Johannes Bircky (Birky)

1815 - 1896  (81 years)

• Name	Johannes Bircky (Birky)  [1, 2]
  Birth	25 Jan 1815	Augsburg, Bavaria, GR
  	Near Augsburg
  Gender	Male
  Residence	1839	Butler Co., OH
  	With brother Christian
  Immigration	12 Oct 1839	Le Havre to New York
  	Aboard the Burgundy. Passenger list shows J. Burky, 24, and C. Burky, 31.
  Residence	1840/44	Tazewell Co., IL
  	Along Dillon Creek
  Ordained	1847 and 1864	Tazewell Co., IL   [3]
  	Served Dillon Creek, later Delavan Prairie congregations
  Census	1860	Elm Grove Twp., Tazewell Co., IL
  	Page 168: John Bergy age 45, farmer b. Bavaria; Elizabeth age 31 b. Bavaria; Elizabeth age 12 b. IL; Christian age 9, b. IL; Valentine age 5, b. IL.
  Occupation	Farmer/Deacon; A Horseman In Germany
  Reference Number	182
  Religion	Amish
  Death	9 Nov 1896	Tazewell Co., IL
  Person ID	I182	Schrock-Birkey Connection
  Last Modified	8 Mar 2022

  
  

  Father	Christian Bürcky (Birki),   b. 1781, Bitche, Moselle, FR d. 26 Apr 1840, Siebenbrunn, Bavaria, GR (Age 59 years)
  Mother	Katharina Nafziger,   b. 1776/1777   d. 3 Apr 1861, Ehingen, Bavaria, GR (Age 84 years)
  Family ID	F50	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Elisabeth Bircky (Birky),   b. 19 Nov 1826, Nymphenburg, Bavaria, GR d. Oct 1866, Tazewell Co., IL (Age 39 years)
  Marriage	7 Jan 1847	Tazewell Co., IL
  Children	1. Elizabeth Birky,   b. 25 Dec 1847   d. 13 Apr 1898 (Age 50 years)   2. John Birky,   b. 1848   d. 1848 (Age 0 years)   3. Christian J. Birky (Birkey),   b. 12 Mar 1851, Tremont, Tazewell Co., IL d. 3 Jun 1939, Hopedale, Tazewell Co., IL (Age 88 years)   4. Valentine B. Birky (Birkey),   b. 14 Apr 1854, Pekin Heights, Tazewell Co., IL d. 16 Feb 1924, Foosland, Champaign Co., IL (Age 69 years)   5. Katherine Birky,   b. 5 Jan 1863, Hopedale, Tazewell Co., IL d. 10 Apr 1928, Hopedale, Tazewell Co., IL (Age 65 years)
  Family ID	F78	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	10 Aug 2005

  
  

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  Birth - 25 Jan 1815 - Augsburg, Bavaria, GR Residence - 1839 - Butler Co., OH Residence - 1840/44 - Tazewell Co., IL Ordained - 1847 and 1864 - Tazewell Co., IL Marriage - 7 Jan 1847 - Tazewell Co., IL Census - 1860 - Elm Grove Twp., Tazewell Co., IL Death - 9 Nov 1896 - Tazewell Co., IL  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Notes

  “Big John,” “Black John”, lived in Tremont. A deacon in the Dillon Creek Congregation by 1864. Attended the 1875 conference of Amish ministers in the Sutter barn. “In Germany....John was a horseman and a good horseman he was, as I found out for myself when I stayed with him in the spring of 1868-69, when he was breaking four-year old colts to work that had been raised in the woods, wild and vicious.” The 1850 census of Tazewell County shows the households of Valentine, Andrew, John (with Jacob and Joseph), and Christian in consecutive order on one page. Their household on the 1850 census of Tazewell County: farmer John Burkie, 35, Germany; Elizabeth, 25, Germany; Elizabeth, 2, Illinois; John, 1, Illinois; laborer Jacob, 25, Germany; and laborer Joseph, 22, Germany. John is found as a 65-year-old retired farmer on the 1880 census of Elm Grove, living with three children. He stated that his father was born in France, his mother in Hesse. [4, 5]

  
  

• Sources

  [S2] Ruth Berkey Reichly, The Berkey Book, (Arlington, VA). [S551] Herbert Holly, The Amish Bircky and Bürcky Families in Bavaria. [S955] Steven R. Estes, Illinois Ministers Attending the Amish Ministers’ Meetings of 1862-1878, Part One, p. 68. [S955] Steven R. Estes, Illinois Ministers Attending the Amish Ministers’ Meetings of 1862-1878, Part One. [S137] Valentine Birky Remembers--1935.