The Hirschy Newsletter

for descendants of Philip and Julianne (Frey) Hirschy
April 1998, No. 18

Return to the Newsletter Index.

LETTERS

   A number of letters were received in January.
Some of these were Christmas letters so excerpts
have been copied.

3.10.2 Lois Hirschy Trimble, Lexington, KY. "The
January 1998 Newsletter is fascinating. I couldn't
stop reading,"

4.8.1.5.2.2   Scott McCoy Lagrange, IN. "I Am
confused by something you, wrote in the January
issue of The Hirschy Newsletter. On page 3 you
stated that Christian Hirschy (1.1) had the distinction
of living longer than any other Hirschy. He lived to
an age of 102 years, 3 months and 28 days.
However, my great grandfather Manas Hirschy
(4.8. 1) lived to an age of 103 years, 2 months, and
12 days. Did I misinterpret the article or did you
forget about Manes?"
    You are right Scott! My memory slipped.
Christian Hirschy was the oldest person in Adams
County when he died Dec. 1, 1950. Manes lived
until Nov. 16 1985 and I was present at his funeral.
So I have no excuse for not getting the information
right.

1.5.2.3.2.3   Leonard Augsburger, Vernon Hills, IL.
"As the newsletter started by pointing out that all
families have their failings, it ended up by pointing
out the success of Jonathan Edward's descendants.
What it didn't mention was that Jonathan Edward's
group has its failings as do we all. It turns out that
Aaron Buff was a grandson of Jonathan Edward,-,
(note that the list includes at ]cast one vice president
of the United States, who is today known for
murdering Alexander Hamilton in a duel. Quoting
from my book on New York history (The Epic of
New York City, by Edward Robb Ellis, who is
most noted for his 18 million word diary):
   'The funeral was one of the most impressive in the
city's history. Alexander Hamilton's death drove his
twenty-year-old daughter insane, converted Aaron
Burr into a social leper, and resulted in wide spread
revulsion against dueling. Hamilton was buried in

Trinity Churchyard.' You mentioned Water Lugibihl's history of the Missionary Church in this issue. When was this written and where might I fmd a copy?'    The book was printed in Berne, Indiana in 1950 by the Economy Printing Concern. I made a copy of the one in the Berne Public Library. Your comments are appreciated.

3.2.6.1    Mary Rodman. "Please note my change of address. I am now in a nursing home near my daughter. 603 Creach Dr., Warrensburg, MO
64903-1994.

4.8.3.3.1   Dorothy Laverdiere, Lansing, NH. "I enjoy the Hirschy Newsletter very much. However, in the past eight months I have had little time to read them. Last summer we had a very preemie baby born, with many complications. Our family would appreciate any prayers the Hirschy descendants would care to offer for her and her parents." The child is Ashley Marie Laverdiere, born June 15, 1997 to Paul and Barbara Laverdiere in Atlanta, GA.

4.5.5.4.2   Diane and David Bjork, Chevigny Saint Sauveur, France. "We are enjoying being back in France, and excited by the new relationships that God is giving us with neighbors and friends like Fabrice and Marie. Dave is beginning his Ph.D. studies at the Catholic Institute of Paris and Diane continues to exercise her gift of hospitality to the many people God brings our way." They a]so ask for prayer for the people to whom they are relating and seeking to help develop and to grow in a relationship to Christ.

3.4.4.1.1.1    Elizabeth Oldenburg, Falls Church, VA. "Elizabeth is in her eighth year with the Treasury Department's Financial Management service. She continues to work on the development and marketing of the Treasury's Electronic Federal Tax Payment System. This year Elizabeth's job took her to San Francisco, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

4.5.7.2   Barbara and John Patrick, Sevierville, TN. "The big trip this (past) summer was to Australia and New Zealand. The flights were extremely long and hard on Barbara, but she agreed that it was worthwhile .... The bread winner (Who likes bread?) came out of retirement in August and accepted a position with the Supreme Court and the other two appellate courts of Tennessee. He is referred to as 'Mr. Marshall' which cracks him up. Of course, he is the oldest person in the building. His 'All Rise, Oyez, Oyez, Oyez!' court opening is a classic. His deep voice and dignity is why he was hired. (Honest!) His 'work' takes him to Knoxville seven or less days a month." John also wrote: Last week I encountered a Roy P. Neuenschwander in Court in Knoxville. I asked if he had heard of Berne, Indiana. He said that his grandfather and other relatives were from Berne. He is interested in the family's genealogy and even said that they had a book on the family dating back to the 1400's."

3.11.1.4.2   James and Melissa Beitler, Jr, Berne, IN. Jim and Melissa will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary in June. They write about son Jimmy: "In June Jimmy left us for a two-month mission project which took him to Thika, Kenya, and the jungles of Africa. A special highlight being a trip to the Masi Mara where he observed four of the five Big Game. His father was very envious when he heard that Jim watched a wildebeest being eaten by the lions. The Africa experience seemed to reinforce Jim's desire to be a doctor, and he is busy fill out college applications."

4.5.5.3.1    Barbara and Archie Ross, Woodland Park, CO. "Archie and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary by going to the Caribbean island of Aruba, where we relaxed, sa,%v the sights, windsurfed, snorkeled, and Archie scuba-dived in and around a wrecked German freighter. It was especially fun to have Barbara!s brothers, James and Joe and their wives, Mary and Ann, there, too. We ate some wonderful meals, reveled in the blue, sunny water, and took a memorable jeep tour!"

4.5.5.2.1   Elaine and Ron Beals, Tyler, TX. "This year will forever stand out in our memories as the time we visited Israel - the land that God chose for

His people and where Jesus personally stepped into human history to express God's character and His plan of salvation. Every page of the Bible now has a picture in our minds and hearts.... Ron was baptized in the Jordan river with several others from our group.

4.5.5.2.7 Gareth and Lydia Boehr, Omaha, NE. "Gareth now works for The Information House. He has been the baritone of a southern gospel quartet for a little more than a year. Their name is Grateful Heart. They recently made some business cards and purchased a sound system and they are ready to sing to the glory of God. He is also singing with the Masterworks Chorus of the Nebraska Choral Arts society. Quite a contrast, don't you think? Lydia continues to work full-time at UNMC. She chairs a busy recognition committee. She continues to do Mary Kay on the side."

1.11.5.1 Betty and Leon Schanley, Waxhaw, NC. "We enjoyed having our three children and their families visit us the week after Christmas. All our grandchildren (6) are now in their teens and doing well in their studies .... This past month (Feb. 26) Betty celebrated a milestone: her seventy-fifth birthday. She gives thanks to God for his faithfulness throughout her life. We are both in reasonably good health as far as we know. We ask for your prayers as we make the transition to retired status this year. We are also thankful to God for each one who has been a partner with us over the past 44 years through prayers, letters, and financial support.

The Family of 1. Johann Hirschy cont'd.
Recent research of records in Langnau, Canton Bern, Switzerland corrects information given about the Schindler family on page 54 of the Hirschy Genealogy under 1. I Christian C. Hirschy. There I wrote that the Schindler family did not come from Switzerland as the name did not appear in Swiss records until the 1800s. That is an error. The early church records of Langnau Switzerland has a Daniel Schindler married to a Barbara Tschantz in the year 1600. Then in 1628 Hans Schindler and Ulli Schindler paid taxes. These two men were both living in Langnau. 'Men there

continues to be other Schindler men and women in the later records. Isaac Zurcher, a Mennonite historian in Switzerland, thought that the Schindler family in France may have come from Rothenbach. In his book he writes of an Anthoni Schindler living in the community of Courtelary in the Jura of Switzerland. As yet no direct connections have been traced, but future research in both French and Swiss records may reveal the ties.
The last issue ended with information about
1.2 Mary Hirschy who had married John Biberstein. A copy of the January newsletter was sent to Rev. Michael J. Moran, Senior Pastor of the First Congregational Church, New Milford, Ct. by Don Rotb. Michael is a great grandson of Marv and John Bibeirstein. He subsequently sent me a photo of Mary and additional family information, such as the specific date of Mary and John's divorce which occurred on April 23, 1896.

Biberstein Family History
The following history is a combination of information from Cherry (Zuercher) Dellinger, Carl Yoder, Jean Huckel, Michael Moran and my research.
The earliest Biberstein we have information on is

Abraham Bibertein, b. 1771 in Switzerland. He came to America in 1833-34 and settled in Wayne Co., Ohio. His wife's name was Susanna, last name unknown. She was born 1790 in Switzerland and died in 1873. They bought land in Adams County, IN on May 13, 1844 from Charles D. Nussbaum and came here shortly after, Abraham (I) died about 1849 after deeding the land to son Abraham (II).
   Abraham (I) may have been married to a Barbara before Susanna. From his wife/wives he had at least four children. The oldest child was Abraham (II) born Nov. 17, 1824. The next was Isaac. The birth year for Isaac is unclear as he died in January 1957 at age 33 according to the probate of his will on Jan. 20, 1857. The will was made Jan. 3, 1857 shortly before his death. This would put his birth in the same year as Abraham!
   The third child, Maria/Marianna, was born Aug. 3, 1927. She married in France to Abraham Kocher and came to America shortly after the wedding. Another girl is listed in 1840 census of Holmes Co., Ohio, but her name or date of birth is unknown. She was listed as being between the ages of 10 and 15 years. She may have died young.    The family Bible of Abraham (II), which has been lost, had that he was born in Canton Bern, Switzerland. According to Isaac Zurcher, a Swiss Anabaptist historian, this Anabaptist family lived in the community of Renan in Canton Bern. This is likely the place of birth of the children.    Recent research locates the Heimat for the Biberstein family as Bozigen, Canton Bern. This is a small village next to Biel/Bienne. Since access to early records is now available through the Allen Co. Public Library, it is hoped that we will have more information on this earliest family and the ancestors shortly.
   Isaac Biberstein came to America with his parents to Holmes Co., Ohio. Then in August 1847 he came to Adams CO., IN and took over the farm of his father. He was first married on Aug. 9, 1849 to Magdalena Stoll, born 1819 and died 1849 at age 30. She died after nine days of fever and is probably buried in the Biberstein Cemetery. Isaac Secondly married Barbara Rich in Allen Co., IN. She was born Aug. 8, 1834 in France and died June 14, 1882 in Elkhart County, IN at age 49. After the death of Isaac she had married Christian G. Eash. They first

lived in Howard Co., and then moved to the Elkhart area. He and Barbara had children: Daniel, Katherine and Joseph.
   Maria Biberstein is said to have been purchased at an auction in France at age 14 by Abraham Kocher who then married her. Her parents were already in America. She may have put up a portion of her time to raise money for passage to America. They came to America shortly after their marriage. They had one son. David. born Nov. 8. 1845 in Sandusky, OH and a girl that died in infancy. It is reported that David is the person who donated the land to the Egly Church on which the present day Evangelical Mennonite Cemetery and church building stands.
   After the death of Abraham, Maria married Jacob Neuhauser on Feb. 13. 1859. He was born Nov. 16. 1808 and came to America in 1829. He died Sept. 12, 1891. They lived in French Twp.. Adams Co., IN on an 80 acre farm. To Maria and Jacob were born three children: John. Jacob and Lydia. Several interesting stories about Maria are given in M.D. Neuhauser's genealogy, "The Descendants of Jacob Netihatiser." She was a strong fearless woman. Jacob and Maria are buried in the Evangelical Mennonite Church cemetery. She died Aug 12, 1914.
   Returning to Abraham Biberstein (II), He married Catherine Klopfenstein Oct. 22, 1846 in Wayne Co., Ohio. She was born Feb. 17, 1828 in Belfort France. She was the daughter of Johannes (Jean) Klopfenstein, b. Dec. 10, 1783 (or Apr 16, 1787) Belfort, France, died May 31, 1870 and Katherine Amstutz, born Jan. 19, 1796 (or Jun. 24, 1795) Florimont, France and died Jan. 27, 1876.
   The Klopfenstein family came to America to Stark Co., OH in 1840 and eventually settled in Adams Co., IN in 1850. They came by canal boat to Fort Wayne and settled near Newville (Vera Cruz). Johannes was buried in the Moser Cemetery and Katherine is buried in the EMC Cemetery.
   Abraham (II) and Catherine came to Adams County,. IN in August 1847 and took over the farm of his father. He died Feb. 4, 1902 and she on Oct. 15, 1893. Both are buried in the EMC cemetery. To them were born eleven children in French Twp., Adams County. Nine lived to adulthood. Their place of birth is given as Newville, which is Vera Cruz today, and would have been the nearest village.

Some descendants anglicized the spelling of their
name to Beberstein and a few turned it into
Beverstein, probably because of the way English
speaking people mispronounced it. Others used
Biberstine. Their children are:
   1. John Biberstein, b. May 26, 1847 married Apr. 5.1868 Mary Hirschy
   2. Jacob Biberstein, b. Feb. 25, 1849 married Mar. 5, 1868 Elizabeth (Lizzie) Hadwiger. They moved to Kansas and he died Apr. 6, 1925 in Attica, KS. They had four sons.
   3. Catherine Biberstein, b. Feb. 24. 1851. died the same day. She is buried in the Biberstein cemetery.
   4. Abraham Biberstein (III) b. Jan. 27, 1852 and married Aug 3, 1880 Mary Moser. They had 9 children. He died May 31, 1944 in Adams Co., IN. She was married previously to Michael Moser and had three children.
   5. Anna Biberstein, was born June 7, 1854 and married July 1874 Daniel Yoder in Allen Co.. IN. She died Jan. 29,1925 in Cedarville, IN. They had nine children.
   6. Catherine (Katy,) Biberstein, b. Jan. 7, 1857 had a child by Edward Kratzer, whom she named after the father. Son Edward was born July 7, 1891 when she was 34 years of age. She never married. She lived in Adams Co., IN and is buried in the MRE Cemetery. She died Oct. 10, 1935.
   7. Peter Biberstein, b. June 1, 1859 married Jan 1, 1985 Sarah Steiner. They had 4 children. They lived in Adams Co., IN and are buried in the MRE cemetery. He died Oct. 17, 1945.
   8. Christian Biberstein, b. Dec. 8, 1861, d. Aug. 24, 1867.
   9. Mary Biberstein, b. Nov. 19, 1863 married Jan. 31, 1885 Joseph F. Rich, b. Apr. 2, 1863 in Adams Co., IN. They had one child, Noah, b. July 3, 1888. She died Jan. 27, 1895 and buried in EMC Cem.
   10. David Biberstine. b. Jun. 12 1866, married Dec. 29, 1891 Mary J. Moser. They had 14 children, one of whom is still living Chris Biberstein. David died Jun. 20, 1920. They are buried in EMC Cem.
   11. Noah Beberstine, b. May 20, 1869 married Jan. 24, 1895 Elizabeth Yoder. They had 8 children. He died Nov 28, 1950 in Fort Wayne, IN and is buried in the EMC cemetery. Their daughter Sylvia Herring is still living at age 97 in the Cedars, Leo, IN.

The lives of 1.2 Mary Hirschy and John Biberstein
   John and Mary were divorced on April 23, 1886. The actual date was furnished by Michael Moran, a great grandson. The suit John brought Against Bishop Henry Egly did not take place until a year later, but was probably initiated about the time of the divorce.
   Some time after the divorce Mary moved to Pontiac. Illinois where her daughter Eva was living. She died Dec. 29, 1933 but no obituary was found in the Berne papers.
   The obituary of John Biberstein appeared in the June 27, 1925 issue of The Berne Witness. He had died June 25, 1925, age 78 years, 26 days. A big surprise in this account was that he had been married prior to his marriage to Mary. Her name is not given, but she had died.
   Following his divorce from Mary, he married Sarah Moser on Feb. 9. 1880. It is doubtful that John was received back into the Defenseless Mennonite Church because of his previous divorce.
   When Sarah died she was a member of a church in Linn Grove where she was living. John and Mary had separated several years prior to his death, so that marriage had not fared so well either. Together John and Sarah had at least three children. They are Amelia (Amy), Mrs. Guy Watts of Ashland (OH?), Homer of Fort Wayne, and Walter who died in childhood and is buried in the EMC Cem.
   Amelia was married twice, the second time to Mr. Felsenthal the owner of a toy factory in Florida Homer married Mary Miller while living in Fort Wayne. In retirement they moved to St. Petersburg, Florida.
   The last year and a half of his life John Biberstein lived in the County Infirmary. When his health declined he moved in with his brother Abraham where he lived for two weeks. About a week before his death he was on the streets of Berne and remarked to his friends that his end was near at hand. He died from a heart attack. After initial funeral rites in his brothers home, his funeral was held in the Defenseless Mennonite Church where some of his siblings were members.
   The seven children of John Biberstein and Mary Hirschy had gone through stressful years that affected their lives. John's obituary says Amos and

Levi's "whereabouts are unknown." Thus they did not keep in touch with their father. These were his two oldest children. We have more information than I had when the genealogy was published in 1994.
   1.2.1 Amos Joseph Biberstein, b. Mar 19, 1869 married Magdalena (Lena) Schlegel. They first lived in Illinois where they had seven children. After divorcing in 1913 he moved to Fond du Lac., Wisconsin. There he dropped his last name and used the name Jackson. He died in 1951. Their children, who spelled their last name Beberstein were:
   1.2.1.1 Erwin J., b. Sept. 22, 1894, d. Jan 11, 1982 in Woods Co.. IN.
   1.2.1.2 Adah Marie, b. Jan 14, 1897, d. Mar 3, 1980.
   1.2.1.3 Jess Arthur, b. Feb. 25, 1898, d. Dec. 23, 1978.
   1.2.1.4 Viola Mae, b. Mar 25, 1900, d. Aug. 23. 1985
   1.2.1.5 Lucille Anne, b. Apr. 29, 1902, d. Jan. 8, 1992 married Hap. Moran and are the parents of Rev. Michael
   1.2.1.6 Verna Bernice, b. Sept. 16, 1904, d. July 9. 1908.
   1.2.1.7 Dorothy Elberta, b. Nov. 20, 1906, d. Mar. 9, 1971.

Other children of Mary and John:
   1.2.2. Levi Menno Biberstein, b. Nov. 11, 1870 married Anna Kirchner (see Hirschy Genealogy) They had seven children in addition to those in the genealogy they had Frances, b. Mar. 18, 1909, d. Aug. 1909 Chicago, EL, Samuel, b. Apr. 30, 1917, d. May 6, 1917, born in Oklahoma, Richard Dean b. June 24, 1924, d. July 13, 1941 Nashville, TN.

   1.2.3. Emma Lena Biberstein, b. Aug. 8, 1871 married Albert Runyon. (See Hirschy Genealogy) They had three children Their daughter Odel's second marriage was to Henry Egley, b. May 5, 1889, d. July 17,1950. Odel and Henry's daughter Lorraine married Alvin Ethington and they had 3 children.

   1.2.4. Adam Henry Biberstein, b. May 13, 1874 married Emma Augsburger and they had 11 children so there are many descendants from this couple.

Adam was alienated from the church in his later years and ended Ms life by shooting himself.

   1.2.5 Eva Mae Biberstein, b. Sept. 13, 1877 married Nicholas R. King and lived in Pontiac, Illinois. Here they were members of the Salem Defenseless Mennonite Church. She must have been the closest to her mother Many since she moved to Pontiac. Eva and Nicholas had 3 children. They separated about 1945 after 48 years of marriage.

   1.2.6 Samuel William Biberstein, was born June 4, 1880. He moved to Oklahoma. He had been married a short time when he was killed by a runaway horse.

   1.2.7 LaVina (Levina) Ann Biberstein was born Dec 29. 1885 and married Monroe Northrup. They lived in California and had no children.

   While there is a lot of alienation, pain and sorrow in the family of John Biberstein, there is also joy and goodness that has risen out of the hardships by the grace of God. For that we can be thankful.

   1.3 Barbara Hirschy and Peter M. Moser
The third child of John Hirschy and Barbara Stauffer was Barbara was born March 9, 1851. She married Peter M. Moser just four days before she turned 18, but he was 27. At a time when large families were the norm, they were a childless couple. They compensated by taking two girls into their home: Salome Stotler and Catherine Jennie McBride. Barbara's obituary, she died Feb. 22, 1999 at age 46, reports that she had two married adopted children. Whether they were legally adopted is not certain as their names seemingly were not changed. Salome married Amos Amstutz and Catherine married Peter J. Moser, a son of her adopted father's brother. We have no record of any children from these two marriages.
   It is also noted that Barbara helped a sister with her minor children. Sisters Mary and Catharine both went through divorces and had small children to care for, but it seems likely that she helped with Mary's children. From the evidence, Barbara was a kindly person, who had a heart for helping persons.
   Barbara's obituary also states that her funeral was

from the Amish Church near their home. This Couple must have been members of the Amish group led by Daniel Yoder. He had formed a group in 1870 and this group purchased the former Baumgartner Mennonite Church (now in Heritage Park) and moved it to the Abraham Biberstein farm (400 W 400 N). Abraham (III) was a minister in this congregation as well.
   As a widower Peter M. married Katherine (Catharina) Richer Winteregg in Nov. 1900, the widow of Joseph Winteregg. She had nine children with Joseph, but six had died by the time she married Peter M. He died at age 79 on May 16 192 1. He and Katherine must have been members of the Defenseless Mennonite Church for his funeral was held in this church.

1.4 Rosina Hirschy, b. Sept 10. 1853. d. Jan 11, 1929. Since she remained single, little is known about her life. She made her living by doing housework for people and caring for sick people. She united with the Missionary Church.

1.5 Verena (Fanny) Hirschy and John Augsburger. She was b. Dec 30 1853, d. Jan. 11, 1929. She married John Augsburger on Aug 1, 1877. From all the evidence, this farm family fared well and were,well thought of in the community. They were active and faithful members of the Defenseless Mennonite Church.
   Daughter Rebecca, and sons Noah and Albert married and remained in the community and were members of the Evangelical Mennonite Church. Daughter Verena married Herbert Langdon and they served as missionaries in the Belgian Congo for three years then he became a Methodist minister serving churches in Illinois.
   Sons John and Elmer both married and eventually moved to California.
   When Verena died in 1929 The Berne Witness reported, "Last Friday evening, shortly after 9 o'clock occurred the death of Mrs. John J. Augsburger, nee Verena Hirschy, of Hartford township, one of the well known pioneer women of Adams Co. Death relieved her after a period of suffering of about one year. Her remains were laid to rest this morning at the cemetery near the Defenseless Mennonite Church in French Twp. after

the funeral services at this church at 10 o'clock.
   Mrs. Augsburger was the daughter of John and Barbara Hirschy. She was born on the old Hirschy homestead in Hartford Township, and lived in the community of Berne all her life. During the last few years she made her home with her son Albert F. Augsburger, on her farm, 4 miles west of Berne. She was held in high esteem by all who were acquainted with her."

1.6 Catherine Hirschy and Albert Kauffman
   Catherine was born Feb. 27, 1855, and died May 8. 1919. Her marriage was troubled like Mary's and when the children were quite small she and Albert. separated. The oldest and youngest of the five children died in infancy, Of the two sons Albert moved to Florida and Aaron to the midwest. Albert had no children and Aaron's three were lost track of after his death in a logging accident. Daughter Ida was raised by her aunt Christina Hirschy Liechty and she married C]ay Wise (likely a Mennonite). They lived in Springfield, Ohio but no further information is available.
   Bishop Henry Egly felt that John Hirschy should not have permitted this marriage to have occurred because of the problems the Kauffman family had. Members of the Kauffman family were "set back" in the church in 1888 so these were not in good standing. We do not know who all this included. This may have been about the time of Catharine's separation from her husband. She eventually united with the First Mennonite Church of Berne.

1.7 Christina Hirschy and Christian Liechty
   She, was born Apr. 30, 1857 and married Christian Liechty on Dec 4, 1879. This couple did not have any children of their own so they took in two girls. One was Ida, her sister Catherine's daughter, and the other girl, whose name is not known, married J.E. Laughlin of Mishawaka. These girls were taken in as small children and raised as their own.
   Christina died July 6, 1923 at age 66. She suffered from hardening of the arteries and was ill the last two years of her life. Her youngest sister Rebecca, who married Noah Schindler, cared for her the last eight months of her life.
   This couple had farmed in the area and were first members of the Amish church and then of the

Defenseless Mennonite Church. They must have united with the Berne Missionary Church for this is where her funeral was held and they are buried in the MRE cemetery.

1.8 John S. Hirschy and Anna Moser
. John was born Aug. 7@@ 1859 and married Anna Feb. 7, 1887. They lived a mile south east of Linn Grove where they farmed. They had one daughter, Ellen who remained single. so there are no other descendants. They were married in the Defenseless Mennonite Church and remained members all their lives. He had dropsy and was ill the last two months of his life. He died Sept. 6. 1938 and Anna died Dec. 9, 1942. Both are buried in the EMC cemetery.

1.9 Anna Hirschy and Daniel Liechty
. Anna was born July 5. 1863 and married Daniel Dec. 23, 1887 in the Defenseless Mennonite Church. They farmed for quite a few years then moved to Geneva where he worked in a grist mill. In Nov. 1916 they moved into Berne and he worked for Dunbar Furniture Factory.
   Anna died Nov. 19, 1936 and Daniel on June 22, 1942. He had been ill three years prior to his death They had joined the First Missionary Church and are buried in MRE cemetery.
   To them were both three children, Barbara, John and Franklin. They all lived in Berne. Barbara remained single while John and Franklin both married and each had one child.

1.1.0 Salome Hirschy and Emmanuel Wanner.
   Salome was born Jul. 19, 1865 and married Emmanuel Wanner, a widower, on Dec. 8, 1891. She was 26 years of age when married. Emmanuel's first wife Elizabeth Feitz had died July 1, 1890 and I have the same death date for her second child? I wonder what was the cause of their deaths? They also had another girl, Emma that Salome seemingly adopted.
   Salome and Emmanuel had five children according to his obituary. One child may have died at birth or in early childhood as there is no record of its name nor date of birth. Or, they may have included Emma as her child if she was adopted by Salome.
   Of the four known children of Salome, the first was Ezra. Then there were three daughters, Barbara,

Martha and Mary. The last two were twins. Barbara and Martha both worked as missionaries in a rescue mission in Nebraska and then as seamstresses at Berco. They remained single.
   Emmanuel farmed until 1908 when he built a home in Berne on west Main street. They moved back to the country a mile west of town but then came back into Berne and purchased a home at 655 N. Jefferson St. just shortlv before he died. His obituary gives his date of birth as Aug. 22, 1861 while Aug. 25, 1864 is given in the Genealogy. It also gives his first, wife's name as Elizabeth Seutz while the Genealogy has her name as Feitz. (Can someone find the correct information?) He died Dec. 12, 1921 from heart failure.
   Salome lived and additional 34 years and died at age 90 on July 11, 1956. Her death resulted from complications following a fall in which she fractured both her left shoulder and left hip. Prior to her fall she had been active and worked in her garden that spring and summer. Salome and Emmanuel were members of the West Missionary Church and are buried in the MRE cemetery.

1.11 Ephraim Hirschy and Lucy Hannah Graber
   Born June 29, 1867, Ephraim was the most adventuresome of the John Hirschy children. Part of it may have been of necessity. The number of children born to the Mennonite and Amish families made it increasingly difficult to obtain a farm of adequate size and productivity to raise a family. He married Lucy June 1, 1894. About 1904 he rented a farm near Monroe. Then two years later he moved out to Beaver Co., Oklahoma, where other Mennonites had settled, and was able to purchase a farm. But after three years he learned he had cancer of the liver so sold the farm and the family returned to Berne. He died shortly afterwards on Nov. 5, 1909.
   During their fifteen years of marriage they had eight children The photo on page 108 of the Genealogy shows Lucy with all eight.
   In 1992 I interviewed son Ezra who was living in Fort Wayne. He said his grandfather. Jacob Graber. left the Amish church and joined the German Reformed Church in Linn Grove. He left farming and became the manager of the County Home for 17 years. Grandmother Lydia Schlatter Graber always

remained Amish and dressed in the plain style of the Amish even while living in the County Home. She wore the prayer covering all her life. Because the family left the Amish church Lucy had little contact with her relatives. They may have been shunned.
   Ephraim left the Defenseless Mennonite Church to unite with the Missionary Church. This alienated him from the rest of the Hirschy family so Ezra grew up with little contact with either the Graber or Hirschy relatives.
   Ezra was six years old when his father decided to go west. He sold all of his equipment and animals prior to the move. In Oklahoma they purchased a land from a Mr. Whitaker who had a sizable ranch. This was in the panhandle. One of the first things the family had to do was dig a well. To save money, Ephraim used an auger that had extensions and began to dig the well. After going 75 feet without reaching water they had to hire a well driller to complete the job. It took three months until they had good water from a well. In the meantime they had to drive their wagon with a barrel on it to the Cimmarron river to get the needed water.
   Ezra was still playing golf three times a week at the age of 93. He had married but had no children.

1.12 Levina Hirschy
   Born in 1870 she lived only 10 years.

1.13 Rebecca Hirschy and Noah Schindler
   Look for information next issue.

PUBLICATION INFORMATION    The Hirschy Newsletter is published four times a year. Cost is $5.00 for four issues.
   The editor is David L. Habegger,
6929 Hillsboro Ct., Fort Wayne, IN 46835-1818.
   E-mail is DLHabegger@aol.com
   If you have material you would like to submit for publication send it to the editor.

For Your Consideration Remember your creator
   in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
   and the years approach when you will say
"I find no pleasure in them."
            Ecclesiates 12:1

Return to the Newsletter Index.

E-mail the Author