Harold A. Zehr

Other Events and Attributes:

• CLER: Y
• Occupation: Farmer, School Teacher, Minister
• Religion: Mennonite
• USR1: Heart Attack
• Ordained: 1931, Fisher, Champaign Co., IL
• Residence: Dec 1952, Roanoke Twp., Woodford Co., IL

Notes:

Obit:
Zehr, Harold, son of Jacob E. and Emma (Miller) Zehr, was born at Goodfield, Ill., Oct. 15, 1903; died of a heart attack on Dec. 15, 1975; aged 72 y. In 1926, he was married to Alma Unzicker, who preceded him in death in 1966. In 1967, he was married to Ruth Schertz, who survives. Also surviving are 4 sons (Jay, John, Dean, and Allen Zehr), 4 daughters (Edith, Rachel, Mrs. Hazel Yoder, and Mrs. Lila King), one sister (Mrs. Mildred Good), and 3 brothers (Walter, Ellis, and Chester). He was preceded in death by one sister (Mrs. Mabel Schrock). He was ordained to the ministry in 1931 and served as a pastor in Illinois and Ohio. Funeral services were held at the East Bend Mennonite Church, Fisher, Ill., Dec. 17, in charge of Carl Newswanger and Edwin Stalter.

Ordained:
East Bend Mennonite Church

Residence:
Became Executive Secretary of the Ulrich Foundation and Director of PR for Ulrich Manufacturing Co.

Died:
from March 1978 Mennonite Heritage

Buried:
East Bend Mennonite Cemetery

Harold married Alma P. Unzicker on 30 Jun 1926 in Roanoke, Woodford Co., IL. Alma (daughter of Samuel Ernest Unzicker and Sarah L. Steider) was born on 5 Nov 1903 in Roanoke, Woodford Co., IL; died on 18 Apr 1966 in Normal, McLean Co., IL; was buried in Fisher, Champaign Co., IL. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Edith Marie Zehr was born on 28 Mar 1927 in Foosland, Champaign Co., IL; died on 20 Aug 2001 in Normal, McLean Co., IL; was buried in Hudson, McLean Co., IL.
2. Wesley Jay Zehr was born on 24 Jul 1928 in Foosland, Champaign Co., IL; died on 7 Jul 2017 in Goshen, Elkhart Co., IN.
3. Dr. John Everett Zehr was born on 29 Dec 1929 in Foosland, Champaign Co., IL; died on 5 Feb 2018 in Urbana, Champaign Co., IL.
4. Dean Richard Zehr was born on 24 Feb 1932 in Foosland, Champaign Co., IL; died on 5 Nov 2014; was buried in Metamora, Woodford Co., IL.
5. Hazel Irene Zehr was born on 18 Jan 1934 in Foosland, Champaign Co., IL; died on 23 Oct 2021 in Goshen, Elkhart Co., IN; was buried on 12 Nov 2021 in Normal, McLean Co., IL.
6. Allen Lee Zehr was born on 30 Nov 1935 in Foosland, Champaign Co., IL; died on 14 Jan 2021 in Indianapolis, Marion Co., IN; was buried in Bedford, Lawrence Co., IN.
7. Rachel Zehr was born on 8 Aug 1937 in Foosland, Champaign Co., IL; died on 14 Sep 2016 in Chenoa, McLean Co., IL; was cremated in 2016 in Normal, McLean Co., IL.
8. Lila Zehr was born on 1 Jul 1941; died on 4 Sep 2019 in Harrisonburg, Rockingham Co., VA.

Harold married Ruth Olive Springer in Aug 1967. Ruth (daughter of Valentine Springer and Katie Litwiller) was born on 29 Feb 1912; died on 16 Sep 2002; was buried in Metamora, Woodford Co., IL. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Farmer
• Religion: Mennonite
• Naturalization: 5 Oct 1858, Woodford Co., IL
• Residence: until 1904, Goodfield, Woodford Co., IL
• Residence: 1904, Near Bloomington, IL
• Residence: 1911, Fisher, Champaign Co., IL

Notes:

Obit:
Zehr. --- Jacob E., son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Ehrisman) Zehr, was born near Goodfield in Woodford Co., Ill., Aug. 9, 1872; died at his home in Fisher, Ill., Aug. 11, 1950; aged 78 y. 2 d. On Feb. 13, 1902, he was married to Emma Miller, of Carlock, Ill. To this union were born 4 sons (Harold, Rantoul, Ill.; Walter, Albuquerque, N. Mex.; Ellis, Rockville, Ind.; and Chester, Fisher, Ill.), and 2 daughters (Mabel Schrock, Fisher, Ill.; and Mildred Good, Rantoul, Ill.). Early in life he accepted Christ as his personal Saviour and united with the Mennonite Church. He maintained a keen interest in spiritual things and was a dovoted Bible student throughout life. He lived at the place of his birth until 1904, when he moved to a farm near Bloomington in McLean Co., Ill., and from there in 1911 to a farm west of Fisher. In 1941 he retired and moved into Fisher. He was a loving husband, an understanding father, and a Christian citizen. Surviving are his wife, 6 children, 22 grandchildren, and a large number of other relatives and friends. Funeral services were conducted at the East Ben Mennonite Church, in charge of A. J. Metzler and J. A. Heiser.

Transcriber's note: The author of the obituary misspelled "devoted."

Residence:
in the home of his parents

Residence:
Attended East White Oak Mennonite Church

Residence:
Purchased the Joseph Yordy farm near Fisher

Buried:
East Bend Mennonite Cemetery

Jacob married Emma A. Miller on 13 Feb 1902. Emma (daughter of Christian Miller and Rachel Sharp) was born on 20 Mar 1876 in Carlock, McLean Co., IL; died on 23 Oct 1955 in Rantoul, Champaign Co., IL; was buried in Fisher, Champaign Co., IL. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Obit: Gospel Herald - Volume XLVIII , Number 46 - November 15, 1955 -- page 1101, 1102.

Zehr, -- Emma, daughter of Christian and Rachel (Sharp) Miller, was born on March 20, 1876 near Carlock, Ill.; passed away at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Joe Good, near Rantoul, Ill., on Oct. 23, 1955, as she was listening to the strains of the hymn, "Lord, I Am Coming Home." She was married to Jacob E. Zehr on Feb. 13, 1902, and they made their home near Goodfield, Ill. Later they moved Yukon, Ill., and in Feb., 1911, they moved to a farm near Fisher, Ill., where they lived until retirement in 1941, when they moved to Fisher. She had been in failing health for the past several months. She is survived by one daughter (Mildred Good), 4 sons (Harold, Roanoke, Ill.; Walter, Albuquerque, N. Mex.; Ellis, Rockville, Ind., and Chester, Fisher, Ill), 28 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren, 3 sisters and two brothers (Elizabeth-Mrs. Frank Irons, Congerville, Ill., Mrs. Mary Basting, Bertha and Rufus of Bloomington-Normal area, and Clarence, Stanford, Ill.). She was preceded in death by her husband in 1950; one daughter Mabel Schrock, and one sister who died in her youth. Early in life she accepted Christ as Saviour and had an active interest in the work of her church until her death. Funeral services were held at the Eat Bend Mennonite Church, of which she was a member, by Howard J. Zehr and Ivan Birkey, on Oct. 26. Interment was made in the East Bend Mennonite Church.

Birth:
(8 Aug? FAG)

Died:
at home of her daughter Mrs. Joe Good

Buried:
East Bend Mennonite Cemetery

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: In Europe, A Dienstknecht (Farm Hand), In US, A Minister/Farmer
• Religion: Amish Mennonite
• Residence: 1848, Slabtown, Woodford Co., IL
• Immigration: May 1848, Le Havre to New York
• Census: 1850, Woodford Co., IL
• Census: 1880, Montgomery Twp., Woodford Co., IL

Notes:

Obit: Herald of Truth - March 15, 1898 - page 93, 94.
PRE. JACOB ZEHR
Montgomery Township, Woodford County, Ill., lost one of its oldest and most respected citizens on Tuesday morning of Feb. 22nd, 1898 by the death of Pre. Jacob Zehr, at his home in Mackinaw valley, near Zimmerman's Ford. Deceased was born in Bavaria, Germany, Sept. 17, 1825 and emigrated to America in the spring of 1848. On April 21st, 1850, he was married to Elizabeth Ehresman and settled on the farm upon which he died. This farm he entered from the government and by hard labor succeeded in making it a comfortable home, leaving his family well provided for. His family consisted of four sons and five daughters of whom one son and two daughters preceded him to the grave; his wife, six children and eighteen grandchildren survive him. Bro. Zehr united with the Amish Mennonite Church in early youth and remained a faithful member to the time of his death. On the 12th of June 1859, he was chosen by the above named church as minister of the Gospel, and on May 17th, 1863 ordained as bishop. It was ever his highest aim to fill this charge according to God's ordinances as long as He gave him power and health to do so. He was a sufferer from nervousness or sick-headache more or less for nearly forty years, which wore on him so that for the last four or five years his health has been so poor that he was unable to preach. This seemed to be his greatest sorrow in his declining years; yet by his patience in his sufferings and his trust in his Master he was ever setting a good example to others who visited him, and to his family. About four months ago he was partly paralyzed and from that time was confined to his bed and as helpless as a child, patiently awaiting his Master's call to come up higher. His life on earth was an exemplary, upright, humble one, highly respected by all who knew him. While the sorrow of his death is general, yet it is mitigated by the knowledge that after a long and useful life a good man has gone to the home he so longed for.

What a blessed assurance that
"If we so live as to meet him,
In heaven his bright face we shall see."

The funeral services were held in the village of Deer Creek. Thursday at 1 o'clock P. M. Feb., 24th, a very large congregation of friends and relatives came to pay their last tribute of respect to their beloved friend whose kindness and generosity brightened the lives of many. Elder John Schmitt of Metamora spoke in German, and Val. Strubhar of Washington, in English. The remains were laid to rest in the Mt. Zion cemetery, two miles north of Deer Creek.

"Yonder in the graveyard gently
Rests the form we loved so well;
But we look to heaven and glory
Where there will be no farewell.
Farewell father, till we meet thee,
In thy heavenly home above;
There to sing God's praises with thee,
In the land of joy and love."


Settled near Slabtown near his brothers. After marriage he farmed near Mackinaw River's Zimmerman Ford at the southern edge of Woodford County's Montgomery Township.

“Jacob and Elizabeth’s two oldest children, a son and a daughter, died in infancy. These two children, we were told, were buried in a little plot under the apple tree in the southeast corner of their garden.”

He was ordained as a minister on June 12, 1859, and as an elder (bishop) on May 20, 1863, for the Mackinaw Meeting. After 1873 he primarily served the Goodfield congregation. He attended the May 16-19, 1875, Amish ministers conference held in the Sutter barn.

“For Jacob Zehr there was a “throne in the flesh” in the form of very painful headaches from which he suffered for 35 years. These finally wore him down so that the last few years of his life he was no longer able to minister to the people. Once he could no longer fulfill this service his desire was to be called out of this life to be with his Lord.

“The last four months of life he was partially parliized. On a Tuesday morning, Feb 22 1898, death came to release him form further suffering. His funeral was held in the Deer Creek Baptist church in order to accommodate the large crowd of people who came to the services. The services were in charge of Rev. Peter Zehr, Rev. John Smith, and Rev. John Strubhar. His body was laid to rest in the Mt. Zion cemetery north of Deer Creek, IL.”

“Jacob., Jr. is at the well; in the background are Phoebe (Zehr) Wolber and her daughter [given her apparent age, probably Mary Magdalena “Lena”, b. 1895] and Mrs. (Zehr) Warner. It was recorded that “Mrs. Wolber’s small son [Alvin] fled to the safety of the house” because he was camera-shy!” ,


According to Auswanderung, Jakob Zehr, a serving farmhand at Hanfeld, emigrated from Bavaria in 1848 bound for Illinois with 400 florins in hand.

Birth:
in the Hofmark at Hilgertshausen

Residence:
Purchased land in row Zimmerman Ford area of Mackinaw River.

Immigration:
On the ship Admiral. Assets of 400 fl.

Census:
Living next to older brother Christian: Jacob Sears, 25, Germany; and Eliza, 20, Germany.

Census:
Farmer Jacob Zehr, 42, Bavaria; R. Annie Zehr, 36, Ohio; with six children born in Illinois, and Magdalena Zehr, 75, Bavaria

Buried:
Mr. Zion Cemetery (see photo)

Jacob married Elizabeth Ehresman on 21 Apr 1850 in Woodford Co., IL. Elizabeth (daughter of Christian Ehresman (Eyresmann) and Magdalena Barnhardt) was born on 11 Sep 1830 in GR; died on 27 Nov 1902 in Deer Creek Twp., Tazewell Co., IL; was buried in Deer Creek, Washington Twp., Tazewell Co., IL. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Religion: Amish Mennonite
• Immigration: 1835, OH
• Residence: 1844, IL

Notes:

Elizabeth died a highly respected lady who spent her married life fulfilling duties as mother, minister’s wife and Christian lady.

Buried:
Mt. Zion cemetery

Notes:

Christian + Rachel Sharp. Rachel was born in 1849; died in 1926. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Farmer
• Religion: Amish Mennonite
• USR1: Cholera
• Residence: 1803, Abstried, near Diessen, Bavaria, GR
• Residence: 1810-1817, Laim, Bavaria, GR
• Residence: 1818-1827, Manried, Bavaria, GR
• Immigration: 1849, New York, NY
• Residence: 1828-1849, Hanfeld, Bavaria, GR
• Residence: 1849, Woodford Co., IL

Notes:

At one time Daniel lived in the village of Struth in France, but moved to Bavaria in 1803, where he leased a cattle farm for two years. From 1810 to 1817, the family lived at Laim, near Munich. Daniel purchased property at Manried near Hilgertshausen on 2 Dec 1818, then resold it on 15 Dec 1827. The next move was to Hanfeld, near Starnberg, Bavaria. At the age of 72 and about ten years after the death of his wife (Magdalena Unzicker), Daniel emigrated to America with the David Springer family on the ship Minnesota. The ship departed from Liverpool, England and arrived in New York on 21 June 1849. From New York Daniel went to Illinois where his sons George, Christian, Peter, and Jacob had settled.

Also on board were Valentine Birkey (1794) with brother Christian's daughter, Barbara and her illegitimate son, and Mary Burkey Birky.

Daniel’s children’s names were kept in a 1780 edition of Martyrs’ Mirror that has been passed down in the Ingold family.
——————
While in Bavaria, Daniel was one of the signatories to a letter sent March 18, 1811, to King Maximilian I. Joseph (ruler from 1806-1825). In it the “Elders of the Menonists” of the dairy farm Oberndorf, appealed to the King for permission to hire their own private instructors to educate their children in their own catechism, since he had allowed them freedom of religion. But “some of the community have received legal orders to send their children to school a good half hour away.”

The answer came to them on Sept. 11, 1811, that “attendance of the local school remained compulsory, but the Mennonite children were not compelled to participate in religious instruction.”

Other signing the letter were: Christian Güngerich, Heinrich Stalter, Christian Bürcky, Johannes Bächler.

———————
Daniel’s estate was probated in 1858 (Woodford Co., IL), Jacob Summers, Administrator. Appraisers were Christian and Peter Farney and Peter Sommer.
Paid out was: Christian Zehr $825.79; Daniel Zehr $825.79; Magdalena Zehr $36.00; Magdalena Zehr two $40 payments.

Residence:
Bergerhof. Laim was very near Nymphenberg in Gern. Thus, surely he had dealings with the Stalter and Birkey families in Gern.

Immigration:
From Liverpool. Arrived 21 June 1849 on ship Minnesota. Only son Joseph stayed in Bavaria.

Residence:
Mang-Anwesen

Residence:
Mackinaw River area

Buried:
Thought to be Slabtown Cemetery

Daniel married Magdalena Unzicker on 6 Jun 1802 in Windstein, Wissembourg, Alsace, FR. Magdalena (daughter of Johannes Unzicker and Barbara Ullmann) was born on 8 May 1785 in Windstein, Wissembourg, Alsace, FR; died on 16 Dec 1838 in Hanfeld, Bavaria, GR; was buried in Hanfeld, Bavaria, GR. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Birth:
Bas-Rhin

Died:
Dec 1 (Staker)

Notes:

On 17 Parairial 10th year of the Republic (6 Jun 1802), at Windstein, District of Wissembourg, France, Daniel Zohr, age19, sone of Daniel Zehr and Catherina Zohr, married Magdalena Hunzicker, age 17, daughter of Johannes Unzicker and Barbara Uhlmann of Windstein. The following persons were witnesses and signed the marriage record: Joseph Zohr, farmer, age 47 years; Jacob Stepp, farmer, age 54 years, both residing at Windstein; Christian Bock, farmer, age 35 of Windstein; Christian Zohr, farmer, age 45 of Stultzthal.

Married:
Marriage records of Windstein, Bas-Rhin, France, 1793-1862:
On 17 Prairial 10th year of the Republic (6 Jun 1802), at Windstein, District of Wissembourg, France, Daniel Zohr, age 19, son of Daniel Zehr and Catherina Zohr, married Magdalena Hunzicker, age 17, daughter of Johannes Unzicker and Barbara Uhlmann of Windstein. The following persons were witnesses and signed the marriage record: Joseph Zohr, farmer, age 47 years; Jacob Stepp, farmer, age 54 years, both residing at Windstein; Christian Bock, farmer, age 35 of Windstein; Christian Zohr, farmer, age 45 of Stultzthal.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Immigration: 10 Nov 1836, New York, NY

Notes:

Obit: Gospel Herald, September 1874:

"Aug. 11th, in Woodford Co., Ill., of dropsy of the heart, Christian Erisman, aged 74 years, 4 months and 25 days. He leaves a bereaved wife and 15 children, who were all present before his death. Remarks suitable to the occasion were made by Joseph Stuckey, from 1 Peter 1:24. - Peace to his ashes."

Of Deer Creek, IL. Native of Stuttgart, Wurttemberg, Germany.

Birth:
, according to the Wimsheim Familien Register. However, when he died Aug. 11, 1874, his obituary said he was "aged 74 years, 4 months and 25 days." His headstone in Slabtown Cemetery at Goodfiield also says, "Christian Ehresman died Aug. 11, 1874 aged 74 Y. 4 M. & 25 D." This erroneous calculation would yield a birth date of March 16, 1800.

Immigration:
Ship Troy. The ship Troy sailed from Le Havre and arrived at New York City Nov. 10, 1836. The Ehresmans are found on the passenger list in a group of travelers from Baden: Christian Ehresman, 36; Anna, 22; Jacob, 10; Johann, 7; Elisabeth, 4; Christina [Christian], 3; Jacobina, 2; and Daniel, 1. According to the Troy passenger list, Daniel died at sea Oct. 26, 1836.

Buried:
Slabtown Cemetery

Christian + Magdalena Barnhardt. Magdalena (daughter of Johannes Barnhardt and Katharina Güngerich) died in 1834 in GR. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes: