Schowalter, Harvey Otto

Other Events:

• Residence: Lee, Iowa, USA; MaritalStatus: Single
• Residence: 1900, Franklin, Lee, Iowa, USA
• Residence: 1910, Franklin, Lee, Iowa, USA; Marital Status: Single; Relation to Head of House: Son
• Residence: 1942, Keokuk, Iowa; Age: 46

Harvey married Guiss, Gladis on 10 Dec 1924. Gladis was born on 22 Oct 1896 in Nappanee, Elkhart, Indiana, USA; died on 6 Feb 1973 in Danville, Vermilion, Illinois, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Schowalter, William E. was born on 25 Sep 1929 in South Haven, Van Buren, Michigan, USA; died on 15 Aug 1989 in Des Moines, Polk, Iowa, USA.

Other Events:

• Grandma #: 814571
• Residence: 1870, Franklin, Lee, Iowa, USA; Residence Post Office: Franklin Centre
• Residence: 1880, Franklin, Lee, Iowa, USA; Age: 18; Occupation: Works On Farm; AttendedSchool: Yes; EnumerationDistrict: 008; MaritalStatus: Single; RelationToHead: Son
• Residence: Abt 1897
• Residence: 1900, Franklin, Lee, Iowa, USA
• Residence: 1910, Franklin, Lee, Iowa, USA
• Residence: 1910, Franklin Twp, Lee, Iowa, USA; Marital Status: Married; Relation to Head of House: Head
• Residence: 1920, Keokuk, Iowa, USA; Relation to Head: Head; Residence Marital Status: Married/Ward 6
• Residence: 1926, Keokuk, Iowa, USA

Notes:

General Conference Mennonite Church, Christlicher Bundesbote (CBB), 6 Jun 1928 p. 7

Schowalter, Keokuk. -- Edward Henry, Sohn von Prediger Christian und Rosina Schowalter, war geboren 27. Oktober 1861 in der Nähe von Donnellson; Lee Co., Iowa. Im Alter von 15 Jahren wurde er auf sein Bekenntnis getauft und in die Zionsgemeinde bei Donnellson aufgenommen, deren treues Glied er bis zu seinem Tode blieb. Er graduierte von der Denmark Akademie von Denmark,
Iowa, und von der Schule in Wadsworth, Ohio. Im Alter von 19 Jahren wurde er Lehrer in der Schule in Berne, Indiana. Später ging er nach Halstead, Kansas, wo er im Sommer die Gemeindeschule deutsch und im Winter englisch lehrte. Am 25. Dezember verehelichte er sich mit Elise Koehn. Diese Ehe war mit 5 Kindern gesegnet, von denen 4 noch am Leben sind, eins starb Klein.

In 1889 lehrte er die Indianerschule auf der Farm vom Aeltesten Christian Krehbiel. Dann bekam er einen Ruf von seiner Heimatgemeinde, ihre Gemeindeschule zu lehren. Diese Schule hatte bisher sein Vater Christian Schowalter viele Jahre gelehrt. Er nahm 1890 diesen Ruf an und zog in die Nähe von Donnellson. Eine Reihe von Jahren lehrte er die Schule im sommer deutsch und im Winter englisch. 1901 gab er das Lehren auf, um Farmer zu werden. Im Jahre 1919 zog er nach Keokuk, Iowa, wo er bis zu seinem Tode lebte.

Am 24. Dezember 1928 erkrankte er an Influenza und Lungenentzündung und starb am 14 März 1929, im Alter von 67 Jahren. Er hinterläßt seine liebe Frau und 4 Kinder, eine Schwester, 3 Brüder und viele andere Verwandte und Freunde. Er war viele Jahre Lehrer und Superintendent der Sonntagschule, Vorsteher und Schreiber der Gemeinde. Die Leichenfeier fand statt von seinem Heim in Keokuk unter der Leitung von seinem Seelsorger Br. John E. Kaufman, Prediger der Zionsgemeinde, Donnellson, Iowa, unterstützt von Rev.
Bisping von Keokuk. Seine Leiche wird im Gewölbe aufbewahrt, bis die Wege besser werden, dann wird das Begräbnis auf dem Kirchhofe in Donnellson sein.

And here's a rough translation:

Edward Henry, son of Elder Christian and Rosina Schowalter, was born on the 27th of October 1861, in the vicinity of Donnellson, Lee County,Iowa. At the age of 15 years he was baptized up on confession of the faith, and received into the Zion Church in Donnellson, whose faithful member he remained up to his death. He graduated from the Denmark Academyin Denmark, Iowa, and from the school in Wadsworth, Ohio. At the age of19, he became a teacher in the school in Bern e, Indiana. Later he went to Halstead, Kansas where he taught in the community (high?) school German in the summer, and English in the winter.

On the 25th of December he was married to Elise Koehn. This marriage was blessed with 5 children, one of whom died when small, and 4 of whom are yet alive. In 1889, he taught at the India n Training School on the farm of Elder Christian Krehbiel. Then he recieved a call from his home community to teach in the school there, where his father Christian Schowalter had taught many years. He answered this call in 1890, and returned to the Donnellson area. He taught several years, German in the summers, and English in the winters. He left teaching in 1901 to take up farming. In the 1919, he removed to Keokuk, Iowa, where he lived up to his death.

On the 24th of December 1928 he contracted Influenza and Pneumonia, and died on the 14th of Ma rch, 1929, at the age of 67 years. He leaves behind his dear wife and 4 children, a sister , 3 brothers, and many other relatives and friends. He was many years a teacher and superintendant of the Sunday School, and a director and clerk in the community (church records??). The funeral was held in Keokuk (?) under the direction of Brother John E. Kaufman, elder of the Zion Church, Donnellson, Iowa, with the assistance of Rev. Bisping of Keokuk. The body is stored in the vault until the roads improve, when a funeral will be held in the church house at Donnellson.

On the 24th of December 1928 he contracted Influenza and Pneumonia, and died on the 14th of March, 1929, at the age of 67 years. He leaves behind his dear wife and 4 children, a sister, 3 brothers, and many other relatives and friends. He was many years a teacher and superintendant of the Sunday School, and a director and clerk in the community (church records??). The funeral was held in Keokuk (?) under the direction of Brother John E. Kaufman, elder of the Zion Church, Donnellson, Iowa, with the assistans of Rev. Bisping of Keokuk. The body is stored in the vault until the roads improve, when a funeral will be held in the churchhouse at Donnellson.

__________________________________________________________________________ __

1925 Population Census of Iowa
Lee County, book 208
Keokuk city
1 January 1925

Lines 43 & 44
1343 Des Moines

Schowalter, Edward | Husband | M, W, 63 | Married | Owns House, Free of Mortgage; house valued at $4,500, insured for $1500 | Completed grade school; highest grade completed 6th grade | can read and write | place of birth Iowa | Father: Schowalter, Christian; born Germany | Mother: Haffner, Rosa.; Germany | Parents married in Iowa | Religion: Mennonite

Schowalter, Elisa | Wife | F, W, 60 | Married | in the US 39 years; in Iowa 39 years | Completed grade school; highest grade completed 8th grade | can read and write | place of birth Germany | Father: Kohn (possibly Koehn), Benj.; born Germany | Mother: DN (don't know); born Germany | Parents married in Germany | Religion: Mennonite (the actual page has had all dittoes filled in by a person other than the original enumerator; in this case there is a ditto for Elisa's religion on the line below Edward's "Mennonite", but the person who filled in the dittoes wrote Meth for Methodist as all the other "M" religions on the page were Methodist; the ditto marks remain faintly visible underneath the word Meth.).
__________________________________________________________________________ ____


Buried:
Mennonite Cemetary

Edward married Koehn, Elise on 25 Dec 1886 in McPherson, Kansas, USA. Elise (daughter of Koehn, Benjamin and (Koehn), Unknown, daughter of Schowalter, Peter and Eymann, Maria) was born on 11 Nov 1864 in Antonovka, Ostrog, Volhynia, Ukraine; died on 27 Apr 1943 in Keokuk, Lee, Iowa, USA; was buried on 30 Apr 1943 in Donnellson, Lee County, Iowa, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Grandma #: 814816
• Residence: 1880, Franklin, Lee, Iowa, USA; Marital Status: Single
• Residence: 1900, Franklin, Lee, Iowa, USA
• Residence: 1910, Franklin, Lee, Iowa, USA; Marital Status: Married; Relation to Head of House: Wife
• Residence: 1920, Keokuk, Iowa, USA; Relation to Head: Wife; Residence Marital Status: Married/Ward 6
• Residence: 1 Jan 1925, Lee County, Iowa, USA
• Residence: 1926, Keokuk, Iowa, USA
• Residence: 1929, Keokuk, Iowa, USA
• Residence: 1930, Keokuk, Lee, Iowa, USA; Marital Status: Widowed; Relation to Head: Head
• Residence: 1935, Keokuk, Lee, Iowa, USA
• Residence: 1940, Keokuk, Lee, Iowa, USA; Marital Status: Widowed; Relation to Head: Head

Notes:

Commentary from Elizabeth Hervey Osborn:

Elise emigrated from Russia in 1874, as part of the mass migration of Mennonites out of Volhynia. Volhynia had formerly been part of Poland, was then part of Russia, and is now part of the Ukraine. It is a region not far from Kiev. You can read about this mass migration in "Brothers in Deed to Brothers in Need" by Clarence Herbert. The migration came about due to the new Czar's law making military service compulsory for all adult males. This requirement this was a major change from the promises made by the Empress Catherine about two or three generations earlier around the turn of the century from the 1700s to the 1800s. Due to their reputation as diligent hard-working and peaceful farmers, she invited Mennonites to settle and build up that part of Poland that Russia had recently acquired, promising in exchange that they would be exempted from military service.

Several branches of Mennonites answered Catherine's call, but the single largest (and earliest) group was from Prussia, where religious persecution (largely based in their refusal to take up arms) had become intense. These Mennonites had originated two or three generations before that in the northern European lowlands of the Netherlands and Flanders. Common surnames among this "Low Mennonite" group included Becker, Nachtigall (Nightingale), Unruh, Buller, Schmidt, Ratzlaf, Jantz, Warkentin, and Köhn. They early settled in the town of Karlswalde and (as was the pattern at the time, which is even seen in our own US Mennonite ancestry settlement patterns) branched out into daughter settlements nearby, including Antonovka.

There were some other Mennonite/Anabaptist groups which also came to Catherine's Russia, including a few Swiss Mennonites (including the surname Krehbiel) and some Hutterites. Generally speaking, prior to leaving Russia, the groups did not intermingle, because they did not speak exactly the same language (High German v. Low German) and did not exactly conform to the same religious practices (much like the differences now between Mennonites and Amish). There is some record, however, of a town or two trying the idea of living together; in particular there were was at least once where some Low Mennonites joined with some Hutterites in a common property experiment (as described in the book of Acts) but it did not last too very long.

When the changes in the compulsory service law were announced, the Mennonites had a year or two of time before it became effective. During this time, they sent men to the Western Hemisphere to investigate where they might go, and to secure promises regarding the obligation of military service. These men toured the plains of North America from Kansas to Manitoba during the Summer of 1873. When they went back and reported to their respective congregations, they all decided to go -- but some to Kansas, some to Nebraska, some to the Dakotas, and still others to Canada. As preparation for the journey across two continents began, it became apparent that not everyone had the means to make the trip... worse, land values around the Mennonite settlements plummeted as buyers knew they only had to wait until the situation under the new conscription law would become dire, leaving the land free for the taking.

Quite a few of the Low Mennonites decided to come to Kansas, to a location easily accessible by the new railroad. The land there most resembled the prairies of Volhynia that they knew; and they would bring Russian Red Winter Wheat (which would revolutionize Kansas wheat farming... (but that was in the future).

Meanwhile, back in the United States, word of the plight of these Mennonite refugees was being shared in German language newspapers and Mennonite congregations. President U.S. Grant noted that they were coming to "settle in compact colonies... desirous of civil and religious liberty" in what would have been the equivalent of his State of the Union address in January 1874. Collections were taken up to help secure land and tools for the future arrivals. The Zion Mennonite Church of Lee County Iowa contributed $20.00 toward the Russian Aid Fund in December 1874, for example. Many, but not all, of the Mennonites leaving Russia found it difficult to exchange their goods and property for cash; what they could get was spent on transportation first across Europe, then to Liverpool England, then passage on a steamship to Philadelphia, then train to the great prairies. Those with adequate funds were able get underway in early 1874, and arrived in Kansas in July. Just in time for the Grasshopper plague. (You remember that plague from Little House on Plum Creek, right? Yup. That plague).

Those without adequate funds lagged behind, including most of the folks from Antonovka. Throughout November 1874, emigrants from Russia boarded steamships in LIverpool and Hamburg, as many as could fit on each ship, some on the Nederland, some on the CIty of London, some on the CIty of Montreal, some on the Abbotsford. There were still hundreds in the port cities trying to leave as winter set in. The "Herald of Truth" newspaper noted on November 26 that 35 families of Russian Mennonites landed that day in Philadelphia, and said "Whether they are poor or have means, we are not informed, but they will undoubtedly remain in the East during the winter."

The writer was wrong. Unaccustomed to city life and American ways, and perhaps swindled by ticket sellers, railroad hawks, or just plain lacking information about options (and no way to say, call ahead and ask what arrangements could or be made), a huge percentage of the arrivals boarded trains for the west. And the ships full of Mennonites kept leaving Europe. The Steamer Vaterland arrived a Philadelphia on Christmas Day, after having experienced several delays at sea, including storms and a smallpox epidemic. The Vaterland was carrying 700 Russian Mennonites. About 450 or 500 of these had run out of provisions during the voyage. On arrival in Philadelphia, the whole group immediately left for Kansas. I believe based on matching the names of the persons on this ship with the people in the area where Elise was rescued that Elise was among the arrivals on the Vaterland.

The arrivals on the Vaterland had boarded trains for Kansas in late December 1874.... and again, if you remember your Little House on Plum Creek, was a horrible horrible winter.

By February 1875, Mennonite newspapers featured headlines "Help Needed - the Late Arrivals from Russia" and "The Great Need" and begged for relief boxes to be sent labelled "Relief Goods for the Destitute at Florence, Kansas." Various Mennonite colonies across the United States sent every spare penny, and a plan was developed to acquire land, tools, and working cattle for each family. Among those delivering goods over the following year was David Schowalter, son of Peter Schowalter and Maria Eymann. According to his brother Peter C.'s account made in 1941, when David returned from Kansas in August of 1876, he brought two girls and a little boy (Donnellson Mennonite Church Family Register, entry for Schowalter Edward Henry and Koehn Elise). The little boy did not live long in Iowa. The other little girl is not identified.

The Donnellson Mennonite Church Family Register also reports the following "After the death of her Mother, Elise came to this country when she was nine years old with an aunt and uncle, Christan and Marie Krehbiel Koehn, before coming to Donnellson." The page identifies her father as Benjamin Koehn, and that her foster parents were Peter Schowalter Sr and Maria Eymann.

What confounds this story, a little, is that on another page in the same record, we find that Peter & Maria Eymann Schowalter "fostered Elise from a Russian Mennonite family who came through Donnellson, IA."

Elise's obituary in the Christlicher Bundesbote, (27 July 1943, a transcription and rough translation at Mike's site) causes me to lean more toward Peter C. Schowalter's story: "After the death of her mother, she came in 1874 with her Uncle and Aunt to Kansas, and from there to Donnellson...." Notice here that there are no names attached to the Uncle and Aunt. What is raises questions about the names given in the Church Record is that they indicate a marriage between Low Mennonite and Swiss Mennonite groups -- not an impossibility, but considered highly unlikely. During 1874, the Swiss Mennonites largely traveled together, taking passage on the City of Richmond out of Liverpool, and arriving in New York CIty in August. There are four "Krepel" families on this ship, two have girls with them (Hanna age 8 and Marie age 9) who could match Elise; there is also a Peter Krepel and his wife Marie, but they have no children listed with them. None of these leads have panned out so far.

____________________________

>1880 Census, Iowa, Lee County, Franklin Township

>Page 21, lines 20-25 (image 21)

>Showalter, Peter; W M 60, Farmer; Bavaria, Bavaria, Bavaria

>---- Mary; W F 56, Wife, Keeps house; Bavaria, Bavaria, Bavaria

>---- Peter C; W M 18; Son, works on farm; Iowa, Bavaria, Bavaria

>---- Adolph P; W M 16; Son, Works on farm , Ia, Bav, Bav

>---- Otto F; W M 14, Son, at school; Ia, Bav, Bav

>Kohn, Eliza; W F 15, Domestic, Houseworker; Rusia, Rusia, Rusia

__________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________

Source:FAMILY REGISTER--DONNELLSON MENNONITE CHURCH, DONNELLSON, IOWA, on file at Bethel College
Page 286 of a photocopied FAMILY REGISTER--DONNELLSON MENNONITE CHURCH, DONNELLSON, IOWA, recording the marriage of Edward Henry Schowalter and Elise Koehn, and listing their children includes the following information:

"After the death of her mother, Elise came to this country when she was nine years old with an aunt and uncle, Christian and Marie Krehbiel Koehn, before coming to Donnellson. She lived at Donnellson, IA (as a foster daughter of Peter Schowalter, Sr. and his wife Maria Eymann) until 1882, after the death of Peter, when the foster mother, Maria Eymann and her three youngest children moved to Moundridge, KS. Edward and Elisa returned (before 1896 to farm near Donnellson. In 1919 they moved to Keokuk, IA."
....
Else Kohen's father was Benjami
...
Peter C. Schowalter recorded in 1941 that Elisa Koehn came from Kansas as an orphan in 1876. When his brother, David, came from Kansas to get married in August of that year they brought her along with another girl and a little boy. The boy did not live long in Iowa."
_________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________

Mennonite Library and Archives at Bethel College, Newton, Kansas, from the Christlicher Bundesbote
27 Jul 1943
Elise Koehn (Donnellson, Iowa) 27 Jul 1943

Elise Koehn (Donnellson, Iowa) wurde geboren am 11. Nov. 1864 in Rußland. Nach dem Tode ihrer Mutter kam sie 1874 mit ihrem Oknel [sic] und Tante nach Kansas und von dort nach Donnellson, wo sie wohnte bis sie 18 Jahre alt war. Dann zog ihrer Pflegemutter nach Moundridge, Kansas auf eine Farm. Am 25. Dez. 1886 heiratete Elise Edward H. Schwalter [sic]. Sie wohnten dann etliche Jahre in Halstead, Kans., wo der Gatte in einem Kaufladen beschäftigt war und dann auch lehrte in der Indianer Missionsschule in Krehbiel-Town (auf Pred. Chr. Krehbiels Farm). Dann zogen sie zurück nach Iowa auf eine gekaufte Farm NW von Donnellson, von wo sie 1919 nach Keokuk, Iowa übersiedelten und die Heimgerufene nach längerem Leiden am 27 April, 1943 im Hospital starb. Ihr Gatte ging ihr am 14. März 1939 im Tode voran. Beide waren Glieder der Zion Mennonitengemeinde zu Donnellson. Ihre Ehe wurde mit 5 Kindern gesegnet. Eins starb früh. Es trauern um die Mutter Clarence S. zu Grand Rapids, Mich., und Harvey O. zu Keokuk, Frl. Mabel, Keokuk und Frau Otto Krebill, Donnellson, sowie 5 Enkel und 4 Urenkel. Die Leichenfeier fand in Donnellson statt geleitet von Pred. H. E. Nunemaker.

Ein Quartett sang "The Old Rugged Croß" und "Abide With Me." Die Leiche wurde auf dem Mennoniten Friedhof begraben.

And a rough translation:

27 Jul 1943
Elise Koehn of Donnellson, Iowa was born 11 November 1864 in Russia. After the death of her mother, she came in 1874 with her Uncle and Aunt to Kansas, and from there to Donnellson, where she lived until she was 18 years old. Then she went with her foster mother to Moundridge, Kansas, to the farm. On the 25th of December 1886, Elise married Edward H. Schwalter [sic]. They resided some years in Halstead, Kansas, where her husband worked in (a store?), and then taught in the Indian Mission School in Krehbiel-Town (on Pred. Chr. Krehbiel's Farm). They returned to Iowa, where they bought a small farm north-west of Donnellson, from whence they moved again in 1919 to Keokuk, Iowa, which she called home until her death on 27 April 1943 in the hospital. Her husband preceded her in death on 14th of March 1939. Both Elise and Edward were members of the Zion Mennonite Church in Donnellson. Their marriage was blessed with 5 children; one died young. Remaining to mourn the passing of their mother are Clarence S. of Grand Rapids, Michigan; Harvey O. of Keokuk; Miss Mabel, of Keokuk; and Mrs. Otto Krebill, Donnellson; as well as 5 grandchildren and 4 great grand children. The funeral was held in Donnellson, and was conducted by Pred. H. E. Nunemaker. A quartet sang "The Old Rugged Cross" and "Abide With Me." Interment took place in the Mennonite Cemetery.

__________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________

1925 Population Census of Iowa, Lee County, book 208, Keokuk city

1 January 1925

Lines 43 & 44, 1343 Des Moines

Schowalter, Edward
Husband
M, W, 63
Married
Owns House, Free of Mortgage; house valued at $4,500, insured for $1500
Completed grade school; highest grade completed 6th grade
can read and write
place of birth Iowa
Father: Schowalter, Christian; born Germany
Mother: Haffner, Rosa.; Germany
Parents married in Iowa
Religion: Mennonite

Schowalter, Elisa
Wife
F, W, 60
Married
in the US 39 years; in Iowa 39 years
Completed grade school; highest grade completed 8th grade
can read and write
place of birth Germany
Father: Kohn, Benj.; born Germany
Mother: DN (don't know); born Germany
Parents
married in Germany
Religion: Mennonite (note: the actual page has had all dittoes filled in by a person other than the original enumerator; in this case there is a ditto for Elisa's religion on the line below Edward's "Mennonite", but the person who filled in the dittoes wrote Meth for Methodist as all the other "M" religions on the page were Methodist; the ditto marks remain faintly visible underneath the word Meth.).

*Commentary by Liz Osborn: Elisa (or the person answering) doesn't remember her mother's name. The 39 years matches the length of her citizenship, which would conceivably be a correct answer depending on how the enumerator asked her (citizenship being established on the date of her marriage to Edward). The Germany responses are puzzling until you consider that it may not have been prudent at that time to admit to being 'from' Russia.

_________________________

The Schowalter Book

Foster Daughter

_______________________________

Her female descendants have the following mtDNA haplotype subclade: X2c1a.

Per Rod Ratzlaff:

The Mennonite Village of Karolswalde in 1819. The village was the primary village of the Low German Mennonites in Volyn Gubernia, established in 1801 under the landowner Stanislav Jablonowski. Original villagers were David Unruh, Peter Isaac, Martin Voth, Martin Boese, Erdmann Nickel, George Nickel, Andreas Koehn, David Penner, Jacob Toews, Dominic Wedel, Jacob Ratzlaff, Andreas Nachtigal, Peter Jantz, widow Teresa Unruh, widow Teresa Koehn, Martin Unruh, Martin Koehn, widow Eva Voth, and widow Eva Buller.

Per Rod Ratzlaff (12/29/2018),
Your Koehn ancestors came to USA on the SS Vaderland exactly 144 years ago. They arrived in Hutchinson, KS, on about the last day of the year, 1874. The Vaderland group was from the village of Antonowka in Volyn Government. The village was established by Low German Mennonites coming from the village of Jeziorka in West Prussia in 3 groups beginning in 1803. The Jeziorka villagers belonged to the Przechowka congregation near Scwiecie (Schwetz) which was the only Groningen Old Flemish congregation in West Prussia. The Vaderland group was exceptionally poor and upon arrival in USA they had no place to stay and were struck with disease- typhus I think. Many were taken in by Mennos farther east like your Elise Koehn who was sent to Iowa.

...

they definitely come from Antonowka and before that, Jeziorka and Przechowka.

....

Your Koehn ancestors are closely related to Koehns from Alexanderwohl. Alexanderwohl was the primary daughter congregation to Przechowka


Buried:
Mennonite Cemetery

Other Events:

• Residence: 1870, Franklin, Lee, Iowa, USA; Residence Post Office: Franklin Centre
• Residence: 1880, Franklin, Lee, Iowa, USA; Age: 51; Occupation: Teacher & Preacher; EnumerationDistrict: 008; MaritalStatus: Married; RelationToHead: Self
• Residence: 1900, Franklin, Lee, Iowa, USA; Marital Status: Married; Relation to Head: Head

Notes:

Rev. Christian Schowalter, Bethel College Bulletin, Bethel College, Kansas. Wednesday, April 20, 1938, vol. 25, number 15.

A Memorial Biography

It was in the time of the Reformation that the lives of three brothers living in Switzerland, John, Jacob, and Christian Schowalter, were in danger. Religious persecutions were spreading. The Schowalter brothers fled from their homes and found refuge in western Germany near the peasant village of Weissenburg, Alsatia. Here the trio became tenants on the manors of Schamach and Gaisberg not far from the western bank of the stream made immortal in song and myth, the Rhine River.

One of these brothers, who went north into Germany from Scenic Switzerland, was the ancestor of Christian Schowalter, early Mennonite educator in America, pastor, mission worker, and a founder of the General Conference of Mennonite Churches.

Born at Asseheim, Bavria, Germany
Born November 11, 1829, at Assenheim, Bavaria, Germany, young Christian Schowalter started going to public school at the age of six years. When fourteen he went to work for three years on his father's farm. Although his parents, John and Magdalena Schowalter, had but moderate means they were eager that the studious boy should go on with his education and at seventeen he enrolled at a normal school in Beugen, studied hem two years, and continued his normal school training at Schiers in the canton of Graubuenden in eastern Switzerland.

Graduating at Schiers in July, 1849, he taught school for one year in Deutschhof, Bavaria. Receiving an invitation from Haysville, Ohio, to teach school there, Schowalter in 1850 in a company of seventy-two persons migrated to America.

Taught in Ohio and at Donnellson, Iowa

He taught in Ohio three years and in 1853 went to teach a parochial school at Donnellson, Iowa. Here in Donnellson, Iowa, the young school teacher became acquainted with Rosina Haffner whom he married on October 25, 1855.

The pastor of the Mennonite Zion Church at Donnellson died in 1861 and that same year Schowalter was chosen pastor of this church by lot. Beginning his pastorate in December 1861 Reverend Schowalter continued in the ministry for forty-three years. He introduced the Sunday School in his church and was instrumental in interesting the young people of his congregation in music. This church was very active in supporting mission work and in 1867 when the Mennonite Mission Board arranged to send Philip Rabbit, a Cheyenne Indian from Oklahoma, to attend Bethel College the members responded generously in giving money for the Indian's school expenses.

Promoted Idea of Greater Church Unity

In 1858 a movement for greater unity among Mennonite churches was begun. Schowalter, then a school teacher, was one of the promoters of the idea. Next year when a meeting was held to outline steps for such a unification, he was chosen as secretary. He became a member of the committee that drew up the constitution for the conference, was a member of the committee that prepared the Handbook for Ministers, and president of the Foreign Mission Board from 1896 to 1902. The question of higher education for Mennonite youth came up in
conference circles and Reverend Schowalter mapped out a course of instruction and principles on which a school could be conducted. His plans met with favor and on January 2, 1868, he was induced to become principal of the Wadsworth School, Wadsworth, Ohio, and was the first man ever to head a Mennonite institution of higher learning in America. He held this position nearly two years and at the end of his principalship visited Germany with his family.

Observed Golden Wedding Anniversary

In 1905 Reverend and Mrs. Schowalter celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary. Failing health two years later caused Reverend Schowalter to retire from the ministry and on April 13, 1907, he passed away at the age of seventy-eight years. Through his zeal and interest in Christian cooperation and organization, Reverend Schowalter will long be remembered as
furthering a closely-knit unity among Mennonite churches that today has grown into a General Conference in North America with a membership of 156 churches. Friends who were members of Reverend Schowalter's church at Donnellson, Iowa, attended school with him as their teacher; and who performed the marriage ceremony for them, have made a memorial gift of $1000 to the Bethel College Memorial Fund in honor of this pioneer pastor, conference organizer, and teacher.
__________________________________________________________________________ ___

Schowalter, Christian, Rev., pastor of the Mennonite Church and teacher of the German school, Primrose; born Nov 11, 1828, in Bavaria, Germany; was educated at a seminary in Germany and followed teaching there about one year; in the fall of 1850, emigrated to the United States, stopped in Ashland Co., Ohio, attended the Vermilion school there under Prof. Dieffendorf; in the spring of 1853, came to Lee Co. and located in Franklin Tp.; the same year established a German school, also organized the Mennonite Church, and the following year the church was built; Mr. S. was ordained as a minister in 1861, sinch which time he has officiated as Pastor of the Church, and has taught the German school since 1853. Married Miss Rosann Haffner, of this county, Oct 25, 1855; she was born May 14,1835, in Bavaria, Germany; their children are Edward H., Minno W., Rudolph C., Barbara K., Hannah M., Christopher A., John B., Jacob A.; lost 5 - Menno, John, Babette, William and an infant.

Source:
The History of Lee County, Iowa
Western Historical Company, Chicago, 1879
Franklin Township,

__________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________

Source: German Christlicer Bundesbote, 25 April 1907, p. 6; Translated by Liz Osborne

[Sketch of Elder Christian Schowalter]

Dear Messenger Reader,

On the 16th of April we bore the earthly body of our dear old teacher, who as school teacher and Elder of the church gave so much of his life and time to the Zion community in Donnellson, Iowa, to the grave. In the funeral procession, together with his dear family, were a large multitude of mourning friends and acquaintances from near and far who had been lovingly taught by him and kept in the way of faith, body and soul. Up to the end, he strongly preached to us by letter, by words, and by life. But our loss is his gain. He, who was suddenly released from this life in the evening of April 13th, suffering a sudden stroke, has over come the world. -- Now because our dearly beloved was so suddenly taken from us, we almost cannot believe it that we must be separated from him always in this life, yet in reality he remains with us still in his works and his example, which he was allowed to do by the grace of God in the kingdom of Christ. Would that his
influence and example would be in all of us a fruitful seed!

The following brethren were involved in the funeral service: Pastor Fauth of the Evangelist Church of Donnellson spoke from 2 Kings 2:12; S. M. Musselmann of Wayland, Iowa spoke from 1 Corinthians 1:5, 9-10; and Peter P. Hilty took his text from Acts 8:2.

Christian Schowalter first percieved the light of this world on November 11, 1828, in his home in Rhine Bavaria, Germany. In his youth, he attended different schools in Germany and in Switzerland, training himself to become a teacher. In the 1850 he came to America to the area of Ashland, Ohio, and taught in the schools there approximately 3 years. In 1853, he came to teach in Lee County, Iowa, and in the congregational school of the Zion Mennonite Church and in West Point. On October 25th, 1855 he wed Rosina Haffner. From this union issued 14 children, 6 of whom proceded him to their heavenly home. From 1855 to 1862 he served as a teacher in the German
Zions School. At the end of the year 1861 he was selected an Elder, and served as both Elder and teacher in the congregation until 1868. In 1868 he accepted a call to be a teacher in the Mennonite educational institution in Wadsworth, Ohio. There he served two years, greatly blessing his fellow man.

In 1870 he returned to Lee County, Iowa, and resumed work as teacher and elder in the Zion congregation again. He continued teaching and preaching until 1888, when he laid down the teaching profession, but continued to serve as Elder until October 1904, when he had to step down due to ill health. On the whole, he held 39 years of shcool, and served 43 years in the office of Elder.

He and his wife lived to celebrate their Golden Wedding anniversary in October 1905, in the company of their living children. The last 3 years of his life was marked by heavy suffering, but he carried his cross patiently and without murmur. The survivors - his wife, 8 children, and 14 grandchildren - mourn now over the loss of their loved one, but not as those who have not hope in Christ: "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth; Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them." [Revelations 14:13]
[A biography for the Bundesbote Calendar 1908 will be published later]

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Christian Schowalter, "the Teacher"
by Gerd Schowalter, Bad Kreuznach

Young Christian grew up in Assenheim near Ludwigshafen, where he also received his basic schooling. After that he worked for three years on his parents' farm. But then his desire for further education became so strong that he followed this inclination at the age of 17 years and took up studies in Beuggen near Basel at the pedagogical institution there. After two years he transferred to the teacher training institution in Schiers, East Switzerland. There he took his final teaching examination at the age of 21.

He received his first teaching assignment in 1849, at the age of 21, at the Mennonite elementary school in Deutschhof, Southern Palatinate. This small settlement was at that time part of a Mennonite congregation that also included Kaplaneihof, Haftelhof, Schafbusch (Alsace) and Geisberg (Alsace). Deutschhof soon became the center of this congregation, and a church has existed there since 1841-42. When the school was founded is not certain, but in any case it existed until around 1861.

In the last few years of its existence, the school instruction alternated between Deutschhof and Kaplaneihof. Children from both settlements attended together, one month here and one month there. The classrooms were in buildings that are now used for agricultural purposes (Deutschhof: a room in Jakob Schowalter's widow's upper story, then remodeled by a later owner, Herbert Hege, and today owned by Paul Jaiser; Kaplaneihof: the so-called old house no. 113, serves as Otto Schowalter's machinery shed today).

The parents of the pupils took turns providing the teacher with his meals. His monthly salary was a modest 6 gulden. The school board's assessment of Christian Schowalter's work was "We were very satisfied."

In 1850, he received a call from America, which he followed. With 72 other persons, he emigrated, to take a teaching position in Hayesville, Ohio. He worked with the congregation there for three years.

In 1853 he became the teacher for the Zion congregation in Donnellson, Iowa. There not only was his work blessed but he also met his future wife, Rosina Haffner (born May 18, 1836, in Quirnheim, Palatinate, daughter of Christoph H. and Barbara Bergtholdt, who were married in Quirnheim on Oct. 25, 1855), who was his distant cousin. Fourteen children were born to the couple, six of whom died young, one stillborn. Of the children who survived, seven married and one remained single. Therefore there were also numerous descendants.
The school parents of the Zion congregation, most of whom had enjoyed a religious upbringing in Germany, wished the same for their children. For their progressive way of thinking, a dynamic teacher like Christian Schowalter was just right. He soon began giving the instruction for which the congregation had hired him. He started out in a former barn in 1853 with the following subjects: English, German, reading, arithmetic, geography, and science, but above all, religion and catechism instruction. At times he had up to 100 pupils! During the summer he established a German school, where he likewise took over all subjects. His pupils, who were instructed eleven months a year, received a solid education and even certain advantages over other elementary school children.

He was a very eager and enthusiastic pedagogue, who liked being called "the teacher." Many also knew him as "the preacher"; for in his Zion congregation he was also named preacher through a drawing of lots. He delivered his first sermon on Christmas Day in 1861 and remained in the position of elder until shortly before his death, roughly 43 years. He baptized, administered communion, and served in the Franklin and Salem Mennonite churches in Lee County and Washington County.

For a while he also served the West Point Mennonite Church, where he had to preach on Sunday afternoons. He was brought there by one of his sons by horse-drawn wagon (much to the regret of his son, who always had to care for the horses).

Under his determined leadership, the Zion congregation founded its first Sunday School in 1878. Here the children were not only made familiar with Bible stories but also challenged to practice love of neighbor. A practice that became well-known was that the children sold their Thanksgiving Day gifts and donated the proceeds to missions. For mission work was also one of Schowalter's concerns. He served outreach missions forty-two years, six of them as chairman. In the Kleine Missionszeitung [Little Mission Newspaper], he always wrote the children's section, through which little ones became interested in mission work very early on.

Christian Schowalter is one of the founders of the first conference of Mennonite congregations in America. The general conference still exists today in the USA, Canada, and South America under the name General Conference Mennonite Church, with around 240 member churches. The first meeting of its two congregations (Zion and West Point) was held in 1859. Because he served both, he, together with Daniel Krehbiel, probably provided the initial impetus for the union. He offered his services to the new conference as secretary, a position he continued to hold for 46 years except for a one-year interruption.

At the third meeting, Schowalter developed his plans for the Mennonite Conference School, which he soon made a reality by founding the higher education system of the Mennonites in the USA. Thus, he also became headmaster of the Christliche Bildungs-Anstalt der Mennonitengemeinschaft [Christian Educational Institution of the Mennonite Denomination] in Wadsworth, Ohio. But he remained there only two years, because his Zion congregation in Donnellson wanted him back, and because Julius von der Smissen, a fully trained theologian, had come from Europe and seemed to be better suited for the School of Theology (for training preachers and missionaries) as well as for the general administration.

For the conference, he [Schowalter] drew up a new German Catechism and in collaboration with others, a handbook for church elders.
Before returning to the Zion congregation, he made a trip to Europe in 1869, which led him to his old home town. Above all, he visited his aged mother, who was living in Kohlhof near Assenheim, Palatinate, with her daughter, Mrs. Blickensdörfer.

Christian Schowalter, "the teacher," is one of the pioneers of the New World. He performed every possibly kind of work one could name today under the following job titles: teacher, pastor, author, notary, mission worker, physician, and farmer. Even his knowledge of natural healing gave him an additional activity field, for often he had to make sick calls and dispense advice after his preaching services. Even these services he performed without remuneration, true to his watchword, "Words are little more than hollow noise if deeds do not follow."
Christian Schowalter retired from preaching in 1907, because he had cancer. He died soon after that, on April 12, 19007, at the age of 78 years. A monument in Donnellson, Iowa, reminds posterity of him and his work.

(According to Reuben Neff Donnellson, Iowa, 1964, a student at Bluffton College.)

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Extract from a letter from Christian Schowalter, dated Feb. 11, 1907, to his nephew and niece in Kohlhof

Yesterday, by grace, we were privileged to enjoy a splendid celebration. Our dear pastor P. P. Hilty entered into marriage with sister Barbara M. Koller; that is, he had his wedding. The church was packed, despite the cold weather. I'll try to describe what happened: Yesterday morning, around half past nine, the couple came to me at my home to pick up the necessary health regulations and family documents for the authorities, which have to be sent to the authorities along with the marriage certificate. At half past eleven, they entered to the nearby church with me while a hymn was played on the organ. when they and I had taken our places, I had the congregation sing a hymn. Then Pastor Muselman from Wayland, Iowa, stepped into the pulpit, read a chapter from the scriptures and prayed. Then I had the mixed choir sing, whereupon Brother Muselman again stepped to the pulpit and delivered a sermon. After that, the congregation sang, and I followed with a marriage sermon, for which I stayed seated because I can't do it standing any more. After this address on John 16:9b, the men's choir sang again. Then followed the blessing and closing hymn. Then the individual members were invited to offer greetings and blessings to the newlyweds.

In an hour and a half, everything was over. It was a simple ceremony, without any fanfare. The bride's family invited guests to a meal, but not many were able to go, because it was 4 and 3/4 miles away, and because another church service was scheduled for the evening. Besides, the roads were not very good for traveling.

Now I commend you to God and his grace. Write back soon, before I wander out of this world and into the next.
With regards from your uncle, Chr. Schowalter.

From the same letter, concerning military service:

How much longer does August have to serve, until he is released? We Mennonites in America, who have declared ourselves defenseless, have no love for the soldier's life. We are also exempt from, but in the event of war, if a Mennonite's name is drawn, we have to pay a tribute, which up to now has been 300 dollars. Great efforts are being made to put an end to war. But will they succeed?

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The Picture of Mother, from a letter written by Christian Schowalter dated January 18, 1866:

"On the Saturday before Christmas, the 23rd of December of last year, when I was pacing back and forth in my study, preparing for the pre-communion sermon, a neighbor came to me with several letters. Among them was one from Germany. I opened it right away, and: Mother, Mother, what did I see? Mother, as she lives and breaths. Mother!!-the word resounded through the whole house. My dear wife, who was in the kitchen, didn't know what to make of it. Until she came and saw. Ah, there were tears in my eyes; I was so overjoyed that I didn't know what to do. I held the picture in my hand again: That is my dear mother, same as before. She still looks as she did when I left her, only plumper and more perfect. I just have to coax a few motherly words from those kind lips, I thought, to hear the long sound of your voice I've missed for so long. And I would gladly have taken wing over land and sea at the speed of the wind to greet the subject of the picture. That was and is and will remain a great joy. A thousand thanks, thank-you for this..."

Buried:
Mennonite Cemetary

Christian married Haffner, Rosina on 25 Oct 1855 in Donnellson, Lee, Iowa, USA. Rosina (daughter of Hafner, George Christoph and Bergthold, Anna Barbara) was born on 18 May 1836 in Evangelisch,Ebertsheim,Pfalz,Bavaria; died on 22 Feb 1917 in Donnellson, Lee, Iowa, USA; was buried in Donnellson, Lee, Iowa, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Residence: 1850, West Point, Lee, Iowa, USA
• Residence: 1856, Franklin, Lee, Iowa, USA; Marital Status: Married
• Residence: 1860, Franklin, Lee, Iowa, USA; Residence Post Office: Franklin Centre
• Residence: 1870, Franklin, Lee, Iowa, USA; Residence Post Office: Franklin Centre
• Residence: 1880, Franklin, Lee, Iowa, USA; Age: 44; Occupation: Keeping House; CannotRead: Yes; EnumerationDistrict: 008; MaritalStatus: Married; RelationToHead: Wife
• Residence: 1900, Franklin, Lee, Iowa, USA; Marital Status: Married; Relation to Head: Wife
• Residence: 1910, Franklin, Lee, Iowa, USA; Marital Status: Widowed; Relation to Head of House: Head

Notes:

Source: German Christlicer Bundesbote, 8 March 1917, p. 6; Translated by Liz Osborn

Rosina Schowalter was born into this world on May 18th, 1836, in Rhine Bavaria, Germany. As a 1 1/2 year old child, she came with her parents in 1836 to America, and settled in the wilderness near Franklin, Iowa. She married Elder Christian Schowalter on October 25th, 1855, with whom she shared joy and sorrow, and in her role as wife truly supported him until he was called home on January 12, 1907. This marriage was blessed with 14 children, 7 of whom preceded her in their return to their heavenly home.

She leaves behind 7 children (5 sons and 2 daughters), 2 sons-in-law, 4 daughters-in-law, 23 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren, with many relatives and acquaintances, to mourn her loss. Her final illness came upon her on the morning of February 9th when she suffered a stroke, and she passed away gently and calmly in God on the 22nd of February, 1917. She was a faithful member of our congregation, and was almost never missing from church service. She bore her last suffering in patience and submission to God's will. She was 80 years, 9 months, and 4 days old at the time of death. The funeral took place on February 25th, with many participating. P.P. Hilty offered words of comfort from Mark 14:28.


Buried:
Mennonite Cemetary

Notes:

DNA triangulation suggests that this Benjamin may be Benjamin, GRANDMA #40875, son of David Koehn b. 1810 and Rosa Timm b 1811. (https://www.grandmaonline.org/GW-ASP-5/GWIndividual-new.asp .. GRANDMA membership required)

Benjamin married (Koehn), Unknown. Unknown was born in in Russia; died before 1874. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Johannes married Hirschstein, Magdalene on 22 Jan 1816 in Assenheim, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. Magdalene (daughter of Herstein, Jakob and Pletscher, Katherina) was born on 17 Mar 1792 in Assenheim, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany; died on 23 Jul 1879 in Assenheim, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Residence: 1850, West Point, Lee, Iowa, USA
• Residence: 1860, West Point, West Point, Lee, Iowa, USA; 61 Age: 61; PersonalEstateValue: 3000; RealEstateValue: 2500
• Residence: 1880, West Point, Lee, Iowa, USA; Marital Status: Widower; Relation to Head: Father
• Residence: 1885, West Point, Lee, Iowa, USA; Marital Status: Widowed

George married Bergthold, Anna Barbara on 14 May 1831 in Ebertsheim, Bayern, Preußen. Anna (daughter of Bergthold, Johannes and Schowalter, Catherine) was born in 1805 in Bavaria, Bayern. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Residence: 1850, West Point, Lee, Iowa, USA
• Residence: 1860, West Point, West Point, Lee, Iowa, USA; 55 Age: 55

Unknown married (Koehn), Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]