[1704]
All data from Burke and Schweyer. The earliest direct Schweyerancestor successfully traced thus far was born in Zuzzendorf inAlsace, France on June 6, 1812. Johann was a weaver and cooper andcontinued working in his trade after his marriage to MargarethaMoritz, who was born on July 21, 1812, also in Zuzzendorf. Themarriage, as far as we can ascertain, took place in Zuzzendorf in1834.
The little town of Zuzzendorf, since renamed Zutzendorf, liesapproximately 35 kms northwest of Strasbourg, France in the Bas-Rhinprovince not far from Obermodern, Ingwiller. Alsace, a provincelocated on the northeastern tip of France bordering Germany, is anarea rich in fertile soil, and has been disputed over between Franceand Germany for many years. The territory was part of France from 1684until 1871, when it was taken over by Germany. Alsace was restored toFrance after World War II, and the sector where our family had livedwas renamed Bas-Rhin.
Johann and Margaretha had ten children while living in Alsace --Johannes, Margaretha, Johannes Theobald, George, Jakob, Maria,Johannes Theobald, Johannes Theobald, Anna, and Catherina (twin sisterto Anna). Another child, born after they emigrated to Canada, was bornstillborn.
According to family history we know of only six childrenemigrating to America with their parents early in the fall of 1853 --Johannes, Margaretha, George, Jakob, Maria, and Anna.
Since Johannes, their eldest child, would have been approximately17 years of age at the time they left Alsace, this leads us to assumethat the remaining children .... three boys each named JohannesTheobald and Anna's twin sister Catherina .... had all died either asyoung infants or children, and were buried in Alsace. This theorywould explain the successive use of the name Johannes Theobald, as itwas customary at that time to name a child after a deceased sibling.
Although their nationality was French, the Schweyers weredefinitely of German descent. They retained the Germanic spelling oftheir name over successive generations, spoke German in their home,and continued to speak it after emigrating to Canada. Once here, theyattended church services given in German and had their tombstonesinscribed in German rather than English.
According to family history the main reason the Schweyers leftAlsace and emigrated to the new world stemmed from the fact thatJohannes, the eldest child, was approaching his 18th birthday. Therewas much political strife at the time, and eligible young men underFrench rule were automatically inducted into the army at the age of 18to serve a compulsory seven- year military service. If war did breakout, young men in Alsace of German descent would be compelled to fightagainst other Germans.
With this in mind Johannes decided to emigrate to America alongwith a neighbouring family, thought by family historians to be theMiller's (or Meuller's). Two weeks before Johannes was to leave, hisfather, Johann Schweyer, decided that he and the rest of the familywould leave as well. He had two other sons who would eventually havemet the same fate as their older brother, and many of their relativesin neighbouring families had already emigrated in order to avoid thedraft and the possible outbreak of war. The threat of the draft andof war, coupled with the general poverty of the area and the lack ofany chance for advancement, made emigration tempting for those wantinga new life, especially after those who had already arrived in the newworld sent back encouraging letters describing the good prospects theyhad found waiting for them.
The point of the family's departure is not known, but presumablyit was Le Havre or Hamburg. The Schweyers are believed to have lefttheir homeland in the early fall of 1853, although another sourcestates the date as 1851. Family accounts report that it took them sixweeks to cross the Atlantic in a trip troubled by very stormy weatherthat damaged the ship's sails and broke loose part of their cargo.The captain was drunk, and after he refused to lower the sails duringone storm the crew mutinied and locked him in a cabin. The first matetook command and brought the vessel under control. The name of theship they sailed on remains unknown, although one family source statesthat it may have been the Savannah Henk.
Despite the rough voyage the family docked safely in New York inDecember, 1853. Leaving New York City, they made their way to Buffaloand continued on to Dunnville, ON. It is said that in the end theywalked all the way from Dunnville to Rainham Township, where Johannpurchased a 50-acre farm in February, 1854. The farm was located oneast half of the south part of lot 9 on the 4th concession of Rainham.A mortgage was drawn up between Johann and Joseph Levein for 137pounds, 7 shillings, and 6 pence on a yearly basis, plus interest at 6per cent. Records state the original Schweyer house was not builtuntil after 1861, which puts the time of construction after thepurchase of the land, leaving us to safely assume that the Schweyerswere indeed the original builders of the home. Lettering painted ontothe peak of the south dormer of the house -- a typical European custom-- seems to verify the year that construction was completed. The date,legible until the late 1960's read 1865.
The area that Johann, Margaretha and their children settled in --known at the time as Rainham but later named Fisherville, and locatedin the southern part of Haldimand county -- was populated mostly byGerman Lutheran emigrants from Alsace-Lorraine and neighbouringterritory. The land had to be cleared of dense stands of trees, andthe soil had to be tilled. Winters were harsh, and survival dependedeven more on their customary practice of sticking together. Bound bytheir common language and their strong Lutheran faith, they formed atightly-knit community and often intermarried in order to stay withintheir faith. The result was the creation of strong family ties thatremain in the area to this day.
Johann eventually passed the farm down to Jakob, his thirdsurviving son, and took up residence in the southwest room of thehouse after the death of his wife, Margaretha. Jakob and his wife,Margaretha Fess, lived in the original family homestead with theirchildren and continued to run the farm. Jakob in turn passed the farmon to his son William, who kept it until his death, when it was soldto Joseph Sherk, the present-day owner of the property.
Johann and Margaretha remain strong in the Lutheran faith all oftheir lives. Margaretha departed this world April 9, 1877. Johannpassed away May 31, 1898. Both are buried at Trinity Lutheran cemeteryin Fisherville, ON. Many of their descendants have been traced in thefollowing pages.
__
|
__|__
|
_Johann Nicholas SCHWEYER _|
| (1812 - 1898) m 1834 |
| | __
| | |
| |__|__
|
_George SCHWEYER _________|
| (1840 - 1917) m 1864 |
| | __
| | |
| | __|__
| | |
| |_Margaretha Marion MORITZ _|
| (1812 - 1877) m 1834 |
| | __
| | |
| |__|__
|
|
|--Johann Wilhelm SCHWEYER
| (1866 - 1942)
| __
| |
| __|__
| |
| ___________________________|
| | |
| | | __
| | | |
| | |__|__
| |
|_Anna Margaretha WALTERS _|
(1844 - 1918) m 1864 |
| __
| |
| __|__
| |
|___________________________|
|
| __
| |
|__|__
[2449] All data from Burke and Schweyer.
__
|
__|__
|
__|
| |
| | __
| | |
| |__|__
|
_Johann Nicholas SCHWEYER _|
| (1812 - 1898) m 1834 |
| | __
| | |
| | __|__
| | |
| |__|
| |
| | __
| | |
| |__|__
|
|
|--Johannes SCHWEYER
| (1835 - 1916)
| __
| |
| __|__
| |
| __|
| | |
| | | __
| | | |
| | |__|__
| |
|_Margaretha Marion MORITZ _|
(1812 - 1877) m 1834 |
| __
| |
| __|__
| |
|__|
|
| __
| |
|__|__
[2499]
All data from Burke and Schweyer. Johannes Schweyer was the eldest sonof Johann Schweyer and Margaretha Moritz, born May 26, 1835 inZuzzendorf in Alsace, France. He was probably the main reason why thefamily decided to emigrate in 1853, in order to avoid his conscriptioninto the country's compulsory seven-year military service.
Johannes , more frequently called John, was approximately 17years of age when he emigrated to Rainham with his parents andsiblings.
According to family accounts, after his arrival in Rainham hehelped to clear the timber from the Nablo farm near Fisherville. OnOctober 2, 1860 he married Carolina Sitter, daughter of Niclaus Sitterand Barbara Philipps. She was born September 17, 1841 in Rainham. Themarriage took place at Holy Ghost Evangelical Lutheran Church inFisherville. (The church was later renamed Trinity Lutheran.) In 1870Johannes purchased 100 acres of land on the 4th concession in WalpoleTownship, near the Selkirk Road. In 1904 he sold the east 50 acres ofthis farm to his eldest son Jacob and the remaining 50 acres to hisnext son Henry. In 1908 Henry purchased the 50 acres owned by hisbrother Jacob. In 1909 he erected a barn on this property and thefollowing year he built the house.
During his lifetime Johannes reportedly built a log cabin on landthat became part of Henry's farm, another on his son Albert's farm,and still another one on his son John's ( William John's) farm.
Johannes and Carolina eventually purchased 50 acres of land inWalpole Township where Stoney Creek crosses the township line betweenWalpole and Rainham, and it was on this farm that they spent theirlater years. The picture we have of Johannes Schweyer and CarolinaSitter with their family was taken in front of the house they owned onthis 50-acre property. Carolina departed this world March 21, 1909 atthe age of 68. Johannes passed away in August, 1916, leaving his landto his youngest son William John. After John's death, the farm wassold to Witt Smelser. The original house was torn down as a result ofa fire that completely destroyed it in the mid-1990's.
We have been very successful in tracing this particular familybranch due to the fact that many of Johannes and Carolina's presentday-descendants still live in the area. Johannes and Carolina remainedstrong in the Lutheran faith all of their lives, and are both buriedat Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in Fisherville, ON. The were blessed with12 children. Many of their descendants have been traced and recordedin the following pages.
[2500]
[S13]
1871 Census of Canada on microfilm indexed by Nati
__
|
__|__
|
__|
| |
| | __
| | |
| |__|__
|
_Johann Nicholas SCHWEYER _|
| (1812 - 1898) m 1834 |
| | __
| | |
| | __|__
| | |
| |__|
| |
| | __
| | |
| |__|__
|
|
|--Johannes Theobald (1st) SCHWEYER
| (1839 - ....)
| __
| |
| __|__
| |
| __|
| | |
| | | __
| | | |
| | |__|__
| |
|_Margaretha Marion MORITZ _|
(1812 - 1877) m 1834 |
| __
| |
| __|__
| |
|__|
|
| __
| |
|__|__
[3509] All data from Burke and Schweyer.
__
|
__|__
|
__|
| |
| | __
| | |
| |__|__
|
_Johann Nicholas SCHWEYER _|
| (1812 - 1898) m 1834 |
| | __
| | |
| | __|__
| | |
| |__|
| |
| | __
| | |
| |__|__
|
|
|--Johannes Theobald (2nd) SCHWEYER
| (1847 - ....)
| __
| |
| __|__
| |
| __|
| | |
| | | __
| | | |
| | |__|__
| |
|_Margaretha Marion MORITZ _|
(1812 - 1877) m 1834 |
| __
| |
| __|__
| |
|__|
|
| __
| |
|__|__
[3510] All data from Burke and Schweyer.
__
|
__|__
|
__|
| |
| | __
| | |
| |__|__
|
_Johann Nicholas SCHWEYER _|
| (1812 - 1898) m 1834 |
| | __
| | |
| | __|__
| | |
| |__|
| |
| | __
| | |
| |__|__
|
|
|--Johannes Theobald (3rd) SCHWEYER
| (1849 - ....)
| __
| |
| __|__
| |
| __|
| | |
| | | __
| | | |
| | |__|__
| |
|_Margaretha Marion MORITZ _|
(1812 - 1877) m 1834 |
| __
| |
| __|__
| |
|__|
|
| __
| |
|__|__
[3511] All data from Burke and Schweyer.
_Johannes SCHWEYER __+
| (1835 - 1916) m 1860
_Jacob W. SCHWEYER __|_Carolina SITTER ____
| (1864 - 1925) (1841 - 1909)
_John Oswald SCHWEYER _|
| (1900 - 1977) m 1920 |
| | _____________________
| | |
| |_Alice NAUMAN _______|_____________________
| (1865 - 1950)
_Craig Oswald SCHWEYER _|
| (1921 - ....) m 1943 |
| | _____________________
| | |
| | _____________________|_____________________
| | |
| |_Nellie Mae NUNN ______|
| (1899 - 1987) m 1920 |
| | _____________________
| | |
| |_____________________|_____________________
|
|
|--John Craig SCHWEYER
| (1954 - ....)
| _____________________
| |
| _____________________|_____________________
| |
| _______________________|
| | |
| | | _____________________
| | | |
| | |_____________________|_____________________
| |
|_Ethel Audry CARRICK ___|
(1916 - ....) m 1943 |
| _____________________
| |
| _____________________|_____________________
| |
|_______________________|
|
| _____________________
| |
|_____________________|_____________________
[1486] All data from Burke and Schweyer.
_Johann Nicholas SCHWEYER _
| (1812 - 1898) m 1834
_Johannes SCHWEYER __|_Margaretha Marion MORITZ _
| (1835 - 1916) m 1860 (1812 - 1877)
_Heinrich SCHWEYER ___________|
| (1866 - 1948) m 1886 |
| | ___________________________
| | |
| |_Carolina SITTER ____|___________________________
| (1841 - 1909) m 1860
_Walter Elmer SCHWEYER _|
| (1905 - 1989) m 1934 |
| | ___________________________
| | |
| | _____________________|___________________________
| | |
| |_Emma Caroline Louise KIEFER _|
| (1866 - 1940) m 1886 |
| | ___________________________
| | |
| |_____________________|___________________________
|
|
|--John Douglas SCHWEYER
| (1939 - ....)
| ___________________________
| |
| _____________________|___________________________
| |
| ______________________________|
| | |
| | | ___________________________
| | | |
| | |_____________________|___________________________
| |
|_Elva MCKENZIE _________|
(1906 - 1982) m 1934 |
| ___________________________
| |
| _____________________|___________________________
| |
|______________________________|
|
| ___________________________
| |
|_____________________|___________________________
[1999] All data from Burke and Schweyer.
__
|
__|__
|
_Johann Nicholas SCHWEYER _|
| (1812 - 1898) m 1834 |
| | __
| | |
| |__|__
|
_Jakob SCHWEYER _____|
| (1842 - 1908) m 1868|
| | __
| | |
| | __|__
| | |
| |_Margaretha Marion MORITZ _|
| (1812 - 1877) m 1834 |
| | __
| | |
| |__|__
|
|
|--John Henry SCHWEYER
| (1874 - 1962)
| __
| |
| __|__
| |
| ___________________________|
| | |
| | | __
| | | |
| | |__|__
| |
|_Margaretha FESS ____|
(1847 - 1933) m 1868|
| __
| |
| __|__
| |
|___________________________|
|
| __
| |
|__|__
[1645] All data from Burke and Schweyer.
_Johann Nicholas SCHWEYER _
| (1812 - 1898) m 1834
_George SCHWEYER _________|_Margaretha Marion MORITZ _
| (1840 - 1917) m 1864 (1812 - 1877)
_Johann Wilhelm SCHWEYER _|
| (1866 - 1942) m 1895 |
| | ___________________________
| | |
| |_Anna Margaretha WALTERS _|___________________________
| (1844 - 1918) m 1864
_Oscar Edward SCHWEYER _|
| (1901 - 1969) m 1920 |
| | ___________________________
| | |
| | __________________________|___________________________
| | |
| |_Mary Emma FESS __________|
| (1870 - 1947) m 1895 |
| | ___________________________
| | |
| |__________________________|___________________________
|
|
|--John Mansell SCHWEYER
| (1934 - ....)
| ___________________________
| |
| __________________________|___________________________
| |
| __________________________|
| | |
| | | ___________________________
| | | |
| | |__________________________|___________________________
| |
|_Ethel Irene MCDONALD __|
(1900 - 1973) m 1920 |
| ___________________________
| |
| __________________________|___________________________
| |
|__________________________|
|
| ___________________________
| |
|__________________________|___________________________
[1564] All data from Burke and Schweyer.