New answers
DISCOVERED! 
CHART APPLIES TO ALL 3 OF THE LEAD ARTICLES
For years the
available Steffisburg Joder information relied on data that was copied by researchers
Karl Joder and Otmar Jotter over 30 years ago. New research has provided a
variety of clues and some answers. Thanks to Stähli family researcher Bruce W. Stahly for his advice and
translation assistance and to professional Swiss researcher Therese Metzger who synopsized key Steffisburg estate (contract)
records held at
*********************************************************
caspar
yoder MARRIED TO verena stauffer,
IS redefined!
In the last YNL, we provided
information that established that Jacob Amman, founder of the “Amish”, had
attended a religious meeting in a Joder home in Steffisburg, and that it
appeared certain that this home was that of Caspar Joder, son of Jost Joder who
married Anna Trachsel. This Caspar left Steffisburg and moved to
For years
this Caspar has been identified as being the same Caspar Joder who married
Verena Stauffer (see YNL2 article by Lois Ann Mast based on the work of German
researcher Karl Joder and his partner Otmar Jotter). From Steffisburg death and
contract data, it is now clear that Caspar and Verena Stauffer lived and died
in the ancestral village, and that Caspar was the son of Hans Joder who
married Verena Reusser! I’ll attempt to
spell this out for our readers in a logical order.
In the earlier listings by
Karl/Otmar, the birth/baptismal year for the Caspar, son of Jost Joder and Anna Trachsel, was
given as 1660, with no day provided. A review of the actual church record shows
the baptismal date was actually 5/22/1664. Infants were normally baptized soon
after birth, so it can be assumed he was born shortly before that date. Had
this Caspar been the fellow who married Verena Stauffer on Jan. 21, 1681, it
would have meant that he would have been married at the age of 16. In
1686, at the birth of Caspar and Verena Stauffer's son Hans, the father is
noted as the "Kirchmeier,” i.e., the person who looks after the church
property, collects rents, sells harvests etc. This would have been an unlikely
role for an Anabaptist firebrand. But had this been true, and were he Jost’s
son, he would have only been 22 at the time, very young for such a
position of responsibility. Bruce Stahly pointed out this age issue and started
us on the hunt for another, older, Caspar.
Among the new information
identified in a review of the
Hans Joder who married Verena
Reusser could be considered “the other Joder.” He is referred to in some of the
Steffisburg record as Hans Joder “in der Au.” He was about the same age as the
brothers Nicolas and Jost Joder, each married to cousins named Anna Trachsel,
who have been the focus of researchers looking for American Joder ancestors.
These three were in fact, one generation off, see the relationship chart on
page 1. The Amish and Amish Mennonite Genealogies (AAMG) by Gingerich and
Kreider, refers to him by the code “YB.”
The updated AAMG version correctly identifies his son Jakob as the
fellow who married Margareth Stähli, but still lists only four of his seven
children. The actual family is shown below (b=baptismal dates, children not in
AAMG but identified in the
YB-
Hans Joder m. 6/13/1656 Verena
Reuesser
YB1- Margaret
b 10/25/1657
YB2- Caspar
b 1/2/1659 m. Verena Stauffer
YB3-
Jakob b
10/7/1660 m. 1684 Margreth Stähli
YB4-
Niclaus b 8/24/1662
YB5-
Barbli b 10/13/1664
YB6- Hansli
b 3/3/1666
YB7- Madlena b
12/16/1669
Caspar (YB2) who was
born/bapt. in 1659 would have been 22 when married, and 27 when a “Kirchmeier”,
much more reasonable ages to match with this identification. Birth data alone calls into question the
Caspar son of Jost to Verena Stauffer marriage.
Death records raise further doubt about this fellow:
From the Steffisburg death records:
8 April 1735 - Caspar
Joder the old of Glockenthal "biz 70 years old". Glockenthal (
7 Jun 1735- Froni
Joder, born Stauffer in Glockenthal “uber 70 years old"
This information seemed to
match to the Caspar/Verena Stauffer couple. But they were supposed to be in
Steffisburg Contract Records:
241 Obligation. Primary guarantor is Caspar Joder in the Gloggenthal.
1716. (YB2)
248-249 Debt Contract.
Debtor is Hans Joder in the Au. Guarantor Caspar Joder in the
Gloggenthal his son. 1716 (YB and YB2)
79 Promisory Contract. Caspar
Joder the old Kirchmeir of Gloggenthal. He is satisfied with with the adjoining
land. (YB2)
97
Receipt. Caspar Joder in Gloggenthal. (YB2)
179 Obligation. 1000 pounds. From 1707. Chief guarantors were Hans
Joder in the Au; the old Kirchmeier in the Gloggenthal; and Jakob
Joder in the Pfaffenhalter, sons. The surety was the mill in the Au, belonging
to the chief gurarntor. Cancelled 1719. [Three pages of text, not all read.]
(YB and YB2 and YB3)
A284 (Hans Joder/Verena Reusser family- YB)
12-13 Estate Settlement. The late Hans Joder in the Au of Steffisburg.
His sons and grandsons: Caspar the elder son in the Gloggenthal and his
sons Christen and Caspar, Jakob the younger son of Pfaffenhalten and his sons
Hans and Caspar Joder. 1719/1721. (YB family)
A285
91 Debt contract. Caspar Joder the old Kirchmeier and as
guarantors his son Hans Joder and son-in-law Christian Reusser both of Erlen.
1723. (YB2)
111 Obligation. Caspar Joder acknowledges to his mother Verena
Stauffer, who acknowleded it with the hand of her husband Caspar Joder the old
Kirchmeier. 1722. (YB2 and YB26)
212 Lease contract. The same people listed above in item 91.
A296
p. 63- Brothers Hans
and Christen Joder exchanged for themselves, and their mother Verena Stauffer
with the consent and permission of Caspar Joder (YB2) her husband and their father, with Caspar
Joder, a son, and Christen Spring and Hans Zaugg their sons-in-law and their
mother, property in Gloggenthal. two
houses, a barn, an oven house, a granary, in return for an Alp (pasture) in the
area of Röthenbach for pasturing about
10 cows in the summer. No date, it must have been 1733. Written in 1737 , the
transaction was cancelled because the signatories were dead and no promise had
been carried through.
p.224 - Verena
Stauffer with the consent of her husband Caspar Joder (YB2) old Kirchmeier of
Steffisburg sold the rights to pasture
two cows in the Alps, 29 May 1734.
April 2010 STEFFISBURG CHART Update
A298
p. 132-144 Estate settlement- Estate settlement of the
late Caspar Joder old Kirchmeier married to the late Verena Stauffer; parents of
Hans; Christen; Caspar ; Anna married 1st Christen Reusser; 2nd Christen
Spring; Barbara married 1st Christen Gasser; 2nd Hans Zaugg; [Description of
the estate and property. 3 pages. 11
August 1736.]
These records clearly show
that Caspar Joder and his wife Verena Stauffer remained in Steffisburg and died
there in 1735. The Amish Alsatian Caspar (at Langenberg by 1712 and
still there in 1735) seems certain to be the son of Jost Joder and Anna
Trachsel, and his wife may have been
named “Verena” (an Anabaptist Caspar Joder and his wife Verena Hoffin (Hoffer)
had a male child born at Durrenentzen 3/20/1695. The child died unbaptized
5/31/1695.) But this Caspar WAS NOT the Caspar who married Verena
Stauffer. The research by Karl Joder and
Otmar Jotter that created a matching family in
YB2- Caspar Joder (in the
Au) m 1/21/1681 Verena Stauffer, both died in Steffisburg in 1735 (b.
represents baptismal dates)
YB21-
Anna b
4/16/1682
YB22- Anna b
5/20/1683 –m 1st 6/8/1708
Christen Reusser; 2nd Christen Spring
YB23- Barbara
Joder b. 1/4/1685
YB24-
Hans b
10/24/1686 - baptism refers to father Caspar as “the Kirchmeier,” pos m. Barbara Berger
YB25-
Christian b 2/15/1691 , pos. m.1715
Rosina Schwendimann
YB26-
Caspar b 9/1/1695
YB27-
Peter b 2/18/1700
YB28-
Barbara b 10/29/1703 Barbara married 1st Christen
Gasser; m2. 3/7/1731 Hans Zaugg
(Barbara had children by
Christen Gasser starting 3/4/1725
*******************************************************
NOTE: Stähli researcher Bruce Stahly contacted us about
a reference that had been found which told of Jakob Joder buying a piece of
land from his brother-in-law Caspar Stähli, who was brother to Margareth
Stähli, Jakob Joder's wife. Being himself a Yoder descendant as well as a
Stähli one, that got his attention and
jogged his memory of having seen an unresolved issue regarding a Joder/Stähli marriage in Steffisburg. And,
ironically, he found this Stähli family, from Oberhofen, is not at all related
to his own Stähli family. This contact led to a re-look at the Steffisburg CDs,
and the contract research which, as Bruce describes this, is “a good example of
the strange twists and turns genealogical research can take.” We now know that
Jakob who married Margareth Stähli is
the brother of Caspar Joder who married Verena Stauffer.
**********************************************************
have we found “hans of
Over 20 years
ago, Rachel Kreider told me that she thought the next Yoder immigrant likely to
be linked to their Steffisburg roots would be the Mennonite line of “Hans of
We know that
Hans of
The same
research which has allowed us to correct the identification of Caspar Joder who
married Verena Stauffer, does not contradict that Caspar, son of Jost, moved to
Weiler in the Pfalz and sired at least a part of the Amish Yoder immigrants to
Y73- Caspar Joder
m 1/7/1670 Anni Zaugg
Y731- Anna
b 11/2/1672- the miller’s
wife from Wiler
Y732- Christina b
3/15/1674
Y733- Margret
b 2/6/1676 --- m. 6/24/1070
Michel Braun, lowlands
Y734- Hans
b 10/7/1677 --whereabouts unknown- 1724-1735 (“in a foreign land”)
Y735- Barbara
b 12/7/1679
Y736- Verena
b 1/28/1683 -died young
Y737- Eva b. 1/28/1683
– twin – died?
Y738- Christina b 1/28/1683
- smithy's wife of Mettenwil
Y739- Mathias
b 7/20/1684 -- (m 10/1/1706
Barbara Meyer)
Y73a- Caspar b 2/6/1687
(?m 2/13/1711--Anna-Meyer) (d? 8/12/1762)
Y73b- Verena
b 10/20/1689 ----wife of Peter Blanck
Y73c- Kathrin
b 7/30/1693 ----wife of Peter Meyer, lowlands
Y73d- Niclaus
b 2/23/1696 -- not mentioned 1735
Details from
the contract archive “Kontraktenmanualen” of Steffisburg which begins in 1712
shows as follows:
Kontract File
A276
88-94 Renunciation explanation: the late Caspar Joder (Y73) in the
Scheidgasse. The heirs are the widow named Anna Zaugg, represented through
Jakob Joder, legal representative, her cousin, and the children Anna Joder, the
miller wife from Wiler, Christina Joder, the smithy's wife of Mettenwil,
Margreth Baum-Joder and Barbara, Verena, Christina and Catharina Joder with
their trustee. 4 March 1713. There are many debts. [No sons named!]
132 Obligation: Mathys Joder (Y739) of Steffisburg primary
guarantor with Peter Meyer, Kirchmeier, his brother-in-law. 1713.
181
A281-
63
29-33 Sales
Contract. Caspar Joder (Y73a) in the Scheidgasse at Steffisburg sold the house
and household that he inherited from his father. 1717
85-87
A297 - .201
Acknowledgment of obligation
Hans Joder
(Y734), the late Caspar Joder's son, in the Scheidgasse, about 40 years old, is
in some foreign country; moreover it is not known whether he is still alive. (In German "Hans Joder, Caspars
sel. Sohn in der Scheidgasse ca. 40 Jahre alt, befindet sich ausser Landes, es
ist ungewiss, ob er überhaupt noch am Leben ist.") His heirs:
Matthys and Caspar Joder, Verena Joder, wife of Peter Blanck, Margareth
Joder, widow of the late Michel Braun, at this time in the lowlands (Pfalz or
Alsace) … for all of them, and also in the name of their sister Catharina
Joder, wife of Peter Meier, also staying in the lowlands, with the
permission of their brothers and brothers-in-law, and all the brothers and
sisters of Hans Joder, who has been due 48 Kroner since 15 April 1724.
Executed 16 May 1735.
Bruce Stahly comments on the German text of
the original: “The phrase in the contract, "ausser Landes", referring
to Hans,
specifically means "abroad" or "out of the country."
I guess they didn't think of
This information clearly shows that Hans
Joder (Y734), born in 1677 to Caspar Joder and Anna Zaugg, had gone to “some
foreign land” (a good description for
**********************************************************
UPDATE ON THE DNA ANALYSIS
What does this new
information mean to the Yoder DNA study?
For one thing, it extends the “Most Recent Common Ancestor” on the male
side back one additional generation, and provides us with 66 out of 67 markers
in the Y-DNA chromosome profile for Kaspar Joder born circa 1548 and married to
Magaretha Moser in Steffisburg on Jan. 17, 1571. The only difference is that
the single person tested from the Hans Joder/Verena Reusser line (a living
Steffisburg descendant through their son Jakob Joder who married Margareth
Stähli) has a different value at marker 617. His value shows a “14” instead of
the “13” common in all the other DNA tests. This mutation could have occurred in
ANY generation between the present and the 16th century Kaspar.
Perhaps the primary solutions to the Yoder immigrant puzzle which may
someday come out of the DNA data is an answer to the question “What are the
origins of the Amish Yoder lines?” (namely YR1 and 2, YRB, YRC and some of the
19th century Alsatian Yoder immigrants). These folk all share the
“Amish Yoder Mutation”, a value at DNA marker “19” of “16” versus the “15”
found in the Oley, Mennonite, Conrad, Melchior, and living Steffisburg Yoder lines.
This “Amish mutation” took place someplace in the ancestry of YR1 (b.
c1695) and YR2 (b. c1700). We know from
the DNA tests that descendants of the Amish Caspar Joder (Y6b) of Weiler and
Langenberg in the YRC line inherited
the Amish marker. Can we tell where this mutation originated?
As long as it seemed that the
full family data for this fellow was known and tied to the births in
Steffisburg, it appeared impossible for the mutation to have originated with
him. The “facts” are all now much less clear. Age-wise, YR1 (unnamed husband of
“widow Barbara”) and YR2- Christian, would have needed to be in the generation
of the children of Caspar (Y6b).
Believing that the
Caspar-Verena children listed in Steffisburg were those of the Caspar in
-A son Hans Joder who married
to Katharina Oesch, and who remained after his father at St. Germanshof, and
whose grandson Samuel wrote the 1807 letters to his “dear cousin” Christian
“Schweitzer” Yoder in Somerset County, Pa., and whose male descendants have the
“Amish mutation.”
-A son Christian Joder m Anna
Maria Clauss (daughter Ullrich Clauss of
-A son Caspar Joder
who married Magdalene Gungerich. And resided Germanshoff by Weissenburg. (Per Hermann Guth-
"lives in Erbesbudesheim in Reinish
Either the European research has correctly identified Caspar’s son
Christian, and YR2 could not have been the same person, or the Christian who
married Anna Maria is misidentified and was the child of one of Caspar’s Amish
brothers. In either event, the fact that both have the “Amish mutation” would
lead to the conclusion that the mutation occurred a generation earlier with
Jost (Y6) .
If Jost (Y6) had the marker,
then all his sons should also all have had it. These sons were: Hans b. 1644 m.
1671 Catherine Risser (Reusser); Peter b. 1649 m. 1684 ? ___ Stähli; Jakob b.
1652 m. 1685 Verena Kaufmann; Christian
b. 1657, m. 1684 Barbara Gerber ; and Jost b. 1661 m. 1685 Barbara Rupp.
The Huckels in their
French Joder research, track many of the Alsatian Joders who share this
mutation back to Hans and Catherine (Risser) Joder. Joe Springer of Goshen
College, however, has found no proof that Hans was the progenitor for
these lines. So far, we do not know the destinations of descendants of Peter,
Jakob, and Jost, although each of them are shown by Steffisburg records to have
been Anabaptists like their brother Caspar. The Karl Joder/Otmar Jotter data does
claim that the Jotters of
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Yoder
DNA data results can be seen at: www.yodernewsletter.org
********************************************************
The
Yoder Newsletter- Founded 1983 by
Ben F Yoder (1913-1992),
Chris Yoder & Rachel Kreider
Chris Yoder, Editor, Saugatuck, MI; John W. Yoder,
Circulation Manager, Middlebury, IN; Rachel Kreider, Senior Contributing
Editor, Goshen, IN; Esther E. Yoder, Mail Manager, Goshen, IN; Donald Kauffman,
YNL Webmaster, Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada. Other Contributors: Richard H. Yoder, Bechtelsville, PA; Dr. Don Yoder,
Devon, PA; Neal D. Wilfong, Cleveland, NC.
********************************************************
YNL INCREASES PRICE! After 25 years we have finally decided to increase the subscription price for the Yoder Newsletter from $3 to $5 per year. This price is effective with renewals beginning with YNL50. Subscriptions already in effect will continue without adjustment. Please continue your support of the YNL!*********************************************************
SEND YNL CORRESPONDENCE:
- FOR
CIRCULATION ISSUES ONLY such as new or renewed subscriptions, changes of
address, orders for back issues to: Yoder Newsletter, P.O. Box 594, Goshen, IN
46527-0594.
- ALL OTHER
CORRESPONDENCE- dealing with ancestral queries or contributions for future YNLs
or archives (such as reunion notices, Letters to the Editor, copies of Bible
records or other historical information) to: Chris Yoder, 551 S. Maple St.,
Saugatuck, MI 49453 or email at cyoder@tds.net
.
- YNL PRICE INFORMATION
-Annual
YNL subscription (published Apr. and Oct.) for $5.
-BACK ISSUES of the YNL are $2 per issue.
Visit: http://www.yodernewsletter.org/subscrib.html
for mail-in subscription form.
********************************************************
YODER DATA ON DISK- Includes back issues of YNL text,
census and county records, family group data and pictures and scanned images.
The price for our “Yoder Data on Disk” is $10 (postage included). Send to YNL
address in
*********************************************************
YODER POLITICIANS RUN
Two Yoder
politicians are seeking advancement. In
John C. Yoder
Kevin Yoder
**********************************************************
LETTERS TO
THE EDITOR
In response to
a recent Yoder “Roll Call” on the listserver, Ben Yoder wrote the following:
YR 2-- "Immigrant" Christian Joder
YR 25--John Yoder
YR 257--"Red" Yost Yoder
YR 2579--Michael Yoder
YR 25793-- Jacob "Seven Folds" Yoder
YR 257936--Benjamin Siever Yoder (my grandfather)
YR 2579366--Benjamin Yoder (my dad)
YR 25793663--Benjamin J. Yoder (That would be me.)
He provides
the following to explain the unusual nick-name for his great-grandfather:
“It was from counting the number of his double chins.
By all accounts, he weighed close to 300 pounds or so. Quite a big guy, as you
can imagine. I checked with my dad on the Seven Folds nickname. He confirmed
what is in written sources -- that his grandfather was over 300 pounds when he
died, and then he added that it took six grown and husky men to heft his coffin
as pall bearers at the funeral.
“He said he always knew his grandfather's nickname in
German, Siebe Dick (spelling? I hope I got that right. Does anyone know enough
of Pennsylvania Dutch to correct that?) and then he translated it for us kids
who didn't speak German. Siebe/Sieben = Seven, and Dick = Thick or thicknesses,
or Dad chose "Folds" because it was used to describe his numerous
double chins.
It all makes me think of Strong Jacob and other stories
of big, powerful Yoders. -----Ben Yoder
- - - - - - - - - -
For more on various Yoder nick-names see the Rachel
Kreider article in YNL 10.
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Alfred Yoder (Con379) Photo?
In an eBay sale last October, a small Civil War bible
was sold that had once belonged to Adolphus Yoder (Con379), along with the
photo above and lock of hair of this Civil War soldier. Adolphus
(11/27/1846-4/25/1927) m 2/6/1873 in Logan Co, Il Mary Ann Kincade, resided in
Kansas City, MO and was buried in the Riverside Cemetery, Arkansas City. Ks.
They had no known children. The person selling these items received them
together and assumed that the photo was Adolphus, who served in
*********************************************************
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The George Yoder Mill
By Richard H. Yoder,
George built this mill in Upper Mahantango township,
Schuylkill Co. ( Schuylkill Co. was part of Berks Co. until 1812). The mill was built on a tract of 250 acres.
George conveyed the mill to his son Abraham (OH1325) on 24 March 1818 .
To get there, take Rt. 61 through
The house directly across from the intersection of the
small road you turn onto is where Abraham Yoder lived. Abraham married
Elizabeth Susana Yerger who was an only child . When her mother died in 1840,
she inherited their farm in Pike Township, Berks Co. So Abraham and his wife
sold the farm in Schuylkill Co. and
-George Yoder Mill- Continued
Page 5
-George Yoder Mill- Continued
from Page 4
moved back there They are both buried in the
The early mills were small and located on small streams
because the population was very small at that time and filled their needs. It
would appear the original mill burned because the date chiseled into one of the
wood members is around 1854 . It was very common for the early mills to burn
due to the very dusty conditions when operating. One spark from the stones
during the grinding process is all it took.
*********************************************************
**********************************************************
New Info on NC/Georgia Yothers!!
-by
Anita Nail
In a surprising turn of
events, the mother of EPHRAIM A. YOTHER has been discovered!
Ephraim has long been
thought to have been a possible son of ADAM and SALLY (
This was thrilling
news, but there are conflicting facts that make this confusing. Ellender
Davis married a Daniel Yother in 1807, but Conrad’s son Daniel Yoder was
apparently already married to Elizabeth Cline. According to Fred Roy Yoder,
“only Conrad Yoder(1) journeyed to the far southland”, so who were the fathers
of the two Daniels who were old enough to have married both Ellender Davis and
Elizabeth Cline? Were these two Daniels the same person?
Facts:
· 6/18/1780 – Conrad Yoder’s son Daniel was born.
· 6/23/1785 – Conrad’s son Adam was born.
· 2/24/ 1807 – Elender Davis married Daniel Yother
· Jan. 1809 - The last Will & Testament of Allen
Davis listed Sarah and Ellender Davis as
his oldest children. Adam
Yoder and Allen’s wife An Susanna, executors.
· 5/14/1809 – Daniel and Elizabetha Yoder have a
daughter, Saloma.
· 7/09/1811 – Adam Yoder and his wife Sally have a son,
John George.
· 7/27/1811 – Daniel and Elizabeth Yoder have a son,
Daniel.
· 1212/1813 – Adam Yoder and his wife Sally have a son,
Adam.
· 1815-1817 – Ellender Yother has a son, Ephraim A.
Yother.
· 1820 – Clark Co., IN census shows a Daniel Yoter
and seven children.
· 1830 – Macon Co., NC census- Ellender Yother, head of
the household, who was
30 – 40, with three sons, 1 5-10; 1 10-15;
1 15-20.
In the late 1830’s,
several Yother men began appearing in north
Now that we know that
the widow Ellender Yother was the mother of Ephraim and at least two other
sons, it will be interesting to see, for certain, who the mysterious Mr. Yother
was! If you can add anything to this story, please send the
information to Anita Nail at nail@tecinfo.com.
*******************************************************
The Swinging Bridge
By Richard Yoder,
The swinging bridge in the photo was
located at the south end of the Hans Yoder (OH) property in
Photos provided by Ruth (Rhoads) Umble.
***************************Queries************************
The YNL will publish Yoder related inquiries or
exchanges at no charge. Send Queries to:
Chris Yoder,
**********************************************************
Who was Frederick Yoter, b. 1809, died Sept. 3, 1846 and was buried in
the
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“Find-A-Grave” - Document Your Own Yoder Line on the
Internet
The “Find-A-Grave” web site allows you: to post the name and dates of your ancestor
in the cemetery where he or she rests; to add his or her photo; to add a photo
of the gravestone; and to post a biographical summary or obituary.
Visit the site
at: www.findagrave.com
. Already recorded are internments for: 5,046 (an increase of +1072 from Oct.)
–Yoder; 146 (+27) – Yother; 38 (+5) – Yothers; 85 (+16) – Yotter; 28
(+13) – Yoter; 38 (+5) – Yoders;, 6 (+0)
– Ioder; 43 (+30) – Joder; 14 (+8) - Jotter family members. You can either add
your ancestor to a cemetery, or post data on an existing record. For assistance
write: Chris Yoder at: cyoder@tds.net .
Samples of posted gravestones are shown on this page.
- - - - - - - -
Frederick
Yoter, age 37y and 3d, died Sep. 3, 1846,
Buried Mount Hope Cemetery, Logansport, Cass Co., In. Who is this fellow?
YR12a471- Benjamin Iddo Joder, Birth: Apr. 22,
1863,
OY4344- John B Yoder (2/8/1833 Richmond
Twp, Berks-10/14/1905
Lyons PA bur St Peter's Ch, Richmond Twp) m 6/9/1855 Sarah Ann Sitler
(9/18/1833-6/25/1897) son of
Johnannes and Magdalena Breyfogel Yoder, bur. Saint Peters UCC Church and
Cemetery, Fleetwood, Berks Co., Pa.
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A WEEK AT THE YODER HOUSE
-- Elwood and Joyce Yoder Dyersburg TN
Last year, after several unsuccessful attempts to fit it
into our schedule, we arrived to spend our week in October as volunteers at the
Yoder House. There was no way we were prepared to enjoy the week as much as we
did. The apartment was very comfortable. The first day we were not sure how we
were going to make it without seeing the news on TV or an occasional movie. By
the end of the second day we found we were very relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed
reading our books each night at the end of our day. By the end of the week we
were amazed. We had discovered how to sit and talk during the meals which I
prepared in the kitchen every night. To this day we have not returned to
watching TV as a mainstay of life.
We opened the Yoder House on a Tuesday morning and
wonderful visitors began to cross the threshold. We offered each one the self
guided tour sheet or a guided tour. Most visitors were thrilled to get a guided
tour.
Two couples stopped in and just wanted to stick their
head in the front door to see what was going on. We briefly mentioned the Root Cellar,
Smoke Room on the 3rd floor and they were ready to take the
tour. They had not planned on spending
any time at the house and as they left they thanked us and said they were sure
glad they had stopped.
Another gentleman stopped in and was killing time while
he was waiting on his friends to meet him at the restaurant. We took him
through and he said his friends must visit the Yoder House. About two and a
half hours later he did return with another couple and two older ladies. They
were all captivated with the house and the history of the Amish and Mennonite
people. They could not believe they lived within 2 hours and had never been to
Grantsville. They said this is where they would bring their company from now on
because it was such an interesting place.
These are just a few of the stories. We felt a special
part of the Yoder House, if only for a week. We put 120 tourists through the
house during a cold and rainy week. For us we met many wonderful people who
just wanted to know about the Amish and Mennonite people. We felt very well
received. We are English and have always been proud of the plight of our
forefathers however after learning so much more and spending our week at the
Yoder House we are extremely proud of our ancestors and the Yoder name. I hope
this helps you consider spending a week at the Yoder House. Believe us, it is an experience you will never forget!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If
interested in Hosting at the Yoder
House (on-site accommodations provided) contact email: volunteer@houseofyoder.org or phone (301-895-5411 EST).
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YODER PASSINGS
-Edison Kent Yoder, 100, (YRB18651) son
of Jonas and Ida (Weber) Yoder, (1/29/1909-4/4/2009Grace
-Jonas J. Yoder, 98, (YR23443269)
(10/2/1910 Hydro,Ok-6/11/2009 Bonners Ferry, ID) son of Joseph J. and Fannie
(Esch) Yoder.
-Gerald Leroy Yoder, 96, (YR2337a512) son
of Olen and Barbara (Mishler) Yoder (7/25/1912-3/24/2009) founder of Yoder Oil
Co.
-Harold Yoder, 94, son of Christian and Mary (Miller) Yoder (YR2341667)
died 1/30/2010 Kalona
-James E. Yoder (8/11/1927-1/16/2010
-
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NEED HELP
WRITING YOUR AUTOBIOGRAPHY? “My business is an autobiography-ghostwriting
service, wherein I write someone's life story so it can be passed along to
family members and descendants. I believe this service would have particular
appeal to individuals who are interested in family history. If any of your
readers would like information on how the process works and the various rates,
they can email me at jmwade1964@yahoo.com.
---Jonathan Wade, (206) 300-2293
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YODER NEWSPAPER ARTICLES ON THE INETRNET
Thanks to
Keith Yoder of
www.yodernewsletter.org/bios/mcclel.html
The Library
of Congress newspaper site includes selected papers from 1880 to 1922 and can
be found at:
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
Other
excellent research sites are provide by Google, for newspapers at:
http://news.google.com/archivesearch
And for
digital books (including many out of
print) at:
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YNL ON FACEBOOK
You can now
find The Yoder Newsletter on Facebook! We hope to use our page there to enhance
our communications with family members, and to reach out to gather new data around
the world.
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A Yoder Cook-Memory Book
For their 50th wedding
anniversary, Edward and June Yoder of
**********************************************************
NC YODERS HOST 60th
The
60th Annual Reunion of the Yoder Family of
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OLEY YODER HERITAGE ASSOC.
The
“OLEY YODER” FAMILY
The
reunion will be open to everyone
who can join us. Our theme will be “Christmas in July” and we will have
activities of interest to all our Yoder relatives near and far. We will have a genealogy table where we can
collect information and answer your questions.
There
will be a variety of other activities, many of which will be detailed in our
reunion letter. If you would like to be included in our mailing or have
any comments or questions, please contact us by mail at: Oley Yoder Heritage Association, c/o Nancy
Yoder,
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“Welcome to Yoder”
sign from