History of the Keller (Zercher)--Hauck

and Weis--Roser Families of Germany and St. Louis

Harold Schiffmanhttp://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/family/keller.html

Map of Southwest Germany

Zerchers came from Zürich (Switzerland) after 1648

Zercher means “person from Zurich” in Pfälzisch dialect

‘Zercher’ became the family name of several different families who emigrated to Hassloch from Switzerland after 1648

When Opa ‘Keller’ came to St. Louis, his name was Friedrich Zercher—he changed it for some reason after he got to St. Louis

Sounded funny in American pronunciation?

The name Zercher

After 1648, Peace of Westfalia ended the religious wars

Cujus Regio, ejus Religio (Whoever the ruler was, his religion [Protestant or Catholic] became official)

People who didn’t accept that religion had to leave Many parts of Europe were devastated by the 30

Years War and 100 years war, so they recruited people to resettle in their territories

Our Zercher ancestors would have been Protestant refugees from some Catholic canton in Switzerland

Hassloch was a Protestant ‘island’ in a larger Catholic area

Why did the ‘Zerchers’ leave Switzerland?

For some time there was some mystery about the Keller name and whether it was Keller before Frederick and Barbara Hauck Keller left Germany. Catherine may have discovered this when she discontinued her compilation of the history of the Keller and Weis families, and Mathilda and Merl Schiffman came across some evidence when they visited Germany in 1971 and asked Cousin Heinrich Denzer (from the Weis side of the family, see below) to phone the town clerk in Hassloch and see if they could locate records. When they arrived the next day in Hassloch the clerk excitedly told them that there was no Keller family that fit the description they had given (names, birthdates), but there was another family named Zercher with the same first names and birthdates. This was somewhat disturbing, and since Mathilda felt that Grandpa Philip Keller had not wanted anyone to go to Hassloch to look up family (he conveyed a sense of debt or obligation owed to someone there) Mathilda felt that the name may have been changed to hide something, or anyway was connected with Grandpa's perception that there was a black mark against the family name. Leon Scherrer indicated to me much later that Tante Emma had also told him of once finding some letters in a dresser when she was a child with the Zercher name on them, but couldn't figure out what it meant.

First inkling that there was a name change from Zercher to Keller

Friedrich Zercher came to St. Louis in 1893. No record of his arrival in America

Barbara Hauck Zercher and Elisabeth (10), Philipp (8), Adolph (6) and Emma (2) arrived at Ellis Island on the S. S. Colombia on June 15, 1894. Her sister Mary and her child were also with them.

They took a train from NJ to Buffalo, then on to St. Louis. But they mistakenly got off the train in East St. Louis and there was confusion until they got reunited with Opa.

Coming to America

Born in Trier (Kurpfalz), Germany on Sept. 14, 1858, the son of Elisabeth Bach Weis and Joseph Weis.

Josef Weis of Trier

Trier, Kurpfalz in 1842

Trained as a sculptor at the Cathedral in Trier, then left to come to America to avoid the Prussian draft

Sometime before 1884 he met Katarina Roser in St. Louis and they were married in that year

Founded a marble works—Weis & Jennett

Josef Weis, later in life

Weis & Jennett Marble Works, South St. Louis

Marriage License of Josef Weis and ‘Katie’ Roser, in St. Louis, on 17th of September, 1884.

Married by Justice of Peace because Josef was Catholic and ‘Katie’ was Protestant

Katarina Roser and Family Katarina Roser was

the daughter of Magdalena Reinacher Roser and Christian Roser and was born Oct. 29, 1864 in Tutschfelden bei Kenzingen (Baden)

Tutschfelden is also an isolated Protes

Tutschfelden, now part of Herbolzheim

Tutschfelden is a Protestant hamlet surrounded by mostly Catholic towns (also a relic of 1648)

The Roser family homestead, in the Weinstrasse, in which Katie was born, still in Roser hands. This picture dated 1906

Oma Weis (a.k.a. Katie Roser)

Seems like Katie Roser didn’t like to have her picture taken very much because there aren’t any of her as a girl or young woman except the family picture back in Tuschfelden.

Katie Roser left Germany after her mother died and her father remarried.

Other sources indicate she left on Sept. 10, 1882, and arrived in October 1882.

She went first to Indiana, to stay with an ‘Aunt Imhof’ and then on to St. Louis.

Worked in a boarding house, where she met Josef Weis

A sister, Luisa, also came to St. Louis later and married a Kümmerle, also from Tuschfelden

Oma comes to St. Louis

Some letters she wrote Mathilda in German in 1940

Dear Mathilda, Merl, Gordon, Harold.

I received your letter along with the birthday greetings, and I’m glad that you have not forgotten me. I wanted to write for so long but kept putting it off until now. I always ask your Mother, how you are doing, and am always happy, when I hear that you are doing well, and are all healthy. We are having cold weather now, winter has arrived; last week it was so nice and warm. I think your children have been looking forward for a long time now to Christmas, and are hoping for nice gifts. Herewith I send you a check, so buy something for the children and yourselves, and I hope that you’ll have good times for the Holidays, and hope this writing finds you in good health. I continue to be healthy, so far, and can still do my own housework, although sometimes it is difficult for me, with my 76 years, now thank God, it’s still possible, [taking it] slowly. Now I wish you all a merry Christmas and a good, blessed New Year, and take care until we meet again.

Grandma, Greatgrandma                 Catherine Weis.

St. Louis, December 17. 1940

Translation of letters

2907 Missouri Avenue

Claudia and Harold visit, October 2007

Keller family home on Missouri Avenue, near the corner of Pestalozzi Street. Grandpa built this house for the family, and they lived in the upper apartment

Weis family home on S. Jefferson St., St. Louis

Joseph William Weis, born June 20, 1985 Friedrich H., born Nov. 28, 1886 (died March

18, 1894 after a short illness) Mina Katherine Weis Keller, born April 22,

1889 Gustav Adolph Weis, born Oct. 3, 1890 Karl Johann (Carl John) Weis, born Sept. 14,

1892) Frank Christian Weis, born Dec. 24, 1899

Children of Katie & Josef Weis

Born Dec. 5, 1884 in Hassloch married Friedrich Wilhelm (later Frederick

William) Wilking on August 28, 1907 Also known as Lizzie or Lizette. Was an

excellent seamstress Died September 4, 1908, after giving birth

to Arnold Philip Wilking on (date?). Arnold married Martha Brumby of Louisiana

on November 3, 1937

Elisabeth Keller (Zercher) Wilking

Arnold Philip, (born July 4th, 1940)

Myrtle Angele (born February 20, 1943)◦ Now known as Myrtle Blanton

Richard Bruce (born August 22, 1950)

Children of Arnold and Martha

Philip was taken to a German-medium church-sponsored school but refused to answer the questions put to him by the principal (Arnold Wilking’s grandfather)

He then entered the public school, and advocated strongly for English-medium for all his siblings—the language of opportunity.

Mina and Philip(p) may have attended the same public school (Clinton), but also their families attended the Ebenezer Church

Mina Weis meets Philipp Keller

Ebenezer Church, drawing by Edna

One of the fewpictures we have of Grandma Kelleralone, i.e. not in a family contextMina was known as ‘Minnie’ in English

Mina Weis Keller standing

Philip Keller as a young man

Mina and Philip’s wedding invitation and marriage license:

Wedding took place on September 10, 1910

 

Philipp and Mina’s wedding picturewith Gustav as best man and Emma as Maid of Honor

Title page of Bible given to Phil & Minnie on their wedding day by their Sunday-school class

Phil, Minnie and Mathilda in a lighter moment

Tante Emma in a more informal situation…

The first five Keller girls

The first three… The first five…

As young women

Mathilda, in College Edna, aged 16

Lillian, in high school

High SchoolGraduation picture

Catherine

Family home at 526 Sheffield Avenue,

Webster Groves. Grandpa designed and

built this house

Stained-glass windows in doors between dining room and kitchen at 526 Sheffield

Maid carrying platter of hot food Butcher tempting cat

Grandpa Keller’s Naturalization Certificate, June 6, 1941

1947 reunion photo

Grandma and Grandpa later…

Five sisters, 1989

Daughters with Grandpa at Charles and Jan’s Wedding