The Yoder Families of Wayne County, Ohio

MENNO PETER YODER.

The family of this name became identified with Wayne county at an early period by the incoming of the founder, who was among the first settlers of Wayne county. Samuel Yoder, a son of this first settler, was a boy at the time his father arrived. The latter bought land in section 30, Greene township, and after spending his life in farming ended his days on the old homestead. Samuel was born in Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, and remained with his parents until of age, when he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land west of Weilersville, Ohio. He spent much labor in clearing this tract and eventually converted it into a valuable home. He died March 31, 1878, aged seventy years, four months and twenty days. In early manhood he married Catherine Naftziger, a native of Germany, who died September 4, 1892. aged over seventy-five years. They had eleven children: Bene, married and both are deceased; Jonathan, who was a farmer and horse dealer in Greene township, first married Leah Stoltzfus, of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, who died in 1881, and second, Mary Zook, of Goshen, Indiana, who again resides at that place, and he died November 4, 1896; Barbara is the wife of David Hostetler; Jacob N. is a resident of Greene township; Levi N. is a farmer, at Holden, IMissouri; Elizabeth (deceased), wife of A. K. Kurtz; Martha is the wife of Ames Smucker; Samuel D. died June 2, 1873, aged twenty-two years; Menno P.; the tenth child, David V., died in infancy; John A. married Sarah Newhouser and is a farmer in Wayne township.

Meno P. Yoder, ninth of this family, was born in Wayne county, Ohio, March 24, 1856. After securing a fair education he taught three terms of school in Greene township. In 1878 he located on section 15, in Wayne township, where he has since resided. On January 22, 1878, he married Veronica Yoder, of Wayne towns’p, daughter of Joash and Catherine (Smucker) Woder. Mr. Yoder has no children. He has been engaged in farming all of his life and has met with a fair amount of success. He is a member of the Oak Grove church in Greene township.

About the year 1720, Barbara Yoder, widow of a man who died at sea on his way from Switzerland to this country, arrived at Philadelphia. This was one of the first Amish Mennonite families that came to Pennsylvania, and they located in the eastern part of the state, either in Lancastei or Beiks county. She was the mother of eight sons and one daughter, the latter becoming the wife of Christ'an Byler. Seven of the sons married and reared families. Christian had eleven children, Jacob, Anna, Christian, John, Fannie, Elizabeth, Barbara, Henry, Yost, Joseph and David. The latter was the grandfather of Joash Aoder. His first wife was Jacobin Esh, who also came from Switzerland and arrived at Philadelphia in 1780. after a long and perilous passage of over six weeks on the ocean. She had three sons and five daughters: Daniel, born 1791; Rebecca, wife of Jacob Zook, born October 18. 1793; Jonathan, born September 2, 1795, married Magdaline, daughter of Zacharius Wagner, who was brought to this country from Hesse, Germany, during the Revolutionary war and died in Berks county, Pennsylvania; Joseph, born September 13, 1797, married Catherine Lantz, of Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, where he lived many years and taught English and Geiman schools. In 1838 he moved to Juniata, Pennsylvania, and in 1846 to McLain county, Illinois, where he bought a farm on which he lived until his death, in February, 1888; Magdaline, born April 23, 1799, married John Lantz and died in 1832; Fannie, born April ii, 1802, married Joel Yoder, of Center county, Pennsylvania; Maria, born April ii, 1804, married John Yoder, of Center county, Pennsylvania; Leah, born December 8, 1806, married Yost Yoder, of Center county, Pennsylvania. In 1849 she and her family moved to Juniata county and from there to McLain county, Illinois, still later to Kansas. David Yoder, grandfather of Joash, went with his family from Berks county, Pennsvlvan'a, to Mifflin county in 1811. He bought a large farm, which after the death of his wife he lost as the result of financial disasters, and died in 1820. His son, Jonathan, who became the father of Joash, was a man of great strength and more than ordinary intelligence. Though he had little schooling, he could read and write German and English, and could solve many difficult problems. When about thirty years old he was called to the ministry of the Amish Mennonite church and served in that capacity to the end of his life. He received no compensation, but worked for the love of the cause, and showed a great deal of ability. He worked for fifty cents a day, yet by industry and the help of his good wife they lived comfortably. Eventually he owned a small home place, four miles west of Lewistown, Pennsylvania. Shortly after his marriage he learned the carpenter's trade and made his living chiefly by that kind of work for some time.

In 1828, when his son Joash was ten years of age, he removed to Half Moon township, Center county, Pennsylvania, and bought one hundred acres of land on which he lived eight years and then removed to Juniata county. Jonathan and Magdalena died in Center county. Nine children grew up, married and reared families, their names being as follows: Leah, born March 28, 1818; Joash, born December 23, 1819; Elias, born October 16, 1821; Elizabeth, born January 5, 1825; Sarah, born December 17, 1826; Amos, born December 17, 1828; Jonathan, born September 21, 1830; Magdaline, 'born July 13, 1832; Asa, born January 24, 1835; Catherine, born September 10, 1836, and Annie, born Eebruary 7, 1840.

In 1846 Elias removed to McLain county, Illinois, near Bloomington, and afterwards other members of the family joined him. In 1850 Jonathan and his wife followed with the remainder of the family. The parents died and were buried there. When fourteen years of age, Magdaline Yoder was bound to Christian Smucker, of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. Her master removing to Mifflin county, she accompanied him and remained with him until eighteen years old. She early became a member of the Amish Mennonite church and was a kind and benevolent woman, as well as the most loving of mothers. She spun all the cloth used by her family, from shirts to overcoats, and wove all of the clothing with her own hands and made all the clothes for the family.

Joash Yoder was born December 23, 1819, in Derry township, Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, and remained at home until twenty-one years old. He did all kinds of farm work, went to the log school house and had all the experiences of the pioneer boy. He studied hard and could read and write English and German. An unusually good scholar at the age of nineteen, he began teaching and kept this up for several years. In 1841 he married Barbara Kaufman, daughter of Christian Kaufman, of Mifflin county. He left Juniata county and lived in a small log house, fourteen by fifteen feet, which belonged to his father-in-law. He cut wood and cleared for fifty cents a day, which was the prevailing price in those times. He had only one son, Eli L., who now lives in Nebraska and has seven children. His wife died October 12, 1851, and in the fall of 1853 he married Catherine Zook, a widow and daughter of Christian Schmucker. She had three children by her former husband and two by Joash Yoder: Veronica, the eldest, is the wife of Menno P. Yoder; Amos died when four years old. Catherine (Zook) Yoder, when married, was living on the farm later occupied by herself and Mr. Yoder. The farm belonged to her three sons, but she owned a life estate. Later Mr. Yoder bought this farm and devoted the rest of his life to its cultivation after he came to Wayne county, and ended his days on this old homestead. He was one of the most prominent and esteemed men in the township. He had an excellent memory and was well posted on current events. Of amiable disposition, fair and just in his dealings, he had many friends.

As printed in the source². Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

JOHN A. YODER.

Although John.A. Yoder, a progressive agriculturist of Wayne township, Wayne county, has spent most of his life in his home locality, is perhaps not especially conversant with conditions prevailing in other portions of the country, he is a man who could have succeeded either in his home country or any other, for a study of his life record reveals the possession of those qualities that make for success in any environment, and he is now one of the substantial citizens of a community which holds high rank in the list of foremost counties in the Union. He is a native of Greene township, Wayne county, where he first saw the light of day May 19, 1861, the son of Samuel and Catherine (Naftzinger) Yoder, the former a native of Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, and the latter was born in Germany. For a full history of the subject's ancestry the reader is directed to the sketch of M. P. Yoder, appearing elsewhere in this volume, and owing to its completeness there, it is deemed unnecessary to repeat it here. Suffice it to say that they were people of the highest integrity and were prominent in their neighborhood.

John A. AYder received only a common school education in his native community, having worked on the home farm during the major part of the year until he reached maturity. He began doing little chores about the place when he was a very small lad, remaining under the parental rooftree until he was twenty-one years of age. He then turned his attention to the WYst and went to Johnson county, Missouri, while yet a single man. He formed a matrimonial alliance with Sarah Neuhauser in the month of January, 1885. She was a native of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and the daughter of C. B. and Catherine (Stoltzfus) Neuhauser, both natives of Lancaster county.

Pennsylvania, who later went to Knox county, Tennessee, where they still reside. To Mr. and Mrs. Yoder three children have been born, namely: Crissie, Nellie and Roy.

After the year 1885 Mr. Yoder lived in Johnson county, Missouri, where he became the owner of an excellent piece of land, consisting of eighty acres of prairie ground, on which he resided for a period of eleven years, prospering by reason of his good management. But his old home in Wayne county, Ohio, still had its allurements and he was never wholly satisfied away from it, so in 1896 he came back to his native community and purchased thirty acres of land where he now lives in Wayne township, known as the Joseph Blocker place. It was badly run down when Mr. Yoder took possession of it, but he has made many valuable improvements and is making a comfortable living on the same. He is a man who takes no special interest in public affairs, never aspiring for office, merely voting the Republican ticket on election days. He and his wife are members of the Amish Mennonite church at Oak- Grove, Greene township.

As printed in the source². Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

REV. CHRISTIAN Z. YODER.

A man who has accomplished much for the amelioration of his fellows in Wayne county is the Rev. Christian Z. Yoder, who has labored long and ardently, often with disregard for his own welfare, if he could thereby make some one better, happier; his influence, like that of his honored father before him, has always been uplifting and hundreds of people have been made better for having known him. He is also a miller of the soil, owning one of the nicest fruit farms in Greene township. His father, the Rev. John K. Yoder, long a noted Amish Mennonite minister, represented a family who lived in the United States prior to the war of the Revolution. His grandfather was brought to America by his parents when finite young, he being the oldest of the family, and to aid his parents by paying for his passage to the New AVorld he was bound out to a farmer in Berks county, Pennsylvania, in which community he remained until he was twenty-one years of age. He married Magdalena Yoder (no relation) and they later moved to Mifflin county, that state, where Mr. Yoder lived until his death. His wife survived him many years, and when she died she had numerous descendants. She and her husband were the parents of eight children, five daughters and three sons. John K. Yoder was the son of John Yoder, who was born in Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, in 1786 and died in 1855. Ke married Mary King, who was a native of Berks county, Pennsylvania, but she was reared in Mifflin county, that state. She was born in 1790 and died in 1886, having lived nearly a century. John Yoder, the father of John K. Yoder, was a member of the Amish Mennonite church, and was regarded by all who knew him as a very honest, upright man. His children were Jacob, Magdalena, Christian, John K. The last named was born January 21, 1824. He was reared on a farm and he naturally selected farming for his life work. He married upon reaching manhood and lied on a farm until 1855, when he moved from his native state to Ohio.

On May 5, 1850, while still in Pennsylvania, Mr. Yoder was selected as a minister in the Mennonite church, which he served faithfully for many years. So great was his fidelity to his church that in October, 1859, selected by ballot as bishop in this church, which high honor was most worthily bestowed according to those who knew the man. for he was both al)le and very conscientious in his duties to his congregation. He was married to Lydia Zook in Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, on January 9, 1845. She was born March i8, 1827, and her death occurred September 20, 1887. She was a faithful wife, a devoted mother and a good Christian. To the Rev. John K. Yoder and wife three children were born, namely; Christian Z., Mary Z. and David Z.

Rev. Christian Z. Yoder was born November 28, 1845. received his early mental training in the home schools, and when he reached maturity he married Lydia Smiley, a native of Elkhart county, Indiana, the date of her birth having been December 5, 1846, and she came to Wayne county, Ohio, with her parents in 1867. She was educated in the common schools and reared on a farm. To this union nine children have been born, eight living beyond infancy.

In April, 1869, Mr. and Mrs. Yoder moved on the farm where they now reside, having made their home here continuously since their marriage. The place consists of one hundred and fifteen acres, all under fine improvements, and it is managed in such a manner as to gain the best results. No fine land can be found in Wayne county than that owned by Mr. '()der, and no more commodious, beautifully designed or more nicely furnished residence is to be found in the rural districts of this county than that of Mr. \’oder. Everything about his ])lace shows that a gentleman of excellent tastes and sound judgment has its management in hand, lie raises a large <uantitv of fruit, for which he always kinds a ready market, lie also has a s])lendid greenhouse, which he has seen develop from a small business to one of large magnitude, one of the most extensive, in fact, in Wayne county.

In 1870 the first Sunday school of the Amish Mennonite church was organized in Wayne county, and Mr. Yoder had the distinction to be chosen as its superintendent, and he succeeded in building up a large Sunday school, serving continuously in the capacity of superintendent until 1904. On October 14, 1890, he was ordained a deacon of the church, and on October 22, 1904, he was ordained as minister in the Amish Mennonite church, into which he ws baptized and received in 1865. He is a worthy son of a worthy sire, the mantle of his noble father, who died August 1, 1906, having fallen upon his shoulders and which he is wearing most becomingly, doing an amount of good in his community, a leader, in fact, in church work and all movements for the general good. He is an earnest speaker, always holding his audiences in rapt attention, being a noted evangelist. He is vice-president of the Mennonite board of missions and charities, being the moving spirit of the same.

To the Rev. Christian Z. Yoder and wife the following children have been born: John S., February 5, 1870, married Sarah Hartzler; David A.. April 3, 1872. married Josephine Lutz, of Medina county, Ohio: Rufus hi., September 7, 1874, married Bertha Albrecht; Menno S., January 5, 1878, married Fetzer, of Smithville, Ohio: Ora C., March 21, 1880, is a graduate of the Rush Medical College of Chicago, having completed the course there very creditably in 1909: Mary E., October 26, 1882, is a teacher in the common schools, and was a student at Goshen, Indiana: Joseph D.. January 14, 1886, is also a teacher, having graduated from the college at Goshen, Indiana; Ira D., August 9. 1888, has also taught school. They are all well educated and show in their daily lives the wholesome home environment in which they were reared.

As printed in the source². Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.