Miller side
Jacob Hochstetler (Hofstetter), Täuferlehrer
c.1666 – c.1722, born at Winterkraut, died at Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines
Christopher’s 8th great-grandfather · ancestor no. 1272, 1760 · generation 11
Evidence: identity documented
Pedigree collapse: Christopher descends from this person 2 times.
Family
- Spouse: Christina Küntzi (fl. 1700)
- Children in this vault: Jacob Hochstetler (1712–1776)
Life and evidence
Guggisberg baptisms searched, 1665 – Mar 1673 (2026-10-31)
K Guggisberg 4, images 30–62, entries 1–632, read in full: no Jacob baptized to a Hostettler/Hoffstettler father. Either he was born before 1665 (Guggisberg 3, 1637–64, not yet read), after March 1673, or the “c.1666” estimate is off.
Hostettler households baptizing at Guggisberg in these years (any could be his family):
- Michel Hoffstettler: son baptized 1 Nov 1665; again 1668 (no. 277); son Ulrich, 30 Apr 1671 (no. 477)
- Hans Hostettler × Anna Mischler: children 1666 (no. 70) and Christen, 24 Nov 1667 (no. 207). A Hostettler–Mischler marriage a generation before the Mishlers sailed with the Hochstetlers on the Phoenix (1749)
- Heini Hostettler: child 1668 (no. 224); son Peter, 30 Sep 1670 (no. 426)
- Heinrich Hoffstettler: son Hans, 1 Jan 1670 (no. 371)
- Hans Hostettler: daughter Barbara, 6 Oct 1672 (no. 587)
- Hostettler women as mothers: Anna (× Christen Bühler, 1669), Christina (× Hans Rohrbach?, 1669), Margreth (× Christen Kohler, 1668, 1671), Barbara (× Jacob Zbinden, 1670, 1672, and a son Jacob, 9 Feb 1673, no. 618: mother’s surname, so not ours)
Also searched: K Guggisberg 3, images 116–151 (Jul 1656 – Dec 1664), read in full: no Jacob to a Hostettler father. So mid-1656 to March 1673 is ruled out.
More Hostettler households found in 1656–64: Michel Hoffstettler × Barbara Zand (son Hans, 15 Sept 1661; note that Jacob’s second wife was a Verena Zand); Heinrich Hoffstettler × Elsbeth Zbinden (son Heinrich, 8 Mar 1663); Hans Hostettler × Anni Marti (1659); Hans Hostettler × Elsbeth Fuchs? (1663); Hans Hostettler × Anni Mischler already baptizing in 1662 (no. 325) and 1663 (no. 428).
Guggisberg 3 now read in full, Jun 1637 – Dec 1664 (2026-10-31): no Jacob baptized to a Hostettler father in that volume either. With Guggisberg 4, Jun 1637 – Mar 1673 is ruled out. (Some 1649–54 entries are too faded to read.)
The earlier Hostettler generation at Guggisberg (1637–56), any of whom could be his grandparents:- Jacob Hoffstettler × Elsbeth Schwarzengruber: Anna (Nov 1637), Barbara (1640), Peter (Oct 1643), a child 1645 (no. 545), Peter (Jun 1649), Samuel (early 1652). The only Jacob Hostettler head of household in these registers
- Michel Hoffstettler × Margreth Zwahlen/Schwalen: Heinrich (Feb 1638), Margreth (Nov 1644)
- Cuni (Conrad) Hochstettler × Benedicta Portner: Elsbeth (1639), Christen (Feb 1642), Christina (Jan 1644), Margreth (Nov 1650)
- Ulrich Hostettler × Dichtli (Benedicta) Portner: Dichtli (Jun 1637)
- Peter, Christen, Elsbeth, Catharina and Anna Hostettler often stand as godparents; a Mischler (Anna, Barbara, Christina) appears as godmother or mother nearly every year, and Zand and Küntzi families are in the same circle.
A guess, not a finding: Jacob (b. c.1666) may be named after Jacob × Elsbeth Schwarzengruber, perhaps a grandson through one of their sons (Peter 1643/1649 or Samuel 1652), who would be marrying in the 1670s.
Most likely now: born after March 1673 (which also fits better with a son born about 1712). Next: Guggisberg 4, images 63–100 (1673–1680); then Wahlern.
/../../attachments/bern-k-guggisberg-3-img94-jacob-hoffstettler-1652.jpg)
Probable father of the 1738 immigrant (the father–son link is believed, not proven; the archival facts about his own life are documented, cited through Hochstättler).
| Date | Record |
|---|---|
| 1697 | Markirch list: “Jacob Hochstettler”, Anabaptist, no property — one of 17, the first Swiss Anabaptists on French soil who could be called Amish. Shoemaker; buys a meadow “Le Prince Prey” in Echery. |
| 1699 | Buys a shelter for 360 livres. Ammann recorded nearby at La Petite Liepvre. |
| 9 Mar 1701 | ”Jacob Amman, together with Jacob Hochstetler and Hans Zimmermann”, representatives of the Anabaptist community, petition Count Palatine Christian. |
| 1702 | With Ammann, protests against being made Heimburgs (officials with military duties). |
| 1707 | Living at La Petite Liepvre “as a neighbour to Jacob Amman”. |
| 1712 | Expulsion property list: 1 house, 8 cows, 4 young cows, 1 pig, 3 goats (Ammann: 2 cows, 3 goats). Louis XIV expels the Anabaptists; Ammann vanishes. Jacob is one of only six families who stay. |
| 1719 | With Nigi Blanck petitions to reduce back protection tax; community back to 14 households. |
| 6 Mar 1720 | Bern Täuferkammer: Täuferlehrer Jacob “Hofstetter”, “born at Winterkraut near Guggisberg”, living at “Maria-Kirch”, came back to help Anabaptist women emigrate; arrested, released on paying costs and promising “with handshake” not to return. |
| 10 Feb 1721 | Last signature. Dead by Oct 1723. |
Tradition places a hidden room under the floor of the oldest house in Winterkraut, used to hide Anabaptists (JHFA) — not in Alsace. Wives: Christina Küntzi (probable mother of the immigrant), then Verena Zand (AMC genealogy). Other children (AMC): Peter (bapt. Wahlern 1697?), Elisabeth (m. Michel Blanck), Johannes (m. Anna Wagler), Verena (1716–1741).
Where they lived
- 1666 — Winterkraut
- 1697 — Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines
- 1697 — Echery
- 1720 — Bern
In their lifetime
- 1671 — 1671 Expulsion of Bernese Anabaptists to the Palatinate
- 1693 — 1693 The Amish split
- 1711 — 1711 The Rhine exodus from Bern
- 1712 — 1712 Louis XIV expels the Anabaptists from Alsace
Sources
- Hochstaettler - Anabaptist Preacher Jacob Hochstetler at Markirch 1720
- JHFA - Jacob Hochstetler Family Association
- Amish Mennonites of Canada - Hochstetler genealogy
- Bern Taeuferakten (Anabaptist files)
Narratives and research
- Stories: Double ancestors, Lake Thun and the Oberland Anabaptists - the world that made the Amish, Muenster, the Dutch Mennonites, the 1711 Swiss and the Wiebes, The Hochstetler massacre of 1757
- History: 1671 Expulsion of Bernese Anabaptists to the Palatinate, 1693 The Amish split, 1711 The Rhine exodus from Bern, 1712 Louis XIV expels the Anabaptists from Alsace, Faith traditions
- Research: How far back each line goes
- Congregations: Markirch Anabaptist congregation
- Sources: Amish Mennonites of Canada - Hochstetler genealogy, Bern Taeuferakten (Anabaptist files), Hochstaettler - Anabaptist Preacher Jacob Hochstetler at Markirch 1720, JHFA - Jacob Hochstetler Family Association, Mennonite Encyclopedia - family and place entries (read 2026-10-31)
Research log
- 2026-10-31: Guggisberg baptisms searched, 1665 – Mar 1673 (2026-10-31): K Guggisberg 4, images 30–62, entries 1–632, read in full: no Jacob baptized to a Hostettler/Hoffstettler father. Either he was born before 1665 (Guggisberg 3, 1637–64, n
Record compiled 31 October 2026.
About this research
Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.
14 Jan 1688 – ?, born at Wahlern
Christopher’s 8th great-grandfather · ancestor no. 1084, 1268 · generation 11
Evidence: identity compiled lead
Pedigree collapse: Christopher descends from this person 2 times.
Family
- Children in this vault: Joseph Ulrich Mishler (c.1700–1756)
Life and evidence
Negative search (2026-10-31)
The Wahlern baptism register for January 1688 has no Ulrich Mischler on 14 January or nearby dates. The WikiTree birth date and place are unsupported so far.
Born at Wahlern, Schwarzenburg district, Canton Bern (WikiTree) — the same district as the Hochstetlers’ Winterkraut and the Masts’ Guggisberg.
In their lifetime
- 1693 — 1693 The Amish split
- 1711 — 1711 The Rhine exodus from Bern
- 1712 — 1712 Louis XIV expels the Anabaptists from Alsace
- 1738 — 1738 The Charming Nancy
- 1750 — 1750 The Brotherhood
- 1757 — 1757 The Hochstetler massacre
Research tasks
- Checked Wahlern baptisms for January 1688 (2026-10-31): no Ulrich Mischler baptized on 14 Jan 1688
/../../attachments/bern-k-wahlern-2-img218-january-1688-baptisms.jpg)
- Search Wahlern 1686–1690 and neighbouring Guggisberg for any Mischler baptism; the WikiTree date may be a guess task/ai
Sources
Narratives and research
- Stories: Double ancestors
- History: 1693 The Amish split, 1711 The Rhine exodus from Bern, 1712 Louis XIV expels the Anabaptists from Alsace, 1738 The Charming Nancy, 1750 The Brotherhood, 1757 The Hochstetler massacre
- Research: How far back each line goes
- Sources: WikiTree - Mast and Miller and Mishler profiles
Research log
- 2026-10-31: Negative search (2026-10-31): The Wahlern baptism register for January 1688 has no Ulrich Mischler on 14 January or nearby dates. The WikiTree birth date and place are unsupported so far.
Record compiled 31 October 2026.
About this research
Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.
Bishop Jacob Mast
1738 – 8 Feb 1808
Christopher’s 6th great-grandfather · ancestor no. 264, 442 · generation 9
Evidence: identity compiled lead
Pedigree collapse: Christopher descends from this person 2 times.
Family
- Spouse: Magdalena Holly (c.1740–1820)
- Family notes: Jacob Mast + Magdalena Holly (m. unknown)
- Children in this vault: Barbara Mast (1765–1849), Christian Mast (fl. 1800)
Search of the Guggisberg baptisms (2026-10-31)
No baptism found for Jacob, 1737 – early 1740
Claude read every baptism in K Guggisberg 6 (scan images 100–123) from 1 Jan 1737 to mid-Feb 1740. No Jacob Mast was baptized at Guggisberg in that window.
Mast families having children there at the time ([bracketed] = uncertain reading; Mast and Marti can look alike):
- Christ Mast and Eva Lädermann — children baptized away from home at Corsier and Lausanne (Judith 1728, Marthe Louise 1731, Jacqueline 1733, Maria Elisabeth 1735), entered at Guggisberg in 1737 — a Mast family living in the Vaud.
- [Christen] Mast and Cathri [G’rosten?] — son Christen, 3 Nov 1737.
- Hans Mast “an der Egerten” and Anna Hostettler — son Christen, 8 Dec 1737. A Mast–Hochstetler marriage in Guggisberg.
- Hans Mast and Anni Glauss — son Christen, 25 Jul 1738.
- Hans Mast and Anni [Dägerler?] — son Hans, 10 Aug 1738.
Why he may be missing: an Anabaptist family would not have had him baptized in the Reformed church; he may have been born in another parish (Wahlern, or among Bernese refugees elsewhere); or “1738” (from his age in 1750) may be off by a few years. Guggisberg has no surviving death registers before 1875, so the parents’ deaths (he arrived an orphan in 1750) can’t be checked there.
/../../attachments/bern-k-guggisberg-6-img105-mast-baptisms-1737.png)
Mast marriages in the Guggisberg register, 1723–1737 (K Guggisberg 6, marriage section, images 175–186; read by Claude 2026-10-31). These couples were of the right age to be Jacob’s parents:
- 12 Oct 1725: Christen Mast × Barb. Stoll (clear reading).
/../../attachments/bern-k-guggisberg-6-p350-marriage-christen-mast-barb-stoll-1725.png)
- 5 May 1735: Hans Mast × Anni [Bigler/Dägerler?] (p. 367), probably the parents of the Hans baptized in Aug 1738.
- 18 Feb 1735: Hans [Mast?] × [unreadable] (p. 366).
- 1726 (p. 350): a “Barb. Mast” bride, groom [unreadable].
- No marriage was found for Christ Mast × Eva Lädermann (Vaud), Hans Mast × Anna Hostettler, or Hans Mast × Anni Glauss. Those couples probably married elsewhere.
No Jacob Mast baptism was found in the Guggisberg baptisms for 1737 – Feb 1740, nor in the 1735–1736 marriage pages checked. Jacob’s parents are still unknown. The best candidates are the couples above, but nothing yet ties any of them to the 1750 orphans.
Baptisms 1725–1726 (K Guggisberg 6, images 16–23), read 2026-10-31:
- Oct 1725: Joseph, son of Hans Mast and Anna [Zwahlen?]; godparents Peter Mast and Christina Mast (image 17, p. 31).
- 8 Feb 1726: Joseph, son of Christen [surname unreadable] and Barb. Stoll (image 20, p. 36). This could be the first child of Christen Mast and Barbara Stoll, married 12 Oct 1725, but the father’s surname can’t be read at this resolution. Unconfirmed.
Baptisms Mar 1735 – Dec 1736 (K Guggisberg 6, images 85–98), read 2026-11-01: no Jacob. Mast families baptizing:
- 27 Mar 1735: Barbara, daughter of Peter Zwahlen and Anni Mast (image 86).
- 25 Dec 1735: Anna, daughter of Hans Mast and Anna Hostettler; godparents Hans Stöckli, Anna Beyeler, Elsi Glauss (image 91). The Mast–Hochstetler couple again (son Christen, Dec 1737).
- 27 Feb 1736: Christen, son of Hans Mast and Anna Zwahlen (image 92); the couple who baptized a Joseph in Oct 1725. One godparent may read “Elsbeth Mi[ß]ler”.
- 23 Nov 1736: Elsbeth, daughter of Peter Zwahlen and Anna Mast (image 97).
- 21 Dec 1736: Christen, son of Hans Mast [im Flüstrund?] and Anna Beyeler; godparents Hans Nydegger, Christen Mast, Barbara Beyeler (image 98). A new Hans Mast couple.
So at least four Hans Mast households were baptizing at Guggisberg in 1735–38 (wives Hostettler, Zwahlen, Beyeler, Glauss), which is why the orphans’ father can’t be picked out by name alone. Still to read: 1733–34 and 1740–46.
Baptisms Apr 1740 – Apr 1741 (K Guggisberg 6, images 124–131), read 2026-11-01:
- 27 Nov 1740: Joseph, son of Hans Mast and Anna Beyeler (second child found for this couple, after Christen, Dec 1736); godparents Peter Zwahlen, Heinrich Hostettler, Elsbeth Beyeler (image 128).
- 27 Nov 1740: Christina, daughter of Hans Bonni and Barbara Mast (image 127).
- 5 Feb 1741: Barbara, daughter of Hans Mast “ob dem Stalden” and Anna Zand; godparents Christen Zand, Anna Hostettler, Barbara Zand (image 130). A fifth Hans Mast couple.
That makes five Hans Mast households at Guggisberg in 1735–41 (wives Hostettler, Zwahlen, Beyeler, Glauss, Zand). Still to read: Apr 1741 – 1746 (images 132–174) and 1733–34.
The Guggisberg Hans Mast puzzle
Between 1725 and 1741 the Guggisberg baptism register names five couples whose father is “Hans Mast”:
Wife Children baptized Farm or locality Anna Hostettler Anna (Dec 1735), Christen (Dec 1737) “an der Egerten” Anna Zwahlen Joseph (Oct 1725), Christen (Feb 1736) — Anna Beyeler Christen (Dec 1736), Joseph (Nov 1740) “im Flüstrund” (uncertain) Anni Glauss Christen (Jul 1738) — Anna Zand Barbara (Feb 1741) “ob dem Stalden” A sixth, Hans Mast × Anni Bigler/Dägerler (married May 1735; son Hans, Aug 1738), may be the Beyeler couple misread.
They are probably not five different men: widowers remarried quickly, and surnames are hard to read. But overlapping dates (Hostettler, Zwahlen and Beyeler children within months of each other) mean there were at least three or four Hans Masts in the parish at once. That’s why the pastor added farm names like “an der Egerten” and “ob dem Stalden”. Mast was a common Guggisberg name, and Hans was the most common boy’s name.
What it means for Jacob: any of these couples could be the parents of the orphans who came over in 1750, and a first name can’t decide it. It will take a record tying one couple to the orphans: a guardianship (Vogtei) record, an emigration permit, or an estate inventory.
Method note: reading surnames page by page in this register is slow and error-prone (Mast, Marti and Maag look alike). A handwriting-recognition pass (Transkribus) over K Guggisberg 6, 1726–1746, or a hired Bern researcher, would be the reliable way to list every child of Christen Mast × Barbara Stoll and test them against Jacob’s siblings (John and four sisters).
- Extend the search: Guggisberg 6 for 1733–34 and 1740–1746 (1735–36 and Apr 1740–Apr 1741 done 2026-11-01), and Guggisberg 7 (1747–50) for the orphans’ siblings task/ai
- Search the Wahlern registers (catalog ID 220239) for Mast baptisms 1730–1745 task/ai
- Run Transkribus (or hire a Bern researcher) on K Guggisberg 6, 1726–1746, to list all Mast baptisms task/human
- Identify which Mast couple lost both parents before 1750 (marriages in Guggisberg 5–6; Täuferkammer lists) task/human
Life and evidence
A double ancestor — through his daughter Barbara Mast (1765–1849) (Ramseyer side) and his son Christian Mast (fl. 1800) (Miller side).
- Born 1738 in Switzerland “of Swiss parents”; came as an orphan with his younger brother John and four sisters in the care of his uncle Johannes Mast on the Brotherhood, Philadelphia 3 Nov 1750 (from Rotterdam via Cowes; list shows “Johannes Mast” with Andreas and Michael Holly).
- Settled in the Northkill congregation — the same community as the Hochstetlers. Married Magdalena, daughter of fellow passenger Michael Holly. After an Indian attack in 1760 moved to the Conestoga Valley on the Berks–Chester line.
- One of the leading Amish bishops of his day; visited congregations in Berks, Lancaster, Chester, Somerset and Cambria counties yearly. His coat and wedding vest are at the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society.
- Children (12): John, Magdalena (Zook), Barbara (John Hochstetler, then John Zug), Jacob, David, Mary (Coffman), Nancy (Kurtz), Fanny (Zug), Elizabeth (Holly), Christian (Susan Kurtz), Esther (Zug, Holly), Daniel.
Origins: Guggisberg
Modern trees agree on Guggisberg, Canton Bern. WikiTree’s line (father “Christen or Ulrich”; grandfather Hans Mast b. 10 Mar 1661 × Anna Mischler; Peter Mast b. 1636 × Barbara Stöckli; Benedict Mast c.1597 × Barbara Marti) is a hypothesis until the orphans’ parents are found. If right, the Schwarzenburg district supplies three of Christopher’s lines (Hochstetler, Mast, Mishler).
Where they lived
- 1738 — Guggisberg
- 1750 — Rotterdam
- 1750 — Philadelphia
- 1750 — Northkill (Berks County)
- 1760 — Elverson
In their lifetime
- 1738 — 1738 The Charming Nancy
- 1750 — 1750 The Brotherhood
- 1757 — 1757 The Hochstetler massacre
- 1764 — 1764 Captives returned after Bouquet’s treaty
- 1776 — 1776 Census of Mennonites in West Prussia
- 1789 — 1789 First Prussian Mennonites settle in Russia
- 1798 — 1798 Old Bern falls; religious freedom
Conflicts
- Father unknown: ‘Christen or Ulrich’ (WikiTree) vs Jacob Mast × Barbara Berkey (Geni)
- Magdalena’s father: Michael Holly (1911 book) vs Johannes Hooley (Mast Family Stories)
Research tasks
- Search the Guggisberg registers (downloaded) for Mast baptisms c.1736–1740 and the orphans’ parents task/ai
Sources
- Mast Family History (1911)
- WikiTree - Mast and Miller and Mishler profiles
- Mast Family Stories
- GAMEO
Narratives and research
- Stories: Double ancestors
- History: 1738 The Charming Nancy, 1750 The Brotherhood, 1757 The Hochstetler massacre, 1764 Captives returned after Bouquet’s treaty, 1776 Census of Mennonites in West Prussia, 1789 First Prussian Mennonites settle in Russia, 1798 Old Bern falls; religious freedom, Faith traditions
- Research: Handwriting recognition tests (2026-11-01), Ships and journeys of the immigrant ancestors
- Congregations: Northkill Amish congregation
- Sources: GAMEO, Mast Family History (1911), Mast Family Stories, Mennonite Encyclopedia - family and place entries (read 2026-10-31), WikiTree - Mast and Miller and Mishler profiles
Open questions
- Father unknown: ‘Christen or Ulrich’ (WikiTree) vs Jacob Mast × Barbara Berkey (Geni)
- Magdalena’s father: Michael Holly (1911 book) vs Johannes Hooley (Mast Family Stories)
Research log
- undated: No baptism found for Jacob, 1737 – early 1740: Claude read every baptism in K Guggisberg 6 (scan images 100–123) from 1 Jan 1737 to mid-Feb 1740. No Jacob Mast was baptized at Guggisberg in that window.
- undated: No marriage was found for Christ Mast × Eva Lädermann (Vaud), Hans Mast × Anna Hostettler, or Hans Mast × Anni Glauss. Those couples probably married elsewhere.
- undated: No Jacob Mast baptism was found in the Guggisberg baptisms for 1737 – Feb 1740, nor in the 1735–1736 marriage pages checked. Jacob’s parents are still unknown. The best candidates are the couples abov
- 2026-11-01: K Guggisberg 6 baptisms, images 85–98 (Mar 1735 – Dec 1736) read page by page: no Jacob Mast. Mast entries: 27 Mar 1735 Barbara d/o Peter Zwahlen & Anni Mast; 25 Dec 1735 Anna d/o Hans Mast & Anna Hostettler; 27 Feb 1736 Christen s/o Hans Mast & Anna Zwahlen; 23 Nov 1736 Elsbeth d/o Peter Zwahlen & Anna Mast; 21 Dec 1736 Christen s/o Hans Mast [im Flüstrund?] & Anna Beyeler (godparents Hans Nydegger, Christen Mast, Barbara Beyeler)
- 2026-11-01: K Guggisberg 6 baptisms, images 124–131 (Apr 1740 – mid-Apr 1741) read: Mast entries: 27 Nov 1740 Joseph s/o Hans Mast [im Flüstrund?] & Anna Beyeler (godparents Peter Zwahlen, Heinrich Hostettler, Elsbeth Beyeler); 27 Nov 1740 Christina d/o Hans Bonni & Barbara Mast; 5 Feb 1741 Barbara d/o Hans Mast ‘ob dem Stalden’ & Anna Zand (godparents Christen Zand, Anna Hostettler, Barbara Zand); Hans Mast and Barbara Mast also stand as godparents. No sibling of Jacob identifiable
Record compiled 31 October 2026.
About this research
Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.
Wiebe side
Ramseyer side
bapt. 20 Jan 1594 – ?, baptized at Signau
Christopher’s 9th great-grandfather · ancestor no. 3072 · generation 12
Evidence: identity documented · link to parents documented
Family
- Parents: Ludwig Ramseyer (16th c.) and Madlen Huser (16th c.)
- Spouse: Anna Haldimann (16th c.)
- Family notes: Hans Ramseyer + Anna Haldimann (m. unknown)
- Children in this vault: Ulrich Ramseyer (17th c.)
Life and evidence
Baptism found in the original register (2026-10-31)
Signau baptisms, vol. 1 (K Signau 1), p. 48, entry 336, 20 January 1594: “Ludi Ramseyer und Madlen Huser ein Sun toufft, heisst Hans.” Witnesses: Christian Baldenegger, Hans [Zaum?], and the wife (Anna) of Hans [Ab…?].
This confirms both his parents’ names exactly as Staker and the 2002 Family Record give them. “Ludi” is the Bernese short form of Ludwig.
/../../attachments/bern-k-signau-1-p48-hans-ramseyer-1594.jpg)
Staker’s chain.
Status of the early chain (2026-10-31)
Checked in the registers: Hans bapt. Signau 1594 to Ludi Ramseyer and Madlen Huser; Ulli Ramseyer × Barbli Stauffer married Eggiwil 1663; Christen bapt. Eggiwil 1672 to them. One link is still unproven: that Ulrich (m. 1663) is Hans’s son. Signau has no baptisms for 1618–1650, so it must come from other records (Hans’s 1629 farm purchase, inheritance or Chorgericht records). Peter (c.1534) → Ludwig is also unchecked.
2002 Family Record (p. IX–X)
The Family Record gives the same line: Peter (b. 1535, Signau; wife Christina) → Ludwig (b. 1568) → Hans (b. 1594) → Ullrich (b. 1640) → Christian (b. 1672). It adds: Christina was present at a baptism at Lauperswil; the family’s children were baptized as infants (so not yet Anabaptist); Hans bought a farm in 1629; Ullrich was a saddler “who moved several times during his marriage”. The book credits Adolph Ramseyer, a Swiss police officer who researched Ramseyers, so it and Staker probably rest on the same unpublished research: they agree but are not independent confirmation.
In their lifetime
- 1631 — 1631 Eggiwil church founded to combat Anabaptism
- 1659 — 1659 Bern creates the Anabaptist Chamber
Pedigree
%%{init: {"flowchart": {"useMaxWidth": true}}}%% flowchart RL n62500451["Peter Ramseyer (c.1534)"] n71408397["Ludwig Ramseyer (16th c.)"] n31304850["Madlen Huser (16th c.)"] n46003800["Christina Trachsel (16th c.)"] n37828221["Hans Ramseyer (bapt. 1594)"] n37828221 --> n71408397 n71408397 --> n62500451 n71408397 --> n46003800 n37828221 --> n31304850 class n62500451,n71408397,n31304850,n46003800,n37828221 internal-link;
Research tasks
- Baptism verified: Signau 1, p. 48, 20 Jan 1594 (2026-10-31)
- The 1629 farm purchase (Bern land records, Signau Kontraktenprotokolle) task/human
Sources
Narratives and research
- History: 1631 Eggiwil church founded to combat Anabaptism, 1659 Bern creates the Anabaptist Chamber, Hessian Amish (Waldeck and Hesse)
- Research: How far back each line goes
- Sources: Staker - Amish Mennonites in Tazewell County Part 5
Record compiled 31 October 2026.
About this research
Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.
Life and evidence
Children of Jacob Gosteli × Anni Zoss, Bolligen baptisms (K Bolligen 3, read 1659–1676 on 2026-10-31 and 2026-11-01)
Baptized Child Image c. 20–27 Oct 1660 Johannes (godparents Dürs Schnal, Hans Wali the innkeeper, Frau Johanna Häberi?) 133, p. 263 8 Dec 1661 Bendicht (godparents Daniel Wagner, church warden; Bendicht Stämpfli of Habstetten; Anna [Teras?], Claus Krieg’s wife) 135, p. 267 15 [Feb] 1663 Marthi (Martin) (godparents Andreas Baltzli; Peter Schaller; Cathrina Stämpfli, Bendicht Zoss’s wife) 138, p. 243 4 Aug 1665 Christina (our ancestor) 144 21 Feb 1668 Niclaus (godparents Niclaus Cuntz, Niclaus Krieg, Rosina Kauffmann, the pastor’s wife) 150 25 Feb 1670 Barbara (godparents Marti Wäli, Barbara Blanck, Barbara Baldiswyl) 154 17 Jan 1673 Anna (godparents Bast Stämpfli, Anni Zoss, Madle Krieg?) 158 [!documented] What the earlier baptisms add (K Bolligen 3, read 2026-11-01)
- Three older brothers of Christina: Johannes (Oct 1660), Bendicht (Dec 1661) and Martin (Feb 1663). Johannes is the first child found, so the couple probably married about 1659–60 (none found Aug 1659 – Apr 1660).
- Home: Ostermundigen (Anna is “Jacob Kostelis frauw zu Ostermundigen” as a godmother, Sept 1663), in Bolligen parish just east of Bern.
- Bendicht Zoss and Catharina Stämpfli were baptizing at Bolligen at the same time (daughter Barbara, Oct 1660; son Niclaus, Oct 1661), and Catharina was godmother to Martin in 1663: Bendicht was very probably Anna’s brother (or another close relative). Anna in turn was godmother in 1663, 1664 and 1665.
- Many other Gosteli (Kosteli) households in the parish then: Niclaus at Ostermundigen (× Margreth Schütz), Hans “im Thal” (× Christina Kosteli), Bendicht at Flugbrunnen (× Susanna Krieg), Bendicht “der Baur” at Steinstein?, Marthi “der Amman” and others.
Jacob also stands as godfather in Dec 1668 and Jul 1669. Caution: a different Jacob Gosteli, married to Christina Krieg, baptized children at Bolligen in Sep 1669, Jan 1672 and Aug 1673: only entries naming Anni Zoss are counted here. Not yet read: 1655–64 (an older sibling and the couple’s marriage) and after 1676.
Named as mother of Christina Gosteli at her baptism, Bolligen, 4 Aug 1665 (K Bolligen 3, image 144).
/../../attachments/bern-k-bolligen-3-img144-christina-gosteli-1665.jpg)
Search of the Bolligen baptisms, 1636–1647 (2026-10-31)
K Bolligen 3, images 65–99, read page by page. No baptism of Jacob Gosteli or Anni Zoss was found. Gosteli families were baptizing at Bolligen then (Benedict Gosteli at Flugbrunnen, Martin Gosteli at Ostermundigen, Hans Gosteli, Benedict Gosteli “vom Baraustein”); any of them could be Jacob’s family, but nothing ties him to one. Zoss never appears in these years, which suggests Anni was born in another parish (Zoss is a Worb/Vechigen-area name) and married into Bolligen. The handwriting is hard and the scans poor, so a missed entry is possible.
Research tasks
- Other children found 1660–1673 (2026-11-01)
- Their marriage c.1659–60: Bolligen 22 image 40 is now partly read (Bendicht Zoss’s 1659 wedding is there). A full Transkribus transcription of the page (free account) would let us check every 1659–60 entry for Jacob Gosteli × Anna Zoss task/human
- Bendicht Zoss (× Catharina Stämpfli, married at Bolligen Fri 23 Sep 1659, K Bolligen 22 image 40), probably Anna’s brother: his and Anna’s baptisms (Bolligen c.1630s, or Worb/Vechigen) task/ai
/../../attachments/bern-k-bolligen-22-img40-1659-09-23-bendicht-zoss-catharina-staempfli.png)
Narratives and research
Research log
- 2026-11-01: K Bolligen 22 image 40 (left page, 1659), read with help from a Transkribus test by Christopher and checked by eye: ‘Uff Frytag den 23. 7bris Bendicht Zoss und Katharina Stämpfli’ — marriage of Bendicht Zoss, probably Anna’s brother, Friday 23 Sep 1659 (Transkribus read 27; only the 23rd was a Friday in the Julian calendar of 1659). Other entries on the page: Jacob [Schmutziger?] × Maria [?] (Mon 1 Aug 1659, by order of the Bern consistory); Fri 14 Oct 1659 Bendicht [?] × Barbara [Zürgi?]. The rest of the page (about 100 more lines) still to read for Jacob Gosteli × Anna Zoss
- 2026-10-31: (earlier session) Bolligen baptisms 1665-1676 read: children with Jacob Gosteli; her own baptism and parents to search in the Bolligen registers before 1645
- 2026-10-31: K Bolligen 3 (Taufrodel 1615-1683) images 65-99 read (Aug 1636 - Dec 1647), page by page: no baptism of a Jacob Gosteli or an Anna/Anni Zoss seen. Gosteli/Kosteli fathers present: Benedict Gosteli zu Flugbrunnen, Martin Gosteli zu Ostermundigen, Hans Gosteli, Benedict Gosteli ‘vom Baraustein’. The surname Zoss does not appear at all in these years. Old German script on poor scans: a missed entry is possible. Not yet read: 1615-1636 (img 1-64) and 1648-1664 (img 100-143)
- 2026-10-31: next: Worb and Vechigen baptism registers c.1630-1645 (Zoss families), and the Bolligen/Worb marriage registers
- 2026-11-01: K Bolligen 3 images 130–143 (Aug 1659 – Apr 1665) read: children Johannes (Oct 1660), Bendicht (8 Dec 1661), Martin (15 Feb 1663); home Ostermundigen; Bendicht Zoss × Catharina Stämpfli baptizing 1660–61 (probably Anna’s brother). No child Aug 1659 – Apr 1660, so marriage c.1659–60
- 2026-11-01: K Bolligen 22 (Eherodel 1605–1761) downloaded (Staatsarchiv Bern ID 221000, D94433.pdf) and read for 1659–1663 (images 40–43): no Jacob Gosteli × Anna Zoss marriage found in Oct 1660 – 1663. The 1659 – early 1660 page (image 40, left) is badly faded and could not be read with confidence; the marriage may be there, or they married in Anna’s home parish
Record compiled 31 October 2026.
About this research
Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.
? – ?, married at Eggiwil 15 May 1663
Christopher’s 8th great-grandfather · ancestor no. 1536 · generation 11
Evidence: identity documented · link to parents compiled lead
Family
- Parents: Hans Ramseyer (bapt. 1594) and Anna Haldimann (16th c.)
- Spouse: Barbara Stauffer (17th c.)
- Family notes: Ulrich Ramseyer + Barbara Stauffer (m. unknown)
- Children in this vault: Christian Ramseyer (bapt. 1672)
Life and evidence
Marriage found in the original register (2026-10-31)
Eggiwil marriages (K Eggiwil 17, Eherodel 1648–1800), image 7, 15 May 1663: “Ulli Ramseyer und Barbli Stauffer”. The same couple, “Ulli Ramseyer und Barbli Stauffer”, had Christen baptized at Eggiwil on 26 May 1672 (K Eggiwil 1, p. 148).
On 25 Sept 1663 a Peter Ramseyer married Elsbeth Stauffer in the same parish: possibly a brother marrying a sister (unproven). A later “Ulli Ramseyer und Elsbeth Stauffer” marriage (1693) may be a second marriage of Ulli after Barbli’s death, or another man.
Link to Hans (1594) still unproven: a marriage in 1663 fits a birth about 1635–40, but the Signau baptism register has a gap from 1618 to 1650, so Ulrich’s own baptism cannot be checked there.
/../../attachments/bern-k-eggiwil-17-p10-ulli-ramseyer-barbli-stauffer-1663.jpg)
Staker’s chain; dates contradictory.
Status of the early chain (2026-10-31)
Checked in the registers: Hans bapt. Signau 1594 to Ludi Ramseyer and Madlen Huser; Ulli Ramseyer × Barbli Stauffer married Eggiwil 1663; Christen bapt. Eggiwil 1672 to them. One link is still unproven: that Ulrich (m. 1663) is Hans’s son. Signau has no baptisms for 1618–1650, so it must come from other records (Hans’s 1629 farm purchase, inheritance or Chorgericht records). Peter (c.1534) → Ludwig is also unchecked.
2002 Family Record (p. IX–X)
The Family Record gives the same line: Peter (b. 1535, Signau; wife Christina) → Ludwig (b. 1568) → Hans (b. 1594) → Ullrich (b. 1640) → Christian (b. 1672). It adds: Christina was present at a baptism at Lauperswil; the family’s children were baptized as infants (so not yet Anabaptist); Hans bought a farm in 1629; Ullrich was a saddler “who moved several times during his marriage”. The book credits Adolph Ramseyer, a Swiss police officer who researched Ramseyers, so it and Staker probably rest on the same unpublished research: they agree but are not independent confirmation.
Six children baptized at Eggiwil, 1664–1679
Anna (1664), Elsbeth (1668), Ulli (1669), Christen (1672), Hans (1675), Barbara (1679); from 1668 at the farm Diepoldsbühl. Details and godparents: Ulrich Ramseyer + Barbara Stauffer (m. unknown).
Pedigree
%%{init: {"flowchart": {"useMaxWidth": true}}}%% flowchart RL n62500451["Peter Ramseyer (c.1534)"] n71408397["Ludwig Ramseyer (16th c.)"] n31304850["Madlen Huser (16th c.)"] n17065231["Anna Haldimann (16th c.)"] n16873136["Ulrich Ramseyer (17th c.)"] n46003800["Christina Trachsel (16th c.)"] n37828221["Hans Ramseyer (bapt. 1594)"] n16873136 --> n37828221 n37828221 --> n71408397 n71408397 --> n62500451 n71408397 --> n46003800 n37828221 --> n31304850 n16873136 --> n17065231 class n62500451,n71408397,n31304850,n17065231,n16873136,n46003800,n37828221 internal-link;
Research tasks
- Verify in the Eggiwil/Signau parish registers (see Bern parish registers) task/ai
Sources
Narratives and research
- Stories: Plague, Reformation and the Peasants’ War - where the family stands
- Research: 1528, 1653 and the Anabaptist files - family-name matches, How far back each line goes
- Governments: Republic of Bern
- Sources: Staker - Amish Mennonites in Tazewell County Part 5
Record compiled 31 October 2026.
About this research
Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.
? – ?, married at Eggiwil 15 May 1663
Christopher’s 8th great-grandmother · ancestor no. 1537 · generation 11
Evidence: identity documented
Family
- Spouse: Ulrich Ramseyer (17th c.)
- Family notes: Ulrich Ramseyer + Barbara Stauffer (m. unknown)
- Children in this vault: Christian Ramseyer (bapt. 1672)
Life and evidence
Marriage found in the original register (2026-10-31)
Eggiwil marriages (K Eggiwil 17, Eherodel 1648–1800), image 7, 15 May 1663: “Ulli Ramseyer und Barbli Stauffer”. The same couple, “Ulli Ramseyer und Barbli Stauffer”, had Christen baptized at Eggiwil on 26 May 1672 (K Eggiwil 1, p. 148).
On 25 Sept 1663 a Peter Ramseyer married Elsbeth Stauffer in the same parish: possibly a brother marrying a sister (unproven). A later “Ulli Ramseyer und Elsbeth Stauffer” marriage (1693) may be a second marriage of Ulli after Barbli’s death, or another man.
Link to Hans (1594) still unproven: a marriage in 1663 fits a birth about 1635–40, but the Signau baptism register has a gap from 1618 to 1650, so Ulrich’s own baptism cannot be checked there.
/../../attachments/bern-k-eggiwil-17-p10-ulli-ramseyer-barbli-stauffer-1663.jpg)
Wife in Staker’s early Ramseyer chain (compiled lead, uncited).
Six children baptized at Eggiwil, 1664–1679
Anna (1664), Elsbeth (1668), Ulli (1669), Christen (1672), Hans (1675), Barbara (1679), at the farm Diepoldsbühl. See Ulrich Ramseyer + Barbara Stauffer (m. unknown).
Sources
Candidate relative: Uli Stauffer of Eggiwil, 1653 — added 2026-10-31 by Claude
One of the twelve Bernese ringleaders of the 1653 Peasants’ War who escaped abroad was “Uli Staufer, von Eggiwyl, im Amte Signau” (Vock 1831, pp. 411–412). Barbara married at Eggiwil ten years later. Same surname and parish only; no record links them. The rebels’ property inventories (Staatsarchiv Bern A IV 187–188; transcription DQ 805) are the place to test it. See 1528, 1653 and the Anabaptist files - family-name matches.
Narratives and research
- Stories: Double ancestors
- Research: 1528, 1653 and the Anabaptist files - family-name matches, How far back each line goes
- Sources: Staker - Amish Mennonites in Tazewell County Part 5
Research log
- 2026-10-31: Marriage found in the original register (2026-10-31): Eggiwil marriages (K Eggiwil 17, Eherodel 1648–1800), image 7, 15 May 1663: ‘Ulli Ramseyer und Barbli Stauffer’. The same couple, ‘Ulli Ramseyer und Barbli Stauffer’, had
- 2026-10-31: Candidate relative: Uli Stauffer of Eggiwil, 1653: One of the twelve Bernese ringleaders of the 1653 Peasants’ War who escaped abroad was ‘Uli Staufer, von Eggiwyl, im Amte Signau’ (Vock 1831, pp. 411–412). Barbara marrie
- 2026-10-31 (from 1528, 1653 and the Anabaptist files - family-name matches): Uli Stauffer of Eggiwil was one of twelve Bernese ringleaders who escaped arrest and fled abroad (Vock 1831, pp. 411–412). Ten years later, on 15 May 1663, Barbara Stauffer (17th c.) married Ulrich Ramseyer at Eggiwil. Candidate r
- 2026-10-31 (from How far back each line goes): 11 | Ulrich Ramseyer (17th c.) × Barbara Stauffer (17th c.) | married Eggiwil 15 May 1663 | ⚠ compiled lead: the weakest link. Signau baptisms are missing for 1618–1650 |
Record compiled 31 October 2026.
About this research
Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.
Life and evidence
Children of Jacob Gosteli × Anni Zoss, Bolligen baptisms (K Bolligen 3, read 1659–1676 on 2026-10-31 and 2026-11-01)
Baptized Child Image c. 20–27 Oct 1660 Johannes (godparents Dürs Schnal, Hans Wali the innkeeper, Frau Johanna Häberi?) 133, p. 263 8 Dec 1661 Bendicht (godparents Daniel Wagner, church warden; Bendicht Stämpfli of Habstetten; Anna [Teras?], Claus Krieg’s wife) 135, p. 267 15 [Feb] 1663 Marthi (Martin) (godparents Andreas Baltzli; Peter Schaller; Cathrina Stämpfli, Bendicht Zoss’s wife) 138, p. 243 4 Aug 1665 Christina (our ancestor) 144 21 Feb 1668 Niclaus (godparents Niclaus Cuntz, Niclaus Krieg, Rosina Kauffmann, the pastor’s wife) 150 25 Feb 1670 Barbara (godparents Marti Wäli, Barbara Blanck, Barbara Baldiswyl) 154 17 Jan 1673 Anna (godparents Bast Stämpfli, Anni Zoss, Madle Krieg?) 158 [!documented] What the earlier baptisms add (K Bolligen 3, read 2026-11-01)
- Three older brothers of Christina: Johannes (Oct 1660), Bendicht (Dec 1661) and Martin (Feb 1663). Johannes is the first child found, so the couple probably married about 1659–60 (none found Aug 1659 – Apr 1660).
- Home: Ostermundigen (Anna is “Jacob Kostelis frauw zu Ostermundigen” as a godmother, Sept 1663), in Bolligen parish just east of Bern.
- Bendicht Zoss and Catharina Stämpfli were baptizing at Bolligen at the same time (daughter Barbara, Oct 1660; son Niclaus, Oct 1661), and Catharina was godmother to Martin in 1663: Bendicht was very probably Anna’s brother (or another close relative). Anna in turn was godmother in 1663, 1664 and 1665.
- Many other Gosteli (Kosteli) households in the parish then: Niclaus at Ostermundigen (× Margreth Schütz), Hans “im Thal” (× Christina Kosteli), Bendicht at Flugbrunnen (× Susanna Krieg), Bendicht “der Baur” at Steinstein?, Marthi “der Amman” and others.
Jacob also stands as godfather in Dec 1668 and Jul 1669. Caution: a different Jacob Gosteli, married to Christina Krieg, baptized children at Bolligen in Sep 1669, Jan 1672 and Aug 1673: only entries naming Anni Zoss are counted here. Not yet read: 1655–64 (an older sibling and the couple’s marriage) and after 1676.
Named as father of Christina Gosteli at her baptism, Bolligen, 4 Aug 1665 (K Bolligen 3, image 144).
/../../attachments/bern-k-bolligen-3-img144-christina-gosteli-1665.jpg)
Search of the Bolligen baptisms, 1636–1647 (2026-10-31)
K Bolligen 3, images 65–99, read page by page. No baptism of Jacob Gosteli or Anni Zoss was found. Gosteli families were baptizing at Bolligen then (Benedict Gosteli at Flugbrunnen, Martin Gosteli at Ostermundigen, Hans Gosteli, Benedict Gosteli “vom Baraustein”); any of them could be Jacob’s family, but nothing ties him to one. Zoss never appears in these years, which suggests Anni was born in another parish (Zoss is a Worb/Vechigen-area name) and married into Bolligen. The handwriting is hard and the scans poor, so a missed entry is possible.
Research tasks
- Children 1665–76 found (see above)
- Children before 1665 found (2026-11-01): Johannes 1660, Bendicht 1661, Martin 1663
- Their marriage c.1659–60: Bolligen 22 (now downloaded) has a faded 1659–60 page (image 40) that needs a better reading (human eye or enhanced scan); otherwise try Anna’s home parish (Worb, Vechigen, Stettlen) task/ai
- Bolligen baptisms 1615–1636 (img 1–64) for Jacob Gosteli, if he was older task/ai
Narratives and research
- Research: How far back each line goes
Research log
- 2026-10-31: (earlier session) Bolligen baptisms 1665-1676 read: children with Anni Zoss; his own baptism and parents to search (Bolligen 1630s-40s)
- 2026-10-31: K Bolligen 3 (Taufrodel 1615-1683) images 65-99 read (Aug 1636 - Dec 1647), page by page: no baptism of a Jacob Gosteli or an Anna/Anni Zoss seen. Gosteli/Kosteli fathers present: Benedict Gosteli zu Flugbrunnen, Martin Gosteli zu Ostermundigen, Hans Gosteli, Benedict Gosteli ‘vom Baraustein’. The surname Zoss does not appear at all in these years. Old German script on poor scans: a missed entry is possible. Not yet read: 1615-1636 (img 1-64) and 1648-1664 (img 100-143)
- 2026-11-01: K Bolligen 3 images 130–143 (Aug 1659 – Apr 1665) read: children Johannes (Oct 1660), Bendicht (8 Dec 1661), Martin (15 Feb 1663); home Ostermundigen; Bendicht Zoss × Catharina Stämpfli baptizing 1660–61 (probably Anna’s brother). No child Aug 1659 – Apr 1660, so marriage c.1659–60
- 2026-11-01: K Bolligen 22 (Eherodel 1605–1761) downloaded (Staatsarchiv Bern ID 221000, D94433.pdf) and read for 1659–1663 (images 40–43): no Jacob Gosteli × Anna Zoss marriage found in Oct 1660 – 1663. The 1659 – early 1660 page (image 40, left) is badly faded and could not be read with confidence; the marriage may be there, or they married in Anna’s home parish
Record compiled 31 October 2026.
About this research
Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.
Named as mother at Eggiwil in 1698, 1700 and 1706; recorded as "anabapt." in March 1706 (K Eggiwil 2, p. 46). Baptized at Bolligen on 4 Aug 1665, daughter of Jacob Gosteli and Anna Zoss (K Bolligen 3, checked 2026-10-31).
bapt. 4 Aug 1665 – ?, baptized at Bolligen
Christopher’s 7th great-grandmother · ancestor no. 769 · generation 10
Evidence: identity documented
Family
- Spouse: Christian Ramseyer (bapt. 1672)
- Family notes: Christian Ramseyer + Christina Gosteli (m. unknown)
- Children in this vault: Christian Ramseyer (bapt. 1700)
Life and evidence
Children of Jacob Gosteli × Anni Zoss, Bolligen baptisms (K Bolligen 3, read 1665–1676 on 2026-10-31)
Baptized Child Image 4 Aug 1665 Christina (our ancestor) 144 21 Feb 1668 Niclaus (godparents Niclaus Cuntz, Niclaus Krieg, Rosina Kauffmann, the pastor’s wife) 150 25 Feb 1670 Barbara (godparents Marti Wäli, Barbara Blanck, Barbara Baldiswyl) 154 17 Jan 1673 Anna (godparents Bast Stämpfli, Anni Zoss, Madle Krieg?) 158 Jacob also stands as godfather in Dec 1668 and Jul 1669. Caution: a different Jacob Gosteli, married to Christina Krieg, baptized children at Bolligen in Sep 1669, Jan 1672 and Aug 1673: only entries naming Anni Zoss are counted here. Not yet read: 1655–64 (an older sibling and the couple’s marriage) and after 1676.
Baptism found in the original register (2026-10-31)
Bolligen baptisms (K Bolligen 3), image 144, 4 August 1665: Christina, child of Jacob Gosteli and Anna Zoss, confirming Staker’s date and parents.
Marriage not yet found. It is not in the Eggiwil marriage register for 1687–1699 (K Eggiwil 17, images 18–22, checked 2026-10-31). A bride usually married in her home parish, so the next place to look is Bolligen (c.1690–97), then Wohlen, where the first child, Barbara, was baptized on 3 April 1698.
Wife in Staker’s early Ramseyer chain (compiled lead, uncited).
Sources
Baptism found in the original register (2026-11-01)
Mühleberg baptisms (K Mühleberg 1), p. 225, 22 September 1700: “Christen Ramsÿer uß dem Eggiwyl, und dißmalen [living at a mill in the parish], und Christina Gosteli haben einen ehelichen Sohn tauffen lassen, namens Christen.” Godparents: Jacob [Lüthy?] of Gümmenen, Christen [Gehriß?] of Mauß, Elsbeth Remund of Kleingümmenen. See Bern K Muehleberg 1 - Baptisms 1651-1726 and Marriages 1651-1752.
Narratives and research
- Research: How far back each line goes
- Sources: Staker - Amish Mennonites in Tazewell County Part 5
Research log
- 2026-11-01: K Bolligen 22 (marriages), images 75–86 (Feb 1690 – Oct 1697) read page by page: no Christian Ramseyer × Christina Gosteli. A ‘Christina Gosteli von hier’ married Hans S[altzgeber?] von Stadorf on 12 Feb 1692 (image 79): a different Christina, or a first marriage. Many Gosteli marriages at Bolligen in these years. Next: Wohlen and Mühleberg (where Christian’s son was baptized 1700) and Eggiwil 1697–1700
- 2026-11-01: Mühleberg baptism 22 Sep 1700 (p. 225): wife of Christen Ramseyer of Eggiwil, mother of Christen. Marriage not found at Mühleberg 1692–1704
- 2026-11-01: neighbouring parishes searched, marriage registers c.1688–1700 read page by page: Wohlen (K Wohlen 2, 1689–98, images 182–186), Neuenegg (K Neuenegg 3, 1688–1700, images 148–150; faded), Frauenkappelen (K Frauenkappelen 2, 1691–1701, images 90–93): no Christen Ramseyer × Christina Gosteli. Incidental: Wohlen 19 Aug 1696 ‘Joseph Dürrwächter von Uettligen × Anna Ramseyer’; Frauenkappelen 2 Nov 1694 ‘Niclaus Neuenschwander × Elsi Walter’ (permission from Langnau). Ferenbalm 13 (catalogued ‘Eherodel 1661–1705’) is an alms account, not marriages. Conclusion: probably an unrecorded Anabaptist marriage, or one in the Gosteli home parish (Bolligen searched 1690–97) or the Ramseyer home parish (Eggiwil searched 1687–99)
Record compiled 31 October 2026.
About this research
Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.
Baptism checked in the original register (2026-10-31)
Eggiwil baptisms, vol. 1 (K Eggiwil 1), p. 148: “d. 26. Maij, dem Ulli Ramseyer und Barbli Stauffer ein Christen getaufft.” Witnesses: Christen Haldiman, Christen Ramseyer, Elsbeth [Oppliger?].
Staker gives 23 May in one place and 26 May in another; the register says 26 May 1672.
/../../attachments/bern-k-eggiwil-1-p148-christen-ramseyer-1672.png)
He and his wife became Anabaptists. When their daughter Anna was baptized at Eggiwil on 12 March 1706, the pastor wrote “anabapt.” under Christina Gosteli’s name (K Eggiwil 2, p. 46); in July 1708 son Ulrich’s parents were entered as “Anabaptiste in der Riedmatt” (p. 61). This is the generation that joined the Anabaptists on the Ramseyer line.
/../../attachments/bern-k-eggiwil-2-p46-anna-ramseyer-1706-anabapt.png)
/../../attachments/bern-k-eggiwil-2-p61-ulrich-ramseyer-1708-anabaptiste.png)
bapt. 1672 – ?
Christopher’s 7th great-grandfather · ancestor no. 768 · generation 10
Evidence: identity documented · link to parents documented
Family
-
Siblings (Eggiwil baptisms): Anna 1664, Elsbeth 1668, Ulli 1669, Hans 1675, Barbara 1679
-
Parents: Ulrich Ramseyer (17th c.) and Barbara Stauffer (17th c.)
-
Spouse: Christina Gosteli
-
Family notes: Christian Ramseyer + Christina Gosteli (m. unknown)
-
Children in this vault: Christian Ramseyer (bapt. 1700)
Life and evidence
Staker’s proposed father of Christian (1700).
Status of the early chain (2026-10-31)
Checked in the registers: Hans bapt. Signau 1594 to Ludi Ramseyer and Madlen Huser; Ulli Ramseyer × Barbli Stauffer married Eggiwil 1663; Christen bapt. Eggiwil 1672 to them. One link is still unproven: that Ulrich (m. 1663) is Hans’s son. Signau has no baptisms for 1618–1650, so it must come from other records (Hans’s 1629 farm purchase, inheritance or Chorgericht records). Peter (c.1534) → Ludwig is also unchecked.
In their lifetime
- 1693 — 1693 The Amish split
- 1711 — 1711 The Rhine exodus from Bern
- 1712 — 1712 Louis XIV expels the Anabaptists from Alsace
- 1738 — 1738 The Charming Nancy
Pedigree
%%{init: {"flowchart": {"useMaxWidth": true}}}%% flowchart RL n88864834["Barbara Stauffer (17th c.)"] n71408397["Ludwig Ramseyer (16th c.)"] n31304850["Madlen Huser (16th c.)"] n17065231["Anna Haldimann (16th c.)"] n16873136["Ulrich Ramseyer (17th c.)"] n24533069["Christian Ramseyer (bapt. 1672)"] n37828221["Hans Ramseyer (bapt. 1594)"] n24533069 --> n16873136 n16873136 --> n37828221 n37828221 --> n71408397 n37828221 --> n31304850 n16873136 --> n17065231 n24533069 --> n88864834 class n88864834,n71408397,n31304850,n17065231,n16873136,n24533069,n37828221 internal-link;
Baptism found in the original register (2026-11-01)
Mühleberg baptisms (K Mühleberg 1), p. 225, 22 September 1700: “Christen Ramsÿer uß dem Eggiwyl, und dißmalen [living at a mill in the parish], und Christina Gosteli haben einen ehelichen Sohn tauffen lassen, namens Christen.” Godparents: Jacob [Lüthy?] of Gümmenen, Christen [Gehriß?] of Mauß, Elsbeth Remund of Kleingümmenen. See Bern K Muehleberg 1 - Baptisms 1651-1726 and Marriages 1651-1752.
/../../attachments/bern-k-muehleberg-1-p225-christen-ramseyer-christina-gosteli-1700.png)
Research tasks
- Baptism verified (Eggiwil 1, p. 148)
- Marriage to Christina Gosteli searched in six parishes (Eggiwil 1687–99, Bolligen 1690–97, Mühleberg 1692–1704, Wohlen 1689–98, Neuenegg 1688–1700, Frauenkappelen 1691–1701): not found; probably unrecorded. Left open for a human reader of the Bern registers
Sources
Narratives and research
- History: 1693 The Amish split, 1711 The Rhine exodus from Bern, 1712 Louis XIV expels the Anabaptists from Alsace, 1738 The Charming Nancy
- Research: How far back each line goes
- Sources: Staker - Amish Mennonites in Tazewell County Part 5
Research log
- 2026-11-01: K Bolligen 22 (marriages), images 75–86 (Feb 1690 – Oct 1697) read page by page: no Christian Ramseyer × Christina Gosteli. A ‘Christina Gosteli von hier’ married Hans S[altzgeber?] von Stadorf on 12 Feb 1692 (image 79): a different Christina, or a first marriage. Many Gosteli marriages at Bolligen in these years. Next: Wohlen and Mühleberg (where Christian’s son was baptized 1700) and Eggiwil 1697–1700
- 2026-11-01: Mühleberg baptism of son Christen, 22 Sep 1700 (p. 225): father ‘Christen Ramsÿer uß dem Eggiwyl’, wife Christina Gosteli. Marriage not in Mühleberg marriages 1692–Jan 1704 (images 201–204) nor Bolligen 1690–97 nor Eggiwil 1687–99
- 2026-11-01: neighbouring parishes searched, marriage registers c.1688–1700 read page by page: Wohlen (K Wohlen 2, 1689–98, images 182–186), Neuenegg (K Neuenegg 3, 1688–1700, images 148–150; faded), Frauenkappelen (K Frauenkappelen 2, 1691–1701, images 90–93): no Christen Ramseyer × Christina Gosteli. Incidental: Wohlen 19 Aug 1696 ‘Joseph Dürrwächter von Uettligen × Anna Ramseyer’; Frauenkappelen 2 Nov 1694 ‘Niclaus Neuenschwander × Elsi Walter’ (permission from Langnau). Ferenbalm 13 (catalogued ‘Eherodel 1661–1705’) is an alms account, not marriages. Conclusion: probably an unrecorded Anabaptist marriage, or one in the Gosteli home parish (Bolligen searched 1690–97) or the Ramseyer home parish (Eggiwil searched 1687–99)
Record compiled 31 October 2026.
About this research
Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.
Baptism checked in the original register (2026-10-31)
Eggiwil, baptisms elsewhere (K Eggiwil 10), p. 21: “zu Mühleberg ein Christian, 2 — d. 22ten Herbstmonat 1700”, parents “die obigen” = Christen Ramseyer and Christina Gosteli (whose daughter Barbara, baptized at Wohlen 3 April 1698, is the entry above).
/../../attachments/bern-k-eggiwil-10-p21-ramseyer-gosteli-1698-1700.png)
Still unverified: that he was Isaac’s father. Isaac (born about 1747, La Sagne, Neuchâtel) does not appear in the Eggiwil register of children baptized elsewhere for 1739–1779 (K Eggiwil 11 index: only Magdalena and Barbara, daughters of Ulrich, and a Christian). The Christian (1700) → Isaac link rests on Staker’s reconstruction of the Neuchâtel Anabaptist lists, not a record naming Isaac’s parents.
bapt. 1700 – ?
Christopher’s 6th great-grandfather · ancestor no. 384 · generation 9
Evidence: identity compiled lead · link to parents compiled lead
Family
- Parents: Christian Ramseyer (bapt. 1672) and Christina Gosteli
- Spouse: Edith Balsiger
- Family notes: Christian Ramseyer + Edith Balsiger (m. unknown)
- Children in this vault: Isaac Ramseyer (c.1747–after 1817)
Life and evidence
Staker’s proposed father of Isaac. Baptized 1700.
Unverified chain
Staker’s early Ramseyer generations are uncited and contain contradictions. They are kept as leads; verify against the Signau (before 1648) and Eggiwil registers now downloaded to the archive.
In their lifetime
- 1711 — 1711 The Rhine exodus from Bern
- 1712 — 1712 Louis XIV expels the Anabaptists from Alsace
- 1738 — 1738 The Charming Nancy
- 1750 — 1750 The Brotherhood
- 1757 — 1757 The Hochstetler massacre
- 1764 — 1764 Captives returned after Bouquet’s treaty
Pedigree
%%{init: {"flowchart": {"useMaxWidth": true}}}%% flowchart RL n88864834["Barbara Stauffer (17th c.)"] n52315492["Christina Gosteli"] n17065231["Anna Haldimann (16th c.)"] n16873136["Ulrich Ramseyer (17th c.)"] n24533069["Christian Ramseyer (bapt. 1672)"] n88254489["Christian Ramseyer (bapt. 1700)"] n37828221["Hans Ramseyer (bapt. 1594)"] n88254489 --> n24533069 n24533069 --> n16873136 n16873136 --> n37828221 n16873136 --> n17065231 n24533069 --> n88864834 n88254489 --> n52315492 class n88864834,n52315492,n17065231,n16873136,n24533069,n88254489,n37828221 internal-link;
Baptism found in the original register (2026-11-01)
Mühleberg baptisms (K Mühleberg 1), p. 225, 22 September 1700: “Christen Ramsÿer uß dem Eggiwyl, und dißmalen [living at a mill in the parish], und Christina Gosteli haben einen ehelichen Sohn tauffen lassen, namens Christen.” Godparents: Jacob [Lüthy?] of Gümmenen, Christen [Gehriß?] of Mauß, Elsbeth Remund of Kleingümmenen. See Bern K Muehleberg 1 - Baptisms 1651-1726 and Marriages 1651-1752.
/../../attachments/bern-k-muehleberg-1-p225-christen-ramseyer-christina-gosteli-1700.png)
Research tasks
- Verify in the Eggiwil/Signau parish registers (see Bern parish registers) task/ai
Sources
Narratives and research
- History: 1711 The Rhine exodus from Bern, 1712 Louis XIV expels the Anabaptists from Alsace, 1738 The Charming Nancy, 1750 The Brotherhood, 1757 The Hochstetler massacre, 1764 Captives returned after Bouquet’s treaty
- Research: 1528, 1653 and the Anabaptist files - family-name matches, How far back each line goes
- Governments: Republic of Bern
- Sources: Staker - Amish Mennonites in Tazewell County Part 5
Research log
- 2026-11-01: FOUND: Mühleberg baptisms (K Mühleberg 1) p. 225, 22 Sep 1700: son Christen of ‘Christen Ramsÿer uß dem Eggiwyl’ and Christina Gosteli. Parents confirmed from the original register
Record compiled 31 October 2026.
About this research
Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.
Abraham Kurtz (1769–1830)
Christophel, Ascending and Descending Genealogy of Joseph Kurtz and Lydia Zug
Born 22 Feb 1769. Married Miss Fisher in Lancaster County about 1793; moved to Mifflin County, where she died 2 Jun 1808. “Later Abraham married Mrs. Madelene Zook (maiden name Lantz). They moved to Wayne County, Ohio, near Wooster.” Died 1830; buried 1½ miles east of Wooster.
Why he is in the tree: the 1889 Wayne County biography of Solomon K. Plank says his mother Fanny Kurtz (b. 3 Jun 1810, Huntingdon County) came to Wayne County at twenty “with her parents, Abraham and Magdalena Kurtz”, and that her father died there. Fanny was born two years after the first wife’s death, so she is a daughter of the second marriage. Place (Mifflin/Huntingdon), dates (move c.1830, death in Wayne County) and wife’s name all agree; no single record states the whole chain.
His grandfather was the immigrant Abraham Kurtz (arr. 1749), through one of the two sons born in Germany to his first wife (Christian or Jacob; the family never learned which). See Double ancestors: if right, Christopher descends from the immigrant Abraham Kurtz on the Ramseyer side as well as the Miller side.
The family chart
/../../attachments/christophel-kurtz-genealogy-table-1-ascending.png)
- Which son of the immigrant was his father, Christian or Jacob (born in Germany, came 1740): Berks/Lancaster tax lists and deeds of the 1760s–90s for Christian and Jacob Kurtz, and any baptism-sponsor or estate record naming an Abraham born 1769 task/ai
Children in this vault
- Veronica Fanny Kurtz (1811–1889) (second marriage)
Half-brother of Fanny: Joseph Kurtz (1808–), who married Lydia Zook in Fairfield County, Ohio (father of Bishop Jonathan Kurtz of Ligonier, Indiana).
Sources
- Christophel - Ascending and Descending Genealogy of Joseph Kurtz and Lydia Zug
- Commemorative Biographical Record of Wayne and Holmes Counties (1889)
Narratives and research
- Stories: Double ancestors
- Sources: Christophel - Ascending and Descending Genealogy of Joseph Kurtz and Lydia Zug
Open questions
- Death: 1830 (booklet text; MQR 1957) vs 5 May 1831 (booklet chart)
Research log
- 2026-11-01: Christophel booklet Table I (chart, image 11) read: confirms Fanny (b. 1810, m. Jeptha Plank) as a child of his second wife; his father is ‘Christian Kurtz (?) / Jacob Kurtz (?) — not sure which’; death given as 5 May 1831. Children: (1st wife) Barbara 1794, Jacob 1796, Elizabeth 1798 (m. Christian Plank), Abraham 1801, Magdelena 1803 (m. Samuel King), Anna 1805 (m. M. Plank), Joseph 1808 (m. Lydia Zook); (2nd wife) Fanny 1810, John 1812, Lydia 1813, David 1824
- 2026-11-01: Christophel Kurtz genealogy (archive.org ascendingdescend00chri): b. 22 Feb 1769; m. (1) Miss Fisher c.1793 (d. 1808, seven children incl. Joseph b. 1808); m. (2) Mrs. Magdalena Zook née Lantz; moved Mifflin Co. → Wayne Co., Ohio; d. 1830. Grandson of the immigrant Abraham Kurtz through Christian or Jacob (lead: which son not known)
- 2026-11-01: MQR 31 (1957) p.161 n.13 (Oak Grove history): ‘Abraham had lived in Lancaster county and in Mifflin county … before moving to Wayne, where he died in 1830’
Record compiled 1 November 2026.
About this research
Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.
Dr. Edna Geraldine Ramseyer Kaufman
18 Jan 1910 – 5 Aug 2001, died at Hesston (Kansas)
Not a direct ancestor — included for context.
Evidence: identity documented · link to parents documented
Family
- Parents: Alvin C. Ramseyer Sr. (1880–1948) and Mary Ellen Schrock (1886–1972)
- Spouse: Edmund G. Kaufman (1891–1980)
- Family notes: Edmund G. Kaufman + Edna Ramseyer Kaufman (m. 1965)
Life and evidence
Al Ramseyer’s sister and the principal compiler of the 2002 Ramseyer family record. Full life story, with her writings, what was written about her, and her archives: Edna Ramseyer Kaufman - a life of service.
Highlights: B.S. Bluffton; M.A. and Ph.D., Ohio State (1956), dissertation The Role of the Home Economics Unit in Ohio Colleges in Education for Family Living; professor and dean of women at Bluffton College 1936–65; MCC relief worker in Vichy France (1940), running the children’s home at La Rouvière near Marseille; dietician at CPS Camp 13 (1941–42); founded the “C.O. Girls” at Goshen (1943); led a women’s CPS unit at Poughkeepsie where Eleanor Roosevelt visited at her invitation (July 9, 1945?); led an MCC summer unit in Germany (1948); built the Mary Alva House at Bluffton (1958–59); Operation Crossroads Africa, Gabon (1962); married Dr. Edmund G. Kaufman 1965; India (c.1966–67); Bethel College 1967–75; “Homemaker’s Notebook” column 1981–90. Her papers: MS 300, Bethel College.
The genealogist (2002 Family Record, pp. IV–VIII)
The book is dedicated to her “fifty plus years” of research: she started with the families of her great-grandparents Peter and Barbara Reich Ramseyer and widened it to all ten children of Johannes, over 45,000 names. She caught the interest at the Stark County reunions as a girl, and “traveled throughout Europe and the United States, looking through libraries and telephone books, not afraid to ask, ‘Might we be related?’” Family members recorded hours of taped “story telling” by Aunt Edna. The material that didn’t fit in the book went to “the Edna Ramseyer Kaufman files at Bluffton College Library”.
/../../attachments/ramseyer-family-record-2002/ramseyer-record-2002-edna-portrait.jpg)
Where they lived
- 1910 — Smithville
- 1936 — Bluffton (Ohio)
- 1940 — Marseille
- 1967 — North Newton (Kansas)
- 2001 — Hesston (Kansas)
In their lifetime
Pedigree
%%{init: {"flowchart": {"useMaxWidth": true}}}%% flowchart RL n49867489["Peter Ramseyer (1822–1880)"] n37384099["Daniel Ramseyer (1856–1942)"] n48818908["David Schrock (1858–1903)"] n40092133["Alvin C. Ramseyer Sr. (1880–1948)"] n57998085["Mary Ellen Schrock (1886–1972)"] n40487033["Barbara Reich (1826–1894)"] n71127065["Edna Ramseyer Kaufman (1910–2001)"] n45558266["Moses Schrock (1828–1909)"] n2034856["Christina Gerig (1832–1909)"] n16805015["Nancy Hostetler (1836–1860)"] n53370897["Mary Conrad (1825–1912)"] n36146830["Fanny H. Plank (1857–1942)"] n34988141["Joseph Plank (1834–1914)"] n33449834["Rebecca Smiley (1856–1932)"] n57993883["John Smiley (1822–1879)"] n71127065 --> n40092133 n40092133 --> n37384099 n37384099 --> n49867489 n37384099 --> n40487033 n40092133 --> n33449834 n33449834 --> n57993883 n33449834 --> n53370897 n71127065 --> n57998085 n57998085 --> n48818908 n48818908 --> n45558266 n48818908 --> n2034856 n57998085 --> n36146830 n36146830 --> n34988141 n36146830 --> n16805015 class n49867489,n37384099,n48818908,n40092133,n57998085,n40487033,n71127065,n45558266,n2034856,n16805015,n53370897,n36146830,n34988141,n33449834,n57993883 internal-link;
Research tasks
- Find the title and year of her Ohio State dissertation (found 2026-10-31: The Role of the Home Economics Unit in Ohio Colleges in Education for Family Living, Ph.D. 1956)
- Send the Bethel MLA request for MS 300 task/human
Sources
- MLA Biograph Wiki
- Edna Ramseyer Kaufman Papers (MS 300)
- MCC Intersections - MCC and National Socialism
- Goshen College faculty history (C.O. Girls)
- CPS archive - Units 13 and 144
- Conference on Mennonite Cultural Problems 1947
- OSU School of Home Economics history 1896-1970
- Melting Pot of Mennonite Cookery (1974)
- Family Record of Johannes and Barbara (Kaufman) Ramseyer 1780-2002
- MLA obituary
In the Washington Post, 21 January 1928 (society column)
“Miss Dorothy E. Teeple, of Akron, Ohio, is at the Grace Dodge Hotel for the week-end. She is accompanied by Mr. A. G. Teeple, also of Akron; Mr. A. C. Ramseyer and Miss Edna Ramseyer, both of Smithfield [sic, Smithville], Ohio.”
A party of four: A.C. (aged 47) and his daughter Edna (17), with Dorothy E. Teeple and A. G. Teeple of Akron (relationship not stated). Who they were (checked 2026-11-01): Aaron G. Teeple of Akron was a co-owner of The Akron Pure Milk Company (bought 1904 with O. N. Harter, H. D. Teeple, J. M. Sumner and W. Teeple), its secretary and treasurer in 1907–09 and secretary in 1920 and in A History of Akron; in 1928 he and Harry D. Teeple were directors of the Depositors Savings & Trust Co. of Akron. In 1909 his household at 236 S. Balch St. included Mary F. (wife), Beulah I. (student) and Edna P. Dorothy Elizabeth Teeple (A.B. Hiram College) was a teacher at Norton Township High School in 1925, living at 241 Merriman Rd., Akron; in 1921–22 she was librarian and Beulah Teeple principal at the Southern Christian Institute, Edwards, Mississippi (a Disciples of Christ school). So Dorothy was probably Aaron G. Teeple’s daughter (Beulah’s sister), not proved. Likely link to A.C.: in 1928 A.C. still ran his Guernsey dairy (about 200 cows until the 1932 barn fire), and Akron Pure Milk bought and bottled milk about 30 miles away; a supplier–buyer acquaintance is plausible but unrecorded. (By 1926–29 another man was listed as Akron Pure Milk’s secretary-treasurer, so Teeple’s role may have changed.) Sources: Akron City Directory 1909 (archive.orgakron-city-directory-1909); American Legion 2nd National Convention program 1920; A History of Akron (historyofakron0000jame); Trust Companies of the United States 1928; Hiram College Alumni Directory 1925; World Call, Dec 1922. The Grace Dodge Hotel, near the Capitol, was the YWCA’s hotel for women. Purpose of the trip not stated. Source: archive.orgper_washington-post_1928-01-21_18846.
Narratives and research
- Stories: Cornelius Krahn - the family’s historian of Dutch Anabaptism, Edna Ramseyer Kaufman - a life of service
- History: Faith traditions
- Sources: CPS archive - Units 13 and 144, Conference on Mennonite Cultural Problems 1947, Edna Ramseyer Kaufman Papers (MS 300), Family Record of Johannes and Barbara (Kaufman) Ramseyer 1780-2002, Goshen College faculty history (C.O. Girls), MCC Intersections - MCC and National Socialism, MLA Biograph Wiki, Melting Pot of Mennonite Cookery (1974), Mennonite Encyclopedia - family and place entries (read 2026-10-31), OSU School of Home Economics history 1896-1970, Ramseyer Family Record 2002 - cross-reference and wish list
Research log
- 2026-11-01: Washington Post 21 Jan 1928 society column read: A. C. and Edna Ramseyer with Dorothy E. Teeple and A. G. Teeple of Akron at the Grace Dodge Hotel, Washington
- 2026-11-01: Teeples identified: Aaron G. Teeple, Akron Pure Milk Co. officer; Dorothy E. Teeple, Hiram graduate and teacher, probably his daughter (lead). Beacon Journal obituary suggested by Christopher is paywalled (not read)
Record compiled 31 October 2026.
About this research
Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.
Neuenschwander side
Bendicht (Benedikt) Neuenschwander
fl. 1766 – ?
Christopher’s 5th great-grandfather · ancestor no. 224 · generation 8
Evidence: identity documented · link to parents documented
Family
- Parents: Peter Neuenschwander (d. before 1791)
- Spouse: Elisabeth Leeman (fl. 1766)
- Family notes: Bendicht Neuenschwander + Elisabeth Leeman (m. unknown)
- Children in this vault: Johannes Neuenschwander (1776–1838), Michel Neuenschwander (1785–1859)
Life and evidence
Langnau Täufer register, p. 9
“Neuenschwander, Bendicht, Peters sel. Sohn, von hier, zu Souboz — Elisabeth Leeman von hier. Kinder: Peter 28 Aug 1766 · Barbara 14 May 1769 · Elisabeth 8 Mar 1773 ([d. 3 Apr 1853?]) · Bendicht 23 Aug 1774 ([d. 3 Jun 1870?]) · Johannes 8 Apr 1776 · Ulrich 25 Sep 1778 · Christen 5 Apr 1782 · Michel 30 Jun 1785 · Jacob 27 Jun 1788.”
/../../attachments/bern-k-langnau-36-p08-09-neuenschwander-bendicht.png)
Son of the late Peter Neuenschwander of Langnau; brothers Christian, Hans and Michael (pp. 7, 9).
Where they lived
- 1766 — Souboz
In their lifetime
- 1776 — 1776 Census of Mennonites in West Prussia
- 1789 — 1789 First Prussian Mennonites settle in Russia
- 1798 — 1798 Old Bern falls; religious freedom
- 1833 — 1833 First Swiss Mennonite settler in Putnam County, Ohio
- 1835 — 1835 The Ramseyers sail on the Richmond
Pedigree
%%{init: {"flowchart": {"useMaxWidth": true}}}%% flowchart RL n25529237["Bendicht Neuenschwander (fl. 1766)"] n62560931["Peter Neuenschwander (d. before 1791)"] n25529237 --> n62560931 class n25529237,n62560931 internal-link;
Sources
Narratives and research
- Stories: The Neuenschwanders of the Jura
- History: 1776 Census of Mennonites in West Prussia, 1789 First Prussian Mennonites settle in Russia, 1798 Old Bern falls; religious freedom, 1833 First Swiss Mennonite settler in Putnam County, Ohio, 1835 The Ramseyers sail on the Richmond, Faith traditions
- Sources: Bern K Langnau 36 - Taeuferfamilien Heimatrodel
Record compiled 31 October 2026.
About this research
Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.
Not Christopher's ancestor (corrected 2026-10-31)
Earlier compiled trees made this couple the parents of Christian P. Neuenschwander. The 1844 Langnau marriage entry shows Christian was the son of Peter Neuenschwander and Elisabeth Hutmacher; this couple’s son Christen was a different man, born 6 Sep 1812.
8 Apr 1776 – 1838
Christopher’s 4th great-grandfather · ancestor no. 112 · generation 7
Evidence: identity documented · link to parents documented
Family
- Parents: Bendicht Neuenschwander (fl. 1766) and Elisabeth Leeman (fl. 1766)
- Spouse: Catharina Fuhrimann (1782–1853)
- Family notes: Johannes Neuenschwander + Catharina Fuhrimann (m. 1806)
- Children in this vault: Christian P. Neuenschwander (1812–1884)
Life and evidence
Langnau Täufer register, p. 16
“Neuenschwander. Johannes, Bendichts und der Elisabeth Leeman Sohn, von hier (pag. 9), zu Souboz, verheirathet mit Catharina Fuhrimann den 2. Dec. 1806. Kinder: 1. Jacob 2 Apr 1808 · 2. Johannes 5 Mar 1810 · 3. Christen 6 Sep 1812 · 4. Catharina 5 Jan 1815 · 5. Elisabeth 13 Dec 1818 · 6. [Abraham?] 24 Mar 1821 · 7. Barbara 7 Nov 1823.”
/../../attachments/bern-k-langnau-36-p16-johannes-neuenschwander-fuhrimann.png)
Born 8 Apr 1776 (p. 9). Death year 1838 from a MyHeritage tree (not checked). His brother Michel (1785–1859) married Barbara Fuhrimann.
Where they lived
In their lifetime
- 1776 — 1776 Census of Mennonites in West Prussia
- 1789 — 1789 First Prussian Mennonites settle in Russia
- 1798 — 1798 Old Bern falls; religious freedom
- 1833 — 1833 First Swiss Mennonite settler in Putnam County, Ohio
- 1835 — 1835 The Ramseyers sail on the Richmond
Pedigree
%%{init: {"flowchart": {"useMaxWidth": true}}}%% flowchart RL n25529237["Bendicht Neuenschwander (fl. 1766)"] n36423068["Johannes Neuenschwander (1776–1838)"] n62560931["Peter Neuenschwander (d. before 1791)"] n98663123["Elisabeth Leeman (fl. 1766)"] n36423068 --> n25529237 n25529237 --> n62560931 n36423068 --> n98663123 class n25529237,n36423068,n62560931,n98663123 internal-link;
Conflicts
- Whether he is Christian P.’s father is unresolved (see Christian P. Neuenschwander)
Sources
Narratives and research
- Stories: The Neuenschwanders of the Jura
- History: 1776 Census of Mennonites in West Prussia, 1789 First Prussian Mennonites settle in Russia, 1798 Old Bern falls; religious freedom, 1833 First Swiss Mennonite settler in Putnam County, Ohio, 1835 The Ramseyers sail on the Richmond, Faith traditions
- Governments: France (Revolution and Napoleon), Republic of Bern
- Sources: Bern K Langnau 36 - Taeuferfamilien Heimatrodel
Record compiled 31 October 2026.
About this research
Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.
Life and evidence
Langnau Täufer register, p. 18
“Neuenschwander, Peter, von hier, zu Perrefitte, K[irchgemeinde] Münster, ein Schuhmacher — Elisabeth Hutmacher, seine Ehefrau — copul. 10. Oct. 1810. Kinder: 1. Johannes, geb. 28. Junij 1811 · 2. Christen, geb. 23. Nov. 1812 · 3. Anna, geb. 16. Octob. 1814 · 4. Elisabeth, geb. 29. Dec. 1816.”
/../../attachments/bern-k-langnau-36-p18-peter-neuenschwander.png)
A shoemaker of Langnau citizenship living at Perrefitte, near Moutier. Named as the father of Christen in the 1844 Langnau marriage entry (no. 141).
French civil birth record of his son Johannes, Perrefitte, 28 Jun 1811 (K Moutier 6, p. 67)
“Pierre Neuyechevandre âgé de vingt-trois ans, [cordonnier], domicilié à Perrefitte”, presents a boy born 28 June 1811, son of Pierre and Elizabeth [Hutmacher] his wife, named Johannes. The father “a déclaré ne savoir signer” (could not sign his name).
He was about 23 in June 1811, so born about 1787–88. This rules out the earlier candidate (Peter, son of Bendicht, b. 1766, who would have been 44).
/../../attachments/bern-k-moutier-6-p67-johannes-neuenschwander-1811.jpg)
Parents still unknown. Candidates from the Langnau Täufer register (unproven):
- Peter, b. 18 Jan 1790, son of Michael Neuenschwander (son of the late Peter) and Barbara Steiner of Signau, at Münster (Langnau 36, p. 9): closest in age (21 rather than 23), same parish. Possible but weakened: see the test below (no back-reference, unlike his brothers).
- No Peter born 1786–89 appears among the other Neuenschwander households on pp. 7–9 (Christian × Elisabeth Ummel’s Peter was b. 1773; Hans × Anna Gerber had no Peter).
Also at Perrefitte: Jean (Johannes) Neuenschwander, 36, farmer, × Catherine Baumgartner, daughter Lisette born 18 May 1812 (K Moutier 6, p. 70): possibly a relative (b. c.1776; Langnau 36 has three Johannes/Hans born 1776).
Negative searches (2026-10-31): his 1810 marriage is not in the Perrefitte civil marriages (only three marriages that year: Merillat, Chevalier, Grandlienard); son Christen (Nov 1812) is not in the Perrefitte civil births for 1812. The Anabaptist family seems to have used the civil register only once.
- Tested 2026-10-31: inconclusive, leaning against. Langnau 36 read through p. 91 (everyone born before c.1820):
- Peter (b. 1790), son of Michael × Barbara Steiner, has no separate entry anywhere, so he is not proven to be someone else.
- But Michael’s other married sons do carry back-references to their father (“Michael, Michaels sel. Sohn (pag. praec.)” and “Daniel, Michaels sel. Sohn (pag. praec.)”, p. 10), and our Peter’s entry on p. 18 has none: just “Peter, von hier, zu Perrefitte, ein Schuhmacher”. The keeper usually wrote the link when he knew it, so its absence weakens the Michael candidate.
- Johannes Neuenschwander of Perrefitte × Catharina Baumgartner (married 11 Apr 1806, daughter Elisabeth b. 18 May 1812; p. 20) also has no back-reference. The two Perrefitte Neuenschwanders, a shoemaker of about 23 and a farmer of 36, may be brothers from a household that was never entered on pp. 7–9, perhaps because their father was dead or outside the Jura before the register began in 1791.
- Not the same man: Peter, son of Samuel × Elisabeth [Leuch?], b. 12 Jan 1817 on the Münsterberg (p. 83).
- Searched K Langnau 16 (Taufrodel, auswärts Getaufte, 1785–1820: Langnau-citizen children born outside the parish, with back-entries to the 1760s), pp. 1–45 (births to about 1793), 2026-10-31: no Peter Neuenschwander born 1786–90. Neuenschwander households there: Daniel × Maria Liechti (1781–86); Hans × Magdalena Ring? (Hans 1786, 1789); Johannes × Magdalena … (Niklaus 1786, Anna Barbara 1788, Anna 1789); Johann Jacob × Catharina Gäumann? (Jean Jacob 1786); Christen × Verena Pfäffli? (Daniel 1789); François Isaac (1780); Gabriel (1778, 1784); and the earlier families (1770s). The 1790 Peter of Michael × Barbara Steiner is not entered here either, so this register is incomplete for the Anabaptist families.
- Langnau 11 (main baptisms 1772–99) not searched: Jura-born Anabaptist children were not baptized at Langnau, and Langnau 16 is the register meant to catch them.
- Remaining routes: Johannes of Perrefitte’s 1806 marriage (Moutier 11, marriages 1766–1815); Peter’s death record (Moutier 24, 1816–56, or in America); Langnau 16 pp. 46–80 in case of a late back-entry task/ai
- Moutier 13 / Belprahon / Roches civil marriages 1810 for Peter × Elisabeth Hutmacher task/ai
Children in this vault
Narratives and research
- Stories: The Neuenschwanders of the Jura
Research log
- 2026-10-31: Negative searches (2026-10-31): his 1810 marriage is not in the Perrefitte civil marriages (only three marriages that year: Merillat, Chevalier, Grandlienard); son Christen (Nov 1812) is not in the Pe
- 2026-11-01: Langnau marriage register K Langnau 26, 1810 (images 26–28, both ‘here’ and ‘married elsewhere’ columns) read: no Peter Neuenschwander × Elisabeth Hutmacher (10 Oct 1810). Other Neuenschwander marriages that year: Johann Franz (son of Heinrich) × Judith Bourgeois, at Montcherand, 27 Apr 1810; Hans Ulrich (son of Samuel) × Elisabeth Leeman (Oswald’s daughter), at Kirchberg, 14 Dec 1810. Next: Moutier 13/14 (Perrefitte marriages 1802–15) and Langnau 25 if the year is off
- 2026-11-01: Langnau 36 pp. 17, 20, 28, 44 read: p. 20 has Johannes Neuenschwander, of Langnau, at Perrefitte × Catharina Baumgartner (m. 11 Apr 1806, daughter Elisabeth 1812), also with no back-reference to parents: probably Peter’s brother. No entry names Peter’s parents
Record compiled 31 October 2026.
About this research
Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.
Christian P. “Crist” Neuenschwander
23 Nov 1812 – 5 Nov 1884, died at Berne (Indiana)
Christopher’s 3rd great-grandfather · ancestor no. 56 · generation 6
Evidence: identity documented · link to parents documented
Family
- Parents: Peter Neuenschwander (shoemaker, m. 1810) and Elisabeth Hutmacher (m. 1810)
- Spouse: Anna Maria Lehman (1825–1886)
- Family notes: Christian P. Neuenschwander + Anna Maria Lehman (m. 1844)
- Children in this vault: Jacob C. Neuenschwander (1848–1921)
Life and evidence
(Habegger, Swiss of Adams and Wells, M72)
Born 23 Nov 1812 at La Tanne, Moutier (matching the Langnau register’s “Christen, geb. 23. Nov. 1812”). Married Anna Lehman 26 Oct 1844 at La Tanne; reached Wayne County, Ohio 13 May 1845, Putnam County, Ohio 17 Jul 1845, Polk County, Iowa 24 Apr 1849, and Adams County, Indiana 4 Apr 1856. Net worth 1860: $3,100. Eleven-plus children; two sons married two of Christian Stauffer’s daughters (Jacob C. × Elisabeth 1872; Christian C. × Marianna 1876), and daughter Rachel married their half-brother David Stauffer.
Natives of Switzerland; came to Ohio 1845; about four years in Putnam County (Jacob C. born there 1848); then Iowa; then Monroe Township near Berne (Snow 1907). 13–14 children: Jacob C. (1848–1921), Rachel Stauffer (1849–1877), Adelina Liechty (1851–1909), Christian C. (1853–1937), Abraham C. (1855–1887), David C. (1857–1935), Anna (1859–1864), Verena “Fannie” Schneck (1860–1934), Joel (1862), Maria (1863–1864), Elizabeth Lehman (1863–1950), Lea Franz (1865–1934, wife of Dr. Franz of Berne), Lydia (1868–1878).
Which Christen? Resolved 2026-10-31 — the son of Peter
- 1844 marriage: Langnau marriage register (K Langnau 27), no. 141: banns 29 Sept, 6 and 13 Oct 1844 for “Christen Neuenschwander, Peter’s [son], born 23 Dec 1812” and “Anna Lehmann, Peter’s [daughter], born 25 Feb 1825 — both of the Anabaptist congregation”; married 26 Oct 1844 by an Anabaptist preacher.
- Birth: Langnau Täufer register p. 18: “Christen, geb. 23. Nov. 1812”, son of Peter Neuenschwander, shoemaker at Perrefitte, and Elisabeth Hutmacher — the exact headstone date.
- The middle initial “P.” is a patronymic: Christian, son of Peter.
The compiled tree’s parents (Johannes Neuenschwander and Catharina Fuhrimann) belong to a different Christen, born 6 Sep 1812 (p. 16). They are no longer linked as his parents.
/../../attachments/bern-k-langnau-27-p131-no141-christen-neuenschwander-anna-lehmann-1844.png)
Not to be confused with Christian Neuenschwander (1812–1905) of Pandora, Ohio (a different family, 1958 book), or the Christian who died in Putnam County in 1839.
Where they lived
- 1812 — Souboz
- 1844 — Tramelan
- 1845 — Putnam County (Ohio)
- 1850 — Berne (Indiana)
In their lifetime
- 1833 — 1833 First Swiss Mennonite settler in Putnam County, Ohio
- 1835 — 1835 The Ramseyers sail on the Richmond
- 1852 — 1852 Swiss Mennonites found Berne, Indiana
- 1869 — 1869 The Fieguths move from Prussia to Am Trakt
- 1874 — 1874 Military service ends the exemptions
Pedigree
%%{init: {"flowchart": {"useMaxWidth": true}}}%% flowchart RL n62560931["Peter Neuenschwander (d. before 1791)"] n25529237["Bendicht Neuenschwander (fl. 1766)"] n43760171["Catharina Fuhrimann (1782–1853)"] n98663123["Elisabeth Leeman (fl. 1766)"] n65348362["Christian P. Neuenschwander (1812–1884)"] n36423068["Johannes Neuenschwander (1776–1838)"] n65348362 --> n36423068 n36423068 --> n25529237 n25529237 --> n62560931 n36423068 --> n98663123 n65348362 --> n43760171 class n62560931,n25529237,n43760171,n98663123,n65348362,n36423068 internal-link;
Conflicts
- WHICH CHRISTEN? Headstone birth 23 Nov 1812 matches Christen son of PETER (Langnau 36 p. 18); compiled parents Johannes + Catharina Fuhrimann match Christen born 6 Sep 1812 (p. 16)
- Death 1884 (headstone) vs 1887 (Snow 1907) — prefer headstone
- Marriage 26 Oct 1844 Tramelan (compiled tree) not found in Tramelan Reformed marriage register
- Birthplace ‘Bern’ = canton; Geneanet lead ‘Höfen, 1811’ unconfirmed
Death notice, Christlicher Bundesbote (1884)
“Neuenschwander. Am 5. November in der Nähe von Berne, Ind., C. P. Neuenschwander, im Alter von 71 Jahren, 8 Monaten und 5 Tagen.” (On 5 November, near Berne, Indiana, C. P. Neuenschwander, aged 71 years, 8 months and 5 days.) The funeral sermon was preached by [S]uderman. No parents are named. The stated age points to a birth around 28 Feb – 1 Mar 1813, not 23 Nov 1812: a conflict, probably a reckoning error by the correspondent.
Research tasks
- Tramelan banns 1844 checked (2026-11-01): not there; the marriage is in Langnau 27 only
- Bundesbote 1884 death notice found (2026-11-01): no parents named
- 1887 Biographical and Historical Record checked (2026-11-01): only his daughter Elizabeth (b. 1864, m. 1883) mentioned
- Tyndall & Lesh, Standard History of Adams and Wells Counties (1918), for children’s biographies naming him and his parents (2026-11-01: nothing on his parents; parents already documented from the Swiss registers)
- Look for Catharina Fuhrimann Neuenschwander and candidate A’s siblings in Putnam County, Ohio task/ai
Sources
- Find a Grave
- Snow - History of Adams County Indiana (1907)
- Bern K Langnau 36 - Taeuferfamilien Heimatrodel
- Bern K Tramelan 16 - Marriages 1816-1875
- Find a Grave 55172798
Narratives and research
- Stories: The Neuenschwanders of the Jura
- History: 1833 First Swiss Mennonite settler in Putnam County, Ohio, 1835 The Ramseyers sail on the Richmond, 1852 Swiss Mennonites found Berne, Indiana, 1869 The Fieguths move from Prussia to Am Trakt, 1874 Military service ends the exemptions, Faith traditions
- Congregations: First Mennonite Church Berne, Swiss Mennonite settlement at Riley Creek (Bluffton–Pandora)
- Sources: Bern K Langnau 27 - Marriages 1837-1852, Bern K Langnau 36 - Taeuferfamilien Heimatrodel, Bern K Tramelan 16 - Marriages 1816-1875, Find a Grave, Habegger - The Swiss of Adams and Wells Counties, Indiana, Mennonite Encyclopedia - family and place entries (read 2026-10-31), Snow - History of Adams County Indiana (1907)
Open questions
- Age at death: Bundesbote 1884 says 71 y 8 m 5 d (implying birth c. 28 Feb – 1 Mar 1813), not 71 y 11 m 13 d as 23 Nov 1812 would give
- Death 1884 (headstone) vs 1887 (Snow 1907) — prefer headstone
- The Amish periodical The Diary (Adams County list) has ‘Mrs. Christian P. Neuenschwander, Berne R2’ on 13 Nov 1885 and ‘Christian P. Neuenschwander, Berne R2’ on 5 Jul 1889; probably a different (Amish) couple of the same name, unverified
- Birth 23 Nov 1812 (Täufer register, headstone) vs 23 Dec 1812 (1844 Langnau marriage entry)
- Marriage place: Tramelan in compiled tree — the 1844 entry gives an Anabaptist preacher; place still to read
- Birthplace ‘Bern’ = canton; Geneanet lead ‘Höfen, 1811’ unconfirmed
Research log
- 2026-11-01: Tyndall & Lesh, Standard History of Adams and Wells Counties (1918), both scans searched: no sketch of Christian P. or naming his parents; only his son Jacob Neuenschwander, ‘a native of Iowa’, m. Elizabeth Stauffer, father-in-law of Mr. Habegger (m. 1894 Anna Neuenschwander)
- 2026-11-01: K Tramelan 18 (banns 1840–1861), entries 25–37 (Jul – Dec 1844, images 41–43) read: no Neuenschwander or Lehman. The 1844 marriage is recorded only in the Langnau register (K Langnau 27, no. 141), not in Tramelan
- 2026-11-01: Christlicher Bundesbote 1882–87 (archive.org christlicherbund00unse) searched: death notice ‘Am 5. November in der Nähe von Berne, Ind., C. P. Neuenschwander, im Alter von 71 Jahren, 8 Monaten und 5 Tagen’; funeral sermon by [S]uderman; parents not named
- 2026-11-01: Biographical and Historical Record of Adams and Wells Counties (1887; Berne Public Library reprint, archive.org biographicalhist0000vari_i4c7) searched: only mention is his daughter Elizabeth (b. 20 Aug 1864, Monroe Twp.), m. 7 Feb 1883 (husband’s sketch, Hoosier Roller Milling Co.); no biography of C. P. himself. Snow’s History of Adams County (1907): text not downloadable
Record compiled 31 October 2026.
About this research
Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.
Anna Maria Lehman Neuenschwander
25 Feb 1825 – 28 May 1886, born at Moutier, died at Berne (Indiana)
Christopher’s 3rd great-grandmother · ancestor no. 57 · generation 6
Evidence: identity documented · link to parents documented
Family
- Parents: Peter Lehman (1782–1861) and Anna Fuhrimann (b. 1788)
- Spouse: Christian P. Neuenschwander (1812–1884)
- Family notes: Christian P. Neuenschwander + Anna Maria Lehman (m. 1844)
- Children in this vault: Jacob C. Neuenschwander (1848–1921)
Life and evidence
(Habegger, Swiss of Adams and Wells, M72)
“Anna Lehman (No. 4 in The Peter A. Lehman Family)”, born 23 Feb 1825 at La Rochette, Moutier; married Christian P. Neuenschwander 26 Oct 1844 at La Tanne; died in Adams County 28 May 1886.
Parents documented — Langnau Täufer register, p. 32
“Leeman. Peter — Ulrichs und der Maria Th[ü]ler ehelicher Sohn — geb. 14. März 1782 zu Corgémont — verehelicht zu Mo[utier] 15. Aug. 1820 mit Anna Fuhrimann… von Oeschenbach, K. Rohrbach, geb. 29. Feb. 1788… Kinder: 1. Christen 22 Aug 1820 · 2. Abraham 17 Mar 1822 · 3. Peter 29 Sep 1823 · 4. Anna 25 Hornung 1825 · 5. Jacob 8 Jun 1828.”
/../../attachments/bern-k-langnau-36-p32-peter-leeman-family.png)
Her legal home (Heimatort) was Langnau. Brothers: Christen, Abraham, Peter, Jacob. Not related as far as known to the 1852 Berne leader Peter S. Lehman (1821–1899), son of Peter Lehman and Catharina Tschanz.
Where they lived
- 1825 — Moutier
- 1845 — Putnam County (Ohio)
- 1850 — Berne (Indiana)
In their lifetime
- 1833 — 1833 First Swiss Mennonite settler in Putnam County, Ohio
- 1835 — 1835 The Ramseyers sail on the Richmond
- 1852 — 1852 Swiss Mennonites found Berne, Indiana
- 1869 — 1869 The Fieguths move from Prussia to Am Trakt
- 1874 — 1874 Military service ends the exemptions
Pedigree
%%{init: {"flowchart": {"useMaxWidth": true}}}%% flowchart RL n41283589["Ulrich Leeman (fl. 1782)"] n76406417["Anna Fuhrimann (b. 1788)"] n29539368["Anna Maria Lehman (1825–1886)"] n20060805["Peter Lehman (1782–1861)"] n96297406["Maria Thüler (fl. 1782)"] n29539368 --> n20060805 n20060805 --> n41283589 n20060805 --> n96297406 n29539368 --> n76406417 class n41283589,n76406417,n29539368,n20060805,n96297406 internal-link;
Conflicts
- Birth 25 Feb 1825 (Langnau register) vs 23 Feb (headstone)
- Death 1886 (headstone) vs 1889 (Snow 1907)
Sources
- Bern K Langnau 36 - Taeuferfamilien Heimatrodel
- Find a Grave
- Snow - History of Adams County Indiana (1907)
- Find a Grave 55172809
Narratives and research
- Stories: The Neuenschwanders of the Jura
- History: 1833 First Swiss Mennonite settler in Putnam County, Ohio, 1835 The Ramseyers sail on the Richmond, 1852 Swiss Mennonites found Berne, Indiana, 1869 The Fieguths move from Prussia to Am Trakt, 1874 Military service ends the exemptions, Faith traditions
- Congregations: First Mennonite Church Berne
- Sources: Bern K Langnau 27 - Marriages 1837-1852, Bern K Langnau 36 - Taeuferfamilien Heimatrodel, Find a Grave, Habegger - The Swiss of Adams and Wells Counties, Indiana, Snow - History of Adams County Indiana (1907)
Open questions
- Birth 25 Feb 1825 (Langnau register) vs 23 Feb (headstone)
- Death 1886 (headstone) vs 1889 (Snow 1907)
Record compiled 31 October 2026.
About this research
Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.
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Timeline
Each box spans a lifetime (left edge = birth). Lanes = grandparent sides.
Coloured = direct ancestor (green documented · cyan strong inference · yellow family compilation · orange compiled lead · red unresolved). Grey = relative, not an ancestor.
Estimated dates (fl., c., centuries) are approximate. Living people are never shown. Events along the top. A few links cross lanes where one ancestor appears on two sides (see Double ancestors).
Rebuild: python3 _System/tools/timeline.py