History of the Gingrich Clan in Michigan

            by NoraLee Gingrich Montemarano


            Sometime between 1682 and 1684, their forefathers came from Switzerland to Pennsylvania under the treaty of William Penn. They were Quakers, and they settled in Lancaster County. In the early years of 1899, David Gingrich came with his parents to Waterloo County, Canada, in a group of Quakers now known as Mennonites. They settled in a new and underdeveloped wilderness, and had many thrills and adventures as all pioneers do when moving into new and unsettled timber country. Bears, wolves and lynx were very plentiful. The bears would catch their pigs; the wolves waylay their sheep and calves. The government put a bounty on these animals and soon there were very few left. In about 1835, David married Lydia Weber. On May 16, 1838, John was born. Eli was born in 1839. On January 28, 1858, John married Catherine Wischel. In 1860, John and Eli heard and read about what a wonderful place Michigan was, and what great opportunities it offered to young men. So in the fall of 1860 they came as far as Greenville. They got a land locator paid by the state. There was land to be bought, also homestead land. They bought 320 acres at $0.25 gold. It was just east of where the Catholic Church now stands. Valentine Butt now owns John's farm of 160 acres and Herman Schiffler owns Eli's farm.

            They blazed the trees and wrote their names so that when they came back, they could find their property. They went back to Canada to arrange their business, so they could move their family in the spring. They planned to come back and chop out a clearing, then build a shanty to live in. Their father was to bring the young wife and baby boy (Rueben Gingrich) in the spring, but she would not listen to that; if he came, she was coming to. Sometime in December, they arrived in Greenville, but this time with a wife and baby. Greenville then had but a few houses, a sawmill, and a boarding house. Rueben left his wife and baby there, and then he and Eli started out on foot to find their land, which was 30 miles through solid forest. There was one house, called halfway house, near where Lake-view stands now. There was a trail leading up to it. They also learned of a family named Schiedel who came from Canada six weeks before and settled some five miles east of the Gingrich's land. There was a trail blazed through to his place. They went to Scheidel's for shelter and to see if they could stay there while they built their cabin. They were welcome guests, and John was told to bring his family. The next morning they started out to locate their land, which took them two days. They had blazed the trees, but all they had to locate the section line was a compass. Mrs. Scheidel was the first white woman in Mecosta County and our mother (Catherine Wischel Gingrich) was the second. They went back to Greenville to get John's family. He hired an ox team and a sled. It took them two days to get back to Scheidel's and there they were given food and lodging. It was now a week beofre Christmas, and winter had set in, in earnest. There was lots of snow and it was bitter cold. The men walked most of the way to keep warm, and one had to walk ahead of the oxen to show them the way, for there was just a winding trail. Mother suffered severely from the cold, but they reached their destination late the second day. It took them five weeks to build a shanty and cut a raod through to Scheidel's, so they could get their household goods to their home.

            John was a carpenter and brought all his tools with which he made all the chairs, tables and bedsteads. They moved into the house before the door was on it and they hung a heavy quilt over the opening and were quite comfortable. Now they had to cut a road back to Scheidel's so a team of oxen could get through. Their food and supplies were getting low and they needed lumber to construct a door. They would work as long as they could see and then start home, making it in later every night. The last day, when they got through to Scheidel's, it was dark and they were about 15 miles from home. They had some supper, took their oxen and started home rejoicing. When they were within a few miles of home, they heard wolves howling. The nearer they came to home, the plainer were the howls. When they got home all was quiet. They tried to get in the door, but Catherine had nailed the quilt down tight. They called several times and finally she came to let them in. She had heard the wolves so she nailed down the quilt and spread gubpowder around the door. She hung the powder horn by the door, because she had heard say that wolves would not go where there was the smell of gunpowder. She had been waiting and watching for the men to come home, not knowing whether the wolves had gotten or treed them, and overcome with grief and fear, she had taken the baby to bed with her and cried herself to sleep. The men tried to make her believe that she had heard owls' cries but she knew better. The next morning they started making the door. They split poles, spiked them together with wooden pine, and made a wooden latch with wooden hinges. When inside the wooden latch was fast; they were safe from all animals.

            The Indians were plentiful but friendly. The men soon made friends with them and the chief spoke some English. He often brought a quarter or a half a deer. They had a trail ner the shanty. The Indian village was near where Mt. Pleasant is now. They came to fish and hunt near the Little Muskegon River and other lakes nearby.

            It was not long before other families came to share their pioneer life. A few years later, Eli married Elizabeth Friedel. To this union, ten children were born: Lydia, Nancy, Dave, Sarah, George, Noah, Libby, Amanda, Dan and Rebecca. Lydia, Sarah, George, Noah and Libby died in the diptheria epidemic of 1880. Nancy died 20 January 1926. Dave, Amanda and Rebecca reside near Remus and Dan in Freeland, all in Michigan.

            John and his wife had eight children: Rueben, Elizabeth, Joshua, Eugene, Milo, Lena, Edwin, and Leah. Joshua and Eugene died of diptheria in 1880. Leah died in 1898. Rueben died in New York State, 5 May 1937. Elizabeth lives in Mecosta; Milo near Remus; Lena in Barryton and Edwin in Kalamazoo. Eli died 30 September 1915. He and his family are buried in Humboldt. John died 9 December 1916. John and his family are buried in the Sherman City Cemetery.

            This document is respectfully submitted by NoraLee Gingrich Montemarano. I am the granddaughter of Rueben Gingrich. I compiled it from two very similar yet separate narratives. One was written by Elizabeth Gingrich Mindel in 1941. She was my great-aunt. The other was compiled by Mrs. Leo Gingrich, and submitted to my cousin Dorothy Rew by J. Ammon Gingrich. I do not know how I am related to Mrs. Leo or Mr. J. Ammon Gingrich, although I am sure I am. Furthermore Leo Gingrich maintained that he had a grandfather in Virginia.

            Part Two -- The History of Rueben Gingrich

            When they started drafting men for the army in the Civil War, John Gingrich, whose faith would not allow him to kill, moved back to Canada, where they stayed until the war ended. He started school there and learned to speak, read and write English. His mother taught him to read and write in German. She also taught him how to knit, spin and prepare wool for cloth. When he was six, Lizzie was born and they were back in Michigan. When he was twelve, his father had a bad accident, so he had to take the lead man's job. They had oxen and many accidents and troubles. When he was 17, he killed and dressed his first deer. Fruit was scarce but there were lots of raspberries and he ate so many that he got sick of them and would not eat them again as long as he lived.

            They built a large log house and a long table with benches on each side. When Rueben was grown, they built a frame house and used the log house as a tool shed and workroom. "Ole" Joe Burkhart came from Canada and worked for John for many years. He was rather dumb and uneducated and the boys played tricks on him. They set out apple trees and had a nice orchard. They also produced plums and grapes. Rueben helped build the railroad when it came through Remus. He went to school by spells until he was about 21 years old, and had a better education than most of his teachers. He could have taught had he wanted, but he preferred farming. He also helped build the CAtholic Church near their home. I have heard him tell of helping to raise the bells to the steeple which was 12' square and it made him dizzy to stand up there because it was so high.

            When he was 21 years old, he went to Tennessee to visit some cousins during bad weather in Michigan. The sun shone; it was so nice and warm every day he was there that he resolved to go to Tennessee to live some day. His mother would not hear of this and every time he began to get serious about a girl, she would tell him she could not get along without him. So he remained at home with his sisters, Lizzie and Lena got married, and his brother Milo too, and his father got a place for each of them and helped them get started. Uncle Louis worked for John for several years. Aunt Lena and husband, and Uncle Milo and wife were living there until after Rueben was married. Rueben was a Justice of the Peace for several years, and took quite an interest in politics. He did quite a bit of soapbox talking. He was a tax collector for many years. They had built a large tool shed and on Saturday nights they would run the wagons out. Rueben played the accordian and Dave the violin. Some neighbor boys called off and they had square dances for about 20 years. Nora (Barnard) had attended dances there and knew Milo and Lena, but had never met Rueben.......

            Rueben Gingrich and Nora Barnard were married June 9, 1896. He and his family left Michigan for Tennessee around 1910. They left Tennessee for Cortland County in New York State in 1917. Their children were: Victor, (1897), Bessie (1898) Ivy, (1899), Vernon, (1901), Lola, (1903), Emily, (1905), Tennessee, (1908), Ira, (1910), Beatrice. (1911), Dorothy (1913), Ernest, (1918), and Ruby (1921). Victor died in 1902, and Dorothy in 1914. Tennessee Gingrich died as a young man of a burst appendix on 4 October 1930. Rueben died in Cortland on 5 May 1937. Nora died in Cortland on 10 May 1951. Both are interred in Virgil Cemetery. All are deceased now with the exception of the youngest, Ruby.

            This document was originally written by Bessie Gingrich Sherman in 1967. It was edited and end notes were added on February 20, 199, by NoraLee Gingrich Montemarano. I am the youngest daughter of Ernest and Nannette Ward Gingrich of Homer, NY. I reside in New York City. Those wishing to contact me may do so by email @ NoraLee9@aol.com.