Issue 03 - Yoder Family Information

PLACTS NAMED YODER SERfESTWhen the Missourl Pacific Railroad was beinqYoder, Kansasb,uilt across Reno CountV, it passed over E1iYoder'sby Davidfarm. He persuadedLuthythe railroad toconstruct a 2O-ro

li:rliilulll"nllslili'iiuili Hans Joder of Great SwampissueThere are more than fifty genealogies on variousYoder families in America, but none speeificallyconcerning those that settled in upper Bueks County,Pennsylvania. The following, based on the premisesthat the relationship between John Yoder Sr. and JohnYoder Jr., is one of father and sons, is an attemptto fiU that gnawing void.The immigrant and progenitor of this family wa'sone Hans Joder or John Yoder Sr. Although thespecific date of his immigration is not known, it canbe reasonably fixed between 1?l3 and l?20, and mostlikely l?17, the year in which some of his friendsand neighbors who settled at the Great Swamp alsoimmigranted.(l) He and his wife Anna, whose surnameis unknown, were born in Euope in the latter part ofthe l?th century.(2) They were friends of andeontemporaneous with George Bachman (1685-1?53) andMaria Bachman (f698-f7?6) who once wefe theirimmediate neighbors and possibly relatbd.(3) Thesize of their family when they immigTated is unknownbut the fact that their son John requirednaturalization and their son Casper did not suggeststhat the former was born in Europe and the latter inAmerica.The earliest record of John Yoder Sr. is based onhearsay evidence in the form of notes kept by IsaacYothers (1884-1959).(4) These notes state that JohnYoder Sr. bought from Joseph Growden on Jan. 1?, 1720ninety-nine acres at Great Swamp in Richlandadjoining (actually between) lands of Jacob Clemmerand George Bachman. That property is at presentbound on the north by Route 663, on the east by theMilford and Richland Township boundaries, on thesouth by the road from Quakertown to Milford Squareand the Upper Bueks County Airport, and extendswestward by twc-thirds of a mile or half the distancebetween Portzer Road and Milford Square. The entireproperty basieally remains farmland and is what isiro* tn6*n as Route 663 Produce and Nursery.(S)The earliest existing document identifying JohnYoder Sr. is a petition dated Sept. 17' 1730requesting a road be laid out from the newmeetingh6use to Montgomery Road on the county Une irorder t-o have access to Philadelphia.(6) In 1734 thenames of both John Yoder Sr. and John Yoder Jr.appear on a single documenti a petition fornaturalization.(?) The purpose for naturalizationwas to secure the right to own and transfer realestate under existing EngIsh law.(8) Between 1?20and 1?40 naturalizaiion virtually required an act ofthe Provincial Pennsylvania Assembly and few Germansachieved this goal' and then not without politicalbribery.(g) The results of this particular petitionwere that only l4 of 55 petitioners obtainednaturalization by an act passed on March 29,I 73sl l 0)Pourteen years elapse before further evidenee ofJohn Yoder Sr. is found. That evidence, in the formlf estate papers of his friends ind neighbors,ceflects that he was a responsible member of his3ommunity. Considering his sssociates, the strategicintermarriages, and religious aetivity of hisCescendants, it would be a reasonable speculationthat he was an elder or trustee under the bishooriecf Valcntine Clemmer. ln I?48 he signed arenunciation to the executorship of the estate ofSamuel Shoup who lived at Great Swamp with JohnDrissell.(11) In the same year he helped takeinventory for the estate of John Landis of GreatSwamp.(Iz) In 1751 he appraised the estate of JacobClemmer of Lower MiUord.(13)During the year 1750 he apparently had intentionstoward retirement and it was not coineidental thathis son John chose to engage in real estatetraNactions in December of 1750. These actions werewell coordinated with John Yoder Sf.'s retirementplans.(l4) The last known doeument concerning JohnYoder Sr. is dated April 2, 1753 when he witnessedthe purehase of land by his son Casper.(l5)When he and his wife died or where they are bufiedare unknown. Although there is no list of childrenor a family Bible record now known, there is evidencethat such a record may have existed. Among thelonfiscated peNonal property of his grandson duringthe Revolutionary war there were two Bibles sold atlublic auction. One belonging to Casper Yoder (d.l?98) was bought by John Bare for L6.7.6' the otherrelonging to Jaeob Yoder (1?34-180?) was bought byJohn Siegfried, then sheriff of Northampton Countytfor L14.10.0.; an incredible amount at that time. Atthat same sale Ll4 purchased a steer, a eow, or tensheep. It is possible that one of these Bibles'presumably the latter' may originally have been theBible of John Yoder Sr. This Provenance wouldconfirm both with tradition and the pfactice ofpri mogeniture.(16)bv Ken Hottle*__,_Flor a,legal viewpoint there is neither proof norprimary evidence that John yoder Jr. "no i."p".'ioo",were or rere not sons of John yoder Sr. -i""griiii""i of C.r""t----concerning!y"Tp:.John yoder .Jr,; it "proximity_indicated in the petition of tZIsparucuiarlyinathe fact t}|at both suceessfully obtainednaturalization strongly suggests tne retatidnsnio-oirarherand son. [n lZ3S the homestead weswithe.ro*Ouoboth children and grandchildr"n "ni"n-"ouij1" "-reasonable time for him to set out on his """i-ih*h.e purchased land at Saueon. Hi" r"naall.upstream fllii"Jur"il"." """conforming with the *r"f i"tnur*"rpattern of settlement. Both men setfled besideG€orge,Bact)man_.sugges-ting a com mon relationship.rneandland transactions of l?50 are all too obvioulbe?coincidental.Concerning Casper yoder; although the yotherare hearsay Notesthey can be valiiated ti tr,u-"*r""f tl"I""the land owned bv Casoer was the.same "r""i'Oy'i"1,Yoder Sr.(l?) nire is an impressron among sonedescendants that casper was an only child' butevidence supporting this exclusiveness is wanting.In addition to these arguments, there was amongsome colonial brothers the practice of naming theirsons identically. It is more than eurious that JohnYodef Jr. and Casper Yoder each named their sonsAbraham, Casper, and Jacob, Casper had another sonnamed John and there is an unproven, but persistent,b€lief that John Yoder Jr. also had a son named John.Thus between 1720 and 1?50, there is sufficient,consistent and connected, circumstantial evidence toinfer that they were both som of John Yoder Sr.There is a speculative third child; a daughter, inthe intriguing personage of one Magdalena Yoder. Herappearance can be traced to the papers of Dorothy K.Landis collection at Lancaster Mennonite HistoricalSociety where there is a notation stating thatMichael SeU (1748-1772) married Magdalena Yoder.Ms. Landis obtained this pearly morsel from someunrevealed source, but applied it to the wrong person8no ramlry.(r6,Michael Sell was a son of Henry SeU (1?2,1-1?86)and [lary (Shell) Sell (b. 1?26). The similarity ofthese two surnames nas causeo many genealogists toenor, (19) but it is within the efror that a greaterrevelation is found, Mary Shell was the onlydaughter of Michael SheU (1693-l?69) and it is HISsecond wife's name that was Magdalena.(20) This, inall probability, is the Magdalena Yoder that Ms.Landis placed in efror.To speculate further, Magdalena Yoder was also asister to John and casper. The close relationshipbetween the Yoder and SeIl families, with itsintermarriages, has never really been explained,Magdalena Yoder as stefgrandmother to the SeIIchildren and the elderly aunt to the Yoder childrenwould be in a position to both influenee and aecountfor that relationship. Hopefuuy, additionalchildren of John Yodef Sr. may eventually beirientified throueh modern reseafeh techniaues. |'.Ken Hottle, Box ?14, Allentown, PA 18t05.rootnotes on thirdcolumnlJohn C. Wengef. Htstory of the Mennonites of thlFrdnconio Conlerence (Telford, Pa.! FranconiaMennonite Historical Society, f93?) p. 398. "in theyear 1?17 many more of our fellow believers eame Ius from GermanyJ' The earliest German setuers ofGreat Swamp were probably among this group.2see footnote f7. Allowing that John Yoder Jr. wlat least 21 years of age in 1734, his parents wouldhave been born in the 17th eentury.3Dorothy K. Landis. Rep@t of the 3lst Reunlon othe Londis-Ldndes Fomtlies (Bethlehem, Pa3 Times PtCo,, 1950) p. 44. Anna Bachman is given as the wilof John Yoder Jr. without supporting evidence orreference to the source of that statement. Ttlequestion is raised whether Anna Bachman was the wof John Yoder Jr. or John Yoder Sr.!4Thse notes were generously shared by a grandsoof lsaac Yothers, Richard J. Yothers, Jr.' 259 W.Newton St., Boston, MA 02116.son a draught of that property dated 1821 the Roto Milford Square is identified as the "Road fromQuakertown to Millerstownn which suggests that mayhave been an early name for Milford Square.oWilliam W.H. Davis. History of &rcks County. zndrev. ed. (Pipersville, Pa.: A.E. Lear Inc., 19?5)1:443. There afe numerous errors in the account ofthis petition which contains 35 rather than 32signators. The three additional signatures are thoseof David Ginke$, John Greasley, and Casper CeimaThe signature of Hans Joder is erroneoNlytranscribed as Samuel Yoder. Other similar erros arAbraham HiIl is actually A. Shelly, Jacob Klein is J.Klemmer, Peter Curtz is P. Zuck, Henry Walp is H.Taylor, and John Jacob Zeitz is George Zeitz. T\eoriginal document is in the criminal division at theBucks County Courthouse.7 Petitton to the Assembly in 1734 forNotxralizotton by Divers Inhob{tants of &rcks Countyat Historical Society of Pa., Streiper Collection,Bueks County Paperc, l:4?. The names on thispetition are not signatures in spite of the fact thatsome are written by various German hands. Attach€to the petition is a clerical eopy of these names. Irendering of this petition appears in Davisrs Histtryof &rcks Cdnty L:425-426 which contaiN bothomissions and errors.Supon the death of an unnaturalized alien, hisland, along with improvements, would theoreticauyrevert to the proprietary govefnment under existingEnglish law. Although never enforced, this lawserved as a constant threat to the German+orn! m migrant.gRichard K. MaeMaster, Samuel L. Horst, & RobeUUe. Conscience In Crisis (Scottdale, Pa.: HeraldPress, 1979). Naturalization statistics and theircorresponding legislative process are compactly andeffectively treated here as well as tracing politiealbribery revealed in Pa. Archives, 8th Series,2:2855-2856.l.oJames T. Mitchell & Henry Flanders, Stotutes AtI:arge -o!_,P ermsylvonio From I 6 I 2 - I g0 I ( Harrisburg,Pa.: 189?) *283-285. Both John yoders are inclJdedamong the suecessful 5 Mennonites, 2 Brethren. and ?Luther€n or Reformed petitionem that acquirednaturalization steming from the petition oi n}q.Abraham Shelly and Jacob Musselman were &mong thowho were not successful. Whether their failure canbe attributed to their moral scruDles or a lack offunds remains to be answered._-llyqof Samuel Shoup ol creat Swamp (Jan. 8,1747/48; pfobated Feb. ls, L747/48), phitidetDhiaCo.,_WiI-Book F:128, File f100. This renuneiation,which included John Drissel, reads, r'but beingantient and not fit to tfavel in ye winter Seison."l2WiU of John Landis of creat Swamp (Seot. 26.l?rl?; probated May t, 1?51) phila. Co., Will Book1:397, File #255.l3wiil of Jacob Clemmer of Milford (March 30. 1?4pro. Nov. rr, 1751) Phila. Co. Wilt Book I:438, Fiie#280. His name but not his signature appears.l4John Yoder Jr. negotiated a complex sale of lS0acres in Milford Twp. that involved severalprincipals. The dates of these transactions wereDec. 21, l?50 and Dec. 30, l?50. The land was baseon a warrant dated Ma]'4, l?3T and was probab.lv inpart an investment vehicle fof John yodei Sr. ihenotes of Isasc Yotherc state that John yoder Sr. soldtne homestead to his son Casper on Dee. g, 1?50.(continuedon next pase)

lsDeed, John Lester to Casper yoder (Aprll Z, l?Sg,rec. Nov, 7, L797, Bucks Co. 29:390-39I. Casper paidJoh Lester Ll40 for 70 acres ln Richland Two. TtisIand joined the noftheast corner of the homeiteadtract at what is now Portzer Road, extended eestwardto the junction of Route 663 and Old Bethlehem pike,whieh also ran diagonally across the property,northward beyond Quakertown borough limits above whatis now the K-Mart shopping eenter, and westward againto Portzer Road.l6Pa. Archives' 6th Series' 122432, 444.l?Joseph Growdents great tract of 1490 acres wassold in part to Divers Dutchmen Prior to l?25 whenthe residual acefage was sold to Robert Fletcher. Inl?85 a resurvey of this remainder was made basieallyidentifying the family names of these Df\rersDutchmen.18 wilt of Michael SeIl (pro. April 70, L772)Northampton Co., Will File #556. The fact is thatirlichael was 24 years old when he died, his wifersname was Barbara and he had a son named Michael.l9May Mathis Green-Watson. Nold Fomily Hlstory &c enealogicol Baclegrouurd. (Corpus Christi, Tex:1941)p.?. The Shell and SelI surnames are erroneouslyconsidered as one family and it is through this errofthat the records of the Shell family are preserved.2oWill of Michael Shell (pro. Feb. 19, 17?0) Phila.Co. Will Book 0:465. File *346. In this will thereis mention of a release between Michael Shell and hissecond wife. This release has not as vet beenIoeated.(Edltors'noterIf your Yoder ancestors had longstandingMennonlte roots (as opposedto those who coaverted from the Amish),this excellently researched article byMr. Hottle should be of Darticularinterest. All of the Mennonite Yoderl-ines that we are aware of descendedfron the Hans Joder ijof GraatS6rapp".l- --ooo0ooo---CONRAD YODERt7 - t790PlO\FER AND FOUNDER 0f i.:-SYODER FAMILY IN NORTH CAROI.I\{ iCllRlSllNA CLI)lI YODLR tsr urriSEII.Z YODER 2 ND \rIrICATHARINL HUFFMAN YOIJEII 3 FD!/III.aBtJRtED t\ t)t D BAhEti at,,1t lf.R\ )LL|T \BtTH YODER DAr (;rilrr,\t.so Rr..lRil_D HLRInAFIJARA Y()t)F-l) nilt (;r\!t)\r(,t,ltr,Vi\(IDAI.ENA Di ITZ YODI fi .! ,rtr^,1 r rtrtr,ff*I:iPRICETOWN CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN" Oldest Unaber ed Church"- r7?7 -The above print was on sbationery received fromPen Yoder, of Mohrsville PA. He wrote,"Rev.Jacob R. Yoder preached in the Pricetown Churchof the Frethren 186:0 to 1t8tr. He was a greatgrandsonof the Widow Farbara Yoder and my greatgrandf ather. :'Jfl+ls*rfltlftt*t++***t+11..*{trt++rt{a.t+*tflttf+l+{.Jtt+ta+.|..*++tt+*ltJt.tt.*t+*+*fTHn NoRTH CARILTNA YODITRSOf all the Yoder immirants of the 18th century,Conrad Yoder was unique. He is the only one of ourname known to have settled outside of the Pennsylvania?.re&o In his Historlt of the Yoder larnilv inNortlr. Carolina, L970, Dr. Fred Roy Yoder tells ofConrad's immigration to l'ennsylvania in the niddleof the century and of his move to North Carolinasonetirne between 1755 and 1762, There he settledabout eight miles south of Hickory, North Carolinaand raised a family of six sons and two daughters.The family Bible records cited tv Dr. Yoder showthe following birth dates for these childrenr John26 Oct,. 1764; Jacob 1J Dec. l?6?; David 3 Apr, \??orElizabeth 14 Apr, 17?63 Elias l1 Oct , L??? I Daniel18 Jun 1780; Catherine 21 Dec, I?82; Adam 23 Junti'85. The first three children were by Conradosfirst wife Christina C1ine, and the rernaining byhis thlrd wife, Catherine Huffman. Two of the sonsJohn and David, remained in North Carol_ina andtheir descendants are discussed in sorne detail inDr. Yoder's book. Jacob, Elias and DanieL movedto southern Indiana about 181J and Adam is saidto have gone to Tennessee.Laban Yoder, a great grandson of Conrad Yoderwrote in a letter to S. C. Yoder, Goshen College,dated January of L928, that Conrad was a Mennonlteand owned a Mennonite Hymnal. He also stated thatConrad visited with his hrother Jacob Yoder inBerks County, Pennsylvania, prior to his migrationto North Caroli.na. It is not known who this Jacobnight have been and how Conrad is connected to theother branches of the Yoder family.Laban goes on to discuss the children of Conradwho moved to fndiana. "ofthese sons Jacob moved tofndiana and settleC near Floonineton. He was thefather of five sonsr Emmantrel, George, Jacob, Johnand Henry....ELias, son of Conrad, moved to fndiarraca.. 1816. His sons were John, Jessle, Jonas, Conradand Joe. "Conrad Yoder(1) monument, erected in 1958.The above nicture was copied frorn Iired RoyYoder's boo! Historv of the yoder l,amilv inNcrth Ca.rqlina. It is a comprehensive wortrcoverinq *n" 0""::::::::"::_:onrad YoderWe are all certainlv indebted to Dr. l'red R"Yoder, Lai-'an Yoder, Colin ivr . Yoder, Co1. GeorgeYoder and other menbers of this family who haveover the years docunented bits of their heritage.It can t-re expected that the YoCer Newsletter willprovide further details in future issues and hopeful1ybreak new ground on the descendants ofConrad Yoder who moved west.---ooouooo---

*****,1+**n***+YoDER INQUIRIES*lt**{f ++lt**l+lf 'l+lt+**lfTHE YNL will publish Yoder-related inquiriesor exchanges at no charge. Plea.se linit t'o )Owords or so plus your return mailing address.All inquiries are checked against our recordsto see if we can holp too. Send inquiries totChris Yoder (lrfNr Newsletter Inquiry), 203Lakeshire Rd, Battle Creek,ruiI 49015.ta*t+.trtstt+Jt**tt*lttfl*Llfl+lt+*lr*lt*rsttll*rflfLlf.Llt+lttl.lt*+*+*11 J€Who was oLvina Yodcr (jlseyra loeter?) wno marrlediliilton dlfleford.Her rnother was a I'iil1erand her son iamuel v/i-f leford was born Dec.1B5)in Jarthage,(Y. .teply to:H. Kreider c/o r,h,eVnrt :r \lor,rcl ol-t-ar, P. O. Box 594 , Goshen , Iii 46'j26J(J(J(J()CJ(JfJ()fJ(*J€i(JCtC+J(J()e*Jf*?et(J+)€J(J()CJ+++*J(***J(J(r(rC)fXt6i+J(J(*Would frke info. on andy or Andrew Yoder wholived in Plymouthrii\i area. ',Vife Sarah flershberger.ihildren:Abrahamri{udyrJoe rAndrew, and Annawho marr-ied Adam riiifler.rieply to:lienry Yoder,1575 Badour RdrR 2, lvlidland,lUI 48640.*J(+r*l(r()€J(r(-*J(J(J(J(*Jt+r(J(*++)C;(i(Je+J(Je)t-**)C)+'t(J()e*J(JfiCJ(J+*J(J(t(if,)CInfo. desired on John Yoder/Yoders b.ca.1'185,m. rllizabeth ? , lived in Green Co. ,-lA. -Parentsof Alexander Yoder/Yoders b.ca.i'iar.1B2 1, wholived in Licking & Union Co,0H.Reply to:lulrs.Clyea Yoder ,11646 Filnton I'iL RD rillarysville, trH,41440.J( JCJ()CJ€JCJCJCJ(* J+J(* J( it* J(JC J(J( *i(J+ X )e)€ *J(J(+J( X * J( X+)f ** *)C J()t *t(*J( *DUAL "rU,rRY: Vjanted: info.re.Sofoman Yoder (lll0-1866) and Barbara Miller (lll+-1858)faml-ly. jo1-oman-son of Christlan Yoder and Barbara tlooley;Barbara-dau. of lanie1 I{i11er & Veronica i{ishler.Heply to both: 1 )0.P.Yoder r14l i. :.49th,.Portland,An 97215; and 2)Linda l'/i1f iams 14621 Dtxon l-rr.,viestminster rC0 B0O1O.J(J( *J( *)€t(J( *J( l+J(J(J(itJ(J+ J()€ i(t( J(*i(J( J(J(J+ J(X X*J( ** t(J(Xl(t(l( *J( *J6 )eJ(J(What were the names of llanief Yoderrs parents?Daniel died Mar.1B,1B0O in Union TwprBerks,Jo,li. His parents may have come from the t,Ieyarea. l)anlel^rs wifers name was /\nna, who ciiedliiar. 28, 1 tJO.1 . Reply to: tialph L - vengood , Box 1O! ,R,+2 rSt.?eters Rd.,Pottstown,PA. 19464.J( J( )C JtJ( 9( J€ J( J(J( *J( J( )t J+J+J( XJ( J( J(i( X * )t J+ J( JC* t( * J( )+)f J(J()6 J(J( J( * )e * J( * tt Jf )CWhat became of ilenry Yoder, b.17d2. ion ofChrj-stian (t'Schweitzer" ) and ilarba.ra iicoley. ,Bel-1evedto have left Amish faith.p^o-^n^ *a. a vnn2T r2o3 Lakeshj-re ild. rtsattl.eCreek, Ivl-t=. 49015)t*J(J€)aJ(*t(*J(*)6J(ra*J+)e{Jt)aJ(i(*)6****)tJ()t*+)rJ(-te*i(*J(i(****)+tfJ(TviO FOit ONr: Who were the parents of Veron_icaYoder, wife of, ljtephen Kurtz? ieems too young tohave been dau. of 1742 irn. ihrlstian ]locjer. Als

*U.r,il rlS ri(,rli 1' r1,rU ^rlrChrlst_irLa Gerig b. 17 Apr, 18J1, d. 21 Oct L909,m. to Moses Schrock b. 10 June 1828, d. 22 Apr1909, Christina Gerigos mother was Christine^Yodr-'r. Does anyone have arry information on thisChrlstine Yoder, lvho had m( Joseph Gerig? Mrs.F'aul- Wade , RllI-2t( 04 l:reeport Rd. SterlineIL ( TO?L'l+*l+Jr{***J+lfl{'lflfltl*l+J+.s*+tltJ*+tft+**Jt+*Jfltl**t+Jf*+J+JfJat*t+.tflttt*lftf.t$YODER GENEALOGIES TN I'RINT?his newsletter will identify yoder-related bookscurrently availabln for purchase. Most of thesedeal -with one specific branch (twig), and may notbe of interest outside that imnectiate familt: W;will attempt to provirie sufficient data for you toguage your interest. Iurther details can be oUtainedfrom addresses indicated. Give us fu11 rietailsof any books available regarding cost, etc.rltf .**{.1+J0Jt**t+rtJf Jr+rf .*.**Jf #.ta.t$Jt**.*lf +.rirt**lt.t*tt****J*+J+1t*+t.tf tf *The.David Yodef l?llr.i]:ftZZ Dages, quite a fewrictures, "a little historical information" , andmemories .frorn each ,of, the ten children. navia s/oSanuel s/o.Isaac s/o yost s/o Henry born in S*ii;_.:l13ld1756 and bur. Sunmit Mills F,r. $S.00 plus11 .50 postage anrj handling. Writer lvlr & Mrs banielY: I9!q", R.D. 5, Fox ZJJ, Dover DE t99ol*lr+{a lf+t+tflt+lt*l+Jf*+.rr+.**+tttt*.*+l*Jf*+.*,1++tt**J+.}r.**ltl+l*tf*+r+lflfJf+Iif]-iam.1. Islel lanily Historv pook-coverstheramrty ot thrs Amish blshop of Nar.,Danee IN (1859_1936). $Z.lo. ivtay be order-ed or information obiainedfrom: Elizabeth D. Nis1ey, RR#1, Box LZi,Hutchinson KS 675OIlt+Jtr++tl&i{f * *+***+****Jf .tf Jr.tf .r*r*rf rt}rt +*++x**+**+***+***r**]_amilv Regsrd.g{^{".gTiqlrIrd€r arrr }annie i;il;;^-(m. Jan. 22, \882), lq?s, bV- SVfGn Yorte.r. fher"is also a 1977 supplement. Sylvan has a limitedamount left at 82,?5 each. His addressr SylvanYoder, ltt? Irvin. Carlsi_.ad NM 88220l+lr*.|t*ttlfJtltrt*Jrtf.tt*+t+++*.r+*.*l{.**.r**ta*,rFJt.*ttJtJt*.t+.**+*+*tf.ttl+lr*{,a!-4:r,Recgrd € feISI. +nd lviaedalena (Gingerich)Jooer (m. Nov. 1C), 1U64), 1975, by Agnes yoder andEdna Swartzendruber. fhere is ifs6 a supplement to{u}V 1, 1980. Frice $4.00. 0r

Yoder Descendants Meet at EellevillePioneer Spirit Marks 1s0-Year ReunionBELLEYILLE, PA.-The l6thMoses H. Yoder family reunion washeld August 13-14 at the BellevilleMennonite School, but it was morethan the usual reunion-lhe familYwas commemorating the l50th anniversaryof the birth of Moses H.Yoder, the youngest son of ninechildren of Christian (Kiefer) andEsther Hertzler Yoder, who wasborn in the Kishacoquillas Valley.Moses Yoder was a true Pioneergoing always west: from Mifflin toMercer County, Pa., to lndiana, toMissouri, lo Kansas, and finallY, inthe Cherokee Run, he homesteadedin Oklahoma. Today his living descendantsnumber 774 and live in 25states from Florida to Alaska andHawaii and one in England.A total of 69 Moses H. Yoder descendants,with 3? other Yoders,descendants of his brothers Dan andSimeon and his sisters Anna andLydia, along with five visitors, enjoyedthe programs.Alvin and Lee Yoder of the Simeonfanily prepared and guided ahistorical tour on Saturday after'noon. Two school buses transported90 people to the top of Jacks Mountainfor a view of the beautiful greenKishacoquillas and Furgeson valleys.ON THE WAY down the tourleader pointed out Gypsy Dan Hollow,named for Moses' brother Danwho had returned to the valley seventimes, earning the name "CypsyDan." A memorial stop on the tourwas the Keifer Christ homesteadwhere "Grandpa Mose" was born.At the home of Stephen Zook, descendantof Moses'sister Sarah, theentire tour group was impressed witha historic German Bible brought toAmerica from Switzerland in 1746 byJacob Hertzler.Saturday evening's program wasgiven to history: "Our Fathers Livedin This Valley" by Alvin Yoder and"AndCrandpe Mose Went west"by J. Otis Yoder. Charts of familylines and maps helped to clarify thefamily history.SEVERALhistorical documentshad been photocopied or printed forsale to the children. Alvin Yoder providedcopies of the will of ChristianYoder, Moses' father, the settling ofthe estate, and a court order appointinga guardian for Moses H., whowas not of ag€ at his father's death.These documents contain signaturesas well as information.The J. Otis Yoders provided prinledcopies of the English translationof spiritual counsel Moses' mother,Esther Hertzler Yoder, wrote in Germanfor her children and grandchildrensix weeks before her death.The translation wro done by AmishBishop Ezra Kanagy of Belleville.The Sunday morning program wasboth historically inspirational andworshipful. lsabelle K. (Mrs. J. Otis)Yoder, who had written the MosesH. Yoder story and geneologY in1970, brought the statistics up to dateand challenged the group to be growingon its roots.ORPHA COOPRIDER (Mrs.Ezra) Hershberger, of Goshen, Ind.,gave a colorful account of her grandparents,Reuben C. Yoder, Moses'second child, and his wife MaggieBontrager. This Reuben Yoder lsremembered by older residents ofBelleville as the man who broughthorses from the west and sold themto Pennsylvania farmers.Mabel (Mrs. O.J.) Yoder of Denver,Colo., the oldest daughter ofMoses'youngest son, Martin, Presenteda dramatic resume of hermemories of her grandmother, ElizabethSlabaugh Yoder, Moses' secondwife, and the closing days ofpioneer Moses H. Yoder. His firstwilt. Barbara Kauffman, was motherof the first four children.A dozen Yoder men led the worshipby singing a cappella two oldhymns which illustrated that Yoderswere singing pioneers.THE FINAL challenge of themorning came in considering "ThePioneer Spirit Must Not Die."Harold Yoder, professor at Coshen(lnd.) College and a great-grandsonof Moses, expressed the desire totransmit that spirit to our children.Retired minister Clarence R.Yoder of Middlebury, Ind., grandsonof Moses, appealed to the groupto follow the worthy ideals of thosewho have gone before. Paul MarvinYoder of Campbell College, BuiesCreek, N.C., grandson of Moses,characterized the pioneer spirit:unflagging optimism, perseverance,resourcefulness and"workishonorable. "@\ \\r\The above report is a reprint from the Sept. 1,198J issue of the MENNONITE WEEKLY REVIEW'Newton KS. The clipping was given by 0rphaHershberger of Goshen IN. a descendant of Moses.The spiritual pioneer spirit waspresented by J. Otis Yodet, internationalradio speaker of Heralds ofHope, Breezewood, Pa. He spokefrom Hebrews I l:8-10, showing howpioneer Abraham had an eYe to seewhat others didn't see, an ear to hearwhat others couldn't hear and a heartto follow where Cod led.THE PIONEER sPirit was reflectedin the menus, especially thebean soup and moon pies, and in thetotal expense of the weekend beingmet by freewill offerings whichoverflowed in a surplus to suPPlYHeralds of Hope with postage tomail l,1O Bibles to th€ third worldlisteners to "Hope For Today."Gsreno-Tim6, Cwallir, Orc, Sundav, Jrnuory 15, 1984Martin, author of PoDDvrs Dozen.\r\Elizabeth YoderPrivate graveside servicer for Elizabeth Yoder will be Mondayat Oaklawn Memorial Park. The Rev. R. Richard Summerwill officiate at the serviceri, which are for lamily only.Miss Yoder, {ll N.W. lSth St., died Saturday at CorvallisManor, 160 N,E. Conifer Blvd. She was 85.She was born June 22. 18!8, in Wolford. N.D.. to John andLydia Yoder. She spent her carly childhood in Wolford, aud attendedlrigh school and collcge in Jamestown, N.D.After graduatingl92l frum Jamestown College, slre camewest and taught school in \lontana, Idaho and Oregon, Shecompleted her master's degree at the University o{ SouthernCalifornia, and later received an honorary doctorate fromJamestown College.t'or {0 years she owned and operated Pantell School, aprivate school for girls in Whittier and Pamona, Calif. AtParnell, she bred and raised Arabian horses and nuintained ariding acaderrry, a special attraction for hcr students.She rvas listed in Los AnSeles County's"who's Who," and herpicture hangs in the Jameslown College Hall ol Fame.In 197{, because of ill health, she deeded Parnell School l!Jamestown Coilege and moved to Corvallis to be near hersister.Survivors include her sistr:rs Doris (Dottie) Humble of Corvallis,and Edna Zilla of Darby, Mont. Her brother Mar died in1977.The family suSgests contrlbutions in her m€mory t0 the Linn-Benton Diabetes Association. These may be sent in care ofMcHenry Funeral Horne, 2[8 N.W. sth St.The above obituary was sent in by SylviaSylvia hasbeen a faithful correspondent to YNL. Shealso informed us that PoDpy's Dozen has lostthe second member. I'red P. Yoder, of WolfordND, on January 3, 1984. Jery Yoder, was thefirst to pass on in October , 1982.Syl-via also informs us that she should havehad more copies of Porrpvrs Dozen printed sincethe demand was larger than she'd planned.MAybe she could be convlnced to have renrintsmade if enough requests were nade. It is ahistory of Peter and Nancy Yoder and theirtwelve children and is interesting reading.A lineage chart proves this clan coning fromalmost a solid Yoder background from bothDarents.Sylvia's address isr 2058* Pine Grove Ave.Springs CO 80906.---oooOooo---tttrrn lIiYODER NEWSLETTER w-P.O.Box594 Goshen,|N46526