Barbe Schrack (Schrag)
Barbara Schrock Belsly  (abt. 1815 – abt. 1836)
and her descendants

This material was used in the Barbara Schrock Belsly presentation at the Illinois Mennonite Heritage Center’s “Schrock Immigrant Day” on June 19, 2010.
The presentation was made by John Robert Belsly,
direct descendant of Barbara Schrock and Joseph Belsly.

(The following is for personal use only and not to be used
in published form without permission.)

The Belsly family has known very little about Barbara Schrock; in fact, no primary documents have been found for Barbara. She was probably born in France about 1815, possibly in the Saarebourg area of Lorraine. At some point she immigrated to America and lived for a while in Butler Co., Ohio, where the rest of her family lived at the time. Barbara married Joseph Belsly in Butler Co.—likely a short time after his arrival there, and most surely knew the Belsly (Pelsy) family in France. However, just as her birth record has not been found to date, neither has her marriage record.

The couple eventually moved to Woodford County to Joseph’s farm north of Metamora. Their first and only child, Christian, was born there in July 1835. Sometime in 1836, Barbara died, possibly of cholera, at about 21 years of age. She was buried on the farm near their family home.

Joseph Belsly was born at Hof Hellocourt, a farm about seven miles west from Rhodes in Lorraine, France. He was known as “Joe de la Rouge,” or “Red Joe”, because of his distinctive red hair. French cousin, Pierre Pelsy, observed about Red Joe’s immigration to America in 1828 at age 26, “It is told he took along a bag of flour, a sack of dried fruit and a belt in which gold coins were hidden. He must have been a very courageous and adventuresome young man.”

After arriving in America, Joseph went first to Ohio where he found employment. In about 1830/31 he moved to Illinois where the government was selling land for $1.25 per acre. According to History of Woodford County “…Mr. Belsley made claim to a tract on Partridge Creek, later [in 1833] sold to Joseph Johnson, and he settled then in Worth close to the Partridge line.” Partridge Township was at the time a wild, desolate, sparsely settled region. Red Joe was part of the Partridge Township Amish settlement. In 1832 he purchased a 240-acre tract of heavily wooded land on higher ground north of Metamora and built a French-style barn on the property.

In 1840 Red Joe married another Barbara—Barbara Engel. They had no children. Twelve years after his marriage to Barbara Engel, Joseph built a red brick farmhouse. Later it was painted white. The bricks used for building the house were made from clay dug up from his land. This farm has been in the Belsly family since the day Joseph purchased it and is considered to be the oldest one-family farm in the state.

Red Joe was a very successful farmer and known to be one of the wealthiest persons in the area. He was successful growing clover on his land, which had not been done before in that part of the country. As his assets increased he kept buying more land. At the time of his death he was the owner of 15 parcels of land ranging from 40 acres to 320 acres. His son, Christian, never learned how to handle finances, and as a result his father, Joseph, left his estate to Christian’s children. He was able to leave farms in life estates to each of his grandchildren.  His namesake and favorite grandson, Joseph, received the homestead on Lourdes Road.

When Red Joe died on Christmas Eve 1872 at age 70 of what was then called dropsy, or abnormal swelling of the tissues, his nine-page will divided his sizeable fortune into 33 units that took six years to disperse through the probate process. He chose to leave his widow $2,000 but only 80 of his 2,000 acres. Son Christian, who expected a life of leisure, was left only 120 acres and a payment of $150 a year for 20 years. The family farm on Lourdes Road passed more or less intact to the namesake grandchild.

Burial was in a cemetery on his farm. Joe’s widow, Barbara Engel, lived until 1881 and was also buried on their farm. At some time after the deaths, the graves were moved to a different location—a family cemetery near the homestead on Lourdes Road. Both wives were buried in the same grave, but the stone only names Barbara Engel. This could be the reason why Red Joe’s first wife, Barbara Schrock, was all but forgotten by the family.

The story of Christian Belsly, the only son of Red Joe and Barbara Schrock, illustrates the circular nature of some of the family relationships. Red Joe distrusted his son Christian’s easy nature. Relatives considered the only child to be spoiled. But Christian did help his father on the farm. They loaded produce on wagons and hauled it to Chicago. On the return trip they brought back supplies or equipment for the farming operations.

Christian more than likely found his prospective wife during a visit to his uncle Peter Schrock in Butler County. She lived in the next house on Salzman Road. The marriage ceremony was conducted by minister Nicholas Augspurger at Trenton in Butler County on Nov. 18, 1856. Red Joe was 21 and his new wife 19.

Researcher Joseph Staker tells us who Christian’s wife was: “The wife that son Christian Belsly found in Butler County was his second cousin Mary Schertz, who was born in Butler County in 1837. She was the oldest of three daughters of John Schertz and Catherine Engel, who lived on Salzman Road next to Peter Schrock. And when Johannes Schrock left Ohio for Illinois, John Schertz bought his land. John was also the business partner of John Staker, and his daughters were trained in business and accounting. No doubt Mary Schertz made an appropriate partner for the errant son of Red Joe Belsly. Red Joe showed his displeasure with his son by declining to present the groom with the customary gift of acreage from the family farm. Christian was forced to make his own living.”

Christian and Mary first settled in Spring Bay, then Christian purchased land near Deer Creek, IL, where he and his wife lived and raised their family.

“They attended the early East Washington Mennonite Church. They raised nine children…When the first son (second grandchild) was born Grandpa Red Joe drove from his homestead in north Worth Township to see his first grandson. The parents had already chosen a name for the boy, but Grandpa Red Joe said ‘his name is Joseph,’ so that is what he was named. It was that first grandson who later inherited the Red Joe homestead and when grandson Joseph married Ida Foster they moved to that homestead where they raised their family.”

In 1902, on his 67^th birthday, The Progress newspaper carried the following article:

“Today Christian Belsly one of the oldest and most respected citizens of this township, reaches the 67^th milestone of his life, and the children are giving him a happy day…they went to his splendid home on his farm at the south edge of the village limits loaded with provisions enough for a good sized regiment of soldiers and proposed to feast not only their father but themselves, in a manner fit for kings.

To say Chris was surprised to see all the children at home, would be the truth, but when they actually “caned him” with a gold-headed walking stick it became evident to him that with the passing of years things have reversed somewhat, for if we miss not, even our good-natured friend Belsly never raised all his big family of children without doing some caning himself….”

In 1906 he and Mary celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary. Again The Progress describes the celebration: “Unbroken Vows for Fifty Years! These Two Still Lovers.”

….Mr. and Mrs. Belsly are among our most highly respected citizens, and the whole community rejoice that they have been permitted to celebrate their fiftieth marriage anniversary. The event was one long to be remembered by the children and grand children in attendance. The wedding dinner was all that the season’s products and good culinary skill could make it. The social part of the program was also a source of great enjoyment. Olden times were freely discussed for Mr. and Mrs. Belsly had a liberal touch of pioneer days when the comforts of life were far less than they are today, but these hardships were encountered without complaint. Their chief end in life was to rear their children and educate them for great usefulness in the world; in this they succeeded admirable, as all are useful citizens with ample means to make them useful in their various communities.”

In the end, Christian and his wife ran a prosperous farm and raised nine children (three others did not reach maturity). He served as a school director and commissioner of highways in Deer Creek and was highly regarded in his community. Mary died in 1911 at the age of 74 and Christian died in 1917 at age 81. They are buried in Mt. Zion Cemetery at Deer Creek.

Christian liked fine horses. His granddaughter Verna Belsly said, “He liked to drive foxy horses.” It was said his work horses were always strong and good pullers and many a time Christian would bet a little on the loads they could pull. As Christian was a member of the school board he talked to school children whenever he had a chance. The story was that when he and his father were driving a load of produce to Chicago one early spring when the roads were broken up they came to a sign that read: TAKE CARE OF THE RUT YOU CHOOSE, YOU WILL BE IN IT FOR THE NEXT 50 MILES. He would refer to that and then continue, “Would that we can say to every young man and woman: Take care of the path you choose—you will be in it for the next 50 years. Choose a path of vision and courage with a goal you have to reach for and your life will be a pleasant and profitable adventure.”

If Barbara Schrock Belsly had lived a long life, she would have been very proud of her husband Red Joe and her son Christian, plus all of her grandchildren and great grandchildren.

*** The Belsley-Sauder Genealogy states that ‘Red Joe’ emigrated in 1820, worked in Ohio, moved to Illinois in 1825, and bought land in Partridge (then part of Tazewell County) in 1830. The early dates are not substantiated by other sources.

Additional Information

After Schrock Immigrant Day an unpublished autobiographical manuscript was brought to our attention, written by Verna Belsly, great grandchild of Red Joe and Barbara Schrock, in the 1980s-1990s. Betty (Kenneth) Worner of Metamora has the original and at least one copy is with another Belsly family member. The manuscript contains the following description of the Red Joe Belsly family cemetery near the old homestead on Lourdes Road:

“A church was built on one corner of the farm. Dad (Red Joe’s grandson Joseph) donated the ground for it and a cemetery started there. I was too small to remember. I’ve tried to find out the date, but so far have not been able to get that information.  Rev. Strubhar of Washington Mennonite Church would come every few weeks and have a Sunday eve service and some of the Protestant families nearby became members. Hattie Goehring and I stood up when the invitation was given and sometime later there must have been around six of us who were baptized, but for communion we always went to the Washington church that was a mile east of Washington where the Pleasant View School now stands. In our little church we had S.S. and I recall at least one program–Children’s Day, I presume.  Later on, possibly after we moved to Washington, the church was sold and only the cemetery remains. ”Red Joe” and his two wives had originally been buried in a little cemetery 1/4 mile further north, so their remains were transferred to the one where the church stood.  There were just bones, and those of both wives were put in one container and their tombstone has the name of only the second wife. We knew the first wife was a Schrock but it was later revealed her first name was Barbara. She was the mother of “Red Joe’s” only child, Christian, who was my Grandpa and my Dad’s father.  As mentioned, the second wife was Barbara Engel and I told my Father I thought she looked cross, but he said she was very kind so she must have been a good mother to little Christian who didn’t remember his real Mother. What caused his Mother’s death is not known.  I heard several people died from cholera so perhaps she was a victim.”

Madeleine Schrack (Schrag)
Magdalena Schrock Smith (1811 – 1855)
and her descendants

This material was used in the Magdalena Schrock Smith presentation at the Illinois Mennonite Heritage Center’s “Schrock Immigrant Day” on June 19, 2010.
Compiled and written by Don B. Smith for the presentation given by John J. Smith,
both direct descendants of Magdalena Schrock Smith

(The following is for personal use only and not to be used
in published form without permission.)

Introduction
The life story of Magdalena and Christian parallels that of many early 19^th century immigrants to America.  This presentation outlines this story and also paints a picture of life peculiar to this couple and their children.

Magdalena Schrock, the daughter of Joseph and Marie Neuhauser Schrock, was born in Moselle, France in 1811.  Christian, was born shortly before his future wife in 1809. Some genealogies show his parents to be Jacob Peterschmidt and Barbara Lauber.  Others question this.  Most agree that he came from Alsace Lorraine, a son of one of the many Anabaptist Schmidt/Peterschmidt families in the area.

Our story begins in the late 1820s in Butler County, Ohio, specifically Trenton Township. Magdalena is newly arrived with some of her brothers. Christian, probably seeking opportunity in America arrives without other identified family members.

The narrative of Christian and Magdalena that follows is based on information from a number of sources.  First are notes from members of the Oyer family.  Second, Donna Schrock Birkey and Dr. Neil Ann Stuckey Levine have authored several articles in the Illinois Mennonite Heritage Quarterly and other publications on the Schrock family.  Third, reports available online from the Tazewell County, IL, Historical Society and Willard Smith’s book, Mennonites in Illinois provide added historical detail.  Other sources from certain Internet genealogy sites have provided further information.

It should be noted that not all sources agree on all the information presented here.  For example, some show more than three children born in Butler County whereas I show three.  Some state that the family relocated to Illinois from Ohio in 1841 whereas my research indicates the more likely year to be 1837.  Some sources state that family members died from cholera in 1854, others, including me believe 1855 the more likely date.  Some also report that three children in the family died at this time, others, including me believe that two died.  Regardless of these historical discrepancies, all sources agree on the main thrust of these ancestors’ story as presented here.

COMING TO AMERICA
Christian Schmidt, according to Oyer family notes, arrived in America disembarking in New York. He then traveled up the Hudson River, crossed New York State on the Erie Canal, and then traveled by canal to Butler Co., Ohio.  Indeed, from a ship passenger list available on the Internet, I’ve found that he arrived in New York on the ship Sully in 1828.  There is no indication that Christian traveled with any other family members. We can reasonably surmise that he had contacts in Ohio, thus knew where he was headed and wasted no time in getting there.

Magdalena came to America around 1830 [in 1831], in the company of one or more of her brothers.  Although we do not know the details, a common route for many Butler Co. settlers was embarkation in Baltimore, sometimes a short stay in Lancaster Co., PA and then a move on to the growing Amish Mennonite community in Butler Co. It was here that Magdalena met and married Christian Schmidt.

BUTLER COUNTY, OHIO – THE EARLY MENNONITE COMMUNITY
What was the setting in which Magdalena and Christian married and why did they come to this particular place?

We are fortunate to have a history of the Mennonites in Butler County, collected and written by Reverend W. H. Grubb, published in 1916.  Grubb was the pastor of the Apostolic [Mennonite] Church in Trenton, Ohio, and had access to family Bibles, church records and other documents to chronicle a convincing outline of life in that community.

The first Amish Mennonite settlers in Butler County were led by Christian Augspurger, a farmer (more precisely a farm manager) from around Strasbourg, France.  Grubb notes that Christian Augspurger first settled in Pennsylvania in 1817 and then moved west to Ohio with a few others shortly thereafter.  Here he decided to purchase land and begin farming.  He returned to France in 1818 and then in the spring of 1819 he brought back a group of 36 families to America, with six of these families settling in Butler County.

He eventually bought more land, established larger farms, and prospered.  As I’ve observed with certain of the early Amish and Mennonite immigrants in Lancaster County, in Germantown, PA, and in the Shenandoah Valley in western VA., there were one or several early  pioneers who purchased land from the resident “English” and then sold off portions to other  families coming from the old country in the ensuing years.

Thus the community in Butler County was established and growing by the time Magdalena and her brothers and Christian arrived a decade or so later.  Grubb writes “that as early as 1831 some… had drifted to IL  … where they established the first Amish church west of Ohio.”  Thus the inevitable pioneer movement toward the west in search of more and less expensive land was joined too by our Anabaptist ancestors.

Religious services were held in homes and in 1825 the first minister, Jacob Kriehbel from Canada, came to minister to the Amish families.  A few years later other ministers settled in the area, as did Hessian Mennonites from Germany.  By 1835 there were both Mennonite and Amish congregations in Butler County.

THE CHRISTIAN AND MAGDALENA SCHROCK FAMILY IN BUTLER COUNTY
Magdalena and Christian were married about 1832 according to notes passed down in the Oyer family.  Possibly the ceremony took place in the one of the homes of Magdalena’s siblings.  There was no church building for the Amish congregation at this point.  However, there were three ministers serving the Amish community at the time, Peter Naffziger, Jacob Augspurger, and Peter Schrock.  Peter was an older brother of Magdalena and in this capacity may have performed or at least participated in the marriage ceremonies.  As a sidelight, Amish marriages were not recorded with Butler County authorities at this time, so there are no records of these marriages in the County archives.  About a decade later, at least some Amish and Mennonite congregations did register events with the authorities.

Magdalena and Christian’s first child, Mary was born in 1833, Barbara was born about 1836, and third child Peter was born in 1837.

During this period, Christian and Magdalena were able to purchase 5 acres of land in Lemon Township. Here they farmed and raised the three children.  [This plot was no doubt purchased from brother Peter, as it was situated in the middle of a parcel of land belonging to Peter.--db]

While researching records in the Butler County archives located at Hamilton, the present day county seat, I came across a deed of sale showing the transfer of property in Lemon Township from Christian, Magdalena, and a Joseph Smith to Peter Schrock.  The date of the deed was August 28, 1848 and the deed was recorded November 30, 1850.  We assume that Peter Schrock was Magdalena’s brother.  Some say that Christian had a brother Joseph, maybe the Joseph named on the deed.  The deed was “verified” by Samuel S. McCord, Justice of the Peace, Woodford County, Illinois.

From descriptions on the deed I was able to locate the property on land maps available on the Internet from the Butler county web site.  From these maps, six years ago I was able to visit the area and see this acreage, today located in a mix of farmland, wooded area, some houses and some commercial structures.  No house existed on the five-acre parcel at that time.

THE TREK TO ILLINOIS
As I noted before, some earlier Butler County Anabaptist farmers had migrated to central Illinois. My guess is that with reports back from these persons the Smith family (and maybe others) was lured west to Illinois because of the prospect of an abundance of fertile and less expensive land.

Thus, according to the Oyer account, in August of 1837, the family traveled west in a covered wagon with three small children, the youngest, Peter, just six weeks of age.  They settled near Bloomington, most likely near present day Congerville, purchasing an 80-acre farm with an existing house.

Within a year the first of five more children to complete their family was born.  These five (Anna, Magdalena, Joseph, Christian, and John, in that order) were all born in Illinois, the last in 1848.  We assume that Christian’s principal occupation in Illinois was farming, although many heads of family were engaged in supplementary occupations like land speculation, farm animal trading, carpentry, and merchandising of products brought in from Peoria.  One must consider that there was considerable travel between these areas and Bloomington, Peoria, and even Chicago to sell farm produce and procure supplies for use on the farms.

During this period (1830 into the 1850s) new settlers were moving into the area, the prairie was being broken up into farms (in many cases tiles laid to keep fields drained in the flat and low-lying areas), towns and villages were incorporated, trade and commerce was growing.

For historical perspective, by the time Christian and Magdalena settled in their new home, Illinois was already a state, the native American Indians had largely been driven out of the state, with their defeat in the Black Hawk war of 1832 completing that. Abe Lincoln was a circuit riding lawyer and growing in political influence in central Illinois. Chicago was rapidly becoming the state’s largest city.  All this is to say that the Smith family was living in a time and place of growth and expanding opportunity. Willard Smith, writing in his history, states that, “Although life was often hard on the Illinois prairie at this time, hardworking Amish immigrants generally prospered.  The land was fertile and productive.  Growing markets for farm output were reasonably nearby, and there was an abundance of wildlife.”

During this period, the family began to use the “Smith” name.  As described in family notes,

“When the children were old enough to attend the ‘English’ schools here, Peter changed his name to the English spelling, ‘Smith.’  His brothers, sisters and even cousins followed suit.  The family had been advised not to change to the English form if they expected any inheritance from Germany but they had nothing to expect so had nothing to lose.”  I’ve also read that some of the German families of this time and place adopted English spellings of surnames in order to fit in with neighbors.

We’ve no specific knowledge of where the family worshiped but probably in various Amish homes, as congregations with a meetinghouse were to follow in later years.

TRAGEDY STRIKES
One of the unfortunate realities of life at the time was that of disease and untimely death.  In his history, Smith lists three common maladies; Asiatic cholera, malaria, and tuberculosis.  Epidemics of cholera would sweep through central Illinois from time to time.  Often these would originate in the more populated areas (Peoria for example), be introduced into the community by a visitor or returning farmer, and then spread to various households.  Doctors were few, the germ theory of disease was not known (at least not in prairie communities), and sanitary practices were little understood by the families.

In July or August of 1855 Magdalena and Christian’s family was stricken. Oyer family notes state that this happened after Christian returned from a trip to Bloomington. Christian died on the 2^nd of August, Magdalena died a few days later, and shortly after that daughter Barbara, then youngest son John perished.  Although some reports indicate three children died, my finding is that six children survived – Mary (21 or 22 years old at the time), Peter (18), Anna (about 15), Magdalena (14), Joseph (11), and Christian (9).  According to the Oyer family, Barbara was engaged to a Dan Garber at the time of her death.
One can only imagine the difficulties the remaining family members underwent in the aftermath of this tragedy and the impact on the larger community.

In a letter to Tilman Smith in 1950, Mary Oyer related,
“All four died of cholera within a short space of time. On Wednesday Grandpa died. He contracted it the day before in Bloomington. Thursday was the funeral, and the rest were all well at that time. By Saturday night Grandma died at 12:00, then Barbara half an hour later, then John Monday morning at 3:00. No funeral for them. Those who got sick at the funeral were Andrew Schrock, Grandma’s brother and Mrs. Ulrich. This is the way my father [Peter] gave it many times, how sad it was for them all. My father said, ‘I always dread August and the thought of what happened. It’s been 21 years now.’ And that same year, November 17, my father went to die a victorious death.”

A poignant coda is related in Willard Smith’s book noted before.  Speaking of the orphaned Peter Smith (and my Great Grandfather)  –  “As an orphan … he had to hire himself out to others.  It is said that while working in the field one day he went to a nearby neighbor and asked for a drink of water. The lady, knowing his background, gave him a drink but would not let him enter the house, but instead opened the door only the few inches necessary to pass out the cup of water and then to receive the cup but did not know that people caught cholera from others! Such behavior added to the difficulties and loneliness of those suspected of being bearers of the dreaded disease.”

THE SURVIVORS
Six children of Magdalena and Christian survived.  The list below shows their ages at the time of the death of their parents and siblings.  The children were taken in by relatives and friends, and eventually they all married, raised children and either remained in central Illinois or moved on to Harper Kansas.  Here is a brief summary of their remaining years.

Mary (1833 – 1896)
Three years after the death of her parents, Mary married Frederick Fellrath.  They moved to Harper Kansas, where they raised four children.  Mary was a member of the Apostolic Christian Church there and lived to 63, passing away in 1896.

Peter (1837 – 1875)
After the death of his parents, Peter (my Great Grandfather) worked as a hired hand, then married Barbara Neuhauser in 1861.  Their first child Mary was born 10 months later and the family lived in three different places over the next few years and added more children. This was during the Civil War period.  Peter was able to avoid service by paying a $100 fee (as Smith family lore states, “the government needed the money and it needed farmers even more”).

The family eventually settled on an 80-acre farm near Gridley in Waldo Township.  Peter died at the early age of 38 from complications of typhoid fever.  Barbara died six years later in 1881 from TB.

“The closing days of Grandfather’s (Peter) life were memorable. His mind was remarkable clear, especially his last day on earth. He seemed to realize or expect that today he was going to leave them. He thanked Dr. Monroe saying, ‘I know you’ve done everything you could to restore me to health, but my time has come to go.’ (The doctor went to a window, to hide his tears.) During that day he admonished the family to shun evil and follow godly convictions. (He spoke to them in German.) He would often fall asleep perhaps in a semi-conscious state. Each time upon awakening, he would have further words of advice or instruction, and often asked, ‘Is it not yet five o’clock?’ The last time he awoke he was in a gloriously triumphant state. ‘I see into Heaven! Oh, what a glorious sight! If only I could show it to you! I wish I could take all of you with me.’ Then followed more admonitions especially to his three little boys. He placed his hand on ‘Johnnie’s’ head and said, ‘If only I could take you along, before you grow up to cope with the evil and the temptations you have to meet.’ At 5:00 p.m. he drew his last breath.”  (From The Maninger Family,  Compiled by F. Robert Henderson and Barbara Craig Phelps. Copyright 2000. Taken from original Lydia Oyer material.)

Anna (1840 – 1861)
Our knowledge of Anna’s short life is sketchy.  She married John Garber in 1858, three years after her parents died.  Some accounts list four children but names and birth dates are either unknown or suspect.  Anna died of TB at the early age of 21 in 1861, just three years after her marriage.

Magdalena (1841 – 1914)
She first married Peter Neuhauser, a brother of her brother Peter’s wife, Barbara Neuhauser.  They had three children, all of whom died at a young age.  Then she married Valentine Maninger in Bloomington in 1866.  They moved to Harper, Kansas in 1885.  They were the parents of eight children.  Valentine, a German immigrant, was a shoemaker.  He served in the Union Army for three years before returning and marrying Magdalena, then a widow.  He was said to be a prosperous farmer in Kansas.

Joseph (1844 – 1889)
Some list Joseph’s birth date as 1843. He married Barbara Roth in 1863. Around 1885 they moved to Harper, Kansas. Joseph died at the age of 45 and is buried in Harper.  Joseph, and likely Barbara too, were raised in Amish families, but we do not know if they were baptized into an Amish congregation before they joined the Apostolic Christian Church. They had eight children. At least one daughter, Mary Smith Witzig, moved back to central Illinois and has descendants living in the area.

After Joseph’s brother Peter died in 1875 and Peter’s wife died in 1881, Joseph actively assisted the family of six children, all under 20 years old.  Peter’s daughter Mary Smith Oyer remembered and recounted her Uncle Joe’s kindness even towards the end of her life, in 1955.

Christian (1846 – 1924)
Christian married Phoebe Sweitzer.  They had two sons.  Christian never affiliated with any church. He enlisted in the Civil War, was stationed in the Memphis area and served as a Private.  After his service, Christian farmed with his brother-in-law in central Illinois. Phoebe died in 1912 and Christian remarried in 1914.  He lived 10 more years–the longest lived of Christian and Magdalena’s children.

From these six surviving children of Magdalena and Christian sprang many descendants with surnames of Smith, Fellrath, Weyeneth, Miller, Oyer, King, Maninger, Loeffler, Doughty, Witzig, Irion, and Domnick.

FINAL  OBSERVATIONS
What can we conclude from examining the lives of Magdalena and Christian?

First, they only lived 43-44 years, yet this short existence was filled with adventure, hardship, toil, and the establishment of considerable family legacy. In a period of less than a decade they made the long voyage across the Atlantic to new life, started a family, and then traveled overland to begin a new life in another new land.  Here no doubt they toiled hard, braved cold Illinois winters, and raised eight children.  Yet within twelve years of their arrival on the Illinois prairie, both their lives would end prematurely.

Second, their story reminds us of the reasons that drove most American pioneers: freedom of worship, social justice, and economic opportunity.  Of course we are the beneficiaries of Christian and Magdalena’s fortitude.  It is good to remember their story, give them thanks for the sacrifices they made on our behalf and pass along the outline and meaning of our heritage as exemplified by Magdalena and Christian to our descendents.

Andreas Schrack (Schrag)
Andrew Schrock  (1803-1855)
and his descendants

This material was used in the Andrew Schrock family presentation at the Illinois Mennonite Heritage Center’s “Schrock Immigrant Day” on June 19, 2010.
The presentation was made by Debbie Birkey.

(The following is for personal use only and not to be used
in published form without permission.)

My name is Magdalene Schick. I grew up on the farm next to Andrew and Anna Schrock, not far from here in Washington Township, Woodford County, Illinois. I played with their children Andrew Jr. and Mary—many times by the stream flowing nearby, and I worked on my parents’ farm as children were expected to do. My parents were Joseph and Magdalene Augspurger, and we had a large farm and plenty of money to care for our large family of ten children. One of the things I remember about my father was how he loved his wine!

I was only six years old when I heard father and mother talking about the dreaded cholera sickness that was making so many people die that August of 1855. Then they told me that Father Andrew had taken care of his sister Magdalena, who died with cholera the night before, and the next day he died of cholera too. I felt so sorry for my playmates Andrew and Mary and their sisters and brothers, I cried myself to sleep that night. Father Andrew was buried near his farm in a cemetery on Peter Guth’s farmland. Andrew’s wife Anna was a sister to Peter’s wife, Susanna.

I remember how Andrew and Mary’s Uncle Peter Guth, Uncle Johannes Schrock, and cousin Joseph Schrock took on the responsibility of caring for Anna and her children.

But who was going to finish the big brick house Father Andrew had been building for his family? Andrew and Mary had carried all the bricks for the house and once in a while I had helped them. I was looking forward to worshiping with them in the special room upstairs, but that had to wait until years later when some of the older children finished the house. That lovely big brick house stood for many, many years.

Time passed and we all grew up. Eleven years after Father Andrew died, Andrew and I were married in 1866. Soon we were blessed with our first child Magdalena, and with her in tow we moved to Lamar, Missouri, where a number of people we knew lived. In two years little Elizabeth, “Lizzie” as called her, joined our family. We should have been happy, but we weren’t. Come to find out, Andrew wasn’t a very responsible husband and father. He came and went as he pleased and didn’t provide for us very well. I wasn’t sure how we were going to make it through those years. At least with Andrew gone so much of the time, another child didn’t arrive until seven years later, when our first son, Samuel, was born; then Edward, and finally, ten years later, Andrew, namesake of his father and grandfather.

But I just could not continue living like this—not knowing where we would get money for food and clothing. The two girls were married to boys from Nebraska– Ed King and Will Unzicker—and so we all decided to pull up stakes and move to Nebraska. The girls and I rode in the passenger section of an “immigrant train” and the boys rode in the baggage car. We left Andrew behind in Missouri where he worked as a blacksmith from time to time.

After our move we seldom saw or heard from Andrew. He would occasionally visit us in Nebraska. He would go to Sam’s gas station, barefooted, much to Sam’s irritation. One day during the early 1920s we told him goodbye and he walked off down the road and we never heard from him again. Someone told us later that Andrew had gone to Portland, Oregon, in 1924. We advertised for him out in that area, but got no response. My dear playmate and husband had abandoned his family years earlier, but it made my heart sad to realize he was never coming back and was probably living a miserable life. Perhaps losing his father at such an early age had affected him more than I realized, for he was never quite able to meet the challenges of providing for and loving a family. He was known to have said, “When I feel I can no longer be of use on this earth, I’ll jump in the river.” Sam still believes Andrew drowned himself in the Columbia River.

My son Samuel was born in Lamar, Missouri, and had been named Samuel Truman after John Anderson Truman who lived in Lamar. (You would know him years later as the father of Harry S. Truman.) After moving to Holdrege, Nebraska, at age 13 and living on the farm six miles north of town for a while, Sam learned to love and master all aspects of farming. He was one of the pioneer farmers of Holdrege and farming captured him the rest of his 98 years. Why, in the Phelps County Courthouse cornerstone is “one perfect corn ear raised by Sam Schrock in 1910!” He was the very opposite of his father, Andrew. As a family we worked hard and knew how to make the most of what we had. That first year we broke 15 acres of sod. And I could tell my oldest son would make something of himself when that first winter we had no money to buy fuel, Sam took his two brothers and with their two little white mules gathered 15 wagon loads of buffalo chips and corn stalks so we could survive the cold winter with a little bit of comfort. We lived in that sod house for ten years.

I sent Samuel to a sod schoolhouse two months in the spring and two months in the fall. Every morning he left home carrying his own chair, walking one mile in rain, snow, sleet, hail, blizzard, or Nebraska heat, to sit around a long wooden table in the center of the room.

In 1903 Samuel married a sweet, kind woman, Helen Sauer, and they bought a 1000-acre farm near Holdrege. Sam used his good business sense again and again. He bought a grinder and mixed his own feed using a scoop of corn, a scoop of cobs and a bundle of atlas sorgo. Using this method his cattle feeding program continued to show a profit. The Great Depression didn’t seem to have a great effect on him.

After moving to town by no means did Sam slow down. He built one of the first service stations, and the first locker plant for Holdrege. He used parolees from the penitentiary for farm labor, and the results were successful. Sam was good to them and one stayed on with him for five years. Sam was a “go getter”, thrifty and seemed to know how to make things turn a profit. He thought about retiring, but he couldn’t just sit around, so he bought an old hotel and Ragan and one in Atlanta and used the lumber to build a large building in Holdrege, The Schrock Building, for many businesses.

That son of mine was always thinking up something new. He bought the ice plant and delivered ice to the railroad so travelers would by is ice. He built an IGA grocery store, and during WWII, when housing was short, he remodeled many old houses and apartments. Then, when in his 60s and 70s, he went back to farming. One of my grandson’s said, “When Dad moved to town, he quit raising pigs and raised little girls, but it doesn’t seem that Sam ever stopped farming a day in his [99-year] life.”

Now one of those girls was Violet May. Her chores were helping her father outside on the ranch, picking up cobs for the fire; working in the fields with her horses named Dick and Fanny and John and Frank—the tamer ones. After field work, in the evening she would go to the pasture and get the cows. When Violet was seven years old Mama made lots of doll clothes for her doll, but when Sammy was born not long after, Mama said, “Aren’t we lucky we have all these doll clothes for the baby? And one Christmas Violet’s Mama told her that she’d outgrown her toys and since they had nothing to give to brother Sammy they wrapped up her bank, coffee grinder and teddy bear and gave them to Sammy. Mama decorated the teddy bear with red trim on his arms so Sammy wouldn’t recognize him.

Violet had some bad memories of her “controlling” father, my son Samuel Truman, but she said she never heard her parents quarrel, argue or fight. She remembers the huge house her father built in Holdrege, where she was later married, and that house was later described in the Holdrege Daily Citizen as, “the house that Sam Schrock built in 1926, now a Bed and Breakfast.”

Sammy, who received all of Violet’s toys and doll clothes, lived with four sisters. He had very distinct impressions of his father, Samuel, Sr., “He was ornery and self-centered.”

One of his earliest memories was riding to town with his father in the 1914 Republic truck around 1920. His feet couldn’t touch the floor. Sammy thinks the truck was actually a 1916 model but his father wanted it to coincide with the year of his son’s birth—he wasn’t above stretching the truth to fit his pleasure! He was flamboyant and larger than life. Sam, Sr. had a love for music and passed this on to several in his family.

Sam, Sr.’s children remember some of his quotes: “Style and education ruin the country;” “I can talk myself into trouble and I can talk myself out of trouble,”  (his wife, Helen, on the other hand used to say, “Silence is golden,” and be embarrassed at what her husband said); “Hello, I’m Sam Johnson.”  (Everyone knew who he was—this was just part of his personality. Sam was a Democrat and of German descent, but he managed to live comfortably in Phelps County with its preponderance of Swedes and Republicans.)

The “ranch” (our land 12 miles north of Holdrege) was always important to our family, but my son Samuel wouldn’t sell the property to his son and namesake. He was going to sell to another family, but his wife Helen stuck up for her family and wouldn’t sign the papers. About 20 years later Sam Jr. and his sisters approached their 94-year-old Papa and were able to buy it—at more than market value! About this same time my son’s children (Sammy was appointed conservator) had to take over his affairs, and Sam was furious at this loss of control and never really forgave his children for doing this. Sammy once commented, “Papa used to brag about me to other people, but he never complemented me to my face.”  This caused my grandson to change his behavior with his own children. He put his sons in charge of the farming at an early age and they are in control of themselves and independent.

Much of the information about the Andrew Schrock family is taken with permission from the book Schrock Farms 1908-2008, copyrighted and compiled by Sharon Schrock and Nancy Morse.

Additional Information

Birth Record of Andrew Schrock, Sr.
Translation of birth document:

Mayor’s office in Gondrexange, arrondissement of Sarrebourg, 14 Messidor XII of the French Republic [July 3, 1804], birth certificate of André Schrack, born the same day, about 8 a.m., son of Joseph Schrack, miller, and Marie Neyehouser, living at the said Gondrexange. The sex of the infant has been recognized to be male. The baby has been presented to me by the witnesses, Antoine Honquet [spelling taken from the man’s signature], 36, mason, and Hubert Barthelemy, 40, school teacher, both living in the said Gondrexange. And following the declaration made to me by Joseph Schrack, father of the child, they have signed [the document]. Prepared according to law by me, Joseph Thiébeau, mayor of the community (commune) of Gondrexange, serving as public official for recording vital statistics of citizens (l’état civil).

Guardianship bond
(for $10,00) for Andrew’s children, dated 10 Aug 1857:

Know all Men by these Presents,

That we Anna Schrock, Peter Guth, Johannes Schrock and Joseph Schrock…

for the use of Anna Schrock, Andrew Schrock, Mary Schrock, Peter Schrock and Madaline Schrock, minor heirs of Andrew Schrock, late of said County, deceased….

Document contains signatures of Peter Guth and Johannes Schrag (Anna’s brothers-in-law), Joseph Schrock, her nephew; and the mark of Anna Oyer Schrock.

Pierre Schrack (Schrag)
Peter Schrock (1802-1887)
and his descendants

This material was used in the Peter Schrock presentation at the Illinois Mennonite Heritage Center’s “Schrock Immigrant Day” on June 19, 2010.
The presentation was made by Donna Schrock Birkey.

(The following is for personal use only and not to be
used in published form without permission.)

France and Emigration to America

Peter Schrock was the second child born to Joseph and Marie. While older brother Johannes’ birth document has not been found, his marriage document states he was born in Gondrexange. Siblings before and after him were born there, and Peter’s birth document confirms his birth in that village. As an adult, Peter worked as a miller in Europe and after emigrating to America purchased land in Ohio and owned several farms.

Peter’s gravestone states his birth as June 17, 1802. But his birth document gives his birth date as June 15,1802, ((26 prairial an 10, the boy was born at 3:00 a.m) in Gondexrange, Moselle, France. At this point we can only guess at the cause for the discrepancy.

While still in France, Peter married Magdalena Zimmerman. Their recently discovered marriage record tells us:  On Aug. 25, 1827, Peter Schrag, apprentice miller, 25, b. at Gondrexange, Meurthe June 15, 1802, living in Robert-Espagne, son of Joseph Schrag, unskilled laborer and Maria Neuhauser, living at Rhodes, who did not attend the civil ceremony in Robert-Espagne but instead forwarded official notice of their consent via a royal notary at Sarrebourg, married Maria Zimmermann, a day worker, 26, b. in Emmendingen, [Grand] Duchy of Baden, Apr. 17, 1801, daughter of majority age of Jacob Zimmermann, unskilled laborer, and Elisabeth Becher his wife, both living in Robert-Espapgne, both of whom attended the civil ceremony. Banns at Robert-Espagne on Sundays, Aug. 12 and 19, at noon, and at Rhodes and Blamont on the same dates [Rhodes is where Peter’s parents lived and Blamont is where Johannes and his family lived at the time]. All being in order, Peter Schrag and Maria Zimmermann are man and wife.  The four mandatory witnesses [the first two customarily for the groom, the second two for the bride]:

1) Joseph Engel, miller, 50, living in Robert-Espagne, friend of the couple;
2) Jean Pierre Olivier, locksmith (serrurier), 31, living in Robert-Espagne, friend of the couple;
3) Jean Baptiste Hirat, tobacco retailer 32, living in Robert-Espagne, friend of the couple; and
4) Hilaire Joseph Remy, operator of a boarding house, 29, living in Robert Espagne.

After their marriage in Robert-Espagne, the residence at the time of Peter and his in-laws, the couple remained in the nearby village of Dompcevrin, Meuse, through the birth of their first two children and
most likely until their emigration in 1831.

The couple raised eight children. After Magdalena died in 1862 in Butler Co., Ohio, Peter married another Magdalena–Magdalena Rediger. Her gravestone reads: Magdalena Rediger, the Frau von Peter Schrack. Geb. [born] 25, Ockt, 1829; Gest.[died] 23, April 1896. Underneath is inscribed in German Ps. 17:15: And
I—in righteousness I shall see your face; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with seeing your likeness.

Peter arrived in Baltimore in the spring of 1831 with his wife and first two children.
The arrival list reads as follows: Peter Gerrard, 30, male, Miller; Peter age 3; Mary, 21 female; Madaline age 1; but it was not until 24 years later that Peter became a naturalized citizen. His brother Johannes was naturalized in 1844.

The listing of Peter’s family was preceded by the Johannes Gerard and Michael Salzman families, and followed by the Zimmerman family. The ship’s manifest may have been lost or destroyed, as no researcher has come across it, but this list is from the 1831 quarterly summary of arrivals at the port of Baltimore. (Johannes is listed as Jno. Gerard, and sister Magdalena was on board as well.)

Butler County, Ohio
Land purchases

Peter either had someone lease his first 81+ acres on his behalf in 1829, or he had made a previous trip to Butler Co. before bringing his family in 1831. He leased another 81+ acres in 1833 and after fulfilling the two lease agreements, Peter purchased from the State of Ohio the 162 76/100 acres he called Fairview Farm.  This farm was sold in 1988 and no longer exists. It was on Rt. 63, Middletown, Lemon Township, once in view of LeSourdsville that lay to the west.

Peter also purchased 210 acres from Samuel and Susan Hull that was Woodsdale farm. The present day address is 4870 Augspurger Rd., Hamilton, St. Clair Township. The original Woodsdale home and barn can still be seen from the highway on high ground overlooking the Great Miami River.  One of Peter’s young grandsons, John, while living at Woodsdale Farm with his parents  (perhaps about 1875) decided he could fly. He jumped out of this barn loft and broke both arms!

Sunnybrook Farm was purchased by Peter, Sr. sometime between 1850-1860, then it was sold to his son Peter Jr. in 1862. The house and farm is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This property on the edge of Trenton is now surrounded by other buildings.

The house originally had a side porch but now has an addition in its place. There is a two-bay porch of cut wood with brackets at the roof line, detail of dentil and corbel trim, and remnants of the original smoke house . This farm’s bank barn with its date of 1878 has been moved to a new location and is presently the residence of the nationally known barn restoration expert, David Gaker and his wife.

Ministry
Early in the 1830s Peter was appointed a minister of the Augspurger church. When that church divided in 1835 over friction brought about by German Hessians arriving on the scene, Peter Schrock and Jacob Augspurger remained with the Augspurger group. The Hessian Mennonites had “worldly” goods consisting of books, pewter mugs and plates. After the division Peter was appointed a minister of the conservative “hook and eye” congregation. Peter held meetings in his brick home and his descendants still refer to the front room of that house as the “church room.” That particular house is no longer standing.

In 1862 Peter attended the first Diener-Versammlung in Wayne Co., OH, where 400-500 people from up to 900 miles apart attended. On the agenda was the proper manner of baptism, the role of deacon, and the particular Butler County friction about luxurious dressing, musical instruments and worldly entertainment—all were voted not to be permitted.

In 1863 a meeting house was built in St. Clair Township on Gephart Road. At about the same time the Hessian group was incorporated as the Apostolic Mennonite Society and they purchased land on Wayne-Madison road from John Good to be used for a church site and cemetery. Both meeting houses stood into the 1900s and the cemetery is still used today. After separating in 1835, the two congregations merged again in 1897.

Family Documents
Several journals were kept by Joseph A. Schrock, grandson of Peter. One has a recipe for “Magic Liniment”:  Spirits of hartshorn 1 1/2 oz.; Sulphuric Ether 1 1/2 oz.; Spirits of turpentine 1/2 oz.; Sweet oil 3/4 oz.; Oil of cloves 1/2 oz.; Chloroform 1 oz.  Use for sore throat and weak loins and the like.

A document from 1877 reads: To the brewers appointed to brew and locate a road on the 14th inst (instant) according to a notice given in the Butler County Democrat of a late date said Road to run through the land of the heirs of Peter Schrock Sen, Woodsdale Butler County Ohio the undersigned. The proposed route of said road and after due deliberation do claim that the following damages as estimate are reasonable and pray your honorable body as viewers of such road to grant as follows for extra fencing and land, One Thousand Dollar  $1000. June the 14th 1877.

Item 2 of Peter’s will stipulated that Peter’s second wife be paid $2,000 in cash–requested because of a anti [pre]-nuptial contract made between Peter and his wife in lieu of her dower in his real estate and in lieu of all statutory provisions and allowances for the benefit of widows. Peter Sr. left his house and lot to Peter Jr., and “to my said son Peter, and to my grand daughter Lisetta Kinsinger, I give all the rest and residue of my estate to be divided between them, share and share alike.

“The reason why I have given to my son Peter my house and lot in Trenton is because he remained with me about eight years after he became of age and largely during that time assisted me in accumulating my property, and has ever since been a kind and considerate son. And the reason why I have given to my son Peter and my grand daughter Lissetta the residue of my estate is because my other grand children have commenced partition proceedings in the Common Pleas Court of Butler Co, to sell my two farms in Lemon and St. Clair Townships, for which I made deeds to my four children in 1868, with the understanding that I was to have the possession and use thereof during my lifetime.” The family of Peter was not immune to wrangling over his properties as he reached the end of his life.

Appraisment of Personal Estate and Property by appraisers J. V. Good, F. V. Weaver and Jos. Eicher include: 19 bu. ear corn at 40 cents per bu.($7.73) and 11 bu. Oats at 30 cents ($3.38); barrels, boxes and kegs (25 cents); buggy ($10); monkey wrench and hammers (40 cents).

At the sale on Oct. 29, 1887, one chopping axe was purchased by Mary Zimmerman for 25 cents; Jos. Rupp paid $1.60 for some anthracite coal; grandson Joseph A. Schrock paid 50 cents for 6 Windsor chairs; and quilting frames went to Mr. Cooper for 50 cents.

Peter’s Descendants
Four of Peter’s children remained single: Anna, Frana, Elizabeth and Christian, and four married and raised families.

Peter, Jr.

Coincidentally, Peter, Jr. married two wives (consecutively!) with the same first name just as his father had done. He first married Elizabeth K. Augspurger and after her death at the age of 37, Peter Jr. married is first wife’s second cousin, another Elizabeth Augspurger.

Descendants of Peter, Jr.
Joseph A and Lina Augspurger.

Homer Hyde and Caroline Thienemann. According to a journal notation by his father Joseph, Homer had a thorn in his foot from August 1898 to Oct 1900–over a year!  Homer had three sons including Eugene who preserved much of the family’s history.  There were five additional living children.

Descendants of Magdalena (married Joseph Arthur “Otto” Salzman)
John, Christian, Peter, Joseph Arthur, Anna M., Mary B.

Descendants of Maria (married Christian Kinsinger)
Veronica Ellen, Lisetta

Descendants of John (married Emelia Augsburger)
Christian, Otellia, Arthur, Alvin, Oscar, John, Stanley, Maria, Albert and Otto

Schrag, Schrack, Gerard
Schrock European Ancestry (abt. 1550-1772)

This material was used in the Schrock European presentation at the Illinois Mennonite Heritage Center’s “Schrock Immigrant Day” on June 19, 2010. The presentation was made by
Donna Schrock Birkey, a direct descendant of Johannes Schrock.

(The following is for personal use only and not to be used
in published form without permission.)

Ten years ago a fellow researcher sent me an article by Lorine McGinnis Schulze posted on the OLIVE TREE Genealogy website. It presents an intriguing theory about how many ancestors we actually have, and since it fits into our Anabaptist history I’m going to pass it on to you at the beginning of this European Schrock history.

If we double the number of ancestors in each generation, 2 parents, 4 grandparents, and so on, we can see that by the time we are back 10 generations, we have the potential for 1024 ancestors. But is this true? If we were to go back to the time of Charlemagne, we would find we had the potential for 281 trillion ancestors, each one living at that one moment in history. This is statistically impossible! So where did our ancestors go?

It is estimated that 80% of the marriages in history were between second cousins. Why? Because the population base was smaller, people lived in small communities and migrated within those same small communities. The theory in genealogical research is that our family trees are actually shaped like a diamond, not a pyramid. Tracing back a few generations gives a wider shape. Keep going and you find the shape narrowing, eventually, the theory holds, converging to only a few ancestors.

This may sound mind-boggling, but I’ve seen the truth of it, says the author, (as do I)! “I am back a total of 14 generations which takes me to the last half of the 1500s (as I am). I’ve found that in two cases so far, I am descended from more than one child of one specific couple (as I am)….[as you can see, the gene pool is narrowing along the way].

I won’t give you her family specifics, but if that happens often in the earlier generations (and it does) you can see the shape your ancestral tree is taking—a diamond. Genealogy is fascinating, and becomes even more so when we make human contacts in present-day times–like today’s Schrock Immigrant Day event where we are meeting cousins we didn’t know we had.

Now let’s take a look at our European ancestry!

* * * * *

The surname Schrag has its origins in Switzerland. As Schrags moved into France and Germany the name took on phonetic forms of the verbal German pronunciation. Family members who could not read or write had little way of knowing what the magistrate was writing when they reported births, marriages and deaths. At least one Schrag line kept the original spelling as they arrived in North America, but most lines became the anglicized Schrock.

Early history of the Schrags is not set in stone, but with the information we have to date I have put together a most likely (probable) short history of the beginnings of the Anabaptist Schrag family. In 1682 the Wyss family purchased a house in Leumberg, near Wynigen from a Hans and Uli Schrag. There is a house on Schrag land near Wynigen still occupied by the Wyss family (at least it was a few years ago), and if this is the same house it would date back close to when Hans Schrag was born in the village of Wynigen about 1550.

It was at that same time that Catholic priests such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwingli were reading their Bibles and realizing that practices of the Catholic Church such as indulgences were not based in Scripture. They also realized salvation was by faith–not by works. This group of priests felt called by God to “reform” their church. But church clerics weren’t happy about this idea of upsetting the status-quo or giving up their power and authority over their constituents. Thus, counter-measures were taken. As a result of this struggle, Luther posted his 95 theses in 1517 and that act was an early beginning to what we now call the “Protestant Reformation.” A number of years later, other priests including Menno Simmons, feeling Luther and his reformer compatriots had not gone far enough in calling for change, began the “Radical Reformation.” This group of reformers became known as Anabaptists because of their insistence on adult, not infant, baptism and their strong conviction about living a Christian and “peaceful” life, shunning violence of any kind—going beyond just having good theology. They wanted to be known as the Quiet of the Land.

Many of their Swiss neighbors saw them as wonderful people, bothering no one and working hard. But the civil authorities saw them as peculiar and a nuisance, and ordered local authorities to run them out of the country if they wouldn’t have their children baptized in the state church, which by that time had become Lutheran in the areas around Zurich and Bern. These Anabaptists also refused to serve in the Swiss military. They soon became uncomfortable in their land and chose to pull up stakes and move to new territory that held the promise of religious freedom. Many moved to France and Germany and lived there for several generations, leaving their home villages in Switzerland behind, along with the land that was part of their family inheritance.

In the 1700 and 1800s, these families again needed relief from French and German military conscription, and began to look at the vast lands of America that would provide a place of religious freedom. Wave after wave of immigrants arrived in the U.S., found land they could tame and farm, settled in communities together as they had been in Europe and endured the hardships of pioneer living. They prospered by purchasing land, raising large families and living out their faith in God in their communities.

This is the heritage our Schrag ancestors have left for us.

* * * * * *

The Schrag family originated in their ancestral village of Wynigen, SW, and were identified as “Anabaptists” at Wynigen, Leumberg and Mistleberg in Canton Bern as early as 1700. A Caspar Schrag, born in Wynigen in 1685, was called an Anabaptist when he married Elisabeth Leyenberger in Jebsheim, Alsace, France in 1711.

But to go back a bit further, a Hans Schrag born about 1550 had a son, Hans, born in 1573 in Wynigen. This second Hans had three sons, Uli, Hans (who was the possible owner of the home purchased by the Wyss family) and Niklaus. One of Uli’s sons was named Niklaus and Niklaus had a son Caspar. That brings us five generations into the descendants of the original Hans Schrag of 1550. Our particular Schrock line stems from this Caspar (b. abt. 1710), through several more Caspars, the last being the father of Josef Schrag and grandfather of our immigrant family siblings.

We find our fifth generation Caspar living on the Ingweilerhof near Zweibrucken, Germany, in 1761.The Schrags there were part of the Amish “Haftler” (those who believed buttons were a luxury so instead wore hooks and eyes), along with families Stalter, Hauter, Esch, Eyer, Gut, Nafziger, Gungerich, etc. This group formed their own congregation at Ixheim where they built their own “praying house.” This was separate from the Mennonite congregation that was following “Knopfler” (those who wore buttons); Bachmann, Lehmann, Steinmann, and more. This information tells us our Schrag ancestors followed Jacob Amman as he broke away from the followers of Menno Simons.

Our Caspar (also found on French documents as ‘Caspard’ and ‘Gaspard’), father of Joseph and grandfather of our five sibling immigrants, was born circa 1744 and died on Sommerhof at Neuviller, Lower Alsace in1794.  He was a miller at Bischwald Mill and a cultivator on Belgrade farm at Bistroff after 1772. His first two sons, Andre and Nikolaus, were born while the family was still in Germany near Zweibrucken; Joseph was born in France at Bistroff.

After the death of his first wife Barbe Rouvenac, and soon after Joseph’s birth, Caspar married Marie Blazer. They also had three children. The first child, Jean, was born at Belgrade. Their middle child was born at the farm Oderfang near St. Avold, and the last child was born at Rhodes. At the time of Caspar’s death he was a tailor of clothes at Rhodes.  His civil death entry from Neuviller described him as a 50-year-old Anabaptist living at Rhodes, so it is likely he was visiting the Sommers family at Sommerhof at the time of his death.  One of the witnesses to his death was tenant farmer Jean Sommer, 63, the father of Joseph Sommer, and grandfather to the Sommers who came to Tazewell County in 1834.

In Rhodes many Anabaptist families lived on the farm Les Bachats, and it is probable that Caspar lived there as well, although he could have lived just around the lake in the village of Rhodes.

As you have no doubt noted, our Schrock family members were laborers. They did not own or lease these mills or farms, but worked for the owners. In some instances, Amish or Mennonite families actually owned or leased the estates, such as the Stalters at Kirschbacherhof and the Sutters at Hellmansburg.

Casper’s son Joseph was first married to Marie Engel in 1798. They had one son, Joseph, born 10 months later in 1799, and who died at the age of five. Marie Engel died sometime between 1799-1800. Very soon Joseph married Marie Neuhauser and their first child Johannes was born in June of 1801. Marie was part of the Neuhauser family that lived in Gosselming and was well known to Schrag and Engel families. Marie’s brother Jean served as witness to Joseph’s first marriage to Marie Engel. Thus, you can easily see how intertwined these families were and how quickly after death a new family was formed—we hope formed on love, but very likely as important was the need for someone to care for small children.

Schrag ancestors who lived and worked at the farm (and mill) near Bistroff are: Caspar Schrag b. 1744 (grandfather of our immigrants), lived at Belgrade when his son Joseph was born in 1772;  Caspar’s son Jean (Johannes, son of his second wife), was born there in 1773, and married there 24 years later.  Michael Salzman, father-in-law of Johannes Schrock lived at Belgrade for four years when three of his children were born. His daughter, Catherine lived at Belgrade in 1826 when she married Johannes Schrag.

Across the lake nearer to Bistroff is Moulin de Bischwald (in operation from 1682 to 1857)—connected to the farm in some way, as our families were involved with both the farm work and the mill work. The mill was housed in quite a large building, with a watercourse running from the mill to the lake: on the other side of the lake is Belgrade farm.

After his marriage, Joseph operated the mill in the little town of Gondrexange. His half sister Catherine and her husband Joseph Oyer operated the same mill at one time. It no longer exists, but there is a street named “old mill road.”

Many Anabaptists lived at Ketzing estate just outside Gondrexange, possibly including our Schrag families. Caspar, Joseph’s father and himself a miller, also lived at Gondrexange. He was there in 1804 when Catherine, daughter of his first wife, Marie Blazer, married Joseph Oyer. It is also the birthplace of three of Joseph and Marie’s children: Johannes was born here according to his marriage document, as were Peter, and Andrew. Later, Magdalena was born in Imling near Saarebourg at the Rimling mill, and Barbara’s birthplace is yet unknown.

Joseph lived at the farm Alzing for a time. Both of his wives were born there:
Marie Neuhauser in 1772 and Marie Engel in 1774.
Marie’s father, Nicholas Neuhauser, died there in 1798, as did his wife,
(Marie’s step-mother), Catherine Ritzieker, one week after her husband.
Marie’s brother, Jean, was born at Alzing as well in 1775.

Les Bachats is the farm across a small lake from Rhodes and connected to that village. (A bachats is a feeding trough, indicating the farm probably included cattle.) Today it offers bed and breakfast lodging to tourists.

At least two generations of Schrags lived in Rhodes:
Joseph’s step-brother Jean was born at Bachats in 1773
Joseph’s father Caspar was a miller and tailor of clothes in 1788
Caspar’s son Joseph lived there in 1797; he worked at the Bachats mill and was there in 1822
and still in 1826 when son Johannes married Catherine Salzman in nearby Blamont;
then Joseph died at Rhodes in 1830.

Hellocourt, a farm since the 1700s a few miles east of Gondrexange, is the 1802 birthplace of Joseph “Red Joe” Belsly (Pelsy). He married Barbara Schrag, youngest child of Joseph and Marie. Many of the original buildings are gone–destroyed in the war. Most of the present buildings were erected by the Germans after WWI, but several original structures remain.

It is not known where Joseph and Barbara were married, in France or in America. An account taken from Verna Belsley’s book states:  ‘Barbara Schrock had come to this country with her father at the death of the son Christian, to see that representative was found in this country for the goods shipped from France. Expecting to return they brot (sic) with them seed, bits of mechanical machinery, ideas and scientific methods with which Joseph Belsly was inspired.”

But we know Barbara’s father Joseph died in Rhodes and did not come to America. Of course, we can speculate Red Joe and Barbara could have been married in France, had a son named Christian who died in France, and that father Joseph made a trip to America with Barbara and then returned to France. However, if Barbara was born around 1812-15, she would have been 15-18 when her father Joseph died in 1830, not providing much time to be married, have a son and make a trip to America. We need more information before knowing how this all worked out with the couple.

Gondrexange, Rimling and Blamont are near Saarebourg in Moselle, Lorraine, as is Rhodes where Joseph died. But Robert-Espagne and Dompcevrin are farther north in Meuse, Lorraine, between Metz and Reims. There were Schrock families living in that area and our families must have gone there to find work, since Peter is listed as an apprentice miller in his marriage document. Johannes was a miller at Cheppe when his daughter Catherine’s birth was recorded in 1829.  These years in Meuse were unknown to me until February of this year (2010) when our friend Jean-Francois sent birth and marriage documents he found, revealing details of the final years in Europe for three of our immigrants before leaving for America.

*****

Quarterly List of Arrivals at the Port of Baltimore: April-June 1831

(Ship name not known)

Members of our Schrag family arriving at that time (all are under the name Gerard or Gerrard):

Johannes, Catherine and their children Joseph and Catherine

Madaline (Magdalena)  (age 19)

Peter, Mary and their children Peter and Madaline

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

His Ancestors and His Descendants

by Donna Schrock Birkey
Originally published in the Winter 2004 issue (Vol. XXXI, No. 4)
Illinois Mennonite Heritage Quarterly (http://www.imhgs.org)
(Used with permission of original publisher)

A 1589 Swiss record of the surname (Trina) Salzman is shown below. Over the years some families added a “t,” others added an extra“ n, still others changed “z” to “s”—so evolved the various spellings.

The Winter 2002 issue of Illinois Mennonite Heritage Quarterly carried the story of Immigrant Johannes Schrock of Illinois. Johannes’ wife was Catherine Salzman, daughter of Michael Salzman. This time I focus on the ancestry of Michael Salzman in Europe and follow him and his family to America. Both the Schrock and Salzman families were closely linked to Belgrade farm near Bistroff, Moselle, France in the early 1800s. Belgrade was home to a number of Anabaptist families, including Staker, Schertz, Engel, Stalter and Zehr families, who after emigration lived again in a close community in Butler Co., OH, and then in Tazewell Co., IL. Bistroff is no doubt where Catherine Salzman and Johannes Schrag courted, and they were married a few miles away in Blamont in 1826. The Schrock and Salzman families traveled together to America in the spring of 1831. We begin our story with Michael’s ancestors—his grandfather Christian and father Michel.

CHRISTIAN SALTZMANN (ca. 1719-1795)

Christian was born about 1719 and died 5 May 1795 at Zelle farm, Petit Tenquin, Moselle. He married Marie Rider (Rediger?). When son Michel recorded his death the following day he indicated that Marie was already deceased. ¹

MICHEL/MICHAEL SALTZMAN (ca. 1755-1821)

Michel was born about 1755 in Altwiller, Lower Alsace, and died 16 Jun 1821 ² at Vallerade farm in Albestroff, a horse-breeding farm established in 1717 and at one time belonging to the Duke of Lorraine. It is situated about seven miles to the east of Altwiller. His death record identifies him as a farmer at Vallerade, son of Christian Salzmann and Marie Rider, and husband of Catherine Weiss (born about 1758 in Zweibrucken), daughter of Christian Weiss and Catherine Ziegel. Michel and Catherine died only days apart. Catherine’s death entry on 24 Jun 1821 ³ follows Michel’s in the civil records of Albestroff.

The couple had nine children. Michel, Pierre, Catherine, Magdeleine, Barbe and Christian were all born at Zelle farm, Petit Tenquin (near Grostenquin), but the parents did not register their births until Dec. 26, 1801 at Sarralbe. ⁴ By that date the children ranged in age from 9 to 22. Their birth records provide us with most details we know of the family. (Joseph Salzman who married Barbara Litwiller may be a son of Christian and brother to Michel, but it has yet to be proven.)

MICHAEL SALZMAN (1779-1861)and wife Catherin Hergi

Michael was born 29 Sep 1779 in Petit Tenquin, ¹⁷ the son of Michel Salzman and Catherine Weiss, and died 30 Nov 1861 Butler Co. OH at age 82. He married Catherin Hergi (Hirschi), daughter of Pierre Hergi of St. Avold, and Anne Agnes Farny. Their marriage record ¹⁸ identifies Michael as an Anabaptist and records preliminary announcements were posted at Sarralbe and St. Avold on December 11 and 18, 1803. It also reveals that the marriage was held in Sarralbe at 3:00 on 3 Mar 1804 in deference to the 53-year-old father Michel Salzman who was living at Haras, also named as an Anabaptist.

Michael was a resident of Sarralbe before he and Catherine Hergi were married there, and they were still in Sarralbe at the time of daughter Catherine’s birth in October of 1804. During 1803, and perhaps over a longer period, Michael worked as a cultivator at Haras, near Sarralbe, as did his father. At some point the family moved to Forbach where Michael was a miller at Schloesser’s mill.  This is also where his wife Catherine died on 5 Mar 1814. ¹⁹ Catherine had been born during 1780 in St. Avold, if we use her death record to calculate the birth year. Before she died, Catherine bore Michael four children:

Peter and Susan had a large family, but son Michael is the only one with a known history to me. He was born 9 Jan 1836 in Ohio (no doubt Butler Co.) and died 9 Feb 1907 in Red Cloud NE. He married Sarah Yetter Kenny on 22 Oct 1860. They had a family of eight children: three daughters and five sons. Most were born in Lafayette IN, but one was born in Cerro Gorda, IL in 1870 and one in Logan, KS in1872. ²⁵

Only three months after his wife’s death Michael (1779-1861) is in Vallerade, Albestroff, where his parents resided and where he married Madelaine Eiyman in June. ²⁶ He is named there off and on until 1823. But in that year he moved to Belgrade Farm with his family and was a farmer at Bischwald mill in Bistroff.

MICHAEL SALZMAN (1779-1861) and second wife Magdalena Eymann

Michael’s second wife was the daughter of Etienne (Stephen) Eymann and Marie Cers (Zehr?). Magdalena was born 2 June 1795 in Prussia/Palatinate and died 1 Oct 1875 (one source says 1870) in Butler Co., OH. Their children are:

THE 1831 TRIP TO AMERICA

From 1755 to 1826, three generations of Salzman families seemed to live and move mostly within a triangular area from Bistroff east about 22 miles to Sarralbe and southward 14 miles to Albestroff.

But in the spring of 1831 two of the families made a radical departure–the Michael and André Salzman families, and several Schrag families, left France for America. They left together, even as they had lived together at Belgrade farm. They traveled to Le Havre on the coast of France where they boarded a ship and sailed to Baltimore, arriving sometime between April 1 and June 30. Since their names are on page 4 and 5 of the Quarterly Arrival abstract of passengers, one could guess they arrived earlier rather than later in the quarter. On the same list of passengers, named both before and after the Salzmans and Schrags, were Engel, Shirtz, Neuhauser, Rogi, Suisse, and Zimmerman families totaling about seventy Anabaptists. All the men were listed as farmers from France. ³⁶

The ship list answers some questions, but raises others. Ages given on the list do not always correspond with birth records found. But I was personally very pleased to finally find my immigrant Schrock ancestor, Johannes, on the list. At first glance it seemed that his wife Catherine Salzman and their two children sailed to America with her family, leaving Johannes behind for some reason. But on closer examination, Johannes was found to be passenger #147 with a difficult-to-decipher surname of Gerrard (used in many French documents for Schrack/Schrag). Although he was listed separately from his wife and children (#152, 156, 157), he was among other Anabaptist men. The original ship manifest and name of the ship may be lost; however, the Quarterly Arrival lists have preserved the names and approximate arrival times. (See the list of names with comments and questions below.)

As did many arriving immigrants, both Salzman and Schrock families left Baltimore and traveled to Lancaster Co., PA, where they stayed for a short while. It is difficult to find information about this time period as they were in transit and between census records, probably living with other Anabaptists who served as hosts until the immigrant families were able to move on to their intended destinations.

NATURALIZATION

Michael took his family on to Butler Co., Ohio, and in June of 1840, Michael, with sons Michael, Andrew, and John, standing before the Court of Common pleas of the Court of Butler in the State of Ohio, “declared his intention to become a citizen of the United States and renounce all allegiance to the King of France, of whom he was then a subject.” In the September Term of 1842 Michael and his sons were given citizenship. As a matter of law at that time, when the men of the family were given citizenship the women were automatically included. Two witnesses declared that Michael had resided within the United States upwards of five years and within the State of Ohio and County of Butler upwards of one year; and during that time he had behaved as a man of good moral character.  In the same September Term of 1842 Michael’s son Peter, with sons Michael, John and Christian, was also given citizenship and two years later, in the September Term of 1844 son Christian, after declaring his intention in 1842, was also given citizenship. ³⁷

In 1850 we find Michael living in Lemon Township with wife Magdalena, and children Andrew, Phoebe, and John—next door to daughter Catherine and John Schrock, and near daughter Jacobina and her Staker in-laws.

LAND PURCHASE

In 1796 the Ohio Company had set aside Section 29 in each of the 10 townships of its second purchase for the support of religion. Most of Ohio’s early immigrants were religious and this supported their desire to worship and teach their religious beliefs to their children. Ohio was the only state in the Union, other than a few small mission sites in the West, where Congress gave land for the support of religion.

The State of Ohio was authorized by Congress in 1833 to sell or rent unused parts of each Section 29. The money from sales was invested, and churches within the boundaries of the original township received the interest and rent income until 1968. ³⁸

Michael, along with son-in-law John Schrock, purchased and lived on this “ministerial” land between the Miami Rivers in Section 29, Lemon Township, which they had purchased from the State of Ohio. Michael’s purchase was for 81 and 34/100 acres for which he paid $813.40. He made the final payment in July 1855. ³⁹ This land lies along present-day Salzman Road. (See map above.)

Michael stayed in Butler Co. even after several of his children including Catherine and John Schrock moved away. He and his family continued to live in the Amish community with long-time friends and family from France and worshipped with the more conservative group of Amish sometimes led by neighbor Peter Schrock, John’s brother.

IMPENDING DEATH

Recognizing the importance of having his affairs in order, in 1855 Michael put together a will ⁴⁰ for his family, naming son Andrew as executor and son John as trustee of funds for minor grandchildren. Realizing he was nearing the end of his earthly life Michael filed a codicil to his will about ten months before his death, removing Andrew who had moved away and naming Jacob Hittell of the city of Hamilton, Ohio, as executor. Monetary designations for the heirs were:

Death finally came to Michael 30 Nov 1861. When wife Magdalena died fourteen years later, she was buried along side Michael in Lot 2, Section 3, Mound Cemetery, Butler Co., OH.

PROBATE RECORDS

Probate records ⁴¹ reveal that John Long received $21 for Michael’s coffin and services. M. Doell (?) received $8 for “oil cloth coat needed for funeral of Michael Salzman.” Mound Cemetery (Rich Davies) was paid $26.25 (presumably for the lot) and $2.50 for interment of the body. Dr. D. R. Dyche submitted a bill totaling $25 for services on 16 different days during October 1861, no doubt for medical attention during Michael’s final sickness before death.

On 3 Feb 1862, an inventory ⁴² of personal property gave the value as $215.32. Items included 1 milk cow, $15; 1 kitchen cupboard, $10; 2 blankets and quilt coverlet, $12; 1 bed and bedstead and bedding, $24; 1 keg wine and 1 barrel vinegar, $8; a note against Andrew McCleary for $56, which was declared “of doubtful value.”

Son John was sworn in 1904 that he had carried out his duty as guardian of funds for Michael’s grandchildren (children of Marie Russell) and had paid all that was due under the terms of the will. The funds were distributed to Mrs. Carrie Hill, C. M. Igleberger (Eichelberger), Mary C. Allen, Harry Igleberger, L.F. Igleberger, M. Elizabeth Russell and Leah L. Russell. ⁴³

So ends the chronicles of my great, great, great, great grandfather Michael Salzman.

________________________________________________________________________

ENDNOTES

¹ Death record, Petit-Tenquin, LDS Film #1979095
² Death record, Albestroff, LDS Film #1858646
³ Ibid.
⁴ The birth dates of children Michel, Pierre, Catherine, Madeleine and Barbe are known from a declaration made by their father
at Sarralbe Dec. 26,1801, found on LDS Film 1982659.
⁵ Marriage record, Albestroff, LDS Film #1858646
⁶ See Endnote 4
⁷ Marriage record, Sarrebourg, LDS Film #1980413
⁸ See Endnote 4
⁹ Marriage record, Rhodes, LDS Film #1980413
¹⁰ Birth record, Petit Tenquin, LDS Film #1979095
¹¹ Marriage record, Grostenquin, LDS Film #1896920
¹² Birth record, Petit Tenquin, LDS Film #1979095
¹³ Marriage record, Val de Gueblange-les-Sarralbe, LDS Film 1897073
¹⁴ Butler County, Ohio Naturalization records Sept 1840
¹⁵ The Salzman, Troyer, and King Families, Copyright 1969 by Ann Farrier
¹⁶ Birth record, Sarralbe, LDS Film #1981659
¹⁷ Birth date taken from marriage documents
¹⁸ Marriage record, Sarralbe, LDS Film #1981660
¹⁹ Death record, Forbach, LDS Film #1895129
²⁰ Birth record of Pierre not found
²¹ Birth record, Sarralbe, LDS Film #1981660
²² Known from ship list and Michael Salzman’s will
²³ Birth record, Forbach, LDS Film #1895129
²⁵ Michael Saltzman information and photo provided by Bill Burr, “The Burr Family of England and USA” website.
²⁶ Marriage record, Albestroff, LDS Film #1858646
²⁷ Ibid.
²⁸ Birth record, Bistroff, LDS Film #1860456
²⁹ Birth record, Bistroff, LDS Film #1882991
³⁰ Ibid.
³¹ Known from Michael Salzman’s will and Mennonites of Butler Co., Ohio by Grubb
³² Ibid.
³³ Farrier
³⁴ Known from Michael Salzman’s will and Mennonites of Butler Co., Ohio by Grubb
³⁵ Baltimore Arrivals Index, LDS Film #1376178
³⁶ Butler County, Ohio Naturalization records Sept 1842, p. 135; Sept 1844, p. 285
³⁷ http://www.shelbycountyhistory.org/schs/immigration/landeducatrelig.htm
³⁸ Deed Book No. 26, p. 111, Butler County, OH (1854-55)
³⁹ Will filed 1861
⁴⁰ Probate record File Box 99, #02380
⁴¹ Inventory #668 Vol. 3, Page 450
⁴² Probate record

For several months in 2004/2005 I was in contact with Joseph Staker, who was researching his Staker connections in Tazewell County. These connections include many Amish Mennonite families with names such as Salzman, Schrock, Birkey, Zehr, Schertz, Engel, Garber, Roth, Ropp and Farney. Since there is interconnectedness in our family lines we worked together to decipher connections from original documents and collected works. Joe has done the footwork of ordering and reading film after film of French civil records. I added what I could to his findings. He has done a great service in connecting so many of the families of Tazewell County and surroundings. His family document is online. (The link is on my Home Page.) I thank Joe especially for leading me to the ship list with the names of my Schrock and Salzman immigrants.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SHIP LIST- Quarterly Abstract April 1-June 30, 1831- Le Havre to Baltimore
Passengers from France:

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