Jacob Striffler

Notes:

Supervisor of Elkland Township from 1888 through 1891, and President of Cass City in the last years of the 19th century. (Source: Peck)

Bonnie Margaret Jacobs, in her 1981 unpublished manuscript, wrote that Jacob and his brother John Striffler "decided they'd join the migration west and they had heard of the opening territory of Michigan and the potentially good farm land there. Sight unseen, they bought land for two farms at $2 per acred and set out with their families for their new home in 1859....the trip was reasonably easy the first part of the way. They could catch a boat from Buffalo to the Michigan shores and from there, wagon on to their new land....they found the forest so dense that there was no way to get to the land they had purchased. Disgusted and disappointed, they were prepared to return to Lancaster. But the men in Watrousville [now Caro] advised they not to be so foolish. It was good farm land---once the trees were harvested and a part of each land sale seems to have included a provision that the price of the land did not include the pine that stood on it. Lumbering rights were held by large lumbering companies and the Strifflers could expect to be able to establish their homes by the next spring. So the two young families remained in Watrousville for the winter. Fortunately as well as being experienced farmers, the men were accomplished coopers. So they supported themselves by the making of barrels and buckets through the winter and finally were able to get thier land the next summer." (pp. 151, 152, and Jacobs cites both the "Memoirs of John A. Benkelman," along with interviews with Elsie Buehrly Anthes, Leonard Striffler and Mrs. Ben Schwegler).

He and Louisa were charter members of the Evangelical United Brethren Church in Cass City.

Cass City Enterprise
September 27, 1895

About midnight, Monday, Jacob Striffler, living two miles east and north of town, breathed his last. He had resided here since 1860, and labored hard to make fruitful what was then a wilderness, not without succes. The funeral took place yesterday at the Evangelical Church, Rev. C.W. Ross officiating and being assisted by Rev. J.W. Fenn. The pall bearers were from among his associates and were also pioneers. The attendance was large and the services impressive. Deceased was born March 31, 1918 at Kirrberg, Germany (formerly France) and fell asleep in Jesus at his home September 24, 1895, aged 76 years, 5 months, and 23 days. In 1830 he came with his parents to America and located near Buffalo, NY, he moved to Watrousville, Mich in 1859, and he came her one year later. Early in life he converted to God, became a member of the Evangelical Church, lived a devoted Christian life and was true until called from labor to reward. He also served in a capacity of a class-leader for many years. Mr. Striffler leaves a sorrowing wife, two sons and two daughter (two sons and two daughters precededd him to the better land), three brothers, one sister and a large circle of friends. May God grant all a happy reunion in heaven.

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong, Spring 2007)

(Research):
Census Information:

1850 Census
New York, Erie County, Lancaster
Enumerated 23 Aug 1850
Page 200
1048-1082
Otil Strifler 59 F $2550 Germany
Jacob Strifler 30 M Farmer
Susanna Strifler 27 F
Joseph Stifler 24 M Farmer
Christian Strifler 22 m Farmer
John Strifler 17 Farmer New York (sic)
David Strifler 14


1860 Census
Michigan, Tuscola County, Elkland
59-57
Jacob Striffler 41 M Farmer $280 $75 France
Louisa Striffler 27 F Domestic Wurtinberg
Adaline Striffler 6 F NY
Leonard Striffler 3 M NY
Solomon Striffler 1 NY
The household immediately preceding theirs was that of John and Mary Striffler, his brother.

1870 Census
Michigan, Tuscola County, Elkland
53-53
Striffler, Jacob 51 Farmer $3,030 $300 France
Striffler, Louisa 37 Keeping House Germany Wirtenberg
Striffler, Leonard 13 NY
Striffler, Solomon 10 NY
Striffler, Lydia 4 MI
Striffler, Jacob 4/12 MI
The following three households were those of Adam and Catherine Benkelman, George and Katherine Kolb, and John and Mary Striffler

1880 Census
Census Place:Elkland, Tuscola, Michigan Source:FHL Film 1254607 National Archives Film T9-0607 Page 96C
RelationSexMarrRaceAgeBirthplace
Jacob STRIFFLERSelfMMW61FRANCE Occ:FarmerFa: FRANCEMo: FRANCE
Louisa STRIFFLERWifeFMW46WERTENBERG Occ:Keeping HouseFa: WERTENBERGMo: WERTENBERG
Soloman STRIFFLERSonMSW21NY Occ:FarmerFa: FRANCEMo: WERTENBERG
Samuel STRIFFLERSonMSW8MI Occ:At SchoolFa: FRANCEMo: WERTENBERG
Lydia STRIFFLERDauFSW6MI Occ:At SchoolFa: FRANCEMo: WERTENBERG
Charles JANS OtherMSW33WERTENBERG Occ:FarmerFa: WERTENBERGMo: WERTENBERG

Jacob married Luise "Louisa" Benkelman about 1853 in Lancaster, Erie County, New York. Luise (daughter of Johann Leonhard Benkelmann and Maria Dorothea St?hle) was born on 14 Sep 1833 in Schneiderhof, Waldhausen Parish, Welzheim, Jagstkreis, W?rttemberg, Germany; died on 22 Oct 1910 in Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan; was buried in Elkland Township Cemetery, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Married:
BonnieMargaret Jacobs wrote that Bob Benkelman had a copy of their marriage certificate from Lancaster, Erie County, NY. They were married by Reverand Christian Knapp, who had moved from W?rttemberg to Lancaster to head a Reformed congregation.

Louisa and Jacob had seven children in total, only three of whom survived into adulthood.

1. Adaline Striffler was born on 1 Aug 1854 in Lancaster, Erie County, New York; died on 1 Sep 1866 in Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan; was buried in Elkland Township Cemetery, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan.
2. John Leonard Striffler was born in Jun 1857 in Lancaster, Erie County, New York; died on 29 Apr 1874 in Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan; was buried in Elkland Township Cemetery, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan.
3. Solomon Striffler was born on 5 Apr 1859 in Lancaster, Erie County, New York; died on 8 May 1936 in Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan; was buried on 10 May 1936 in Elkland Township Cemetery, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan.
4. Lydia May Striffler was born about 1866 in Tuscola County, Michigan; died on 2 May 1874 in Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan.
5. Jacob Striffler was born in Mar 1870 in Tuscola County, Michigan; died on 3 May 1874 in Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan; was buried in Elkland Township Cemetery, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan.
6. Samuel Striffler was born on 28 Feb 1872 in Michigan; died on 6 Nov 1954 in San Diego, San Diego County, California.
7. Lydia Striffler was born on 20 Nov 1874 in Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan; died on 7 Mar 1957 in Billings, Yellowstone County, Montana; was buried in Moore Cemetery, Moore, Fergus County, Montana.

Notes:

According to the Rev. Roy J. Striffler, the Striffler's emigrated from the Alsace-Lorraine region of France to New York State in 1830. They were part of the German-speaking population of Alsace. Some of the older Striffler family members recalled a family joke---there were 11 boys in the family, and all of them had a sister Susanna. She married Christian Oscar Lenzner. Family genealogists have only been able to account for eight of the 12 children however. Two of the boys married Benkelman sisters. One son married Mary Rommel, and as there were several Benkelman/Rommel marriages as well, the two families became further intertwined.

Although the family originally settled in New York only Jacob's son David remained in New York. Peter pushed further west, to Kansas. Around 1880, most of the others settled in Cass City, Michigan, where they lived until their deaths. They cut off the stumps remaining on the land they built and turned the wilderness into fruitful farm land.

(Excerpted from Art Peck's THE TEN BENKELMANS WHO EMIGRATED TO AMERICA. He in turn references a September 4, 1950 article from the "Striffler-Benkelman Broadcast", Volume 13, Cass City, Michigan)

Both the flyleaf of the Striffler family Bible, and the tombstone of Jacob Striffler in Lancaster, showed him to be be born in Kirrberg, "departmente de Rhein." (Jacobs, p. 164). In the chapter on the Striffler family in her unpublished 1981 manuscript, BonnieMargaret Jacobs noted that widely spread family stories stated that the Striffler family originated in Switzerland (p. 164). It would appear these were either errorneous, or that the family moved from Switzerland to Alsace.


BonnieMargaret Benkelman Jacobs, in an undated family report she prepared for some of the descendants of the Striffler brothers who married Benkelmann sisters, wrote that birth records had been of the children born to Jacob and Otillia "Have been extracted from the French civil records and translated, and show 8 children born in France, two of whom died while still just children (one was only 15 months old, the other just a few months past their sixth birthday). She stated that "these official civil records support the oft repeated family joke, "There are seven brothers and each one has a sister." On page 165 of her unpublished 1981 manuscript documenting the Benkelman family, she repeated this saying, adding however that "one Striffler heard the riddle with 11 brothers and it should be noted that there is still much to be learned about this family."

With the records in France showing 8 children were born there, and census records show two known children born in the United States, it appears we can account for 10 of the 11. It is possible that records may be uncovered one day to find the final child, or that this final son may have been stillborn or died at a young age, and his memory passed down only through the family joke or riddle.

Jacob married Ottila "Odila" "Otil" Zimmerman on 4 Nov 1809 in Kirberg, Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine, Imperial Territory Of Alsace-Lorraine, Elsa?-Lothringen, Germany. Ottila was born on 10 Nov 1790 in Kirberg, Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine, Imperial Territory Of Alsace-Lorraine, Elsa?-Lothringen, Germany; died on 17 Sep 1863 in Lancaster, Erie County, New York. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Her father was a school master.

(Research):

Census Listings;

1850 Census
New York, Erie County, Lancaster
Enumerated 23 Aug 1850
Page 200
1048-1082
Otil Strifler 59 F $2550 Germany
Jacob Strifler 30 M Farmer
Susanna Strifler 27 F
Joseph Stifler 24 M Farmer
Christian Strifler 22 m Farmer
John Strifler 17 Farmer New York (sic)
David Strifler 14

1860 Census
Not located