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 1300 pages with around 1350 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 August 2019.
Part One of Three: Historical background. Eleven families: Ropp, Staker, King, Belsley, Schertz, Engel, Vercler, Roggy, Oyer, Mosiman, and Salzman. 383 footnotes, 280 pages, 4.60 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. 381 footnotes, 423 pages, 5.57 MB.
Part Three of Three: Forty-seven families: Zehr, Yordy, Esch/Oesch, Ehresman, Hochstettler, Schwarzentraub, Smith, Petersmith, Good, Plank, Goldsmith, Rediger, Kinsinger, Ringenberger, Springer, Dellenbach, Eiman, Schantz, Dettweiler, Gascho, Orendorff, Schlegel, Ernst, Roeschley, Wagler, Wagner, Steider, Klopfenstein, Ramseyer, Zook, Neuhauser, Householder, Strubhar, Yoder, Lantz, Kauffman, Sharp, Grubb, Beller, Ackerman, Martin, Imhoff, Habecker, Jantzi, Egli/Egly, Stucky (New), and Schlabach (New). Acknowledgements. 455 footnotes, 473 pages, 5.41 MB.
Appendix: The Deep Snow of 1830 (New); The Blackhawk War of 1832 (New): The Battle of Stillman’s Run, Surrender, and Chief Shabbona of the Pottowatomi; Lawyer Abraham Lincoln on the Eighth Circuit (New): Engel’s Place at Hanover, The Shields Challenge at Tremont, and The Goings Trial at Metamora (New); Owen Lovejoy and Abraham Lincoln; David Davis and Abraham Lincoln (New); Life in Prairie Land (New); Tazewell County Townships; Military Acquaintances: Reust, Brickler, De Guibert, and Chlopicki; Landes and Landes Mennonite Cemetery; Passenger Lists; The Lewis County, New York Settlement; Kiefer/Kieffer; Hirschy/Hirschey; Helvetii; Names; von Diesbach; Laws of Canton Bern; The 1783 Anabaptist Census of Basel (New); Freyenberger (New); Bürcki/Buerge; Steiger; Zwalter; Puzzle of Barbara Eyer; Swiss Legends; Wolber of Königsbach; Albrecht of Bureau County; Rocke; Boshart; Holi/Holli/Holly; Eicher; Kurtz; Fahsbender; Esch of Lancaster County; An Anabaptist; and Acknowledgements. 136 footnotes, 149 pages, 2.64 MB.
