FROM BLUFFTON ICON - Bluffton Icon features a weekly series of Swiss immigrant families who settled in the Bluffton and Pandora area. One of those family members, Rosa Badertscher married Edwin Simon and that couple moved to the Ada area and had 6 boys and 2 girls. This is the story of that larger Badertscher family.
Karl and Anna Weber Badertscher and family are this week’s focus.
A previous column featured Peter and Anna Aeschliman Badertscher (Jan. 21, 2021) and we are unable to find any connections between these two Badertschers.
Karl, the youngest of five children, was born to Ulrich and Anna Walti Badertscher on Aug. 7, 1853, in Lauperswil, Canton Bern, Switzerland. Ulrich was born July 10, 1796, in Lauperswil Emmental Bern, Switzerland. He died circa 1883.
Karl was a farmer and married Anna Weber on Dec. 12, 1878, in Switzerland. The couple had a son, Siegfried, born Oct. 8, 1879, who was four when the family came to America around 1883. They first settled in Wayne County, Ohio, with Karl’s parents, a half-brother, Frederick, and sisters, Maria and Rosina, (or Rosetta).
Ulrich and Anna had two sons born before Karl. They were John Rudolph, born Dec. 5, 1843, and died July 19, 1868, in Canton Bern.
The second son, John, was born May 30, 1846, and died two years later, also in Bern.
Ulrich and Anna’s oldest child, Maria, was born Nov. 18, 1839, and was never married. Rosina was born July 6, 1850, and married John Freidrich Kammerman. Both daughters were born in Canton Bern, and we have no further information on them.
When Ulrich died in Wayne County, around 1883, his wife, Anna, chose to come to Putnam County, along with Maria, Rosina and Karl, because she had several brothers and a sister living in the Bluffton-Pandora communities. Anna’s mother, Christina Gerber Walti, died on Sept. 30, 1890, at the age of 90.
Ulrich and Anna's son, Frederick, remained in Wayne County where he married Maria Steffen.
This left Karl the only child remaining in this area.
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Ulrich’s first wife: Anna Barbara Witmer
Born: Feb. 17, 1793, Switzerland
Died: Feb. 21, 1838, Switzerland
Ulrich and Anna Witmer Badertscher’s child
Frederick Badertscher
Born: March 25, 1833, Canton Bern, Switzerland
Died: April 2, 1909, Wayne County
Spouse: Maria Steffen
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Ulrich Badertscher’s second wife: Anna Walti
Born: June 2, 1819, Bagischwand Emmental Bern, Switzerland
Died: Nov. 7, 1893
Anna’s father: John Walti, 1787-1855
Anna’s mother: Christiana Gerber, 1793-1890
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Ulrich and Anna Walti Badertscher’s children
Maria Badertscher
Born: Nov. 18, 1839, Canton Bern
Died: 1904 ?
John Rudolph Badertscher
Born: Dec. 5, 1843, Muenster, Canton Bern
Died: July 19, 1868?
John Badertscher
Born: May 30, 1846, Canton Bern
Died: 1848, Canton Bern
Rosina Badertscher
Born: July 6, 1850, Canton Bern
Died: March 16, 1906 ?
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Karl Badertscher
Born: Aug. 7, 1853, Lauperswil Stadtbezirk, Canton Bern
Died: Feb. 6, 1937, Pandora
Burial: Pleasant Ridge Cemetery, Pandora
Karl's first wife: Anna Weber
Born: March 2, 1852, Golaten, Canton Bern
Died: May 4, 1917, Pandora
Buried: Pleasant Ridge Cemetery, Pandora
Anna’s father: Peter Weber
Anna’s mother: Anna Neuenschwander
Children of Karl and Anna Weber Badertscher
Siegfried Badertscher
Born: Oct. 8, 1879, Switzerland
Died: Oregon ?
Spouse: Ida Amsler
Born: Canton Aargau, Switzerland
The couple had one daughter, Dorothy, born, July 25, 1912
Karl Badertscher
Born: Aug. 19, 1880, Switzerland
Died: Aug. 19, 1880, Switzerland
Karl August Badertscher
Born: Nov. 15, 1881, Switzerland
Died: March 25, 1883, Switzerland
Theresa Badertscher
Born: July 22, 1883, Riley Township
Died: Oct. 27, 1920, Tiro, Crawford County, Ohio
Spouse: Edwin J. Amstutz
The couple had 7 children; 5 grew to adulthood
Helena B. Badertscher
Born: Dec. 19, 1885, Pandora
Died: Sept. 2, 1971, Oakland, Michigan
Spouse: Philip Moser
The couple had 3 boys and 2 girls
Philip’s father: John M. Moser
Philip’s mother: Emma Kitchanholtz
Arthur C. Badertscher
Born: Aug. 24, 1887, Pandora
Died: Dec. 15, 1973, Richland Township
Spouse: Lydia Seyer
The couple had 5 children: Leonard, Lucille (Hunt), Lorain, Leland and Lester
Lydia’s father: Fred Seyer
Lydia’s mother: Katherina Amstutz
Rosa Badertscher
Born: Dec. 18, 1889, Pandora
Died: June 20, 1954, Ada, Ohio
Spouse: Edward Simon
The couple had 6 boys and 2 girls and lived in the Ada area
Edwin’s father: Anthony Simon
Edwin’s mother: Mary Burry
Otto Karl Badertscher
Born: Feb. 29, 1892, Pandora
Died: June 12, 1986, Dunlap Hospital, Orrville, Ohio
Spouse: Lydia Tscheigg
The couple had 3 children: Harold, Laverne and Doris
Lydia’s father: Johann Eugene Tscheigg
Lydia’s mother: Marion Klay Tscheigg
Matilda Lilly Badertscher
Born: July 17, 1894, Pandora
Died: May 11, 1917, Union Township, Hancock County
Spouse: Edward Weierman
The couple had 1 son, Francis, born April 30, 1917. When he was 11 days old Matilda died on May 11, 1917, from tuberculosis at age 22, near Mt. Cory. His mother, Anna, had died seven days earlier. A home was found for Francis with the Daniel Basinger family.
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Karl's second wife: Helena Sprunger
Born: Nov. 19, 1875, Berne, Indiana
Died: April 9, 1982, Pandora
Buried: Pleasant Ridge Cemetery, Pandora
The couple had no children
Helena’s father: Stephen Sprunger, 1848-1893
Helena’s mother: Anna Liechty, 1854-1939
