Barbara Zimmerman (1833 - 1896)

Born 18 Mar 1833 in Bourgfelden, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Ancestors

Wife of Jacob Zimmerman — married 22 Sep 1853 in Butler County, Ohio, USA

Descendants

Died 2 Sep 1896 at age 63 in Seward County, Nebraska, USA

Biography

Barbara Zimmerman was born 18 Mar. 1833.^[1] Her parents were Amish Mennonites.

At the age of three she came to America with her family, which settled at Butler County, Ohio. Her father died before 1850, when Barbara appears appears in the 1850 census in Milford Twp., Butler Co., Ohio as follows: Barbary Zimmerman, age 17, b. France, in the household of Joseph Augsburger, 34, b. France. The Augsburgers were Amish like the Zimmermans. Barbara's siblings and their widowed mother were also living in Butler County in 1850.

Barbara Zimmerman married Jacob Zimmerman 22 Sept. 1853 at Butler Co., Ohio.^[2] It appears that Jacob was her third cousin on the Zimmerman side, and her second cousin on the Konig side.

Jacob and Barbara Zimmerman apparently moved to Indiana (where Jacob's family had initially settled) shortly after their marriage, as their son Christian was born there in 1854. Their next child was born three years later in Illinois.

Children:

1. Christian, b. 3 July 1854, m. Rosa Eicher.

2. Jacobina (Phebe), b. 30 July 1857; d. 22 Sept. 1921; m. Joel Steckley.^[3]

3. Anna, b. 17 Apr. 1860; d. 25 Feb. 1912; m. Jacob Beller, 10 Jan. 1882 at Danvers, McLean Co., Illinois.^[4]

4. Barbara Phebe, b. 17 July 1863; m. John Schmeeckle 2 Jan. 1890 at Seward, NE^[5]; d. 6 June 1924 at Cozad, NE.^[6]

5. Catharine, b. 23 Sept. 1866; m. 27 Dec. 1886 at the Amish Mennonite Church in Seward Co., NE to Jonas Steckley of McLean Co., IL, b. 1862 in Canada, son of John and Lena (Somers) Steckley.^[7]

6. Magdalena, b. 30 Sept. 1869, m. Joe Steckley.^[8]

7. Susanna, b. 24 Sept. 1874; d. 9 Oct. 1874.^[9]

Sources

1. ↑ The Barbara (Zimmerman) Schmeeckle Bible, and also Barbara's birth record in Bourgfelden, found on a Mormon microfilm.
2. ↑ The Barbara (Zimmerman) Schmeeckle Bible (now in the possession of Cassandra Fagan of Nashville, Tennessee). That Barbara's maiden name was indeed Zimmerman is shown in the marriage records of her daughters Barbara and Catharine. This date and place of marriage are also given in Barbara Zimmerman’s obituary. Grubb's history of the Amish in Butler Co. also gives this date for the marriage of Barbara Zimmerman, but doesn’t give the name of the groom.
3. ↑ Letter from G. David Dilts of Salt Lake City, dated 12 May 1999. His information comes from his grandmother Katie (Beller) Dilts, a granddaughter of Jacob Zimmerman. Also, Joel and Phebe Steckley were the parents of Jake Steckley who was b. 9 Mar. 1897 near Milford, Nebraska and died 20 Aug. 1937, member of the East Fairview Mennonite church (per obituary sent by the Seward County Genealogical Society). Jacobina’s obituary in the Gospel Herald, 23 Oct. 1921, reads as follows: “Jacobina Steckley (nee Zimmerman) was born July 25, 1857, in Livingston Co., Ill.; died at her home near Milford, Nebr., Sept. 22, 1921, aged 64 y. 1 m. 27 d. She was united in marriage to Joel Steckley Feb. 3, 1880; lived in matrimony 41 y. 7 m. 19 d. They came to Seward Co., Nebr. in 1888 and settled on a farm near Milford where they resided to this time. She accepted her savior early in life and united with the Amish Mennonite Church of which she was a faithful member until death. To this union were born 4 sons and 3 daughters. She leaves her husband, 3 sons, 3 daughters, 3 sisters and 5 grandchildren. Father, mother, 1 brother, 1 sister and 1 son preceded her. Her health had been failing for several years. She was only seriously sick about a week and a half, with ulcers in the stomach.”
4. ↑ Information from G. David Dilts, who notes that this marriage was also recorded “19 Jan. 1882” at Fairbury, Livingston Co., Illinois. Her obituary, in the Mar. 21, 1912 issue of the Gospel Herald, reads as follows: “Anna (Zimmerman) Beller was born in Danvers, Ill., Apr. 16, 1860; died Feb. 25, 1912; aged 51 y. 10 m. 9 d. She was united in marriage with Jacob Beller Jan. 10, 1882. To this union were born 7 children of which 1 preceded her to the spirit world. She united with the A.M. church in her young years and was a faithful member until death. She was laid to rest at the Salem Cemetery near Shickley, Nebr….”
5. ↑ Marriage record of John Schmeeckle and Barbara Zimmerman at Seward Co., Nebraska.
6. ↑ Death record of Barbara (Zimmerman) Schmeeckle.
7. ↑ Marriage record of Jonas Steckley and Catharine Zimmerman at Seward Co., Nebraska.
8. ↑ The Zimmerman Bible shows that she married a Steckley. Her husband’s first name is given in a letter from G. David Dilts (see footnote above).
9. ↑ The Zimmerman Bible shows that she married a Steckley. Her husband’s first name is given in a letter from G. David Dilts (see footnote above).

• Barbara's family and ancestry are discussed at length in the article "Needle in a Haystack" by John Schmeeckle, in Mennonite Family History, Jan. 2003.
• Steckly, Lyal, Steckly Family History & Genealogy, Cambridge, ON, 1993