| Notes |
- OBIT:
Bachman. - Elizabeth (Bachman) Heiser died at Norbury Sanitarium, Jacksonville, Ill., Dec. 26, 1923; aged 62 y. 6 m. 4 d. She was the daughter of John and Barbara Bachman and was born near Groveland, Ill., June 15, 1861. On February 20, 1883, she was united in marriage to Jacob Heiser, who preceded her to the spirit world Feb. 19, 1923. To this union were born 12 children, namely: Manuel, Alvin, Samuel, Katie, Jake, Lizzie, Roy, Jesse, and Esther. One daughter, Barbara, and two infants preceded her in death. She united with the Mennonite Church in her youth and remained a faithful member until her death. She leaves to mourn her departure 6 sons, 3 daughters, 13 grandchildren, 2 brothers, 1 sister, 1 aunt, and a host of relatives and friends. She was a faithful and devout mother who was especially concerned about the spiritual welfare of her family and will long be remembered by her gentle disposition and kindness shown to all with whom she came in contact. Funeral services were held at the East Bend Church near Fisher, Ill., conducted by Samuel Gerber of Tremont. Text, II Cor. 5:1-10. Burial in the East Bend cemetery.
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Read at East Bend Mennonite Centennial Celebration, 1989
“My name is Elizabeth, I was born in 1862 in Tazewell County, and I married Jacob Heiser. We lived in Tazewell County and everything was going fine until after little Samuel was born. Now, there was Manuel, Alvin, and Samuel, three sons! My, what help Jake would have with the work before long! I think that’s why Jake started thinking about finding a place where there would be enough work for the boys. Then one day in January 1888, Jake came home and told me brother-in-law Peter Zehr had bought a farm in Champaign County and would we want to move there? What a shock! I sure hated the thought of moving so far away from Mama, Papa, and my brothers and sisters. When would I ever see them again? But then, it wouldn’t be quite so bad because my Aunt Lena, my cousin Mary, who was married to Charles Stormer, and cousin August Ingold already lived in Champaign County. So, when the spring weather came, the men helped Jake load all our things on the train. Jake’s sister Fannie went along to help US. So we all got on the train that was going to Gibson City. That train whistle sounded so sad, I felt lonesome already. When we got off the train at Gibson City, there was not a familiar face around at all!
It was a chilly day, so we bundled up the boys. I handed six month old Samuel to Fannie for her to carry. I took four year old Manuel and two year old Alvin by the hand, and off we started walking to find our new home. It was time for me to carry Samuel for a while. I thought he must be sleeping soundly, but when I peeked under the blankets his little face was blue. I was frightened! When the fresh March air reached him, he gasped and started crying, and his little face turned bright pink again. I shall never forget that walk. I thought it would never end, but Jake said it was only eight miles!.
That was a long and lonely year. But that day in July, when Mama’s letter came, saying that Papa had bought land about one mile from US and that they would be moving here next spring, my heart jumped for joy. But, in October, when I got word that Papa had died, I felt more lonely than ever. Jake said that if no one else was going to move up here, we would move back to Tazewell County.
So, when spring finally came again, Jake took his wagon to Gibson City to meet the train. I could hardly wait for him to come back home, because he brought with him Mama, my twin sister Barbara and her husband Joseph Heiser, and their boys John, Amos, and Joseph. He also brought brother-in-law Peter Zehr, his wife Barbara, and their children Katie, Dan, Lizzie, and Joseph. What a reunion! They were all moving here to live. What a happy ending to that first lonely year in Champaign County.
Since Peter Zehr was a minister, he soon found a place where we could have church services. I shall never forget that spring day in 1889 when all our buggies headed for the Dixon school house. We sang and prayed together, and it was so good to hear a sermon again. We thanked God for a new beginning and for his faithfulness to US. I cannot imagine what this area will be like in 100 years, but our hopes for our children are that they will find this a good place to live and grow up to be Christians and be faithful to God.”
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1862 - 1923 (61 years)
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