie Meeker (17 Dec 1868-13 Mar 1967)
4. Simon (14 Feb 1868-23 Oct 1953) m. (1) C. Knidelberger, (2) Katie Reinhart, (3) Amelia Schoenberg (Jan 1868-23 Apr 1945)
5. John E. (25 Dec 1869-7 Dec 1943) m. Alvina Lange (25 Mar 1870-21 Jul 1964)
6. Emma (23 Oct 1871-8 Nov 1958) m. Peter Swartzendruber (16 Dec 1869-3 May 1939)
7. Bella (24 Aug 1873-7 Oct 1962) m. Joseph Schrock (17 May 1852-6 May 1943)
8. David (16 Jan 1875-30 Oct 1934) m. Sarah Stauffer (18 May 1882-3 Mar 1957)
9. Jacob(15 Sep 1876-24 Aug 1883)
10. William (4 Sep 1878-23 Aug 1887)
11. Francis (4 Aug 1880-5 Dec 1898)
12. Mary (24 Jul 1882-27 Mar 1929) m. Joseph E. Zimmerman (19 Mar 1880-15 Dec 1949)
13. Elizabeth (1 Nov 1885-21 May 1965) m. Samuel Erb (22 Oct 1872-Aug 1938)

B. Christian Yordy (29 Jul 1848-10 Jul 1922) m. Salome Slagel (6 Sep 1855-21 Feb 1838)
1. Lydia (1876-1876)
2. Maria (7 Jan 1878-21 Mar 1880)
3. Daniel (1879-7 Apr 1880)
4. Salome (1 Feb 1881-28 Jul 1968) m. (1) Fred Woodward (1 Dec 1874-1922), (2) Edwin P. Burcky (21 Apr 1875-2 Feb 1962)
5. Joseph (1882-1882)
6. Amos (10 Jun 1884-1 Dec 1966) m. Jessie Switzer (21 Feb 1887-March 1977)
7. Joel (21 Nov 1886-9 Sep 1951) m. Prudence Bollinger (9 Dec 1886-July 1974)
8. Leah (12 Sep 1886-15 Mar 1976) m. (1) Unknown, (2) Stephen Armstrong (18 Apr 1886-9 Jan 1952)
9. Laura (Jan 1891-1 Jun 1929) m. Elbert Bryant (1887-6 Nov 1928)
10. Elizabeth (1 Jun 1896-Oct 1984)

C. Mary Yordy (19 Oct 1849-8 Feb 1923) m. Daniel Orendorff (8 Nov 1848-14 Jan 1918)
1. Elizabeth (24 Dec 1872-26 Feb 1960) m. John Roeschley (25 Aug 1859-24 Nov 1947)
2. Katherine (12 Jun 1874-1 Feb 1958) m. Christian M. Conrad (26 Mar 1873-6 Mar 1954)
3. Mary (1 Feb 1877-7 Nov 1908) m. John Zehr (31 Mar 1872-28 Dec 1916)
4. Emma (11 Mar 1880-11 Oct 1969) m. John D. Conrad (25 Oct 1878-28 Apr 1958)
5. Benjamin (21 Aug 1884-19 Sep 1885)
6. Amos (17 Mar 1887-23 Dec 1893)
7. Ada (12 May 1890-21 Jan 1984) m. Aaron C. Good (25 Jun 1881-29 Jun 1978)

D. Magdalena Yordy (Jun 1851-1854)

E. Jacob K. Yordy (8 Mar 1853-29 Nov 1930) m. Cathrien “Katie” King (17 Oct 1858-2 Feb 1918)
1. Edward P. (12 Mar 1879-31 Aug 1960) m. Mary Beller (10 Feb 1886-2 Apr 1977)
2. Maude (10 Jun 1880-12 Oct 1904) m. William Schertz (1 May 1879-19 Dec 1966)
3. Lidia (14 Feb 1882-14 Feb 1882)
4. Ida (13 Feb 1883-23 Jun 1947) m. Samuel Albrecht (31 Aug 1883-25 May 1947)
5. Noah (30 Jan 1885-15 Oct 1967) m. Mary Ringenberg (18 May 1886- 11 Aug 1969)
6. Lucy (30 Jan 1887-4 Jun 1967) m. Simon Beller (21 Mar 1881-2 Feb 1949)
7. Hattie (25 Sep 1889-9 May 1970) m. Albert Durre (8 Feb 1883-8 Apr 1955)
8. Mable (3 Aug 1891-6 Oct 1941) m. Elmer Augsburg (3 Feb 1890-8 Feb 1966)
9. William (18 May 1893-21 Jan 1974) m. L. Mae Saltzman (20 Nov 1896-30 Mar 1996)
10. Raymond (20 Oct 1895-10 Aug 1976) m. (1) Martha Horsch (3 Nov 1898-27 Nov 1924), (2) Almeda Shettler (24 Aug 1906-19 Jan 1980)
11. Minnie (18 Oct 1897 27 May 1981) m. Raymond Slagell (2 Jun 1897-10 Sep 1968)
12. Edna (19 Oct 1899-10 Oct 1995) m. William Stalter (25 Jul 1896-19 Nov 1971)
13. Amsy (2 Apr 1901-9 Dec 1980) m. Ella Zehr (28 Nov 1903-14 Mar 1994)
14. Erma (20 Feb 1904-14 Aug 2002) m. Arthur Guth (30 Oct 1895-8 Sep 1966)

F. Elizabeth Yordy (6 Dec 1854-28 Jan 1928) m. Christian Bachman (7 Mar 1857-19 Sep 1934)
1. Phoebe (24 Oct 1881-24 Dec 1971) m. William Kane (1 May 1884-6 May 1949)
2. Joel (5 Oct 1885-22 Nov 1977) m. (1) Anna Slagel (3 Mar 1887-2 Jan 1961), (2) Edna Oyer (25 Apr 1898-13 Oct 1998)
3. Mary (15 Apr 1890-22 Apr 1935) m. John Bachman (16 Dec 1889-7 Feb 1972)
4. Solomon (2 Sep 1893-6 Sep 1950) m. Emma Crawford (25 May 1897-Mar 1973)

G. Peter Philip Yordy (29 Feb 1956-4 Jun 1909)

H. Joseph Yordy (7 Nov 1857-19 Feb 1925) m. Elizabeth Roeschley (20 Jul 1861-3 Feb 1953)
1. Ellen “Ella” M. (29 Mar 1883-16 Jan 1960)
2. Anna M. (9 Mar 1885-18 Jan 1975)
3. Josephine L. (14 Aug 1886-3 Jan 1977) m. Albert E. Schrock (13 Jan 1886-9 Jan 1917)
4. Aaron A. (16 Mar 1888-7 Nov 1957)
5. Ezra B. (6 Apr 1892-9 Nov 1980) m. Carrie E. Good (2 Jan 1893-24 Jan 1993)
6. Walter E. (6 Dec 1895-25 Feb 1976) m. Alma Eigsti (13 Apr 1896-21 Jun 1972)
7. Jonas E. (9 Jan 1899-May 1984)
8. Alvin R. (8 Jan 1902-29 Dec 1979) m. Leah Erb (5 Aug 1907-20 Dec 2004)
9. Lewis J. (17 Sep 1905-10 Feb 1932)

I. Barbara Yordy (18 Dec 1860-20 Sep 1943)

**********************************************

II. Christian Yotty

It is believed that Christian Yotty was the brother of Peter and Jacobina Yordy. To date, no document specifically stating that has been located. However, there is very strong circumstantial evidence to support the inference that Christian Yotty and Peter Yordy were brothers whose original surname was Jordi or Jordy. That evidence includes:

A) The fact that they are of similar ages (Peter is five-seven years younger than Christian).³⁸
B) They both appear in central Illinois at about the same time (1839-40).³⁹
C) At one time or another they both shared the same last name (Yotty, Yordy).⁴⁰
D) Both are Amish Mennonites who emigrated from Bavaria, Germany.⁴¹
E) According to Glendon Albrecht, great-grandson of Peter and the oldest known living descendent of Peter Yordy, at age 93 years in 2002, “Them Yotty’s from Roanoke were all related to us Yordy’s. But we never knew them too well. They was Yordy’s at one time, but somehow, their name got changed.“ When asked if he knew how that happened, he said, “No, but I remember Grandpa (Jacob Yordy) talking about it sometimes.”⁴²
F) They were co-signers on a note to Jacob Gangloff for $800.⁴³
G) Peter supplied part of the Administrative Bond for the estate of Christian in 1870.⁴⁴
H) Their farms were located about three miles apart in Woodford County.⁴⁵
I) They are buried near each other in the Roanoke Mennonite Cemetery.⁴⁶
J) Peter’s daughter, Barbara, was the maid of honor/witness to the marriage of Christian’s son, Jacob Yotty, and Annie Bachman in 1882.⁴⁷
K) Peter’s son, Christian, had financial dealings with Christian Yotty’s son, Joseph as evidenced by documents in estate file of Joseph Yotty.⁴⁸
L) In 2006, Y-DNA studies were performed on descendants of both Peter and Christian. Those tests showed that Peter and Christian were very closely related—most probably siblings.⁴⁹

One issue in considering Christian and Peter as brothers is the fact that Peter consistently listed his place of birth as “France” while Christian listed his place of birth as “Germany”⁵⁰ and “Baden.”⁵¹ (A number of documents of Christian’s children refer to his birthplace as “France.”) It is possible that if they were brothers, their parents lived in “Baden” in 1809 when Christian was born, then moved to the area of France in 1815 when Peter was born, then moved again to Munich around 1817. The probability is that the Yordy family remained in the same locale when the children were young, but political control of the area changed from German to French during that period.

Christian’s precise birth year is uncertain. According to immigration records, he was born in 1810-11; according to the 1860 census, he was born 1809-10. Christian Yotty (“Christ Jody”), age “28”, arrived in New Orleans on December 26, 1839, on the ship “Alexander Toussin.” He came from Bavaria via Le Havre, France and Havana, Cuba. He was traveling with Catherina Stalter (age 30), her children, Johan (age 5) and Maria (age 3), her sister, Magdalena Stalter (age 24), and a man named Jakob Stalter, possibly her brother.⁵² Two days after arriving, Catherina gave birth to her third child, Henry (b. December 28, 1839 in New Orleans).

Catherina (a.k.a Katharina and Catherine) Stalter Yotty was born ca. 1809 in Gern near Munich, Germany. She was the daughter of Heinrich Stalter.⁵³ Heinrich was an estate holder in Gern who immigrated to Illinois about 1842-43. According to the 1850 census, 74 year-old “Henry Stalder” who was born in Germany, was residing in the Christian and Catherina Stalter Yotty home in Woodford County.⁵⁴

Originally, it was assumed that Christian and Catherina were married prior to arriving in America, and it was a puzzle why she would have used her maiden name and the name “Stalter” for her children in immigration records. Y-DNA tests were performed on descendants of her sons, John, Henry, and Jacob, in 2006 to determine if there was a genetic connection between the Yotty, Yordy, and Yoder surnames. Those studies indicated the descendants of John Yotty and Henry Yotty were not a match to either the Yordy or Yoder surnames. Jacob Yotty’s descendant did match both the Yordy and Yotty surname Y-DNA. Thus, the DNA match of Jacob Yotty’s descendant proves that Christian Yotty’s original surname was Jordy, and that he was closely related to Peter Yordy—genetically consistent with a sibling. It is further presumed that John and Henry (and presumably Catherina’s daughter, Mary/Maria) were fathered by someone other than Christian Yotty. It is unclear whether Catherina Stalter Yotty was married prior to her marriage to Christian. Christian raised John, Mary, and Henry as his own and they adopted the Yotty surname.

It is unknown when and where Christian and Catherina were married. No marriage certificate has been found in Illinois. It is possible that they were married either in New Orleans, or at some point between New Orleans and Tazewell County, Illinois. According to Mary Yotty Klopfenstein’s obituary, “When she was two years of age with her parents, one sister and four brothers, she came to the United States and they settled on a farm in Germantown, west of Metamora in 1838, known then as Black Partridge.”⁵⁵ Although the obituary is inaccurate as far as Mary’s age and the number of siblings traveling with her to America (since her sister and three brothers were born after the group arrived in America), the implication is that
the group was a “family unit” prior to their arrival in Illinois.

Christian Yotty arrived in Tazewell County in 1840 and settled on Black Partridge Creek where he became a member of the Partridge Creek Amish Congregation.⁵⁶, ⁵⁷ There, three children were born to Christian and Catherina (Joseph in 1845, Catherine in 1848, Jacob in 1853).

The family moved to Olio Township in Woodford County between 1853 and 1860. In 1857, Christian bought 163 acres of land in section 3 at the far north edge of the township, about two miles north and four miles east of Eureka, Illinois.

Christian died on November 7, 1870, without a will. The administrator named to the estate was his widow, “Katharina.” His son John, and brother, Peter Yordy, posted the Administrative Bond for the estate. Catherina Stalter Yotty died on October 3-5, 1894, in Woodford County.⁵⁸ Catherina and Christian are buried in unmarked graves next to their son, Joseph Yotty, in the Roanoke Mennonite Cemetery, Roanoke, Illinois.⁵⁹

Children of Christian Yotty (abt. 1810-7 Nov 1870) and Catherina Stalter Yotty (1809-4 Oct 1894)

A. John B. Yotty (2 May 1834-26 Aug 1916) m. Josephine Phillips (1846-1894)
1. Katherine S. (16 Dec 1869-3 Oct 1942) m. Arthur S. Philp (1870-16 Jul 1948)
2. Joseph H. (29 Jul 1872-29 Dec 1938) m. Lodycie Eastman (13 Nov 1878-15 Jul 1932)
3. Anna (19 Apr 1874-26 Oct 1941) m. Edward Everett (27 Nov 1876-21 Dec 1952)
4. Edith (20 May 1875-15 Sep 1900) m. John Strickler (11 Jul 1871-1900)
5. Albert J. (21 Jan 1877-1 Nov 1958) m. Anna Walker (29 Sep 1896-2 Jul 1959)
6. Frank (Dec 1878-19 Oct 1933)
7. Phoebe (23 Jan 1881-29 Oct 1953) m. John Kyle (30 Jul 1878-16 Sep 1964)
8. Christopher D. (30 Dec 1883-29 Oct 1952)

B. Maria Yotty (23 Mar 1836-24 Jan 1926) m. Joseph Klopfenstein (31 Jul 1829-9 Dec 1909)
1. Catherine/Kathryn (1858-bet.1880 and 1900) m. Mr. Burwell
2. Christian (1860-bef. 1880)
3. Joseph Jr. (Nov 1867-21 Aug 1949) m. Emma Zeigle (Apr 1869-31 Jul 1932)
4. Josephine (16 Nov 1867-9 Jan 1939) m. (1) Joseph Schumacher (d. bef. 1900), (2)
James Carney (16 Apr 1865-21 Jun 1917)
5. Julianne/Annie (1870-1896)

C. Henry Yotty (28 Dec 1839-9 Feb 1886) m. Mary Alice Hoover (17 Sep 1847-20 May 1914)
1. Lydia (23 Feb 1871-Feb 1922) m. (1) Lytle Jones (b. 23 Jul 1880), (2) George Riggins (b. 1854)
2. Emma (9 Sept 1873-21 Mar 1965)
3. Jessie (9 Jul 1875-1920) m. Fred Dehm (b. 1865)
4. Mary (4 Aug 1876-30 Jul 1949)
5. Daniel (22 Jun 1879-4 Apr 1925) m.(1) Lulu Sutton (1888-1909), (2) Sarah Donnelly (Mar 1882-9 Apr 1959)
6. Ida E. (b. 10 Aug 1881) m. Bertram Brooking
7. Jacob Harry (12 Feb 1883-26 Nov 1926) m. Catherine Reeves (28 Jan 1890-20 May 1940)
8. Bessie (20 Jun 1889-29 Sep 1985) m. Edward Moore (31 Mar 1878-19 Jan 1962)

D. Joseph Yotty (27 Nov 1845-11 Apr 1932)

E. Catherine Phoebe Yotty (Feb 1850-1912) m. Christian D. Ehrisman (1844-21 Aug 1920)
1. John H. (10 Aug 1871-12 Jun 1959) m. (1) Etta Foster (4 Oct 1876-
1 Dec 1917), (2) Ruth Weeks
2. Albert J. (2 Dec 1874-1929) m. Evelyn Schuck (1877-1934)
3. Mary E. (Oct 1877-8 Apr 1894)
4. William D. (Dec 1879-1882)
5. Susan K. (1883-1883)
6. Joseph W. (4 Dec 1885-10 Nov 1939)
7. Clara M. (20 Mar 1889-17 Sep 1959)

F. Jacob C. Yotty (27 Apr 1853-23 Aug 1920) m. Anna Bachman (3 Dec 1858-18 Dec 1933)
1.Christian H. (19 Dec 1882-2 Aug 1953)
2.Elizabeth A. (29 Aug 1884-14 Mar 1957) m. John H. Speas (18 Nov 1882-18 Oct 1974)
3.Jacobina C. (19 Mar 1890-6 Feb 1958) m. Jacob Speas (19 Jan 1887-25 Dec 1954)
4.Bartholomew (26 Mar 1895-11 Mar 1956) m. Mary Ellen Yoder (20 Apr 1899-9 Mar 1980)

******************************************

III. Jacobina (Philabena) Yordy

Jacobina was born in Munchen (Munich), Bayern (Bavaria) on June 24, 1819.⁶⁰ She is named as the sister of Peter Yordy in family documents and the George Yeackley estate papers.⁶¹ She was apparently married to Johan George Yeackley before 1842 in Bavaria. George Yeackley was a Catholic.

“John Jeckle“, age 28, and “Jacobina Jeckle“, his 24-year old “wife,” arrived in New Orleans from Bavaria via Le Havre, France, on the ship “Governor Davis” on January, 5, 1842.⁶² On April 22, 1842, “George Yakely” and “Jacobina Yeartey” received a marriage license in Woodford County⁶³ and on April 26, 1842,” George Yakely” married “Jacobina Yerkey” in Woodford Co. in a civil ceremony.⁶⁴

The reason for the apparent duplicate marriage ceremonies in Bavaria and Illinois is unclear. Several possible explanations exist. It is known that George and Jacobina raised their children in the Catholic Church.⁶⁵ Their daughter Catherine was born in January 1842, in New Orleans, shortly after the couple arrived. Perhaps in order to have Catherine baptized in the Catholic church, the couple needed to provide some proof of the validity of their marriage but lacked adequate documentation from Germany. Or perhaps Catherine was conceived out of wedlock and the couple merely traveled under the name “Jeckle”, waiting to be married until after they arrived in Illinois.

In September, 1850, “George Ackerly” was living in Tazewell County, Illinois, with his wife, “Pena,” and children, Catharine, Elizabeth, Joseph, and Pena.⁶⁶ George bought 80 acres of land from David Alexander for $878 on April 18, 1853. This land is located two miles northwest of Groveland.

On February 28, 1854, George Yeackley died in Tazewell County. Peter Yordy was named administrator of his estate and guardian ad litem of his four children, Kate, Lizzie, Joe, and Phoebe.⁶⁷ This assignment of guardianship was presumably done to prevent the children from being taken from Jacobina.

On July 12, 1854 (five months after the death of her first husband), Jacobina Yordy Yeackley married Henry Raab in Tazewell County.6⁸ A son, Henry Raab, Jr., was born 1855-57 (his headstone in the Craft Kimmel Cemetery says 1855; US Census data suggests 1856-57). In 1856, Henry Raab, Sr. purchased the land owned by the estate of George Yeackley for $8.50 per acre, and in 1857, he became co-guardian of Jacobina’s children.⁶⁹ The land was subject to a mortgage. In late 1859, Henry defaulted on the mortgage. Henry Raab, Sr. died sometime between February and June 1860. Jacobina’s brother, Peter Yordy, purchased the farm from the mortgage holder and later traded the farm for a house in Pekin and cash for Jacobina and the children (see under Peter Yordy, above).

On August 14, 1862, twice widowed Jacobina married Christian Krug⁷⁰ (b. Hanseldorf Baiern, August 1,1825).⁷¹ Their son, Louis Krug, was born August 30, 1868, in Groveland.⁷² On July 19, 1870, Christian Krug was living in Tazewell County, Pekin Township, with wife “Phillipina,” and sons, Henry Krug (Raab) and Louis, and Joseph Jeckel (Joseph Yeackley) and Jacobina Jaeckle (Phoebe Yeackley).⁷³ On June 10, 1880, “Christ” Krug was living in Groveland Township, Tazewell County, with wife, “Pena,” son, Louis, and Henry Rabb (Henry Raab, Jr.).⁷⁴

Jacobina Yordy Yeackley Raab Krug died on December 16, 1883, and was buried in the Craft Kimmler Cemetery in Groveland, IL. Christian Krug died in Groveland on October 31, 1890, and is buried next to “Phillipine” (Jacobina Yordy).⁷⁵

Children of Jacobina Yordy (24 Jun 1819-16 Dec1883) and Johan George Yeackley (1816-28 Feb 1854)

A. Catherine Yeackley (17 Jan 1842-18 Jul 1932) m.
Adam Hoffman (1836-1897)
1. Fred W. (2 Jun 1864-2 Oct 1936) m. Catherine Zendner (Oct 1874-14 May 1963)
2. Emma (1866-bet. 1870-1880)
3. Mary (b. Jul 1869)
4. Katherine (b. 1871)
5. Liza (b. 1876)

B. Elizabeth Yeackley (7 Mar 1845-30 Jun 1931) m. Louis Winkel (Oct 1844- bet. 1900-1910)
1. Frederick (Jan 1866-21 Aug 1947)

C. Joseph Yeackley (15 Feb 1848-18 Jan 1940) m. Fannie Yordy (5 Apr 1863-31 Oct 1955)
1. Elizabeth (10 Sep 1885-16 Apr 1974) m. Leander Eicher (28 Aug 1883-25 Jun 1931)
2. Phoebe (11 Apr 1887-27 Mar 1975) m. Joseph E. Zimmerman (19 Mar 1880-15 Dec 1949)
3. Fred (17 Nov 1888-11 Nov 1980) m. Lydia Saltzman (20 May 1889-5 Feb 1960)
4. John (23 Dec 1889-9 Mar 1988) m. Sarah Stutzman (21 Feb 1896-6 Jun 1940)
5. Emma (1 Dec 1891-20 Dec 1996) m. Edward Roth (23 Mar 1890-5 Sep 1977)
6. George (13 Apr 1900-10 Dec 1993) m. Sarah Hers Berger (17 Aug 1901-17 Jan 1951)
7. Eva (15 Oct 1901-22 Feb 1995) m. Fred Reeb (18 Dec 1895-22 Nov 1984)
8. Elsie (21 Oct 1903-23 Jun 1991) m. Bert Stutzman (7 May 1904-10 Oct 1989)

D. Emma Yeackley (1850-1851)

E. Peter Yeackley (1853-1854)

F. Phoebe Yeackley (3 Jun 1853-14 Dec 1933) m. Joseph C. Bishop (1850-20 Sep 1896)
1. Ella E. (b. 1873) m. Daniel Freidinger (15 Aug 1872-Feb 1965)
2. William H. (14 May 1879-22 May 1970) m. Emma Freidinger (17 Nov 1883-17 Oct 1941)
3. Joseph B. (11 Aug 1881-12 Jan 1948) m. Edna (?) (23 Apr 1883-Nov 1972)
4. Lillian (21 Jun 1887-Jun 1987) m. (1) Joseph S. Powell (1885-26 Mar 1920), (2) Robert Brown (20 Jul 1882-Sep 1967)

Children of Jacobina Yordy Yeackley and Henry Rabb (d. 1860)

G. Henry Rabb Jr. (bet. 1855 and 1858-10 Dec 1933)

Children of Jacobina Yordy Yeackley Rabb and Christian Krug (1 Aug 1825-31 Oct 1890)

H. Louis Krug (30 Aug 1868-13 Nov 1943) m. (1) Anna Hagney (Oct 1877-5 Mar 1902), (2) Anna Dully (13 Mar 1870-18 Apr 1948)

SOURCES
¹ Headstone, Roanoke Mennonite Cemetery, Roanoke, IL.
² Joseph Staker, The Staker Family, Amish Mennonites in Tazewell County, Illinois.
³ “The Year With No Summer,” Wikipedia, 2006.
⁴ Woodford County Tax Records, 1868.
⁵ Information from Marvin Yordy, Roanoke, Illinois, based on notes written by his father, Amos Yordy.
⁶ Centennial History of The Mennonites In Illinois, Harry F. Weber, 1931.
⁷ “Peter Youghter” married “Mary Birkey“; Marriage License, Tazewell County, IL.
⁸ History of the Roanoke Mennonite Church . . . 125 Years, 1875-2000. Understanding of the Past. A Guide to Our Future. Compiled by Ken Ulrich for Roanoke Mennonite Church. 2000.
⁹ Headstone, Roanoke Mennonite Cemetery.
¹⁰ New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1844, June 17, Baltimore, p. 4.
¹¹1900 US Census, Illinois, Woodford County, Roanoke Twp.
¹²1850 US Census, Tazewell County, (as “Peter Yatty).
¹³ Series of Deeds found at Tazewell County Courthouse by Carol Heilman, 2006. Copies on file.
¹⁴ Probate record of George Yeackley, Tazewell County Probate Court.
¹⁵ Illinois Regional Archives and Depository – Volume A, p. 254, License #2389.
¹⁶ Series of Deeds found at Tazewell County Courthouse by Carol Heilman, 2006. Copies on file.
¹⁷ 1860 US Census, Illinois, Tazewell County, Elm Grove Township, (as “Peter Yorty”).
¹⁸ The Yordy Story, 1815-1971.
¹⁹ Livingston County Deed Book Z, page 286.
²⁰ Obituaries of Peter, Simon, and John E. Yordy.
²¹ Livingston County Deed Book 61, page 229.
²² History of the Roanoke Mennonite Church . . . 125 Years, 1875-2000. Understanding of the Past. A Guide to Our Future. Compiled by Ken Ulrich for Roanoke Mennonite Church. 2000; Woodford County Deed Book T, p. 547.
²³ Ibid.
²⁴ Estate of Christian Yotty; November, 1870, Woodford County Probate Court, Eureka, IL.
²⁵ Christian Yotty estate file located at the Woodford County Courthouse.
²⁶ 1870 US Census, Roll 295, Book 1, page 468a (as Peter Yottey).
²⁷ Woodford County Tax Records, 1868.
²⁸ History of the Roanoke Mennonite Church . . . 125 Years, 1875-2000. Understanding of the Past. A Guide to Our Future. Compiled by Ken Ulrich for Roanoke Mennonite Church. 2000.
²⁹ 1880 US Census, Illinois, Woodford County, Roanoke Twp., (as “Peter Yordie”).
³⁰ Woodford County Clerk of the Court Docket Book, 1880.
³¹ Livingston County Deed Book 87, p. 383.
³² Livings^{ton County Deed Book 75,p. 45.
33} Ibid.
³⁴ Woodford County Deed Book 61, p. 161.
³⁵ Headstones at the Roanoke Mennonite Cemetery.
³⁶ Woodford County Guardianship Proceedings.
³⁷ Ibid.
³⁸ US Census Data, Tazewell and Woodford County, 1850 and 1860.
³⁹ Centennial History of The Mennonites In Illinois, Harry F. Weber, 1931.
⁴⁰ US Census Data, Illinois, 1850-1880.
⁴¹ Ibid.
⁴² Phone conversation between GLY and Glendon Albrecht, December, 2002.
⁴³ Estate File of Christian Yotty; Woodford County Courthouse. Case File 701, Microfilm Roll 106.
⁴⁴ Ibid.
⁴⁵ Plat maps of Woodford County, 1868 and 1870.
⁴⁶ Personal observation, 2003.
⁴⁷ Marriage License of Annie Bachman and Christian Yotty, per Carol Heilman.
⁴⁸ Estate file of Joseph Yotty, Woodford County Illinois Courthouse.
⁴⁹ Family Tree DNA results on Doug Yotty and Gary Yordy. Copies in author’s personal file.
⁵⁰ 1850 US Census, Illinois, Tazewell County.
⁵¹ 1860 US Census, Illinois, Tazewell County.
⁵² Information from ships passenger list found at LDS Family History Library in Wilmington, NC. FHL #0200147; NARA #M259-19.
⁵³ Guth, Hermann, Amish Mennonites in Germany, p. 248.
⁵⁴ 1850 Federal Census, Illinois, Woodford County.
⁵⁵ Mary Yotty obituary, Woodford County Journal, January 28, 1926.
⁵⁶ Coming of the Mennonites to Illinois, by Weber, 1939, page 90.
⁵⁷ Centennial History of The Mennonites In Illinois, Harry F. Weber, 1931.
⁵⁸ Obituary in the Metamora Herald, October 11, 1894.
⁵⁹ Information from Carol Yotty Heilman.
⁶⁰ Headstone, Craft Kimmler Cemetery, Tazewell County, Illinois.
⁶¹ The Yordy Story, 1803-1971.
⁶² Passenger Manifest of the ship Governor Davis, LDS FHL microfilm # 0200150.
⁶³ Wedding License copy on file.
⁶⁴ Illinois Marriages Before 1850, Genealogy.com.
⁶⁵ The Yordy Story, 1803-1971.
⁶⁶ 1850 US Census, Illinois, Tazewell County, entry 462, Roll 129, Book 1, page 33 at Genealogy.com.
⁶⁷ George Yeackley Estate Papers, Tazewell County Estate Files, Box 52.
⁶⁸ Illinois Statewide Marriage Index.
⁶⁹ George Yeackley Estate Papers, Tazewell County Estate Files, Box 52.
⁷⁰ Christian “King” m. Jacobina “Yekel,” Vol B, page 250 Tazewell Co., IRAD.
⁷¹ Christian Krug’s headstone in Groveland, IL. Tazewell County Cemeteries Vol. 4.
⁷² Obituary of Louis Krug, Pekin Daily Times, Nov. 13, 1943.
⁷³ 1870 US Census, Illinois, Tazewell County, Pekin Township.
⁷⁴ 1980 US Census, Illinois, Tazewell County, Groveland Township.
⁷⁵ Tazewell County Cemeteries, Vol. 4., headstone inscriptions.

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Yordy Addendum:
French Birth Records and Ancestry of Peter Yordy

By Gary L. Yordy
Originally published in the Spring 2008 issue (Vol. XXXV, No. 1)
Illinois Mennonite Heritage Quarterly  (http://www.imhgs.org)
(Used with permission of the author and original publisher)

Within weeks following the publication of “The History of the Family of Peter Yordy (1815-1897)” in the winter issue of Illinois Mennonite Heritage Quarterly, additional information on Peter and his family was discovered. It is both additive and corrective to the original article.

Peter Yordy was born July 12, 1815 in France according to his headstone in the Roanoke Mennonite Cemetery. However, the author discovered his birth registration that contradicts some of this data.

Peter was born in a tiny village of Jaegerthal, France (very near Windstein) on July 26, 1815 at 3 a.m. to Jacques (Jacob) Jordi, a 37-year-old laborer, and Catharine “Schauin” (Schantz). The birth was witnessed by Jean Walter and Pierre Mathis. Despite the fact that Peter’s parents were German, because he was born in France (as opposed to Germany), his birth name was recorded as “Pierre Jordi.”

In addition to Peter’s birth register, the register of his sister, Jacobina, was discovered. According to her birth data, she was born July 29, 1818 in Jaegerthal. Her parents were listed as Jacques Jordy, a 41-year-old “cultivateur,” and Catherine Schantz. The birth was witnessed by Joseph Schertzinger and Jacques Kunz. Because the birth occurred in France, her birth name was registered as “Jacquees” Jordy.²

Note that the authorities spelled the surname “Jordi” on Peter’s register and “Jordy” on Jacobina’s register. Peter’s father actually signed his birth register and did so using the “Jordi” spelling. The civil registrar signed Jacobina’s register on behalf of her father.

No other birth, death, or marriage information was identified in the Jaegerthal/Windstein records for this family. Specifically, no birth registry for Christian or any other children have been found. It thus appears that the family arrived shortly before Peter’s birth and left for Bavaria shortly after Jacobina’s birth.

The identification of the parents of Peter Yordy coupled with prior research by Hermann Guth ³ allows us to tie together many more generations of Peter’s ancestry.

As noted in Part 1 of the series on Peter Yordy, Jordi ancestors left Canton Bern, Switzerland at the beginning of the 18th century. Jakob Jordi Sr. is believed to have gone from Switzerland to Ste. Marie-aux-Mines with other followers of Jakob Ammann around 1700. In 1712, French King Louis XIV expelled all Anabaptists from France. Most of the Amish around Ste. Marie-aux-Mines (possibly 60 families and 400-500 individuals) relocated to nearby estates. At the time, Alsace and the adjacent area called the Palatinate consisted of numerous feudal domains that retained much autonomy.⁴

Jakob Jordi did not initially go far from Ste. Marie-aux-Mines. In 1715, he is identified as a member of the Amish congregation in Belfort, France, some 75 miles south of Ste. Marie-aux-Mines. Jakob Jordi of Belfort and his wife (identity unknown) had at least three sons:
a) “C.” (full given name is unknown, but thought to be Chretien Jordi) remained in the area of Belfort. Most of this son’s descendants left the Amish and Mennonite church. Some joined the Lutheran church and some returned to the Catholic church. Ancestors remain today in Belfort and several small adjacent villages.

The other sons of Jakob Jordi of Belfort made different choices. The counts Palatine of Zweibrucken-Birkenfeld, as owners of the County Rappoltstein, had initially objected to the expulsion of the Anabaptists from France. Having acquired rule over Zweibrucken in 1731, these members of the Palatine branch of the powerful House of Wittelsbach remained well-disposed toward Mennonite leaseholders and encouraged their resettlement in areas where they had influence…most notably Hesse-Darmstadt, Waldeck and the Kingdom of Bavaria.⁵

It was a principle of the Amish at the time to not own land––rather to lease land for a period of time (this was based on Acts 4:32-35). Most Amish and Mennonite farmers signed a customary lease for six or nine years.⁶ Thus it was that two other sons of Jakob Jordi of Belfort left France for more welcome lands in the mid-1730s. They were:
b) (Hans) Jakob Jordi. He married, left Belfort and traveled 200 miles north into Germany, settling at Heppenheim auf der Wiese in 1731. This is a community located west of the city of Worms. It is about 25 miles northeast of Hohenecken. In 1732, he was in Heppenheim with one child. His birth year was given as 1708. Their family was one of 42 families that belonged to the Gerolsheim Amish Mennonite Congregation.⁷ In the 1738 census, he was living in Heppenheim with his wife, five children, one farmhand and one maid.⁸ In the 1743 census, Hans Jakob was still at Heppenheim auf der Wiese with his wife, three sons, four daughters, and two farmhands. ⁹
Two of Hans Jakob’s sons were Jakob Jordi II and Ulrich Jordi. In 1746, brothers Jakob Jordi and Ulrich Jordi left Heppenheim and moved 23 miles north with their families where they were employed on the Haeusserhof at “Oberamt Oppenheim Nieder-Ingelheim,” an estate of Lady von Haxthausen located just east of Ingelheim. The estate was a former monastery that had been founded in 1190. It was taken over by the Haxthausen family in 1650. Today, the remnants are known as “Haxthaeuserhof.”¹⁰ In 1749 Ulrich Jordi and his family left for the “New Land.” Efforts to locate immigration data on Ulrich Jordi from 1749 have been unsuccessful. His fate remains unkown. Jakob Jordi II died on the Haeusserhof on September 10, 1752. His wife, three sons and four daughters remained on the estate until at least 1753.1¹ Their names are unknown.

c) Jakob’s third son was (Jean) Johannes Jordi. In 1735, Johannes Jordi arrived in Hohenecken, Germany. (This information came from a much later census.)¹² Hohenecken is located approximately two miles west of Kaiserslautern. It is unknown if he was married when he arrived. In 1753 Johannes was on the Lichtenbrunnerhof near Kaiserslautern with a wife, two children and one farmhand. According to the census data, he had lived there for 18 years.¹³ The two children were Anna and Johannes/Jean. By 1759 Johannes was a temporary tenant with Franz Dellmuth on the Bremerhof estate (on the south edge of Kaiserslautern). With him was his wife, Verena Lang, two sons (Jean/Johannes – 8 ½, and Jakob – 2 ½) and two daughters (Anne – 12, and Verena -5).¹⁴ By 1765 Johannes and family had relocated to Eselsfurth on the northeast edge of Kaiserslautern where their fifth child, Magdalena, was born.¹⁵

1) Anna Jordy was born 1747. She was the third wife of Jakob Muller of the Münsterhof estate at Dreisen, Kirchheimbolanden. His first two wives had been first, Elisabeth Schenk (Edenbornohof near Kirchheim-Bolanden) and second, Anna Brenneman. In 1753 he was in Morzheim near Landau “with wife and three sons, 7,4, and 3 years of age” (Guth p. 200 citing Palatine Mennonite Census Lists). He was one of the original three Anabaptist leasors of the Münsterhof in 1764 and must have been at least two decades senior to Anna.
2) Johannes (Jean) Jordy
3) Verna Jordy was born in 1752. She married Christian Eyer, son of Rudolf Eyer and Veronika Kurtz.
4) Jakob Jordy was born in 1755. He married first, Magdalena Imhof, daughter of Peter Imhof and Veronica Rocke of Hochspeyer. They had three children: Johannes (Jean) (b.12/23/1784); Elisabeth (b. 12/4/1785); and Jakob (Jacques) b. 7/22/1787. After Magdalena’s death on 10/17/1787, Jakob married Veronika Habecker, daughter of Johannes Habecker and Veronika Imhof of Hofstatten. Jakob and Veronika had a son, Christian (Chretien) Jordy (b. 1790). Jakob lived his entire life on the Wilensteinerhof near Trippstadt. After he died in 1794, his widow, Veronika, and her step-son, Jakob, and son, Christian, moved to Windstein, France, near her brother, Johannes Habecker, and sister, Katharina Habecker Roggy, both of whom lived near Lembach.
5) Magdalena Jordy was born in 1765 in Eselsfurth near Kaiserslautern. She married Johannes (Jean) Imhof, son of Peter Imhof and Katharina Roggy of the Aschbacherhof.

Johannes (Jean) Jordy was born in 1750, probably on the Lichtenbrunnerhof near Kaiserslautern. He married Barbara Eschem (Esch or Oesch). Her ancestry is unknown. The family moved from the Trippstadt, Germany area, to Windstein, Alsace, France, some 50 miles to the south. The timing of this move is uncertain. It is clear that their children were born on the Wilensteinerhof near Trippstadt, and that the family was in Windstein, France before Johannes died in 1803. The couple had three children:

A) Jakob (Jacques) Jordi born 1778;
B) Magdalena (Madeleine) Jordy born 1779 in Wilenstein. She died unmarried in Windstein on 12/12/1816. Her death was reported by Jacques Kuntz and Louis Epigage and her parents were identified as Jean Jordy and Barbara “Eschem”;¹⁶
C) Catharina Jordy born about 1781 in Wilenstein. She also died unmarried in Windstein on 6/9/1817.¹⁷

Jakob Jordy’s German name was translated in French to “Jacques Jordi” by authorities in Windstein. He apparently adopted part of the French version as he signed his name “Jakob (German) Jordi (French).” It is interesting to note that his cousin (son of Jakob Jordy and Magdalena Imhof) who was also named Jakob Jordy and lived in Windstein, signed his name “Jakob Jordy“ with a “y,“ perhaps to differentiate the two Jakob Jordy’s.
With the exception of the years 1814-1818, little is known of the lives of Jakob Jordi, son of Johannes Jordy and Barbara Esch. Birth records of his children tell us that he was married to Catherina Schantz. Her ancestry is uncertain, but she may have been a daughter of Christian Schantz and Anna Rubi of the Heiligenbrunerhof near Lembach. To date, no historic record of the marriage of Jakob and Catherina has been located. We also know that through this period, the couple lived at Jaegerthal, France.

Jaegerthal is the site of an iron foundry (first built in 1602) and an adjacent estate. It could not even be called a “village.” It would more appropriately be referred to as a commune located approximately one mile south of the village of Windstein, France. It appears that Jakob Jordi began as a day laborer on the estate at Jaegerthal. He apparently worked in the agricultural endeavors at Jaegerthal (rather than the foundry) as he was described as a “cultivator” or farmer on Jacobina’s birth registry.

Jaegerthal was controlled by the Dietrich family. Protestant Jean Dietrich purchased the foundry in 1685. He obtained contracts to provide weapons for the French army, gaining favor with the Catholic king. This helped to protect the rights of Protestants in the Strasbourg area, and provided a modest start to the industrial family’s later fortune. In 1761 the family became nobility, changing their surname to ‘de Dietrich.’ They helped finance the War of Austrian Succession (1741-48) and the Seven Years War (1756-63). Much of the land around the Jaegerthal foundry was owned by a competing family, and eventually the de Dietrichs chose other locations to ensure supplies of wood. By 1789 they employed 1,000 workers and owned more land than any other family in Alsace. Philippe-Frédéric de Dietrich, a son of Jean, became the Royal Commissioner of Mines and the first mayor of Strasbourg before meeting the guillotine in 1793. Despite reverses, family fortunes revived under Napoleon. They later expanded into railroad construction, automobiles, manufacturing, and chemicals as the conglomerate De Dietrich & Cie. The foundry is now a ruined brick shell, and Jaegerthal is part of Windstein.¹⁸

From the historic records thus far identified, it appears that Jakob and Catharina resided somewhere other than the Jaegerthal/Windstein region prior to 1814. During this time, their son, Christian, and possibly a son, Jakob (father of Barbara Yordy Eigsti), were born. The historic record suggests they left Jaegerthal shortly after the birth of daughter, Jacobina, in 1818. According to their son, Peter Yordy, they moved to a location “about 20 miles south of Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Though the sight has not yet been located, Peter’s immigration record suggests it may have been near Starnberger See (Lake Starnberg).

Yordy Family Bavarian Residence and Peter Yordy Immigration

Peter apparently decided to leave Bavaria for America around 1837. Family legend recounts that he came to New Orleans, then up the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, arriving in Tazewell County as Peter himself said, “with no capital and a head full of lice.” However, this is apparently incorrect. A review of records of all ships landing in New Orleans in 1837 and 1838 revealed no evidence of Peter on any passenger list.

In December 2007, genealogist Joseph Staker discovered the historic record of Peter’s immigration to America.¹⁹ Twenty-three-year-old “Peter Jordte” or “Jodte” from France emigrated to New York. He arrived on the packet ship, Charles Carroll, which arrived from Le Havre on September 17, 1838. This individual’s name falls directly in a crease in the paper, making it difficult to read clearly.

On the passenger list immediately before Peter’s name is the name of Joseph “Heser” (20) and Andrew Burkey (29) and his wife, Barbara (29) and son Joseph (2). These people are thought to be Joseph Heiser; Andrew Burcky (son of Andrew Birki and first cousin of Peter Yordy’s future wife, Mary Birkey Yordy) and his wife, Barbara Eyer/Oyer and their son, Joseph. Joseph Heiser had lived at Hanfeld, and Andrew Burcky had lived at Söcking.²⁰ The two villages are adjacent and the town squares only two miles apart, very near Starnberg, and approximately 20 miles south of Munich. The fact that Peter, Joseph, and Andrew emigrated together suggests that they knew each other prior to the trip. Further credence is leant to this theory by their actions after arriving in Illinois. In the 1855 Tazewell County Census21 and the1860 US Census,²² Peter, Joseph, and Andrew were all next-door neighbors in Elm Grove Township, Tazewell County.

Thus, historic documents and Peter’s own testimony indicate that the family of Jakob Jordy and Catharina Schantz relocated from Jaegerthal, France to somewhere around Hanfeld or Söcking, Germany. Unfortunately, few historic documents are available from these locations and thus far, none have confirmed their residence.

Mary Birkey Yordy in Tazewell County

Peter Yordy’s wife, Maria Birki (Mary Birkey), and her six-year-old son, John Horn, emigrated in 1844. They traveled with Mary’s brother, Joseph, their cousin, Catherine Kettner, and Peter Zehr on the ship, Baltimore, which arrived in New York from Le Havre on June 17, 1844.²³

On February 9, 1847, two and one-half years after arriving in America, Mary married Peter Yordy. That marriage occurred within the Dillon Creek Amish Congregation in Tazewell County, Illinois. A recently identified 1845 Tazewell County Census sheds light on her life between her arrival in Illinois and her marriage to Peter.

In 1845, thirty-year-old Mary “Burgie” resided with a male under 10 years of age (John Horn Birkey) as the head of the household in Tazewell County. Also in the household are a female aged 10-20 and a female under 10 years of age.²⁴ The identity of these two females is unknown. It is probable that the two women were boarders. The listing of Mary as the “Head of Household” suggests that Mary emigrated with significant funds consistent with the relative wealth of her father, Christian Birki. Triangulation of neighbors suggests that after their marriage, Peter and Mary lived in the home where Mary was living in 1845.

ENDNOTES

¹ Registres de l’etat civil, 1793-1882, Windstein, Alsace, France. LDS Family History Library microfilm #1069482.
² Ibid.
³ Guth, Hermann, Amish Mennonites in Germany, Their Congregations, The Estates Where They Lived, Their Families, p. 193-4, pub.1995 by Masthof Press.
⁴ Ibid., p.4.
⁵ Ibid., p.5.
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~kmiller/miller/d54cen1732.pdf, “1732 Reconstructed Census of Mennonites.” p. 6.
⁸ Guth, Hermann, Archive 77/4237, folio 76, “Palatine Mennonite Census Lists, 1664-1793,” p. 37.
⁹ Guth, Hermann, Archive 77/4238, folio 31-44, “Palatine Mennonite Census Lists, 1664-1793,” p. 46.
¹⁰ Guth, Hermann, Archive 77/4239, folio 196-198, “Palatine Mennonite Census Lists, 1664-1793,” p. 67.
¹¹ Ibid.
¹² Guth, Hermann, Archive 77/4239, folio 155, “Palatine Mennonite Census Lists, 1664-1793,” p. 64.
¹³ Ibid.
¹⁴ Guth, Hermann, “Amish Mennonites in Germany”, p.193.
¹⁵ Ibid.
¹⁶ Registres de l’état civil, 1793-1882, DécPs 1793-1862 (LDS FHL INTL Film #1069486).
¹⁷ Tables décennales 1813-1862 Naissances 1793-1862 (LDS FHL INTL Film #1069482).
¹⁸ Personal communication from Joseph Staker, December 2007.
¹⁹ New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 (1838 September 17) Charles Carroll at ancestry.com, 2007.
²⁰ Personal correspondence with Joseph Staker, December, 2007.
²¹ 1855 Tazewell County Illinois Census, p.1 (LDS Family History Library Film # 977062).
²² 1860 U.S. Census, Illinois, Tazewell County, Elm Grove Township, p. 176.
²³ New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957, 1844, June 17, Baltimore, p. 4.
²⁴ 1855 Tazewell County Illinois Census, p.1 (LDS Family History Library Film # 977062).

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 road, and eventually with her grandparents John and Mary Birky Schrock. She has eagerly shared her memories about my great grandparents. At 90, AHD is the last living grandchild and lives in the house that was built by John for his son Albert’s family. I clearly remember being the recipient of Mary’s handouts at church, and occasionally while visiting her home being on the receiving end of her “sermons”—given mostly in German!

How John and Mary met and married

John Schrock was born 28 May 1862 in Elm Grove Township, Tazewell County, where John’s parents, Peter Schrock and Anna “Nancy” Garber, lived as their children grew up. John was the oldest living child; little Katie had lived only a few months in 1861. Mary Birky, born 19 September 1862 in Morton, Tazewell County, was the first child of Andrew S. and Veronica “Fannie” Sutter Birky.

Both families had an Anabaptist and Amish Mennonite ancestry. The Schrock’s immigrated from France and the Sutter’s from Bavaria, but originally Switzerland was the homeland of both families. After settling in Illinois they were likely part of the same church community in Tazewell County, where Andrew Ropp was minister and bishop. When Andrew settled four miles southeast of Pekin on Old State Road in 1834, it was the beginning of the Dillon Creek Amish settlement. John’s grandparents arrived in Tazewell County in 1850 and purchased land near the Ropp’s, becoming their neighbors.

According to Steve Estes in Living Stones: A History of the Metamora Mennonite Church, Andrew Ropp “served as minister of the Dillon Creek congregation until about 1840 when he was ordained as bishop. He was described as a person made up of ‘a large measure of push and energy and prompt decision, driven by a wish to succeed in building up a home and accumulating property.’ Ropp was an agricultural innovator but a religious conservative. His sincerity inspired deep devotion among many, but others criticized him as a minister who did more scolding, faultfinding, and preaching on ‘dress,’ than preaching the Gospel. Ropp was assisted in the ministry by Peter Ropp (1815-1893) who became deacon about 1843 and Valentine Birky (1817-1856) who was ordained a minister of the word about 1847. Also known as the Pekin district, the Dillon Creek congregation became the Pleasant Grove Mennonite Church now part of the First Mennonite Church in Morton, Illinois.”

The Schrock, Sutter and Birky families were evidently loyal to Bishop Ropp, for he married at least three couples:Mary’s parents on 25 Mar 1858, John’s parents two years later on 8 Jan 1860, and finally John and Mary themselves. Surely the entire family was greatly influenced by the teaching and life of Andrew Ropp and the Dillon Creek church community.

Although John and Mary had the same backgrounds and no doubt had the same set of young friends, how was it that the gentle, quiet, reserved John Schrock managed to attract a dashing, daring, high-spirited woman like Mary Birky? Their marriage settled (but didn’t answer) the question on 19 Feb1885 in Morton. They were both 22 years old, and as mentioned above, the presiding minister was Andrew Ropp. While living in Morton their two children were born: Albert Elmer in 1886 and Fannie Ann in 1889, an unusually small family for an Amish Mennonite family of the time.

Early life of Mary Birky

It is very possible that the Andrew Birky family lived quite a few years with the Sutter grandparents (Johannes “John” Sutter and Barbara Oesch), because all the stories told later by Mary about her childhood seemed to take place in the Sutter home. And since Fannie was the youngest of the Sutter children, perhaps she cared for her parents until their death.Mary had great respect for her Sutter grandparents. She and her brothers were taught to treat them kindly, with love and respect. Her grandfather was an Amish Mennonite minister who helped with the preaching when church meetings were held in homes. He also compiled a book of prayers that was published in 1874 by John F. Funk of Elkhart, Indiana. In spite of his earlier history it took lots of patience to live with them, Mary related later.

When a small “Grossfatterhaus” was built for the grandparents very near to the back door of the Birky home, Mary was often given the task of carrying meals her mother had cooked to her “Grossfatter Sutter.” In his older years John must have grown quite belligerent, for many times if the food didn’t suit him, he would throw the food and plate back at her. After a time Mary developed the ability to dodge the plate quite well. Perhaps as he aged his mind remembered more clearly the early days on his beautiful estate near Neuburg in Bavaria, where he was able to order life to his liking.

The house in which Mary and her family lived was still standing in Morton in 1971, inhabited by a Kaiser family. At the time Mr. Kaiser told of old bricks turning up when he plowed the garden west of the house, probably remnants of the Grossfatterhaus. The homestead was a short distance east of the old Tremont road going south out of Morton.

Mary was a fun-loving child–the one and only girl in a family with four younger brothers. One of the children’s favorite games was hide and seek, and one time Mary ran into the basement through the outside cellar door and hid behind the vinegar barrels. She remained hidden for quite a long time before her brothers found her. In her 87th year she was taken to Morton where she pointed out the house and cellar door where she had played as a child.

Being the only girl and the oldest child, Mary helped to care for her younger brothers. When she was about seventeen years old her ten-month-old brother, Amos, wriggled out of her arms and fell down an open stairway, receiving a severe head injury from which he never recovered. Amos was mentally retarded the rest of his 33 years. Later in her life Mary would often warn her grandchildren to be very careful when handling little children, for her own experience had caused her much regret.

Mary spoke of her father with great respect. He was apparently quite a devout Christian, but too strict to suit Mary, who thought her social life rather dull and limited.  Especially bringing her joy was having a Hopedale uncle bring his children and their friends for the evening. At one of these visits the young folks were square dancing to the tune of “The Drunken Sailor.”  As they were singing, “What do you do with a drunken sailor,” father Andrew entered the room, the fun stopped abruptly, and the “Hopedale boys” were sent home.  Andrew, the stern disciplinarian, must have been more quiet and uninteresting than his wife Fannie, for there were always more stories about mother than father.

Mary’s mother had a real sense of humor and lots of spunk. She dressed chickens, ducks and geese, made noodles, butter, and cottage cheese among other things. On a weekly basis the family loaded them all into the spring wagon and drove across the Illinois River to the market in Peoria, arriving early morning in order to obtain a choice booth location. Mary stayed in the booth while her parents were purchasing supplies to take home. She watched as the wealthy ladies walked down the rows of booths, putting a finger in a pot of butter or can of cream to taste it, then moving on and doing the same in the next booth. Mary watched eagerly to see if the ladies would come back to buy her mother’s products.

Early life of John Schrock

John’s family lived in several homes in Tazewell County, all near the Mackinaw River where the men hunted, fished and cut wood. He obviously enjoyed those days for John spoke about them until the end of his life. His father Peter and his wife moved to Fisher about 1900, and it was there Anna died in 1902.  Peter was known for helping family members who came upon misfortune, and it seems that quality was passed on to son John. When John was 19 his little brother Moses died at age nine.  As a man in his eighties, John still talked about the family’s sadness at giving up little “Mosey.”

Young John Schrock in a tin plate photo. About age 18.

John received a better education than most pioneer boys, in both German and English schools. He no doubt went to school only a month or two each year since he was still studying German and English readers in 1884 at the age of 22 years. He loved to read and was interested in world events. Many years later his brother Joe, who lived in Ohio, sent a gift subscription to the Toledo Blade, which John read through each week and read or quoted parts to his grandchildren.

About the time of his marriage, and probably before moving to Champaign County, John took an exciting excursion to Harper, Kansas. The railroad was giving special rates in order to get people interested in settling the West. Again, John told and retold the events of that trip. He was evidently a very thoughtful young man who continually savored both the sorrowful and joyful events of his life through the years.

The move to Champaign County

For the first few years following their marriage, Mary and John lived in a little house just east and a quarter mile north of the Sutter house in Morton. What were those years like? Mary was vivacious, fun loving, artistic and very much an extrovert, while John was reserved, gentle and steady. There was less than a year to adjust to one another before the first child, Albert, was born. Three years later Fannie arrived.

About that time several of Mary’s Sutter aunts and their families purchased farmland and moved to Champaign County. In 1891, when children Albert and Fannie were five and two, John and Mary also made the move from Morton to Champaign County. They lived in a small house on the farm they bought in present-day Brown Township near Fisher while a larger house was being built.

John and Mary's house--built by John.

John was very precise in all he did and built the house and barn well. When his son-in-law, Joseph A. Heiser, later tried to take apart anything that John had built, it was difficult because he had used three to five nails where other builders used only one. Mary’s father, Andrew, knew that a new church had been started to serve the growing Amish Mennonite community, so in the spring of 1892 Mary’s parents followed their children and bought acreage in the same Section 24 as John and Mary. He also purchased land in Section 20 of present-day East Bend Township.

John and Mary Schrock's house in 2009

In 1895 a meetinghouse was built for the church and Andrew wished to donate an acre of his Section 20 land for a cemetery. Later that year he died, becoming the first person buried there, and then it was left to Fannie and the children to sign the deed giving the land to the church. After Andrew’s death, Fannie and her son Amos lived in a little house across the road near John and Mary, on land owned by her son, Andrew, Jr. The house was most certainly built for them by John. Fannie cared for Amos until he died in 1914 at the age of 33, but John was legal conservator, making sure the physical and financial matters of both were cared for properly. When Fannie visited her daughter Mary she kept busy sweeping porches, sidewalks, and even the bare ground. She remained active until her death in 1927.  Mary was very much like her mother.

Farm life and family activities

John farmed his land with the help of his only son. But when Albert was 15 years old he contracted the measles and as was so common in those days the sickness caused lasting physical consequences. Albert was left with weakened lungs and later developed tuberculosis. Perhaps this disability gave Albert the chance to learn his father’s love of reading and study, for he became a student of the Bible. He taught Sunday school and was considered a possible candidate for becoming a minister of the East Bend Church. He married Josephine Yordy and they had three children, but Albert died at age 30 of tuberculosis. Before he died John built a house for Albert and his family just down the road from his own house. After Albert’s death, John took on responsibility for the well being of his daughter-in-law and her children, making sure they were cared for until they were able to care for themselves.

John was not an ambitious man, so was content and happy to farm the soil, milk his cow and occasionally build a barn or crib for a neighbor. He also painted houses and barns for neighbors. For about 18 years John tended his farmland, but when daughter Fannie married Joseph A. Heiser in 1909, he turned the land and farmhouse over to them. J.A. farmed the land and received half the income, while the other half went to Albert’s family. John built a small house for himself and Mary just down the sidewalk. From that time they lived on funds from the farm rent and what he earned from his painting and carpentry work. John would leave in the morning with his buckets and brushes lined up in the front of his buggy, Prince pulling. They went plodding down the road, both horse and man, enjoying the fresh morning air and watching the crops along the way. After the day was over and they’d had another relaxing ride home, John would clean his brushes and pails and prepare for the next day’s work. After supper he was ready to sit in his rocker and read the newspaper, the Bible and the Gospel Herald before going to bed. Some time later his family persuaded him to buy a car and drive to work. He tried it a few days, but soon sold it. The car was too fast for him and it spoiled the enjoyment of his buggy ride to and from work.

In the book “Just Pete,” author Jenny Schrock tells of a visit to Illinois with John and Mary Schrock:

“After dinner with Pete’s aunts, we drove out to Joe Heiser’s farm.  They told us that Uncle John Schrock was painting a farmhouse a short distance away, so we drove our car there.  I remember John Schrock as a small man physically, with kindness wrinkles all over his face, and very soft spoken.  He was on a very tall ladder painting the south side of a three-story house when we drove up.  He got down and went to his home with us, and it was a wonderful time of visiting. Aunt Mary was very tiny and very vocal.  She kept things buzzing.  You couldn’t help but love her and laugh at some of the funny things she said.  I’m sure no one who saw Aunt Mary ever forgot her.  Pete brought Aunt Mary some Tootsie Rolls when we were there, and she really liked them.  She said, “They never hurt my stomach.” Uncle John and Aunt Mary lived in their house, and their daughter, Fannie, and husband Joe Heiser, with their five children…lived in a larger house in the same yard.  They showed us the large, beautiful garden after supper that night, and although Aunt Mary was quite elderly at the time, she wasn’t about to be ignored.  “I pull the weeds after the rain when the ground is wet,” she said.  And I’ll bet she did.”

John, far left, joins his family and neighbors for a day of butchering.

A neighbor, Bertha Zehr now 98 years old, remembers the extended families of Samuel S. Zehr and John Schrock getting together to butcher. “Usually a cold, clear day was chosen, the children stayed home from school and the day was begun very early. At dinner we had fresh liver, and sausage was sent home with the Schrocks. John and Sam were very particular about boiling the lard to make soap, and trusting no one else to the job, they did it themselves to be sure it was right. Boil it too little and it would not hold together. Boil it too much and it would get grainy. In the spring, from time to time the Zehr families would be treated to asparagus from John’s well-kept garden patch.”

Bertha continues, “Albert (Bert) and I were married in 1927 and lived with Bert’s folks for nine years. It was at that time that I learned to know John and Mary, as we only lived one fourth mile from each other. When Mary and Lena (Bert’s mother) were together they would converse in German. Mary liked to keep a quilt in her quilting frame and would invite me to come and help even though I did not consider myself a good quilter. Surprisingly, she never wanted her daughter to help as Mary thought Fannie didn’t make nice stitches.

“One day in the early 1930s John came to the house and asked if Bert and I would loan him $3oo for a note coming due. I suppose he thought since I taught school we would have some cash. We really didn’t have much but Bert and I decided to make the loan to him.  He was such a kind and gentle person. We did not wish to charge him interest but when he paid us back he insisted on adding six percent. I am sure that John and Mary’s family was affected by the depression as were the rest of us. Fisher had two banks at the time; The Fisher State Bank closed its doors April 14, 1930. [Although John would normally never have considered asking a neighbor or friend for a loan, he was willing to do so to help his family in those depressed times. As it turned out, God provided the $300 from a different source and the money was paid back very quickly. DB] Mary enjoyed playing Parcheesi with us on a board that Sam had made–she was a very competitive player. If it didn’t suit John to bring her in the buggy, she would walk over and I would take her home in our coupe. Mary was boss, and John went along, but in many respects they went their own ways.

“My son, Carl, was born on Mary’s birthday so she always gave him a gift. The first was a child’s knife, fork and spoon.  Not long after she gave me some pink and white gingham so I could make him a romper. Sometimes it was a child’s hankie or a card, but Mary didn’t send a card or gift to any of my other children—only to Carl because he had the same birthday.”

John was immensely helpful to his daughter Fannie, who had five children and a pastor husband often unable to help much with home duties. So besides his painting, John helped Fannie’s family with their work; milking every morning and evening, making sure the animals got an extra pan of feed, or an extra forkful of hay; butchering and threshing; he rode the binder at wheat and oat harvest while the rest of the family shocked the grain bundles. John stacked the straw on threshing day and protected the stack from five lively children who would otherwise scatter it.

Each Monday morning he carried water into his kitchen, put it into the boiler and heated it for the week’s laundry. Gardening was a favorite activity and John took good care of the asparagus, rhubarb and horseradish. For a canning day, John was there for his daughter, quietly hulling peas, stemming beans, cutting cabbage, shucking sweet corn, cutting tomatoes, seeding cherries, peeling apples–anything to help his family. It was during these times that stories were told by John and Mary about the “olden days,” remembering their earlier lives at Morton with aunts, uncles and cousins.

John dearly loved his grandchildren. He spent a part of every day talking and playing with them; and if any were sick he would go next door and talk to them before he left for work. He had heavy bushy hair until his death and many times the grandchildren would comb it as he sat relaxing on the bench under the tree by his house. Even though they might have been rough, he always pretended to enjoy the brushing. Mary was impetuous, plucky, self-willed and bossy, and often gave John a hard time. Most men with less patience and kindness would have quarreled with her, but John was patient, forgiving and peace loving and therefore kept life calm and pleasant.

After all his grandchildren were married, he made the rounds of visiting each one and kept each garden free of weeds with a three-cornered hoe that was always as sharp as a knife blade. (I thought of my great grandfather recently as I worked in my parents’ yard fertilizing the grapevines and hoeing out the pesky weeds growing in the flower beds. I could have used his help!) He also had a deep love and concern for his three sisters: Lydia, who was separated from her husband, and the other two, Ella and Lena, who had never married. In his quiet way he was an inspiration to his family.

John's horse and buggy transportation

Once or twice a week John and Mary hitched Prince to a buggy and went visiting, sometimes with a grandchild or two in tow to relieve Fannie for the afternoon. On their “to visit” list were Preacher Daniel Grieser; Pete and Adina Heiser; Dave Springer family; John and Mary Springer Naffziger; the John Young family–all acquaintances from their earlier lives in Tazewell County; Peter, Ella and Lena Schrock (John’s family); John Garber family (first cousin to John); Valentine B. Birky and Andrew Birky families (Mary’s relatives); and Mary’s mother Fannie Birky. Many of these would return the visit, and sometimes Mary’s brothers from Morton, Peter and John Birky, would visit.

John and Mary were good neighbors. John and several of the neighbor men looked after the affairs of the Brown School district where both Fannie and Albert attended, keeping the school in repair and hiring teachers. They organized the threshing ring and cared for the machinery. These neighbors helped each other, worked together and shared good and bad times. Mary was the first to offer assistance when there was sickness in a neighboring family, while John did their chores and whatever other work needed to be done. Mary helped Dr. Sale deliver many of the babies in the community while, in the early years, leaving her own children in the care of their father.

John’s house was his haven. It was always thought of by the grandchildren as “Grandpa’s house,” since Mary spent much of her time across the yard at Fannie’s. John cleaned and cared for his house and prepared his own breakfasts and suppers. He ate the noon meal with the rest of the family next door. Most of the time he made his coffee in a blue and white pot, cooked his oatmeal and ate bread and molasses alone at his kitchen table. His Bible and eyeglasses, sugar bowl and spoon holder, and vinegar and oil cruets were always on the table.  He saved every piece of string he found, rolled it on a cob and kept it in one of the drawers of the sink.

In mid-life Mary impressed her grandchildren as being a little old woman, wearing dark clothes, a little black cap and laced-up shoes, size 4 or 5. Granddaughter AHD describes her grandmother: “She never in her life weighed 100 pounds. Under the black cap that she wore on her head with ties under her chin, she had balls of cotton in her ears–most likely to keep from getting an earache rather than because she had an earache. She wore a chamois skin vest and heavy knitted slip under her dress, summer and winter, to protect her lungs. She combed her hair back, parted in the middle and rolled into a tight knot. Although she was lively and always busy doing something, she had convinced herself she was an invalid. She made regular trips to Fisher with the horse and buggy to see Dr. Sale, who kept her supplied with many different tonics and liniments.“

In her later years, when she was no longer able to maneuver events to her own liking, Mary got herself ready for church early on Sunday’s and sat in the car waiting for the rest of the family. She wore her black or navy blue dress, the little cap on her head, a big black purse with small snap pocket purse inside for small change, and some peppermint candies to pass out to special children she had in mind. She carried a large man’s handkerchief with a crushed geranium leaf in the corner that made her smell like an herb garden. Some of her grandchildren were embarrassed as Mary carried her special cushion up the aisle to her seat at the front of the church.”

Bertha Zehr remembered that Mary would voice her thoughts in church occasionally, and made sure the children sitting near her were quiet, but she never heard John pray publicly. John and Mary were very different types of persons, but both loved the Lord and praised him for their salvation.  Both loved to read the Scriptures and spent many hours with their Bibles. John seldom revealed his faith in words, but his every act was an example of a godly life. He went to church faithfully, sitting on the second bench from the front on the right hand side of the East Bend Mennonite Church.  John seemed to feel that his service to God consisted in helping on the farm and around the house so that his son-in-law, J. A., could be free for church work and evangelistic meetings away from home. (J.A. was the one chosen as minister by the church after Albert died.)

Mary's Bible. Note the design on the paper used as a bookmark.

Mary read her German Bible regularly and memorized many portions. Often she would begin lecturing on some biblical subject, basically preaching a sermon, while her grandchildren tried not to listen. One of her instructions was taken from Luke 17:2 about not offending. She stressed the frightful results of offending another. When Mary was a young girl, one of the ministers convinced her and others that it was a sin to have a picture taken, so she burned all her pictures and promised her parents she would never again have her picture taken. This promise turned out to be a burden to her in later years when family pictures were being taken. It is interesting to see so many photos with Mary just off to one side or pretending to be unaware that a photo was being taken.

In spite of her drab outward presentation, Mary loved beauty and bright colors. She just didn’t wear them! She was artistic and made more than one hundred quilts of brightly colored pieces, many also embroidered. One of the more memorable was a friendship quilt made for daughter Fannie. The badly worn quilt was found under Mary’s mattress being used as a cover for the bedsprings. A rescued block was embroidered by Katie Frances Zehr, daughter of Bishop Peter Zehr, who later married John Cender.

Mary purchased yard goods for quilts, embroidery thread, notions of all kinds and groceries at Koyen’s Variety Store in Fisher. She always bought products that had a glass dish included, or a piece of silverware. Many of these she would then give away as gifts to others. Mary painted freehand on felt for sofa pillows and drew all her own patterns for embroidering pillowslips and dresser scarves. She used her Minnesota Model sewing machine to make clothes for Fannie and the granddaughters, never using a pattern.

Hair art made by Mary

Her talents also included footstools made with tin cans, hair receivers, and paper flowers. More than once Mary would work far into the night all week long to make a hundred or more paper roses for someone’s wedding arbor. She would choose brightly colored crepe paper and without a pattern or instruction her flowers looked very real. Her garden and house plants always flourished under her green thumb, often becoming part of a beautiful bouquet. Evidently she also mastered the Victorian craft of hair work, as she made designs of hair; one containing hair from John and Mary and their two children.

When any of the family was sick or had a cold, Mary took charge. In keeping with her Amish tradition, she mixed herbs and teas, poultices of kerosene and goose grease, or a hot toddy. When her son-in-law, J.A. almost died from 27 bee stings, Mary arrived just in time with the whiskey bottle. It was usually hidden from the children on the upper shelf of her closet. She didn’t want them to know about it or they many have become alcoholics. During a bout with scarlet fever, several of the grandchildren were “quarantined” to “Grandpa’s house.” Every evening they would play Parcheesi and John and Mary proved to be good sports. When caring for her family, Mary had gentleness in her hands that everyone noticed when she bathed the children, washed their faces or combed their hair. They could feel her gentle touch. At other times she vigorously directed both households.

Mary was a cat person. All the farm cats were “Grandma’s cats” and she personally supervised their feeding and care. She gave her husband orders about how much milk to give them in the barn. All table scraps were hand sorted and divided among the cats according to their particular needs. She always knew when each litter of kittens was due and would find the right place in the coalhouse for them to be born. She would climb into the top of the coalhouse with only rafters and a few boards across for a floor, and arrange homes with the right amount of straw for each cat. Then, as she did for neighbor babies, she personally supervised all the kitten births. Those births were kept a secret until the kittens were old enough to be handled by the children. But the Heiser family dog, Dottie, learned how to impress Mary, and was privileged to sleep in the box behind the kitchen stove with her special cat, Beauty Belle. Mary used a fly swatter or a cup of cold water to keep Dottie in line.

In about 1942 J. A. and Fannie remodeled the little “grandfather” house and moved into it with John and Mary, while one of the grandsons took over the larger house and the farming work. Fannie began cooking all the meals and letting her parents eat in their own little kitchen. Mary’s progressing arteriosclerosis complicated life, and during the ten years they were together in this house, she became quite a problem to her daughter. But John was patient with his wife and kept things as peaceable as possible–much of the time by following her wishes. Mary seemed to enjoy and appreciate the care and concern shown by her family. In 1945 there was a 60th wedding anniversary celebration. Both John and Mary enjoyed the day, but it proved too exciting for Mary, so there was no 65th celebration in 1950.

During the last year of John’s life, his sister Lena became ill with cancer and died in June 1950. John was about 25 years older than Lena and he always had a special place in his heart for her. He felt the loss keenly when she passed away. Lena was much like her older brother John, with a sweet, gentle disposition, and showed much patience with her older neurotic sister, Ella. Ella became so disturbed after Lena’s death that she was taken to a mental hospital for a time, then to a nursing home where she died in February of 1951. About a month before Lena’s death, John and Mary’s daughter Fannie became ill and was in and out of the hospital until her death in December. Fannie’s death was extremely difficult for this kind, gentle father to bear. She was the third of his immediate family to die in less than a year.

The deaths of John and Mary

Granddaughter AHD, whose husband had died in March of 1951, decided she would take on the care of John and Mary after the death of Fannie. They moved into her home and John once again demonstrated his thanks by peeling potatoes, hulling peas, snapping beans, and even at age 89 occasionally hoeing in the garden.

Then one day in early July of 1951 AHD found John sitting in his chair, crying. She asked why, and he answered by thanking her for helping himself and Mary. But he had one more favor to ask if she was willing to promise. He requested that if he should die before his Mary, AHD would continue to care for her and not take her to a nursing home. He was afraid that since she was so difficult to get along with, anyone outside the family might mistreat her. Of course, she promised.

Later in the month, on the 28th, John’s son-in-law J.A. found him dead, lying on his cot. He had only lived with his granddaughter four months. It was difficult for her to give up this kind grandfather with the smiling face and honest blue eyes–his death left a tremendous void in her life. What a tough year it had been for the couple and their extended families—the death of Lena, Ella, Fannie, AHD’s husband, and John. John’s parents, three brothers and four sisters, and both children preceded him in death.

While living with AHD, Mary seemed not to be aware that her daughter Fannie had died earlier in the year. For the first few months she helped around the house, but after John died, she could never be trusted alone. She did enjoy talking with her visitors even though many times she wasn’t aware of their identity. Mary continued exhibiting her generous spirit by giving small gifts to people, but the downside was that when she had given away all of her own treasures she began to give away items belonging to AHD as well.

Her strong personality carried through to her old age, for when she didn’t want her body washed or her hair combed she fought like a child. Her eating habits depended largely on what kind of snack she liked at any particular time–tootsie roll candy, instant vanilla pudding, buttered bread and jelly–and she would eat nothing but that snack.

Soon after John died Mary decided to be bedfast and she remained in bed until her death in 1954. On the morning of her death she commented she couldn’t see the sunshine–she had become blind. At noon she could only eat a few bites of her favorite vanilla pudding. In the afternoon she took a few sips of water and one of the last things Mary said before becoming comatose was, “Maybe today I’ll see my Jesus.” That evening about 7 o’clock, with granddaughter AHD and a great grandson by her bedside, Mary took her last breath. She had outlived all her children and her siblings. Her life was now history. She was a simple, yet complicated, person–one-of-a-kind for sure–talented, giving, and helpful. She had at the same time a spellbinding character and an unpleasant one. Living with her was an interesting and trying experience, yet her family loved her very much.

John and Mary, and their children Albert and Fannie, all died and went to be with the Lord in the house John had built for Albert—the one where granddaughter AHD still lives. The parents of both John and Mary, and their children and spouses, are all buried in the East Bend Mennonite Cemetery donated by Andrew Birky. John and Mary left 8 grandchildren, 24 great grandchildren and one great-great grandchild. Both were original members of East Bend Mennonite Church.  Ezra Yordy preached Mary’s funeral. Noah Roeschley preached John’s.

This unlikely couple lived together for 66 years, raised a lively extended family, were active in their church and neighborhood community, and provide a quiet, but important behind-the-scenes legacy of Illinois’ Amish Mennonite community life.

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 in genealogy twenty-some years ago I realized that both of my parents’ histories were waiting to be found. My mother’s Park family came from England. However, the little information I had ended in Missouri and was sketchy at best. My father’s Schrock ancestors were all Swiss German Anabaptists, but I was not aware that my immigrant third great grandfather Johannes had ever been traced beyond his 1801 birth somewhere in France. Now, after some serious searching, help from many “cousins”, the Internet, and LDS films, I ‘ve become acquainted with my Park relatives back to Sir John Park who was married in Frith, England and died in 1606; and the Schrock connections (with a few specific gaps) go back to Nicklaus in Wynigen, Switzerland in the 1600s.¹ How far I have come and how interesting it has been!

My research for Schrock/Schrack/Schrag family members took a great leap forward several years ago after making several contacts that provided new clues. Thus, using all my present (admittedly incomplete) information, this article will focus on Johannes, his immediate birth family, his own children, and my direct line to him. In addition to the genealogical connections I have included stories highlighting the character and lives of my Schrock ancestors as they effected, and were affected by the Mennonite community in Illinois.

French Beginnings

Johannes Schrock (Jean Schrack) grew up during the Napoleonic War and was educated in French.² He was the son of Joseph Schrack,³ a miller by trade. Joseph married Marie Engel 13 August 1798 at Gosselming, France.⁴ Their son Joseph, who had been born 8 June 1799 in Gondrexange, died there at the age of five and one half on 9 Feb 1805.⁵ Before 1801 Marie Engel died (perhaps as a result of child birth) and Joseph had married a second time to Marie’s half sister, Marie Neuhauser.⁶

The first born of Joseph’s second wife was John (Johannes) in 1801. In 1802 Joseph is still living in Gondrexange, reporting the birth of a third son Peter (Pierre) on 15 June.⁷ A fourth son Andrew (André) was born in the same village on 8 Jan 1804.⁸ Later, in a location yet unknown to me, two daughters were born: Magdalena⁹ and Barbara.¹⁰

In Blamont on 4 Aug 1826,¹¹ Johannes married Catherine Elizabeth Salzman, born 28 Oct 1804 in Sarralbe, died March 1858 in Illinois.¹²

1831 Immigration

Shortly after the death of his father Joseph, Johannes and Catherine and their two small children Joseph and Catherine, came to America in 1831. They sailed in the spring from the port of Le Havre, France, and after forty-four days disembarked in Baltimore, Maryland.¹³ One account passed down from generation to generation reports that as they neared the end of their boisterous trip across the Atlantic Ocean their food supply was completely exhausted. In order to keep up their strength to complete the voyage they boiled leather straps from the rigging of the ship to make broth.

Along with the unsettling and sometimes unwelcome cultural changes the families experienced while moving from one country to another, there was a number of resulting name revisions. The Schrags of Switzerland and Germany became the Schracks/Gerarrds¹⁴ of France, and eventually the Schrocks of America.

Butler County, Ohio (1832-1850)

From Baltimore Johannes took his family to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Later, in 1832 they joined Johannes’ brother Peter in Butler County, Ohio,¹⁵ and lived among the settlement of Amish Mennonite immigrants. After settling on land in Section 29 of Lemon Township,¹⁶ the same section in which his father-in-law Michael Salzman and his brother Peter lived, Johannes rented a mill and managed it successfully. Milling was his profession in Lorraine, following in his father Joseph’s occupation. While in Butler County Johannes applied for and received citizenship.¹⁷

Brother Peter, fully settled on his Fairview Farm, was satisfied to stay in Ohio where he married and raised seven children, served as minister in the Augspurger congregation and died in 1887. But the Amish Mennonites in mid-Illinois sent back to Butler County stories of a growing new West where acres were cheap and crops abundant. Curious, Johannes took three horses and traveled from Trenton, Ohio, to Pekin, Illinois, to have a look. He liked what he saw. Leaving one horse there, Johannes drove the other two back to the Buckeye State and told his anxious wife Catherine that they were going to Illinois. So, late in 1850 he prepared to move his wife and five children to a farm in Tazewell County near Pekin. They left behind two small graves.¹⁸

Putting Down Roots in Illinois

In the fall of 1850 Johannes and Catherine took the family, except for Joseph, to Cincinnati. From there they traveled by boat down the Ohio River to Cairo, Illinois, and then up the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers to Pekin.¹⁹ This was the same route taken in 1831 by a group of Amish from Alsace Lorraine when they settled in Wesley City just a few miles south of the present East Peoria–the first Amish community west of Ohio. Joseph, the oldest child at age 22, drove through with the horses, cattle and what goods they had. Perhaps Johannes had worked out a land deal with Benjamin Newkirk on his exploratory journey, for on December 26, 1850 a deed was recorded for the purchase of three tracts totaling 161 acres in Sections 9, 16, and 20 of Elm Grove Township. For these acres Johannes paid $2000.

Comments about Johannes, his wife Catherine and family appeared in a Pekin-area newspaper at the time of their son John’s death in 1935, describing how they “…farmed, subduing wild land with patent industry until at his decease they were surrounded by numbers of broad acres well cultivated and supporting numerous fine domestic animals. During life they were members of the old Amish Church, and died in that communion. The father entered into his rest in his seventy-fourth year and the mother in her fifty-seventh. The family located in a log house on what is now the Allen Miller farm five miles east of Pekin. They were made at home by the Mennonites here and kindly neighbors; and because they were honorable and thrifty, they prospered.” Johannes died near Pekin, Illinois, 21 Jan 1875, at the age of 74 and is no doubt buried in Railroad Cemetery near Pekin, although no stone is visible. One would assume that Catherine is buried there as well. In 1876 the heirs of Johannes sold two parcels of land, and included as an heir was widow Jacobina Schrock.²⁰

At least three of his siblings also migrated to Tazewell County: Johannes’ sister Magdalena and her husband Christian Smith, his brother Andrew who married Anna Oyer, and sister Barbara who married Joseph “Red Joe” Belsley.

Each of Johannes’ and Catherine’s living children found their unique place in the New World: Joseph, b. 1828; ²¹ Catherine, b. 1829; ²² Johannes, b. 1834, died in infancy; Jacobina, b.1836, died in infancy; Peter, b.1839; John, b.1843; ²³ and Magdalena, b.1845. ²⁴

Peter Schrock (1839-1922) A Kind and Compassionate Man

Johannes’ son Peter was my great great grandfather. Pete and Jennie Schrock write in their book, Just Pete: “The fifth child, Peter, was a very kind, compassionate man. Peter seemingly wasn’t able to establish himself as a prosperous farmer like his brother Joseph, or a successful business man like his brother John, but Peter left a legacy of compassion and kindness to his descendants.

“Peter had long, white whiskers and told one of his grandsons, ‘You’d be a fine feller if you’d let your whiskers grow.’ Of course Pete (the grandson) decided as a little boy that he didn’t like whiskers, and especially if the one who wore whiskers chewed tobacco. Little Pete remembers his grandpa, after he got older, sitting in his big chair in the sitting room with his spittoon by his chair. Peter had a jack knife with the words: ‘Peter Schrock, Fisher, Illinois,’ made in the handle. He used this to cut his chewing tobacco. He also whittled a great deal. Peter raised pigs and kept bees–from 10 to 15 hives.”

Peter was vaguely remembered by his then five-year-old great granddaughter, Eunice Schrock Kandel, “There he sat in his beautiful big leather chair, spitting tobacco juice into an ornate spittoon nearby. And I remember being in the room as he breathed his last breath.”²⁵

Peter’s wife was Anna (Nancy) Garber, youngest of eleven children of John Garber and Eva Caroline Paithe. Nancy died 20 years before her husband and after her death Peter made his home with his daughters in Fisher. The family was part of the East Bend Mennonite Church and Peter’s daughter Ella was baptized there in 1895 and Lena in 1903, both by Peter Zehr.

At the time of Peter’s death from chronic interstitial nephritis in 1922 he was nearly penniless. There was no distribution of funds to his heirs, as it took all the assets to pay remaining debts.²⁶ But he did leave his Bible with records of his family written in German script (see inset).²⁷

Children of Peter and Anna were: Catharina, b. 30 Sep 1860, d. 2 Aug 1861; John, b. 28 May 1862,²⁸ Samuel, b. 16 Jul 1864,²⁹ Joseph, b. 18 Aug 1866,³⁰ Lydia Anna, b. 26 Apr 1868,³¹ Moses, b. 16 Apr 1870, d. Dec 1879, a child nine years of age; Ella, b.17 Nov 1876,32 Lena, b. 20 Aug 1885.³³

John Schrock (1862-1951) Continuing the Legacy–Helping Those in Need

My great grandfather John was the oldest son of Peter and Anna Schrock. He married Mary Birky³⁴ and they had two children, Albert and Fannie.³⁵ John continued the kind, compassionate legacy of his father Peter. He was gentle and soft-spoken, and was a skilled painter of farm buildings in addition to farming. One of John’s granddaughters writes of him:

“John Schrock, my grandfather, was one of the dearest men I ever knew. He was the oldest living child in his family. He had two brothers and three sisters. He had a little brother Moses, who died at about age nine, when Grandpa was about 19. When Grandpa was an old man in his eighties, he still talked about the family’s sadness at giving up little “Mosey.” He had a deep love and concern for his three sisters, one who was separated from her husband, and the other two who had never married. He was so helpful to my mother who had five children and a pastor husband who wasn’t able to help very much with home duties. He was also very much concerned about the wife and children of his only son Albert, who died a premature death. In his quiet way he was an inspiration to his family, and when he died at age 87, it was hard for me to give up this kind man with the smiling face and honest blue eyes.”

Another example of John’s caring spirit was his appointment as conservator of his wife’s brother Amos Birky, who had been judged insane by a Champaign County court. John was appointed in 1898 when Amos was eighteen and served until his death in 1914. Although Amos’ mother cared for him, John was legally responsible for his well being for sixteen years. Later in his life Great Grandpa John Schrock regularly came to our home to prune the grapevines in the garden–just another way of helping his family. And his helpfulness extended to granddaughter Eunice, when he would hoe her large farm garden near Fisher.

Albert Schrock (1886-1917) An Untimely Death

My grandfather Albert Elmer Schrock, was the only son of John and Mary Schrock. In 1907 he married Josephine Yordy.³⁶ The couple moved that year to a farm near Fisher, Illinois, and lived there until Albert became too ill to carry on with farming. There was a sale of farm goods in about 1911, after which the family moved to Colorado with the hope that the climate there would give better health. But after returning to Illinois and spending time at a sanitarium in Ottawa, Albert succumbed to pulmonary tuberculosis, or consumption as it was often called.

His son Orval, seven years old at the time, remembers “on Christmas morning 1916, there on the dining room table were a lot of presents, including some toys. There was no Christmas tree. I think my parents had a feeling that it would be our last Christmas together as a family and, sure enough, fifteen days later on January 9, my father died of tuberculosis. The day of the funeral was very cold and snowy and I remember the horse-drawn hearse with the driver sitting out in the open.”

A newspaper account of Albert’s death reads as follows:
Fisher, Jan. 9–(Special.)–Albert Schrock, well known resident of this community, died this morning at his home, two miles north of the village, after an illness of four years, due to tuberculosis. He had been unusually well of late and arose this morning and kindled a fire and shortly afterward was seized with a hemorrhage and died a short time afterwards. The deceased was a son of John and Mary Schrock and was born on January 13, 1886. He was married about eight years ago to Miss Josephine Yordy, who, with two sons, Elmer and Oliver (sic, Orval), survive, as do also his parents. A sister also survives. He was a prominent member of the Amish church. The funeral will be held on Thursday from the Amish church, Rev. Samuel Gerber, of Morton, conducting the services. Burial will be made in the family lot in the Amish cemetery.

Albert was baptized by Peter Zehr in 1903 and became part of the East Bend Mennonite Church. He had been a good student of the Bible, served as superintendent of the Sunday school, and before his death was considered a candidate for minister, along with Levi Birky and Joseph A. Heiser. In the early Amish Mennonite tradition the pastors of churches were chosen through “the lot,” and that is how Joseph Heiser became minister. Albert’s only sibling was a sister Fannie who had married Joseph and was to become a minister’s wife whether she liked it or not.

Wife Josephine prepared food baskets for the needy. She was instrumental in beginning a women’s “sewing circle” and managed food service when East Bend hosted Illinois Mennonite conferences. Albert and Josephine had three children: Elmer Raymond,³⁷ Orval Leo, and Eunice Lois.³⁸ After her husband’s death Josephine raised the three children with the help of her husband’s family. Later, after the boys were married she worked as housemother at Goshen College and as a practical nurse at Maple Lawn Home in Eureka where she lived her last years.

Orval Leo Schrock (1910-2002) A Long, Honorable Life

My father, born 9 Sep 1910, is the middle child of Albert and Josephine. After his father’s death the family was kept together and financed by the proceeds of a forty-acre farm and the help of neighbors and friends. When sister Eunice was still very young, probably one and one half years old, the family harvested the twenty-acre corn crop by using a large baby buggy equipped to be pulled behind the wagon. Eunice was dressed warmly and put into the buggy. Josephine, Elmer and Orval would husk three rows up and back. Then the boys left for school and Josephine would husk two rows up and back, take the wagon to the crib and put the horses in the barn. In the evening after school the boys finished by scooping the corn into the crib. After completing eight grades in a country school Orval helped his Uncle Joseph Heiser farm his land, and in return his uncle provided the equipment and helped Albert’s family farm their forty acres.

On Dec. 24, 1931, Orval was married to Mae Park³⁹ at the home of her parents. The couple’s first home was on the farm where he had grown up. Those first years were very lean economically; one of Orval’s first jobs paid one dollar a day. In September 1935, Orval and Mae moved to a home that was purchased for $1,100, the home in which they lived 66 years and in which Orval died. He owned and operated Schrock Soil Service for many years.

Rev. C. F. Derstine’s evangelistic meetings held at the East Bend Mennonite Church were influential in Orval’s early spiritual life. Later, in the early 1940’s, evangelist John Kasteline ministered in the community, and the effect was that Orval and his family became more active in Christian service. An organization of laymen that conducted evangelistic tent meetings resulted in the formation of what is now the Gibson City Bible Church. Orval contributed many hours and took a very active part in the leadership of the church. He also developed a keen interest in foreign evangelism and gave liberally to mission work over the years.

In his 91st year and just nine months before his death, Orval and his wife Mae celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in December of 2001. At his funeral the following August, his wisdom, honesty, unique humor, and most importantly his faithfulness to the Lord were celebrated by relatives and friends who honored his long life.

In Retrospect

At various points along the way during the past 150 years, the family of immigrant Johannes and Catherine Saltzman Schrock directly influenced the forming of the Illinois Mennonite community. Quite a number of descendants of John and Mary Birky Schrock have been and still are involved in Christian ministry of one kind or another within Illinois and far beyond. With my children and grandchildren, I have a heritage to appreciate and a responsibility to continue, both of which have been so well exampled by our ancestors before us. That heritage and responsibility is a commitment to Christ and his church, the building of character in our families, and the use of resources for others and God’s kingdom. Our ancestors were not perfect, but priorities and goals were kept in line with what they believed God’s Word taught. They understood and practiced the Sermon on the Mount, and because of them our lives have been enriched and blessed.
“…I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me. But I lavish my love on those who love me and obey my commands, even for a thousand generations.” (Exodus 20:5,6)

ENDNOTES

¹ Schrag families were identified as “Anabaptists” in several villages of the Emmental as early as 1700. Their civil records go back to the tumultuous 1600s. Near the village of Wynigen, the family nicknamed Schrag probably worked as carpenters or cabinetmakers in addition to being farmers. Two hofs have been identified as Schrag homes: Loumberg and Mistelhof. The Schrags were one of only three prominent Amish names that originate in the Emmental area of Switzerland (along with Troyer and Schwarzentruber). The surname appears in the 1798 listing of “Men of Bern.”

A number of Schrag families moved from their homeland of Switzerland into the Palatine area around Zweibrucken, Germany, where there were relative peace and opportunities for work, perhaps going there by way of the Jura region. They lived on various hofs in the Palatinate, including Heckenaschbacherhof and Kaplaneyhof. The royal family of Zweibrucken owned several estates surrounding the city, and this is where the Mennonites and Amish are known to have lived. The Zweibrucken Schrag families emigrated to America at various times and by a number of routes: before 1840, via the Palatinate, northern Alsace and Lorraine, and after 1870, via Volhynia, Russia.

Caspar Schrag, son of Niklaus, was born in Wynigen, Switzerland, in 1685. He must have left for Germany early 1700s, for he lived on Ingweilerhof near Zweibrucken in 1761. He had two brothers, Ulrich and Hans. The second Caspar was born after the Anabaptist Schrag families left Switzerland and while they lived in Zweibrucken, Germany, on the Ingweilerhof. He married Elisabeth Weiss, and had at least two brothers, Ulrich and Johannes. In his book, Amish Mennonites in Germany, Hermann Guth writes, “In a list of Anabaptists in the Staatsarchiv in Bern, Switzerland, two brothers, Christian (b.1729) and Bendicht Schrag (b.1731), sons of Ulrich Schrag (b. 1687), are named in 1765. They move from Wynigen-Leumberg in Switzerland to the Munstertal. About this time Schrags of Zweibrucken were already living here. Ulrich Schrag (b. 1710), who is leaseholder (Bestander) on the Ernstweilerhof in 1735, was a son of Caspar Schrag (b. 1685). A Caspar Schrag is on the Ingeweilerhof in 1761. It is not clear whether these two individuals were father and son or brothers; the author assumes the latter. In that case, they would both be sons of Caspar Schrag (b.1685), the father of Ulrich Schrag (b.1710), who does not otherwise appear in the Palatinate. The…arrangement of descendants of the two brothers has not been proven and is based in part on assumptions.”

The third Caspar is found at Ernstweilerhof near Zweibrucken, with a sister, Elizabeth. Not much is known about his family. The fourth Casper married Barbe Ruvennach (secondly Marie Blaiser) and was the father of Joseph Schrag, grandfather of Johannes the immigrant.

² Johannes (Jean) Schrack was born in Gondrexange according to his marriage document. However, LDS Film #01896605 does not contain his birth record. Even though his father Joseph and Marie Engel’s son Joseph was born and died in Gondrexange, and his brothers Peter and Andrew were born there (all these records are on the film), the death of Marie Engel, the marriage of Joseph to Marie Neuhauser (Nayhauser), and the birth document of Johannes I have not found. The birth date used by other Schrock family researchers heretofore has been 17 Aug 1801, but the marriage document states otherwise.

³ Joseph was born in about 1772/4 at Bellegrade, and died in Rhodes, France, in 1830. The farm “la Bellegrade” is near Bistroff and the lake Bischwald. The “moulin (mill) de Bischwald” existed from 1682 to 1857 and was situated between the lake and the farm. His family spent at least several years there, since we know Joseph’s brother Jean was living at the mill in 1798. At the time of Jean’s marriage Joseph was a miller at the “moulin” de Bachats near Rhodes. At the time of his son Jean’s marriage Joseph was a miller at the “moulin de Bachats” near Rhodes.

⁴ According to her marriage record Marie was born at Alking, a farm near Gosselming, the daughter of Christian Engel and Catherine Rothzeeker. Marie was 26 years of age when she married 25-year-old Joseph. Witnesses to the marriage were Jean Schrag (brother of Joseph), Jean Kamp, Jean Neuhauser (stepbrother of Marie), and Sebastian Ohmer. After the death of her husband Christian Engel, Catheirne Rothzeeker married Nicolas Neuhauser. Their daughter Marie became Joseph’s second wife.

⁵ LDS Film 01896605, Civil Records of Gondrexange, Moselle, France. Birth was recorded 20 prairial an 7.

⁶ After the death of her husband Christian Engel, Catherine Rothzeeker married Nicolas Neuhauser. It seems likely that it was their daughter Marie who became Joseph’s second wife. This relationship between Marie Engel and Marie Neuhauser has not been proven, but is very likely.

⁷ Pierre Schrack birth record (16 floreal an 10) LDS Film 01896605, Civil records of Gondrexange, Moselle, France. Peter settled and remained in Butler Co., Ohio. He married first Magdalena Zimmerman, and second Magdalena Rediger. His son Peter married Elizabeth Augspurger,
granddaughter of well-known Butler Co., Ohio pioneer, Christian Augspurger. The Augspurger family opened their home to many migrating Amish who used Butler County as a stopping place before moving further west. They were known for their hospitality.

⁸ Andre Schrack birth record (14 nivose an 12) LDS film 01896605, civil records of Gondrexange, Moselle, France. Andrew married Anna Oyer and lived in Tazewell Co., Illinois. One night during 3857 Andrew stayed wtih a neighbor who had cholera. The same night he became sick with the disease and died before morning, leaving a family of small children, the oldest sixteen and the youngest born after his death. In August of 1857 Johannes and son Joseph, along with Peter Guth, signed a $10,000 bond at the appointment of Anna Schrock as guardian of the minor children.

⁹ Magdalena Schrack, and Christian Schmidt her husband, moved to Illinois from Butler Co., Ohio. In 1848 they sold their five acres in Lemon Township (situated within an 80-acre plot Peter had purchased in 1845) to Magdalena’s brother Peter. In Illinois they lived near Congerville with seven children. During the cholera epidemic of 1855, Christian died in his log cabin home. Three days later Magdalena died, followed by the death of her nineteen-year-old daughter Barbara and a few hours later by her six-year-old son John, leaving four orphaned children.

¹⁰ Barbara Schrack married Joseph Belsley, and although I have not yet documented the marriage, the most likely husband is “Red Joe” born 28 Mar 1802 in Rhodes, France. It is not known whether Barbara and Joseph married in France or in America. They had one child, Christian, and Barbara died while he was very young. Red Joe later married Barbara Engel, daughter of Bishop Christian Engel.

¹¹ 6 brumaire an 13, LDS Film #1981660. Daughter of Michael Saltzmann and Catherine Hirgi, granddaughter of Michael Saltzman and Catherine Weiss.

¹² At the time of their marriage Jean was living in Blamont and Catherine in Bistroff. Andre Chertz, age 33, uncle of the bride by marriage, was a witness.

¹³ To my knowledge, the record of the ship passage to Baltimore has not been found. I have searched several films of Baltimore arrivals to no avail. However, there is a ship that arrived in Baltimore on June 30, 1831, carrying Johannes’ father-in-law and his family. It would seem that Johannes and Catherine might have come on the same ship, but I have not found their names. There is oral tradition in the family about a brother Joseph who immigrated to America with family members in 1831, but during the confusion in the days after arrival in port became separated from them and was not heard from again. We will probably never know whether this was a deliberate act of someone who desired to be independent and self-sufficient, or, more likely, became prey to the many unscrupulous predators of unsuspecting immigrants. Either way, it must have been a devastating blow to the family, and imagine their pain in having to leave Baltimore without Joseph. (More research is needed to document this brother Joseph. Joseph, son of his father’s first marriage, died at age five, so he cannot be the one who disappeared. But there is the possibility that another son, named Joseph, was born in the second marriage to Marie Neuhauser. However, that has not been determined at this date. )

¹⁴ At least one line of the Schrag family in France became known as Gerard. Andreas (1777/80-1848), son of Andreas Schrag, took the surname Gerard, kept by his descendants in France. His son, Andreas, who came to America was known here as Andrew Schrock.

¹⁵ Butler Co., Ohio, 1840 census record.
¹⁶ A Butler Co., Ohio, land deed shows Johannes’ 81 acres in Section 29 was sold to John Shirtz (Shertz) in 1855 for $569.24.

¹⁷ In 1842 Johannes recorded his (and one son 15 years of age) intention to become an American citizen. On this document his name was given as John Schrock. Then, in September 1844, he renounced his allegiance to the King of France at Hamilton, Ohio, with Michael Salzmann, his father-in-law, and Jacob Taylor acting as character witnesses.

¹⁸ Johannes (b. 11 Jul 1834 – d. 12 Oct 1835); Jacobina (b.23 Aug 1836 – d. 12 Sep 1837) Are these the two infants buried in the Butler Co., Ohio, Mennonite Cemetery, Lot 48, listed as “Two unknown children died migrating West?” Or, do they rest in the earlier Mennonite burial ground established on Jacob Augspurger’s farm near Trenton in 1817?

¹⁹ The family was still in Butler Co., Ohio, at the end of October 1850, as they were listed as family number 1316, dwelling 1175 on the census schedule. Catherine’s father, stepmother and siblings were family number 1317, dwelling 1176.

²⁰ I had never seen mention of a second marriage by Johannes, so the fact that he had a widow listed as an heir was a complete surprise when I found the record last October at the Tazewell County Recorder’s office. How long would it take to find out who this Jacobina was? After a day in the Pekin area I kept an appointment with Steve Estes the next morning in Metamora. I told Steve about my discovery and with a bit of collaboration it turned out that my Johannes was the answer to one of Steve’s mysteries—the “who-is-this-John Schrock” husband of Jacobina “Phebe” King! They were married in 1861 in McLean County.

²¹ “Joseph Schrock, a well-to-do and successful farmer and stock-raiser of Montgomery Township…village of Congerville, which was begun in the spring of 1888, is situated on a portion of his farm…when a child in Ohio in the summer assisted on the farm and in the mill, thus acquiring a practical knowledge of agricultural matters, and getting a good insight into business transactions while an employee in his father’s mill. He was of legal age, but unmarried, when he came to this state. While a resident of Tazewell County, he was united in marriage with the lady of his choice, Miss Magdalena Guingrich…Mr. and Mrs. Schrock are good, intelligent German people, industrious, thrifty, and provident, and although not mingling in political matters, yet make excellent citizens, and are worthy members of the New Amish Church.” Joseph’s land first became a small village named Schrock, but later it was changed to Congerville, according to the booklet “Along the Line.” For information on Joseph’s family see Joseph Gingerich (1804-1875) of Woodford County, by Ardys Serpette, Illinois Mennonite Heritage,Winter 2001, page 62.

²² Catherine married Joseph Oyer.
²³ John married Barbara Rediger. At his death a Pekin, IL newspaper wrote of him: “As John grew older he worked out in saw mills, gristmills, and brickyards. He could do a tremendous day’s work, even in the days when a big day’s work was expected of all men. He himself carried from the sawmill every tie and plank for the first bridge over the river here–the Peoria, Pekin & Jacksonville R.R. bridge. Three men would be assigned to such a job nowadays and work only half as many hours. They told of him that he could cut with an axe and rack five cords of wood in a day. Four men wouldn’t want to do that today.
“In 1876, Mr. Schrock bought the home east of Pekin in which the first child born in that home still lives. He is Edward Schrock, president of the Farm Bureau. The family looks to it as the old family home.

“In 1903, the sons built a nice home at 714 South Ninth Street for the parents and they moved to town. There they lived in comfort. Mrs. Schrock died on Aug. 3, 1911. Although Mr. Schrock was near 70 then, he has clung to life for 24 years more. He was a man of excellent character, good habits, and moral strength, and to this is attributed his long years. Three years ago on his 89th birthday, he spaded in his garden. On his 90th birthday the family gathered for a great reunion and celebration, but he took pneumonia that day. None expected him to survive; but he lived; and he even weathered another attack of pneumonia this winter. Even till yesterday he was up; but two strokes had weakened him and death came to him quietly at 7:15 this morning in his 93rd year.
“Death of Mr. Schrock removes one of the links with Pekin’s pioneer past. He lived in the day when pigeons came in flocks that shut out the sun; when wild turkey were in abundance; and deer were to be shot in the woods. The turn of his life has seen the coming of the modern age; but thru it all there has been no change in the fact that a man of honor and honest and clean living thrives best. His children today rise up to bless his memory.

²⁴ Magdalena married Joseph Yoder.
²⁵ Early Memories. Unpublished manuscript by Eunice Schrock Kandel.
²⁶ Probate records, Champaign Co., Illinois.
²⁷ The Bible is presently in the possession of great great grandchild, Al Schrock.
²⁸ Died 28 July 1951.

²⁹ Samuel married Ellen Zendner and his story can be found the the book, “Just Pete.” Samuel lived in Fisher until 1907 when his family moved to Colorado. He died in 1943 in Thurman.

³⁰ Joseph married Anna Salomi King. He died in 1947 in Bryan, Ohio.
³¹ Lydia Anna married Christian Eicher. Chris developed a drinking problem and after the birth of two girls he disappeared and was never heard from again. Lydia then lived with her sisters in Fisher and was cared for by her family. At her death on 6 Feb 1938 she had been an invalid for nearly seven years, following a stroke of paralysis.

³² Ella never married. She died in 1951 in Gibson City, IL.
³³ Lena never married. She died in 1950 in Fisher, IL. She and Ella owned and operated a boarding house in Fisher and worked as the village telephone operators.

³⁴ Daughter of Andrew and Veronica Sutter Birky, who were among the first families to move from Tazewell County to Champaign County. Andrew purchased land and donated a small tract to be used as a cemetery, which became the present East Bend Mennonite Cemetery. It happened that Andrew was the first to be buried there and all following descendents mentioned in this article are buried in that same cemetery.

³⁵ Fannie was born 18 Jul 1889, died 17 Dec 1950.
³⁶ Daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Roeschley Yordy, born 14 Aug 1886, died 3 Jan 1977.

³⁷ Elmer taught school for some time, then owned and operated a feed mill business in Fisher. He married Mabel Zehr. In 1936, Elmer and Samuel M. Zehr started the annual Bible School at East Bend Mennonite Church. Elmer was also on the first publication committee for the East Bend Trumpet in 1945. After the death of Mabel he married Eileen Bruehl Heiser. He died 11 Dec 1989 in Montgomery, AL.

³⁸ Born five months after the death of her father, on 25 June 1917. As a young girl Eunice lived at the “old people’s home” in Eureka where her mother worked. Since she really never had a “home” she always took along a plaque that Grandmother Mary Schrock had given her: “Home is Where the Heart is.” After graduating from Goshen College and while teaching in Ohio, Eunice met and married Olen Kandel. She taught school in Fisher for many years. On March 15 of this year Eunice died following an accident on the way to Illinois from Florida.

³⁹ Daughter of Grover and Effie Park. The Park family from Missouri was integrated into the Mennonite community as a direct result of kindly neighbors, including the Schrock family, and the wonderful singing they heard on Sunday mornings as they fished from the Sangamon River bridge near the church. Another daughter, Mamie, married Roy Cender.

Sources

Johannes Schrock, his Children and Grandchildren. Unpublished manuscript received from Willard Smith
The Schrag-Schrock Family. Unpublished manuscript edited by Eugene C. Schrock, 1996
Early Memories. Unpublished manuscript by Eunice Schrock Kandel
Just Pete, c.1980 by Pete and Jennie Schrock
Amish Mennonites in Germany, by Hermann Guth, c.1995 Masthof Press
Both Sides of the Ocean, by Virgil Miller, c.2002 Masthof Press
Correspondence with and articles by Virgil Miller
Mennonite Family History
Illinois Mennonite Heritage