Yoder Newsletter Online

Issue Number 34 -- October 1999

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YODER NEWSLETTER
P.O. Box 594, Goshen, IN 46527

On Dec. 13, 1811, one Christian Yoder received an Ohio land
patent signed by the President of the United States and also by the
man destined to be his successor.
This document has recently been rescued from the hands of an
autograph dealer. All that is known of its origins is that it was
purchased from a prior dealer in Boston, Massachusetts about five
years ago.

- - - - - - - - - -
JAMES MADISON, President of the United States of America
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, GREETING:

Know Ye, That Christian Yoder, of Somerset County, Pennsylvania,
having deposited in the Treasury a certificate of the Register of the
land office at Steubenville whereby it appears that he has made full
payment for the South half of Section Number thirty one of Township
number ten, in the Range Number eight of the land directed to be sold
at Steubenville by act of Congress, entitles "An act providing for the
sale of the lands of the United States in the Territory north west of the
Ohio, above the mouth of the Kentucky river," and of the acts
amendatory of the same, There is granted, by the United States, unto
the said Christian Yoder the half lot section of land above described:
To have and to hold the said half lot of section of land, with the
appurtenances, unto the said Christian Yoder his heirs and assigns
forever.
In testimony whereof I have caused these Letters to be made
PATENT, and the Seal of the United States to hereunto affixed.
Given under my hand at the City of Washington, the thirteenth
day of December in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred
and eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America,
the thirty-six.

------------------BY THE PRESIDENT------------------James Madison

------------------Jas. Monroe------------------Secretary of State
- - - - - - -- -

Where was this land located? Gary Vincent, a student of Ohio
lands in the opposite end of the state indicates that it appears this
parcel is in the Ohio River Survey, which places it in Stark County,
very near Canton, OH. This is the only case he could find that
simultaneously satisfies the conditions of Township 10, Range 8, and
within the jurisdiction of the Steubenville Land Office. This is
confirmed by a Stark County marking dated 1909 found on the
reverse of the document when it was taken out of its matting.
There are two Christian Yoders who lived in Stark County
that early. The first is the apparent Christian Yoder (YR122) (see
YNL 30 and the obituary article elsewhere in this issue). The second is
his presumed nephew and heir Christian Yoder (YR1256). The elder
Christian died in 1824. The younger one had his first known child in
April of 1812, reportedly already in Stark County. Further study is
needed to confirm which of these gentlemen received this patent. Any
analysis or clues from our readers?

Companies owned by Swiss cousins Andreas and Peter Joder
provided the altimeter (variometer) and pressure sensor which helped
the hot air balloon "Breitling Orbiter 3" become the first to sail non-
stop around the world. Captained by the Swiss-English team of
Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones, the balloon broke all previous
records for duration and distance, traveling 19 days, 21 hours and 55
minutes before landing in Eqypt on Mar. 21, 1999. The team won a
$1,000,000 prize was awarded by Anheuser-Busch. The balloon is
featured on the Sept. 1999 cover of National Geographic magazine.
We thank John Bieber, for the details of his recent trip to Switzerland
and his visit with the Joder family which appears below.
- - - - - - - - - -
Yoder Steffisburg Web Links
by John W. Bieber

My work sometimes takes me to Switzerland, and on several
occasions I've taken the opportunity to visit Steffisburg, ancestral
home of the Yoder family. After my first trip, I put some photos of
Steffisburg and the nearby castle town of Thun on the Internet, linked
to the Yoder Homepage, where Andreas Joder, a distant cousin from
the Old Country, came upon them. We corresponded by e-mail and
arranged to meet during my latest trip to Switzerland in March 1999.
In this way modern technology helped restore family connections that
were broken three centuries ago.

--------Looking south over the city of Steiffisburg, church to the right

Andreas Joder --- "Andy" to his English-speaking
acquaintances --- is a friendly, energetic man. My first night in Thun
he picked me up at my hotel, and we drove to a restaurant on the
shores of Lake Thun. I had a delicious meal of "N¸ssli" salad and
local lake fish. I don't know the English translation of "N¸ssli," if
there is one, but it became a favorite of mine the first time I tasted it.
Andy is an Electrical Engineer who spent a number of years in
the United States, in Lafayette (Indiana), Minneapolis, and San
Francisco. While in the United States, he once paid a visit to Ben
Yoder, co-founder of this Newsletter.
Since returning to Switzerland, Andy has been an
entrepreneur involved in several high-tech companies, including one
that builds pressure sensors used on balloons and hang gliders. The
recent Swiss-English team that achieved the first non-stop, around-
the-world balloon flight flew with instrumentation manufactured by
this Joder company. Currently Andy is focusing his energy on a new
company providing Internet services.
The next morning Andy, now accompanied by his father Hans-
Jakob (Hans) Joder, picked me up for a day tour of the local area. We
first traveled up the lovely "Simmental" (Valley of the Simme River)
to Erlenbach, famed for the frescoes painted on the walls of its church
in 1420.
Another reason for my interest in Erlenbach is that it was the
birthplace (1642) of Jakob Amman, a religious leader whose followers
came to be called "Amish." Today, no Amish remain in Switzerland.
They all emigrated long ago --- including some bearing the name
Joder/Yoder --- and they flourish today in parts of the United States
and Canada.

--------Andy, John, and Hans at Schadau Castle "Schloss Schadau"

We continued on to the quiet village of Amsoldingen and
visited its beautiful Romanesque church, practically unchanged from
the time it was built in the 11th century. We then drove to Thun for a
quick lunch of coffee and cake in Schadau Castle.
The afternoon was spent in Steffisburg, where members of the
Joder family have lived for centuries, and where Hans Joder still lives
today. Hans took early retirement from the Swiss telephone company
in order to pursue more actively his myriad interests. Among these are
sailing, beekeeping, tree pruning, local history, and historical
preservation. Hans was involved in the renovation and archaeological
investigation of the Steffisburg church, and he is active in efforts to
preserve another Steffisburg landmark: the "Hchhuus" built by the
knight Heinrich Matter in 1449.

------------------Steffisburg landmark the "Hochhuus"

These days Matter's Hchhuus has a restaurant on its ground
floor and apartments on the upper floors. Hans's family actually lived
there for a time when Andy was a child. Andy recalls that he and a
friend would play tricks on their neighbors by tossing a wallet
attached to a string from one of the openings in the Hchhuus's attic.
When a passerby bent to pick up the wallet, they would snatch it
away.
My visit with my Swiss cousins concluded with a trip to
Steffisburg church. Its present form dates from 1681, though portions
of the structure survive from the 11th century, the same era as the
church in Amsoldingen. Dominating one wall of the church is the
"Moses tablet," an artistic rendering of the Ten Commandments
painted on wood and dated 1682. Around the periphery of the tablet
are shields naming prominent citizens of Steffisburg of that day.
Among them we find the names Caspar and Jost Joder. Hans related
that this treasure was recovered from a local farmhouse where it was
serving as a wall between two rooms. We should thank that farmer for
preserving it in this way. After repair and restoration, it looks almost
as good as new.

------------------Yoder Crests appearing in the "Moses Tablet"

The following day was my last full day in Switzerland during
this trip. I was on my own, and I wandered through Steffisburg and
the surrounding countryside snapping photos and taking notes. I was
collecting material to add to my Internet Webpage on Steffisburg and
Thun. You can view the results if you have Internet access. Go to the
Yoder Newsletter site (http://www.yodernewsletter.org/), and click the
"Steffisburg and Thun" link on the main page.

Schwarzwald United Church of Christ, Built in 1870, Exeter Township,
Berks Co.,Pa (Photgraph with permission of Justine Walter )

Marriage records for the Schwartzwald congregations of Berks
County were kept by the Rev. William Boos between 1781 and 1811.
Included are records of a number of Oley Valley Yoder, but
surprisingly enough a couple of their Anabaptist cousins as well! The
Schwartzwald Lutheran and Reformed church is in Exeter Twp.,
located 5 miles east of Reading on Rt. 562. According to the Berks
County, Pa GENWEB site, these congregations probably date from
the early 1740s. A 1745 diary entry and a 1754 letter by H. M.
Muhlenberg state that he dedicated this "union church" (meaning
shared between Lutheran and Reformed Congregations) in the early
years of his service. A communion tankard dated 1744 in the church
supports Muhlenberg's statement. A sturdy building served the two
congregations until 1811 when a new one was erected. The photo
above shows the present structure which was built in 1870 as a United
Church of Christ church. During much of the time between its
founding and 1793, it appears pastors from Reading served
Schwartzwald.

Following is the listing of Yoder marriages taken from Pennsylvania
German Marriages compiled by Donna R. Irish (c) 1982, Genealogy
Publishing House. They include several which are new to the YNL
and have resulted in updates to our archival masters. These records
have been highlighted by being underlined.

Schwartzenwald Reformed Church, 1781-1811
-Jotter, Johannes (OY43) m. 23 Dec 1788 Fronica Emmerich of
Rockland Twp.
-Jotter, Susanna of Oley Twp. (OH141) m. 3 Nov 1789 Daniel Hoch
-Jotter, Jacob (OY13) m. 2 Mar 1790 Catharina Biermann Oley Twp.
-Jotter, Esther of Oley Twp. (OY16) m. 25 May 1790 Johannes
Cunius
-Jotter, Anna Maria (OH144) Oley Twp. m. 21 Jun 1791 Jacob Vogt
-Jotter, Abraham (?OH135) m. 18 Nov 1792 Hannah Lies Oley Twp.
-Jotter, Esther of Oley Twp (OY49) m. 14 Jan 1794 Isaac Bertho
-Jotter, Catherina of Oley Twp. (?OY174) m. 21 Jan 1797 m. Daniel
Weitner
-Jotter, Jacob (OY45) m. 28 Feb 1797 Anna Maria Bertho, Oley Twp.
-Jotter, Samuel (OH1321) m 21 Apr 1799 Elisabeth Wahl (?) Oley
Twp.
-Jotter, Hannah of Oley Twp. (OH1111) m. 27 Dec 1801 Jacob Knab
-Jotter, Abraham (OY44) m. 26 Sep 1802 Elisabeth Breyvogel of
Rockland Twp.
-Jotter, Esther of Oley Twp. (OH1323) m. 2 Dec 1802 Henrich
Schreckengast
-Jotter, Johannes (OH145) m. 1 Sep 1803 Catharina Levan Oley Twp.
-Jotter, David (OH134) m. 8 Jun 1805 Catharina Hoch of Oley Twp.
-Jotter, Hannah of District Twp (OY421) m. 4 Jun 1805 Abraham
Mensch
-Jotter, Johannes (YR177) m 20 Jul 1805 Frany Rickebach,Bern Twp.
-Jotter, Catharina of Bern Twp. (YR179) m. 28 Jul 1805 Johannes
Hertzler
-Joder, Elisabetha,Oley Twp. (OH1326) m. 24 May 1807 Samuel
Meyer
-Jotter, Samuel (OY413) m. 6 Nov 1808 Esther Robert Oley Twp.
-Jotter, Susanna (OY416) m. 23 Apr 1809 Wilhelm Weitener

COMMENTS:
One surprise in this list is the 1805 appearance of two chrildren
of John Yoder (YR17). John was the only Amish Yoder of his
generation to remain in Berks County through the Revolutionary War
period and into the next century. Much of this family became Church
of the Brethren...as the Amish had all left the area.
The Samuel Jotter who married Esther Robert (Reppert) in
1808 is also new information. It is increasingly apparent that we've
worked this fellow out as the Samuel who settled in Union County, Pa
and died there in 1870.
Samuel Jotter who married "Elisabeth Wahl (?)" in 1799 is the
fellow we identified in YNL 25 as probably being OH1321....and a
likely father for Frederick Yoder of Centre Twp., Berks County. The
question mark in the record beside the spelling of the wife's name
indicates the copier had difficulty making out the handscribed text.

House of Hans Yoder Jr. (OH1)

Talented area sketch artist Lynn Lorah created a number of original
works to commemorate the Oley Valley "Heritage Tour". These
beautiful sketches are still available. For further information contact:
Lynn Lorah, RD2, Box 144, Oley, Pa 19547.

photo

ARTICLE BY: Mabel V. Brunk, 1325 Greencroft Drive #383, Goshen, In 46526

An original Yoder home still stands in Big Valley, Mifflin County, Pa. Built by John (YR251) & Barbara Yoder, this probably earliest home of Amish settlers in Big Valley deserves preservation. A metal porch roof across the front end has already disappeared. Action is needed to save the structure before it is either razed or crumbles to ruins. Descendants of John and Barbara Yoder need to act.
Mennonites interested in Valley history could spearhead an effort to preserve the house. The Mifflin County Historical Society could accept this challenge. Descendants of John and Barbara Yoder could be asked to contribute the costs of purchasing the structure. Current President of the Historical Society is Paul E. Bender. Interested descendants can contact him at the Historical Society, P.O. Box 5603, Belleville, Pa 17004, phone 717-935-5574.
John Yoder YR251, "Yotter Hannes" was born in 1754 in Berks Country, Pa and married Barbara Rickenbach RB31 (AAMG p.500). John and Barbara were probably the first Amish settlers in the Big Valley (Mifflin County)PA, coming in the spring of 1791 from Elk Lick Township, Somerset County, PA. Their son, "Keifer Christ", ancestor of many Big Valley residents, was born in Somerset County in 1784.
In 1791 John purchased 212 acres of land from Henry Milroy in Armaugh Township, Mifflin County, Pa, near Milroy. Purchase price was 710 pounds. Henry Milroy and family reserved the "right to occupy until death one room and part of another in the mansion and a weaver shop" and could harvest the "crop of rye and what is to be sown and the grass now in the new meadow" (Mifflin County Deed records, A-319, 1792).
John and Barbara's two-story house, northeast of Milroy, had "I and BY 1804" inscribed in the top store. The "I" in German is the same as the "J" in English. The log barn was probably built by the Yoders. (Ezra Kanagy, Kanagy Roots and a Branch, 1987, Sugarcreek Oh, p. 23). Newer siding now covers the logs, but through cracks in the deteriorating barn, some of the original logs are visible.
John also purchased land in Half Moon Township, Centre County, Pa where various relatives lived. In 1813 John and Barbara sold their 222 acres (apparently they had added 10 acres) in Armaugh Township for 2500 pounds to Jacob Kenagy. John and Barbara moved to Wayne County, Oh where John died.
In 1984 Bob Close owned the Armaugh Township land, including the house. The burial plot on the McCoy farm is back of the barn. The farm was divided on the west side and in 1984 was owned by Laney McCoy. The deed to this farm, No. 2, has a clause about the right to lay a lead pipe to the spring on farm #2. "Bob Close said several years ago an apple tree blew over and the roots came up, uncovering the lead pipe." (Ezra Kanagy, p.23)
John Yoder's parents were immigrants John Yoder and Anna ___. This John's father was Christian Yoder (YR2).
Barbara Rickenbach's parents, John and Anna, immigrated from Switzerland. John died in 1782 in Berks County, Pa. The Rickenbach line can be traced five more generations to a Michael Rickenbach who lived in Switzerland in the sixteenth century.

While the stones are still in place, John and Barbara's original Yoder House asks to be saved!

In the classic Amish and Amish Mennonite Genealogies, by Gingerich and Kreider, the children of "Hamburg Christian" (YR12) are listed by name, but the "order of issue" is uncertain. Approximate birth dates are shown beginning in 1745 and ending in 1765. The second child in this order was a son named Christian Yoder, born "about 1747". AAMG indicates he was believed to have been living in Somerset County (then Bedford) by 1790.
In our YNL 30 feature on the descendants of YR12, we revealed evidence that the unmarried Christian later lived in Stark County, Ohio and wrote his will their on Sept. 7, 1824. We now can add more information. thanks to the local paper "The Ohio Repository" dated Sept. 30, 1824, page 3, column 3: "DIED...In Canton township, of the 16th inst. Mr. Christian Yoder, age 80 years".
Assuming the age at death is correct, Christian was apparently born about 1744....This might make him the oldest of the children in his family.

Former Teacher, Farm wife Receives Congratulations

Nappanee, Ind.- The Nappanee community gave a special resident a special birthday party Sunday at the Stump Homestead at C.R.s 50 and 15.

A crowd of family members, former students, neighbors and friends joined in the celebration of Wilma Yoder George's 100th birthday at the homestead where her father was raised.

George is a lifelong resident of Nappanee and became well-known in the community as an educator and as a hostess at Amish Acres. Mayor Larry Thompson read a proclamation Sunday designating Wednesday as Wilma George Day in honor of her birthday.

Wilma Gertrude Yoder was born on June 9, 1899 at the Jonathan Yoder home on C.R. 52 in Locke Township, one mile north and two miles west of Nappanee. She was the youngest of four daughters born to Jonathan Yoder and Mary Jane Michael Yoder. She was brought up Presbyterian, but spoke only German at home until she went to school. Most of her neighbors were Amish.

Wilma remembers that the family always maintained strong ties with the Stump family. When her father was orphaned at the age of 14, he was taken in by his uncle Solomon Stump, son of Bishop Daniel Stump, an early church leader in Union Township.

Her first memory was the death of President McKinley in 1901 when she was only 2. She remembers her father's somber discussion of the president's assassination. She also remembers an early Christmas where the tree stood to the ceiling and was decorated with real candles..."most glorious" she recalls.

--Thanks to Mrs. Richard L. Yoder for this information

Since I was a child my family was in tight contact with Karl Joder from Karlsruhe in Germany. Karl was already retired when we were in contact. He was doing most of the ancestral work here in Europe and he spent quite some time in Steffisburg. Through him we received the first Yoder News Letters which were written by Ben. Karl and Ben work tightly with each other. I am sure that Chris Yoder knows more about the relationship between Ben and Karl.
Of course when we, my wife and myself, moved to Lafayette in 1982 we wanted to visit the famous Ben in Goshen and we also were very excited to visit the Amish country. Over a long weekend we drove from Lafayette to Goshen were we met and stayed with Ben and his wife. At that time Chris was not at home since he was 'stationed' in overseas with his family.
Ben and his wife were great hosts and we were impressed about the energy and dedication they were putting into the Yoder family. You have to understand that this was completely new to us since in the old country we are not so conscious and aware of our ancestors as the people in the new world.
During our stay in Goshen we went to a real Amish shop where I was trying to speak in Swiss German with the local people. I was surprised to understand most of it but not all. Isn't it amazing to see the cultural root after so many years of separation between the Amish and the Swiss/Germans. I felt like watching and living in an old movie.
I don't know if this makes up for a good story but this is what happened.----Best regards,Andy.

Brio Magazine, published by Focus On The Family for Christian teenaged girls, sponsored a world-wide "Get Organized" contest. Girls were to improve what they considered a mess, such as their room, closet, attic, their neighbor's barn, their brother's bedroom or their Dad's workshop, etc. Before and after photos were to be submitted. There were more than 500 entries. The contest was won by Kimberly Collins of Kingsport , Tn. but Wendy YODER of Shipshewana, Indiana is one of the ten (10) runners-up
-- contributed by Don Honeywell, Baltimore County, Maryland

Photo by Jim Pugh and article by Ken Pinkney

This Jacob Yoder stone house is east of Millersburg, Ohio about 3 miles on Route 39, then left on Twp. Road 351 a short distance and down the first lane on the right. Jacob (YR142) built the house in 1845. Oxen were used to haul the stones in. As the house was built higher a ramp was made from the old orchard to the house and a two wheel wheelbarrow was used to haul the stones up. When Jacob got old he built a "Grandpa House" next to the stone house. It is to the left as you are looking at the picture, and off-camera.The small building in the lower right corner is an outdoor bake oven which were common in the early 1900 and before, but is not usable at the present time.
His son John Yoder Sr. lived in the stone house til later in life then also moved into the "grandfather's house". His son John Jr (my great grandfather) & my grandfather Milo were born in the house. When my grandfather and his siblings lived in the stone house, they would go to the attic windows to blow bubbles and watch them float.
At this time Fannie & Noah Schlabach live in the Grandpa House & up to several years ago their brother, John lived in the stone house. They are the children of: John Y. Schlabach & Mary Yoder; John Y. was the son of Mary Yoder & John Schlabach; Mary was the daughter of John Yoder Sr & Sussanna Mast; John Sr. was the son of; Jacob Yoder & Elizabeth Kurtz; Jacob(1779LP-1850 HO) was the son of; Jacob Yoder & Christiana Blank; Jacob was the son of; Jacob (Strong) Yoder & Anna .
************************************************************
Infomation about the house is taken from the book A Memorial History of John Yoder Sr and Susanna Mast. Information was collected by Sovilla J. Yoder, Mr and Mrs. Joe L. Yoder, Paul & Ardis (Yoder) Pinkley, and Mr and Mrs. Atlee Yoder

b. 10/16/1825 d. 8/5/1918 St. Joseph Co., In

Great website! I have been searching for information on Joseph Yoder who was born in Switzerland in 1789 and fought in Napoleon's army in Russia and also Waterloo, survived and later settled in Maximo Ohio. He married Barbara Weiss. Believe it or not my Mother has a large topaz ring that was warn on a fob on Joseph's uniform in the Moscow war and Waterloo...
The picture above is of my Grandmother's maternal Grandfather, Joseph's son Andrew (1825-1918), who was born on the ocean en route to the US. Pierre Stephenson, splugy@aone.com

Carl M. Yoders, a Sgt. in Co. M 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, WWII, was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal of the State of New Jersey. The honor, signed by Governor Christine, was presented on May 20,1999 in a ceremony held at the Westfield, New Jersey National Guard Armory.
Carl joined the Army in 1940 and on June 6, 1944, D-Day, he was part of the Normandy invasion of France...landing on Utah beach. Carl, the leader of a heavy machine gun squad, was wounded after a week of fighting, on June 14, 1944. He spent the next year in hospitals --both in England and the United States.
Carl is the son of the late Sgt. Clarence E. Yoders, Co K 110th Inf. 28th Div., WWI. Clarence Yoders was awarded the State of Pennsylvania Distinguished Service Medal for his military service in WWI.
Readers of the Yoder Newsletter will recall Carl's critical role in establishing the relationship of the "Yoders" family of Southwestern Pennsylvania to the Melchior Yoder family (YNL24) and his active participation in the development of the "Yoder House" at Penn Alps.
In May 1999 Carl was also the subject of an article in an English tabloid "Express & Echo" entitled "PENSIONER'S HOPES OF A GI REUNION DASHED". The story tells of Peter Nelson, a 67 year old pensioner, who met Sgt. Carl Yoders when he was stationed in Exmouth in preparation for the D-Day landings in 1944. The grandfather of Mr. Nelson had been from New Jersey, and he asked among the American soldiers until he found one from that location as well. Following the invasion, he was told that Carl had been killed and only recently learned the truth. A planned late May tribute by the village to their war-time guests, almost brought the two together once more. Poor health kept Carl from attending- thus the headline.

IF YOU KNOW THE PERSON BEING LOOKED FOR, PLEASE CONTACT THEM AND LET THEM BE THE ONES TO INITIATE CONTACT!!
THANK YOU!!

Thanks to Don & Pat Reed for pointing out the July 99 "Pennsylvania Mennonite Life" article on Phoebe Yoder, a Kansas Mennonite girl who served her adult life as a missionary in Africa. She was the daughter of Charles D. Yoder.

Catawba County native Neal Wilfong, who now lived in Cleveland---the one in Rowan County--had a busy day on a recent Sunday when the pioneer Yoder clan held their 49th yearly reunion. He and Bill Yoder of Hickory, the family group president, and other relatives are already planning to host in august 2000 a national convention of the Yoder families. The three-day event will follow the clan's first national convention held here in 1995. Keynote speaker next year will be historian Dr. Don Yoder, formerly of the University of Pennsylvania, according to Hickory's Ted Yoder. The big news at this year's gathering is that Neal has been chosen to update the published clan history book, History of the Yoder Family in North Carolina, which traces the life of patriarch Conrad Yoder, a German immigrant to this area in the mid-18th century. The late Dr. Fred Roy Yoder, a university professor, wrote the original work in 1970. Neal, who has been secretary of the Yoder family for 21 years and a descendant of Conrad, is going to edit a revised version for publication. This chore is nothing new for Neal, who has authored Tombstone Inscriptions of the Old St. Paul's Church Cemetery, and Hayfields and Plowshares, A History of the Blackburn Family of Catawba County, NC. Both these works were published by the Catawba County Historical Association.

Hickory Mayor Bill McDonald was at the reunion at historic Zion Lutheran Church in the Mountain View community and noted that the town's first mayor was Marcus Yoder. As with the many clan reunions in Catawba, the Yoders took time to congratulate the eldest relatives at the gathering: 93-year-old Herbert Yount of Hickory and 92-year-old Dan Yoder of Newton, as well as Maenell and Gerald Yoder of Hickory who had observed their 60th wedding anniversary in July. Lenoir-Rhyne College professor-clergyman Larry Yoder led a memorial service the evening before at the old Yoder cemetery where ancestors are buried. He described the family heritage as "a treasure and a challenge".

Send check or money order to:
Heritage Cookbook, Yoder Reunion Association, 415 State St. Pottstown, PA 19464. Please include $2.50 per copy for postage and handling (regardless of Qty). Immediate delivery in time for CHRISTMAS

ALL YODERS AND YODER DESCENDANTS ARE INVITED ...

....to attend the National reunion of the Yoder Family, to be held in North Carolina. This three day event will be hosted the weekend of the 2nd Sunday in August by the Yoders of North Carolina. This event also commemorates the 50th annual reunion of the North Carolina Yoder family. Make your plans Now!!!

Noted Pennsylvania historian and author Dr.Donald Yoder will be the keynote speaker!!

We'll provide lots more information about this in the April YNL.

(photo will appear in YNL 35)

Thanks to the efforts and contributions of many, a brass marker has recently been placed at the Old Yoder Cemetery in Somerset County, Pa. This cemetery is on the original homestead property of 1742 Amish immigrant "Schweitzer Christian" Yoder (YR23).
A sampling reported in YNL 6 (Oct 1985) showed that over 30% of our readers at that time were descendants of "Schweitzer Christian". This early founder of the Glades congregation in Somerset county had a large family which has continued to multiply.
We'd like to recognize the following folks who made this goal a reality: Gordon Yoder, Milton H. Walker, Michael Yoder, Eleanor Williams, Tom O. Yoder, M. W. Yoder, Karen Okeson, Henry Erb, Catherine Lancaster, Charles Yoder, Rachel Kreider, Anna Mary Yoder, Keith Yoder, Chris Yoder, Lonnie Yoder, Elwood Yoder.