Beachy Family History Tidbitrs
I updated some details below after my sister Linda provided them.
This past weekend, when my cousin Marland and his wife visited in Kansas, we shared bits of information about our common ancestors and relatives, mostly about our grandparents and Marland's mother, my 96-year-old Aunt Fannie Jane. I decided to record these details here, mostly in order to make them available to others in the family. A few may have showed up in past posts, and some are details that did not come up in conversations over the weekend, but they are known to me from other conversations.
My grandparents' names were Ananias J. Beachy (March 27, 1889-June 27, 1971--age 82) and Ella Mae (Shetler) Beachy (December 20, 1893-December 7, 1991--almost 98). My grandpa was often called A.J. and my grandma was often called Ellie, especially when people were speaking Pennsylvania German. After her marriage, she was often referred to as "Nias Ellie," in the manner familiar to people with a similar heritage. This custom may have begun as a simple way of distinguishing between women who had the same given name. Giving the husband's name in conjunction with hers would have served as a useful designation.
My grandparents raised their family near Kalona, Iowa, and both of them are buried in the East Union Cemetery nearby, close to their family farm. I believe they were both residents of this area before their marriage. Although my information is not quite complete, I'll add here that my Shetler great grandmother's maiden name was Eliza Jane Kempf. My Beachy great grandmother's maiden name was Fannie Miller.
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Marland says that he heard from someone that one of my grandparents would have liked to leave the Old Order Amish church, but the other did not concur, and they never did so. Marland did not know which one preferred to stay. I'm guessing it was my grandmother. I base that on the fact that she seemed to be happiest on her own turf, and did not enjoy travel and adventure as my grandfather did.
Later note: Linda believes that this information may be conflated with the story of my Shetler great grandparents, whom I never knew. It is said of them that one of them wanted to leave the Amish and the other didn't.
Linda also tells me of a strange twist in my grandparents' church affiliation that I wasn't aware of. Ananias was actually part of the Mennonite church at one time, perhaps at the time when he and his sister Martha (my mother used to call her Sylvanus Martha) lived in California for a time. Aunt Esther reported this.
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Neither of my grandparents was physically imposing. My grandmother was even shorter than my mother who was 5' 1". Marland told me that Grandpa was known to pick up his wife and twirl her around in a circle. I really wish I could have seen this perfectly acceptable Amish dance move. It may have been my cousin Ella Jean Zook who witnessed and reported this. During Ella Jean's childhood, she lived with her family in the house adjoining the "Dawdy" house where our grandparents lived, so it makes sense that she would have been among the most likely to observe this out-of-the-public-eye activity.
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While Grandpa's travels do not seem extensive by today's standards, for his time, he was a well-traveled man. I remember him stepping off the train to visit us in Kansas on his way home from a trip to Mexico. He had gone there as a member of the Amish Colonization board. This group apparently explored options for new locations for Amish communities. To my knowledge, the Mexico option never materialized. Another one that did not materialize was one that my parents considered: Uruguay. Their interest was likely piqued by my grandfather's involvement in colonization efforts.
Much earlier, Grandpa donated a heifer to a farmer in Europe after World War II. Unlike most other people who had donated livestock, Grandpa decided to travel to Europe with the heifer. A newspaper photo survives from that experience. Grandpa is standing next to an on-board stall with the heifer inside.
Even earlier than that, Grandpa traveled almost as far northwest as possible in the United States, and spent a season as a "migrant" worker who worked in the fruit harvest. Letters to his girlfriend at the time survive from this experience. He later married the girlfriend, Ella Mae Shetler.
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The details below are recorded in the book containing Beachy family records. Linda shared them with me in an email. I've pasted part of it below. My Beachy great grandparents moved around a lot. From Indiana they moved to Illinois, then to Ohio, then to Texas. From Texas, they moved back to Indiana and then later to Ohio again. Fannie died in Ohio and Jonas moved to Iowa, but was buried beside Fannie in Ohio. My great grandfather Jonas Beachy died eleven days after I was born.
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Because of the Amish customs of the times, I marvel that my grandparents gave nine of their ten children two names, a first and middle name, in addition, of course, to their Beachy surname. Only one, Joseph (Joe), reflected the common practice of assigning the initial of the father's first name to the children as the middle name. Thus Joseph is Joseph A. (for Ananias). Less commonly, the mother's initial was assigned. As I recall them, they gave the following names to their children:
Ray Edward, deceased (married to Anna May Miller--Iowa, deceased)
John Emery, deceased (married to Edna Mae Gingerich--Iowa, deceased)
Glen Everett, deceased (married to Susan Mae Yoder--Iowa, deceased)
Earl Jason, deceased (married to Mary E. Bender--Iowa, deceased)
Fannie Jane (married to Eli C. Miller--Ohio, deceased)
Jonas Paul, deceased (married to Magdalena Hershberger--Iowa, deceased)
Joseph A. (married to Mary Miller--my father's sister--Kansas)
Mary Elizabeth, deceased (married to David L. Miller--Kansas, deceased)
Jesse Samuel (married to Betty "Ruth" Miller--Indiana, deceased)
Esther Viola (married to Henry Zook--Virginia, deceased)
The above list is given in order of age. Several observations: The three oldest sons all married a woman whose middle name was Mae (or May), the same as their mother's middle name. "Mae" must have peaked as a popular middle name in my parents' generation. Joseph is the only surviving "child" whose spouse also survives. Joe's wife Mary is my father's sister, so this is a double blessing for my siblings and me.
In spite of some innovations in name choice, my grandparents did the expected thing also in choosing names by naming their children after their siblings and parents. John was a namesake for Ella's father and brother.. Fannie Jane's first name honored both grandmothers and an aunt. Fannie was the name of Ananias' mother and sister, and Jane was the middle name of Ella Mae's mother. Jonas was a namesake for Ananias' father. Esther was a namesake for Ananias' sister, Mary for Ella's sister, and Jesse for Ella's brother.
Although my mother and Jesse were the only children of my grandparents who lived outside of Iowa during most of their adult years, the Iowa siblings were soon spread out in various church groups. Glen and Earl are the only "children" who stayed Old Order Amish Glen was ordained as a minister in the Old Order church when he was in his fifties. Ray, Fannie, John, and Jonas joined the "Conservative Mennonites" early on, as did Joe later, but Jonas and John and their families withdrew from that group and became part of what is now known as "Nationwide" churches. Ray's family also withdrew eventually and became associated with the Shiloh group, thought of by many as a fringe group with cult-like tendencies. Esther's family in Iowa and my mother's family in Kansas were Beachys for many years. Then Esther's family joined Salem, a group somewhat like our local Prairie Chapel. Jesse married a Beachy girl (from Woodlawn in Indiana), but was ordained in the Conservative Mennonite church conference--in Wisconsin, I believe. Later they parted ways with the "Rosedale" group. Virginia was their home in later years. If this all sounds pretty complicated, I'm not surprised. It feels that way to me too.
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Family stories and memories will come in a later post.
This past weekend, when my cousin Marland and his wife visited in Kansas, we shared bits of information about our common ancestors and relatives, mostly about our grandparents and Marland's mother, my 96-year-old Aunt Fannie Jane. I decided to record these details here, mostly in order to make them available to others in the family. A few may have showed up in past posts, and some are details that did not come up in conversations over the weekend, but they are known to me from other conversations.
My grandparents' names were Ananias J. Beachy (March 27, 1889-June 27, 1971--age 82) and Ella Mae (Shetler) Beachy (December 20, 1893-December 7, 1991--almost 98). My grandpa was often called A.J. and my grandma was often called Ellie, especially when people were speaking Pennsylvania German. After her marriage, she was often referred to as "Nias Ellie," in the manner familiar to people with a similar heritage. This custom may have begun as a simple way of distinguishing between women who had the same given name. Giving the husband's name in conjunction with hers would have served as a useful designation.
My grandparents raised their family near Kalona, Iowa, and both of them are buried in the East Union Cemetery nearby, close to their family farm. I believe they were both residents of this area before their marriage. Although my information is not quite complete, I'll add here that my Shetler great grandmother's maiden name was Eliza Jane Kempf. My Beachy great grandmother's maiden name was Fannie Miller.
***************
Marland says that he heard from someone that one of my grandparents would have liked to leave the Old Order Amish church, but the other did not concur, and they never did so. Marland did not know which one preferred to stay. I'm guessing it was my grandmother. I base that on the fact that she seemed to be happiest on her own turf, and did not enjoy travel and adventure as my grandfather did.
Later note: Linda believes that this information may be conflated with the story of my Shetler great grandparents, whom I never knew. It is said of them that one of them wanted to leave the Amish and the other didn't.
Linda also tells me of a strange twist in my grandparents' church affiliation that I wasn't aware of. Ananias was actually part of the Mennonite church at one time, perhaps at the time when he and his sister Martha (my mother used to call her Sylvanus Martha) lived in California for a time. Aunt Esther reported this.
***************
Neither of my grandparents was physically imposing. My grandmother was even shorter than my mother who was 5' 1". Marland told me that Grandpa was known to pick up his wife and twirl her around in a circle. I really wish I could have seen this perfectly acceptable Amish dance move. It may have been my cousin Ella Jean Zook who witnessed and reported this. During Ella Jean's childhood, she lived with her family in the house adjoining the "Dawdy" house where our grandparents lived, so it makes sense that she would have been among the most likely to observe this out-of-the-public-eye activity.
***************
While Grandpa's travels do not seem extensive by today's standards, for his time, he was a well-traveled man. I remember him stepping off the train to visit us in Kansas on his way home from a trip to Mexico. He had gone there as a member of the Amish Colonization board. This group apparently explored options for new locations for Amish communities. To my knowledge, the Mexico option never materialized. Another one that did not materialize was one that my parents considered: Uruguay. Their interest was likely piqued by my grandfather's involvement in colonization efforts.
Much earlier, Grandpa donated a heifer to a farmer in Europe after World War II. Unlike most other people who had donated livestock, Grandpa decided to travel to Europe with the heifer. A newspaper photo survives from that experience. Grandpa is standing next to an on-board stall with the heifer inside.
Even earlier than that, Grandpa traveled almost as far northwest as possible in the United States, and spent a season as a "migrant" worker who worked in the fruit harvest. Letters to his girlfriend at the time survive from this experience. He later married the girlfriend, Ella Mae Shetler.
***************
The details below are recorded in the book containing Beachy family records. Linda shared them with me in an email. I've pasted part of it below. My Beachy great grandparents moved around a lot. From Indiana they moved to Illinois, then to Ohio, then to Texas. From Texas, they moved back to Indiana and then later to Ohio again. Fannie died in Ohio and Jonas moved to Iowa, but was buried beside Fannie in Ohio. My great grandfather Jonas Beachy died eleven days after I was born.
Jonas S. Beachy April 24, 1860 - June 20, 1952
and
Fannie Miller June 6-1866 - February 20, 1944
...were married on August 6, 1885
and Jonas and Fannie Beachy and their family lived in
1885-Ca. 1887 Newton County Indiana. Samuel was born there.
ca. 1887-1903 Arthur, IL. Eight of their twelve children were born there.
1903-1910- Plain City, OH. Three of their children were born there. Joseph died there and was buried the day after what would have been his 3rd birthday.
1910-1913 Texas
1913-1915 Kokomo, IN
1915-1946 Sherwood, OH -- Fannie died in 1944 and was buried there
1946-1952- Jonas moved to Kalona with his daughter Catherine and husband. After Jonas' death in 1952, he was buried in Ohio beside Fannie.
Because of the Amish customs of the times, I marvel that my grandparents gave nine of their ten children two names, a first and middle name, in addition, of course, to their Beachy surname. Only one, Joseph (Joe), reflected the common practice of assigning the initial of the father's first name to the children as the middle name. Thus Joseph is Joseph A. (for Ananias). Less commonly, the mother's initial was assigned. As I recall them, they gave the following names to their children:
Ray Edward, deceased (married to Anna May Miller--Iowa, deceased)
John Emery, deceased (married to Edna Mae Gingerich--Iowa, deceased)
Glen Everett, deceased (married to Susan Mae Yoder--Iowa, deceased)
Earl Jason, deceased (married to Mary E. Bender--Iowa, deceased)
Fannie Jane (married to Eli C. Miller--Ohio, deceased)
Jonas Paul, deceased (married to Magdalena Hershberger--Iowa, deceased)
Joseph A. (married to Mary Miller--my father's sister--Kansas)
Mary Elizabeth, deceased (married to David L. Miller--Kansas, deceased)
Jesse Samuel (married to Betty "Ruth" Miller--Indiana, deceased)
Esther Viola (married to Henry Zook--Virginia, deceased)
The above list is given in order of age. Several observations: The three oldest sons all married a woman whose middle name was Mae (or May), the same as their mother's middle name. "Mae" must have peaked as a popular middle name in my parents' generation. Joseph is the only surviving "child" whose spouse also survives. Joe's wife Mary is my father's sister, so this is a double blessing for my siblings and me.
In spite of some innovations in name choice, my grandparents did the expected thing also in choosing names by naming their children after their siblings and parents. John was a namesake for Ella's father and brother.. Fannie Jane's first name honored both grandmothers and an aunt. Fannie was the name of Ananias' mother and sister, and Jane was the middle name of Ella Mae's mother. Jonas was a namesake for Ananias' father. Esther was a namesake for Ananias' sister, Mary for Ella's sister, and Jesse for Ella's brother.
Although my mother and Jesse were the only children of my grandparents who lived outside of Iowa during most of their adult years, the Iowa siblings were soon spread out in various church groups. Glen and Earl are the only "children" who stayed Old Order Amish Glen was ordained as a minister in the Old Order church when he was in his fifties. Ray, Fannie, John, and Jonas joined the "Conservative Mennonites" early on, as did Joe later, but Jonas and John and their families withdrew from that group and became part of what is now known as "Nationwide" churches. Ray's family also withdrew eventually and became associated with the Shiloh group, thought of by many as a fringe group with cult-like tendencies. Esther's family in Iowa and my mother's family in Kansas were Beachys for many years. Then Esther's family joined Salem, a group somewhat like our local Prairie Chapel. Jesse married a Beachy girl (from Woodlawn in Indiana), but was ordained in the Conservative Mennonite church conference--in Wisconsin, I believe. Later they parted ways with the "Rosedale" group. Virginia was their home in later years. If this all sounds pretty complicated, I'm not surprised. It feels that way to me too.
****************
Family stories and memories will come in a later post.
posted by Miriam Iwashige at
7:18 PM
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