Joseph Peter Staker has written an extensive and thoroughly documented history of 91 Amish Mennonite families who immigrated to Tazewell (and surrounding) Counties from 1830-1856—over 1250 pages with around 1300 source citations. Joe has graciously placed his four-volume book on our website as Adobe Acrobat searchable PDF files which you can download for free!
Last updated May 2019.
Part One of Three: Historical background. Eleven families: Ropp, Staker, King, Belsley, Schertz, Engel, Vercler, Roggy, Oyer, Mosiman, and Salzman. 385 footnotes, 277 pages, 4.31 MB.
Part Two of Three: Thirty-six families: Schrock, Gingerich, Farny, Schweizer, Camp, Ruvenacht, Abersoll, Leman, Bachman/Baughman, Gerber/Garber, Beckler, Nafziger, Beck, Donner, Kistler, Kennel, Unzicker, Zimmerman, Roth, Miller, Reeser/Risser, Maurer, Litwiller, Sommer, Rich, Ulrich, Brenneman, Eigsti, Birky/Birkey, Sutter, Heiser, Augspurger, Stalter, Steinman, Hauter, and Cender (new). 381 footnotes, 419 pages, 5.58 MB.
Part Three of Three: Forty-five families:Zehr, Yordy, Esch/Oesch, Ehresman, Hochstettler, Schwarzentraub, Smith, Petersmith (revised), Good, Plank, Goldsmith, Rediger, Kinsinger, Ringenberger, Springer, Dellenbach, Eiman, Schantz, Dettweiler, Gascho, Orendorff, Schlegel, Ernst, Roeschley, Wagler, Wagner, Steider, Klopfenstein, Ramseyer, Zook, Neuhauser (revised), Householder, Strubhar (revised), Yoder, Lantz, Kauffman, Sharp, Grubb, Beller, Ackerman, Martin, Imhoff, Habecker, Jantzi, and Egli/Egly. Acknowledgements. 451 footnotes, 470 pages, 5.47 MB.
Appendix: Helvetii; Names; von Diesbach; Laws of Canton Bern; 1826, 1831, 1832, and 1854 passenger lists; Tazewell County Townships; The Lewis County Settlement; Kiefer/Kieffer; Hirschy/Hirschey; Landes and Landes Mennonite Cemetery; Steiger; Zwalter; Yoder of the Oley Valley; Swiss Legends; Puzzle of Barbara Eyer; Wolbers of Königsbach; Albrecht of Bureau County; Rocke; Boshart; Holi/Holli/Holly; Eicher; Kurtz; Bürcki/Buerge; Fahsbender; Military Acquaintances: Reust, Brickler, De Guibert, and Chlopicki; An Anabaptist; Esch of Lancaster County; Stucky; Owen Lovejoy and Abraham Lincoln; and Tremont and the Shields Challenge. 104 footnotes, 109 pages, 2.24 MB.
