| Notes |
- Gerber/Garber = tanner.
All the graves of John and Eva’s children in Elm Grove Twp. Cemetery use the name spelled GERBER.
“Sometime near 1840, John Garber and wife, Eva Caroline Paithe, came from Butler Co., Ohio and moved into a log house on the John Young farm about 80 rods southeast of Andrew Ropp. He was a native of Switzerland, born in 1799. His passport gives his departure for Philadelphia as June 18, 1819. His wife was born in New York City in 1801 of Holland Mennonite parents who went to Mifflin Co., Pa where this marriage took place. Their married life was in Lancaster Co and few years in Ohio. A short time after his arrival he returned to Ohio on business and dies there of cholera. His widow remained on the Young farm supported by the children, who married in the families of the community. They numbered 11. Samuel's wife was Mary Litwiller, their home at Eniden. Emmanuel's wife was Fannie Switzer, they lived on the east eighty of the Sommer Seed Corn farm. Sybil married Peter Ringenberger and lived on the west eighty. Mary, wife of Samuel King, lived in the field a mile northeast of the school house. Lydia, wife of Uncle Mose Ropp. Dave, whose wife was Lena Kinsinger on Dillon Creek. Katie, wife of Jacob Kennel north of Morton; Nancy, wife of Peter Schrock; John and Noah, and Dannie who died in his teens following an accident at a horse power.
“About 1860, when Man Garber lived on the Sommer farm, Mr. Young had a field of corn down at the road. One morning Garber noticed him out looking around to see how it was coming up and turn suddenly and come over to where he as working. "Garber", he said, "your chickens are rooting up all my corn." All right, all right, shoot em, shoot em. After a while (Garber) heard a shot and over came Young, and Garbers had chicken for dinner. A year or so later Garber had rye on his, with Young's field in corn again. May and June were dry and warm and one day in came Mr. Young all excited, "Garber, your chinch bugs are coming across the road to my corn. All right, Mr. Young, shoot em, shoot em!
“Way long ago, the church corner was the Nieukirk corner, named after a very early settler with two sons, Tom and Mace, in the old brink house across from the church. This place was a station where horses were changed on the stage coaches before 1800.”
According to Grubb in “Mennonites of Butler County, Ohio” a second Amish settlement in Ohio began when Jacob Yoder moved to Wayne Co. in 1817 from Mifflin Co., PA. Since John and his family had lived in Mifflin Co. at one time there is the probability that he had connections in Wayne Co. (or even lived there briefly before moving to Butler Co. since one of his children was born in Wayne Co.). Therefore when he returned to Ohio on business and died there, he could be buried in either Butler or Wayne Co.
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“When they left Ohio for Illinois in 1840, they sold their household goods and implements and with their eleven children started their journey down the Ohio River, up the Mississippi to St. Louis on a large steamboat. The last night before arriving at St. Louis no one could sleep. Every few minutes a sentinel would cry out, “Look out for pickpockets!”. From St. Louis, they boarded a smaller vessel and arrived at Wesley City.” Arrived with wife and 11 children in Tazewell Co., IL, via Wesley City, from Butler Co., OH.
"Moved to Ohio 1827, to Illinois 1840. Had eleven children, older born in Lancaster Co. Pa, the younger in Butler Co. Ohio. Eva, wife was born in New York City in 1801. They lived in Butler Co. a number of years before moving to IL. Their new home was a log house on the John Young farm. It now has the Bethel Mennonite Church located on the north corner. At the time it was the Nieukirk corner with a brick house that was the stopping place for stage coaches on the Peoria-Indianapolis road. Now Illinois Highway #9. Soon after their arrival John Garber went back to Ohio on business quite likely by stage and died there during an epidemic of Asiatic Cholera. This left his widow and her family in that house in Young's field for quite a number of years supported by her children Emmanuel the oldest, being around 21 and Nancy was the baby.
“In the peaceful little country of Switzerland, in the year 1788, 25th day of July, John Garber was born. When he reached early manhood, exciting news came to the village where he, his widowed mother and four sisters lived. The Americans were sending passports for young men to use, providing they agreed to work a certain length of time after arriving in America to pay for their passage--the time to be agreed upon by the two contracting parties. The government seal in the family tells us this was the method John Garber used to get to America.
“His passport was issued on March 19, 1813, and was good for five years. The passport was used April 7, 1818, and bears the seal of a Notary Public in the County of Bern, Switzerland. On May 26, 1818, he entered into contract with Joseph Rush, Captain of the ship Susquehanna, for his passage to America, at the cost of two hundred francs, amounting to about fifty American dollars, leaving his widowed mother and four sisters in Bern.
“Family tradition indicates that John Garber worked two years for a Pennsylvania planter to pay off his travel contract. As far as we know, John was the only one of his family to come to America. He later married Eva Caroline Paithe (b.1799).” [5, 7, 10, 11, 12]
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1788 - 1845 (57 years)
