This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: goose703 Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.ohio.counties.muskingum/2902.3.2.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Bill I hope the Indians have given up burning down Julesburg, by the way. My g grandfather John was born in 1845 but died in 1942, not 1944. I think it is the same as your John, dod corrected. I have a Civil War medal in my possession, absent the ribbon. I have a distant cousin Jim born I think July 9, 1944, the same as my birthday as I recall. Is this your Jim? Last I heard he lived just east of Yuma. I was born in Yuma. I have traced the family back to Switzerland. Our family came to Philadelphia in 1742. Michael Pletscher, spelled a bit differently I have the ship's (Francis and Elizabeth) manifest. I have been working on a synopsis of the background of the family going back to Switzerland, and will get a copy to you. It is possible that we have a relative who was a knight in Zurich Switzerland in the 15th century or so, but I have not been able to make this connection yet. It is also possible that our family was present at the very early meeting of the Anabaptists. There was a meeting in Switzerland in 1527 which set forth many of the basic tenets of that denomination and I'm working on that connection also. It is certainly true that members of our family going back into the late 18th century and into the early 19th century had a connection with the Amish. The family, or at least part of it left Switzerland and moved to Zimmerhof Germany. Originally the family was in Schleitheim Sw! itzerland. I hope I spelled the name right. I don't have my notes in front of me right now. This community is right on the German Swiss border and you should have no problem finding it on Google earth. Zimmerhof Germany is maybe 50 or 60 miles into Germany from the Swiss border as I recall. It is near Mannheim. There is a possibility that this meeting in 1527 happened on property owned by a relative of ours who lived in this lifetime Switzerland area. To get an idea of the flavor of the religious controversy in Switzerland at that time I look up the name Michael Sattler While the problems in tracing the family background is that most families in that area were Catholic. When members of the Catholic Church or families left the Catholic Church the Catholic Church stop taking note of activities of that family, births and deaths in that sort of thing and so there is a gap in the record that is difficult to trace. Once one covers that gap and gets back into the more distant history then there will be a church record which could be helpful. Bridging the gap is somewhat difficult. I wish I had time to go back to Switzerland and Germany to investigate. Someone in our family should do that. As I recall my grandparents on the Pletcher side were married In Smith Ctr., Kansas. One of the other interesting historical faxes At Smith Ctr., Kansas is the location at which the song "Home on the Range" was written. Civil War John's mother was named Leah. She remarried following the death of great-grandfather John's father whose name was Adam Noah . Adam died in and accident in Ohio in 1847. Be was a barrel maker for the wine industry. He was delivering a wagon load of barrels with a auction team and was crossing a swollen stream at the time of the accident. Leah remarried to a man named John Wesley Weller, my g father's stepfather. JW and Leah moved to Wray, and my g father among others followed them to the area. My grandfather settled in Yuma. Weller died in 1907 and Leah in 1908 and both are buried in the Wray cemetery. Methinks these folks might have been Methodists. I'm not sure how you might or might not be related to me but I do recall being related to any of the pleasures in Yuma? Stay in touch and let me know how this family deal pans out in your mind. I will look for my paper on the subject of the family. I sort of lost track of it. To add to the family confusion it should be remembered that there can be siblings and one family with the 1st name the same. This happens where the younger one dies and there is a later one. That was common hundred years ago to rename the children by the same name. Wouldn't be, now. I have a feeling that the John Pletcher that you mention is not a direct relative of mine but will figure it out. Please stay in touch. Would be interesting to see what is found on your parent's trips. Bythe way, I am in Alaska. John Pletcher Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.