The Schrock-Birkey News Blog
A New Article on Several Hirschy Families
This new article contains a fascinating story of several European Hirschy and Wagler families who left their homes, traveling to America to better their lives and be near relatives. Jean-Paul Pelsy, the author who lives in France, tells the story of how members of his...
More about the Kettner-Stalter Families in Gern
Another article by researcher Herbert Holly: the story of two families, a church community, and their years of struggle before relocating to America.
Swiss Mennonite Family Names
I have attached a PDF file of the 1977 Summer issue of the Pennsylvania Folklife magazine with an article titled Swiss Mennonite Family Names: An Annotated Checklist, including illustrations, by Leo Schelbert and Sandra Luebking. It contains a ” list of names, their...
A New Article on Daniel Schrock
A new article on Daniel Schrock (1828-1890) has been added to this website. It features information about his home being added to the Illinois Amish Heritage site near Arthur, Illinois.
Help & Hope for Ukraine: 100 Years Ago
A new article has been posted in the Shirttail Families section of the website titled: The Unique and Productive Life of Arthur Slagel (1891-1943)
New Article Posted – Josephine Yordy Schrock
The 100th Anniversary of the Mennonite Home for the Aged prompted an article about Josephine Yordy Schrock to be included in the Spring 2022 issue of Illinois Mennonite Heritage. Written by Frank Kandel and Donna Schrock Birkey (1st cousins and grandchildren of...
New Article Posted – An Abstract View
An Abstract View... tells the story of two lots of land in Fisher, Illinois, and how they changed owners over 150 plus years, from 1850 until sold in 2008.
Mennonite Family Stalter in Gern
Another article by researcher Herbert Holly, originally published in Germany, now debuting on the Schrock-Birkey website. It includes a brief Bircki mention, as well as photos of the three farms (hofs): Kandlerhof, Oswaldhof, and Holzbauernhof.
Life on the Prairie
Read about a Schrock family who "toughed it out" and managed to establish a home for themselves in spite of trying times... sod homes, sickness and death, blizzards, tornadoes, and rattlesnakes.
A new article about Mennonites near Munich in the early 1830s
A new article by Herbert Holly has been added to the Articles page, under Related. It gives the story of Mennonites near Munich in the early 1830s, as taken from a document found at Staatsarchiv Munchen. Reported by Heinrich Stalter, head of the Amish Mennonite...
A New Article in Related Families
A new article, "The Mennonite Cemetery in Gern," has been added under the Articles: Related Families section. It tells the story of a long, lost Mennonite cemetery near Munich, Germany being discovered after many years of being hidden and mostly unknown. Thanks to...
New Schrock Article
“Two Longs and Two Shorts,” a poem by Mary Cender Miller, makes its debut on the Schrock-Birkey Connection. It is taken from a 97-page book of autobiographical poetry of the same name. Mary and I are second cousins and share many relatives, including Great Aunt...