| Notes |
- The Christian Farny family was among the first settlers along the Mackinaw River in McLean Co., IL. He and first wife “Nancy” bought land there twice, first on Sept 8, 1834 and then August of 1836. Christian was quite prominent in the development of the village of Farnisville.
With his two wives, Christian had eight children. Most settled in Kansas.
“His headstone in Fairmount Lone Star Cemetery at Clay, Butler County, Kansas calls him Christian Farni and says that he was born May 15, 1800 and died April 3, 1882. Christian's father died four months before his birth - Feb. 1, 1800 - and Anne Risser was noted to be a widow at the time of the birth. Birth entry witnesses included Christian Engel, 35, a cultivator at Zommange (he was married to Freni Risser, sister to Anne Risser; he was also a cousin and close friend to future elder Christian Engel. Another birth witness was Jacob Moser, 36, mill hand at Nolweyer Pond, who later married the widow Anne Risser to become Christian's stepfather.
“Christian Farny (also found as 'Christophe,' as well as Farni, Farney, and Forney) was born June 3, 1800 according to a civil birth entry created at Bisping. His headstone in Fairmount Lone Star Cemetery at Clay, Butler County, Kansas calls him Christian Farni and says that he was born May 15, 1800 and died April 3, 1882.
“The most significant event in the early lives of Christian and his older brother Peter/Pierre may have been the occupation of their village by Russian troops in 1814. After the defeat of the French army, every citizen in the Lorraine Region feared the arrival of Cossack cavalrymen. The mayor of Bisping assured his constituency that they should not yield to panic or leave the village, since it was unlikely the Russians would pass through their tiny community. Nevertheless the Russian army set up camp along the route between Bisping and Angviller. Bisping residents were tasked to provide sheep, pigs, hay, oats, straw, and firewood. Pots and pans were lent out to the encampments, then abandoned on the spot when the soldiers departed. Later the mayor shrugged off the embarrassment, asserting that the losses and damages would have been the same if they had been French troops.
In 1824 or earlier Christian emigrated from Europe and made his way to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He married Anna Mosimann in Lancaster County Feb. 14, 1824. Christian's Bible entry recorded the location as 'Pennsilfachin' - a Pennsylvania Dutch dialect equivalent of 'Pennsylvania.'
In 1826 Christian became a traveling companion of the Ropp family on their move to Ontario. His lot in the German Block of Wilmot is labeled 'Christian Farne' on the 1830 map. He lived on the south side of Snyder Street, across from Andreas Ropp and four households to the west.
Christian's brother Peter traveled to Pennsylvania in late 1831, and arrived at Wilmot in 1832.
“Like the Ropps, the Farnys became disenchanted with Wilmot. Christian followed the progress of the Ropp family from Wilmot to Butler County to Mackinaw Dells, and he appeared at Mackinaw Dells shortly after their arrival in 1834. After spending the first winter sharing their lodgings, he began to organize projects that would bring him his own farm. Peter joined him in 1835.
“The brothers partnered with Joseph Guingrich to build a sawmill in 1835. On May 14, 1836 Christian purchased 120 acres of federal land at $1.25 per acre (the land register called him 'Christian Forny'). The brothers participated in the establishment of a grain mill, employed the Ropps as farmhands, and welcomed other families to the area.
Walter Ropp: “His [Christian's] home was on the south side of the Mackinaw, a few rods south of where the bridge on U.S. Highway 150 now crosses that stream. A good gravel crossing soon became Farni's Ford. Being a man of energy he built a mill with Christian Ropp as his smithy and all-round handy man, and the bride [Christian Ropp's wife Magdalena Schertz] to juggle the pots and pans and kettles to keep the men going, giving them $100 for five months work.” Christian Farny became a minister, Peter Farny became an elder, and the brothers led a community that became known as Farnisville or Farneyville. Christian Ropp was also ordained as a minister in 1840, and later became elder/bishop of the Gridley Prairie meeting, the Mackinaw meeting, and the Roanoke meeting.
“Christian Farney' is found on the 1840 census of McLean County, listed with Peter Farney and Christian Roup [Ropp]. His household appears as one male 40-49 years of age; one male 20-29; one male 10-14; two males 5-9; aone male under 5; one female 30-39; two females 10-14; and one female 5-9.
Anna Mosimann died June 8, 1840 (aged 36 years, 10 months, 4 days according to handwritten notes in the Christian Farny Family Bible, yielding a birth date of about Aug. 4, 1803). This left Christian to care for six children. Christian remarried to Magdalena Strubhar in McLean County only six days later, on June 14, 1840. The ceremony was conducted by elder Jean/John Nafziger. Censuses indicate she was born circa 1804. She was a daughter of miller Pierre Strubharand his first wife Madeleine Abresol/Habresol (see STRUBHAR for more on her family).
Daughter Anna left the household when she married John Ropp Feb. 21, 1847. In 1850, Christian appeared as 'Christian Farney' on a census of District 56 (Woodford County). His household was described as Christian Farney, 50, a farmer born in France with property valued at $100; Magdelane, 46, born in France; Joseph, 24, born in Pennsylvania; Barbaray, 20, born in Upper Canada [Ontario]; Andrew, 19, born in France; Peter, 12, born in Illinois; Magdalene, 9, born in Illinois; Jacob, 8, born in Illinois; Mary, 1, born in Illinois; farmer David Sharp, 25, Pennsylvania; and farmer Abram Yoder, 24, Pennsylvania.
“Christian created a prosperous farming operation and managed a profitable grist mill. The next step was the creation of a distilling business that would cater to St. Louis markets. The transportation and marketing aspects would be handled by two characters that one might not expect to find in this 'village in the woods' - one known from the French National Assembly, the other known to the U.S. Congress.” [1, 2]
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1800 - 1880 (79 years)
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