Erwin W. Kercher

1888 - 1955  (67 years)

• Name	Erwin W. Kercher  [1, 2]
  Birth	5 Sep 1888	Michigan   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Death	14 Nov 1955	Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan   [1, 3]
  Burial	18 Nov 1955	Elkland Township Cemetery, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan   [1]
  Notes	Cass City Chronicle, 30 Aug 1907 Local Items Ervin W. Kaercher, who has been employed in the Chronicle office for nearly a year, left Monday morning for Detroit, where he has secured employment. Ervln has made a large number of friends during his stay in Cass City and all join in wishing him success in his new venture. Wm. Schwain of Pigeon is now employed in the Chronicle office. Robert Carlson writes that "In the 1910 census, Erwin was recorded as Ervin Karecher, and I suspect his birth name was probably Ervin Kaercher or Karecher. The spelling Karecher was used in a lot of documents of the family in Canada, but on the gravestones the spelling is Kaercher. " According to his obituary, he worked at the Cass City Chronicle for 43 years, starting in 1909, leaving the paper in 1952 when his wife became ill. After her death, he worked part time in various Thumb newspaper plants, helping out during peak periods, in addition to maintaining his own printing establishment in the village of Cass City. He was survived by son Charles of Linwood, Lt. Col. Ferris Kercher in Japan and Capt. Gerald Kercher in Germany; a brother Clarence Kercher of Owosso; nine grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
  Person ID	I29697	Strong Family Tree
  Last Modified	17 Aug 2014

  
  

  Father	John Henry Kercher,   b. 2 Nov 1859, Sebringville, Ontario, Canada d. 28 Mar 1948, Owasso County, Michigan (Age 88 years)
  Mother	Louisa Merklinger,   b. Abt 1867, Canada d. 25 Aug 1929 (Age ~ 62 years)
  Marriage	9 Mar 1886	Milverton, Ontario, Canada
  Family ID	F9806	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Amanda Lillian Muck,   b. 17 May 1888, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan d. 3 Jun 1953, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan (Age 65 years)
  Marriage	1 Sep 1909	Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan   [2]
  	Cass City Chronicle Friday, September 3, 1909 Page One September Weddings A pretty home wedding was solemnized at the home of the bride's parents, Mr. and Mrs. A. H. Muck, at eight o'clock Wednesday evening, when their youngest daughter, Amanda L., became the bride of Ervin W. Kaercher. Rev. J. A. Schweitzer was the officiating clergyman who tied the nuptial knot pronouncing the ceremony which united the lives of these estimable young people of our village. The wedding was a quiet one, witnessed only by a few of the immediate relatives of the bride and groom. The bride was becomingly attired in white and never appeared to better advantage while the groom wore the conventional black. Immediately after the ceremony the guests passed to the dining room where a bounteous and delicious lunch was partaken of. The bride is one of our most popular young ladies. From a little girl she has grown up in our midst honored by old and young alike. She is fully capable of filling the home she will adorn with happiness and will prove to be truly a helpmate and companion to the husband she has chosen to honor with her hand. The groom is one of our best young men and at present very ably fills a position at the Chronicle Printery. Mr. and Mrs. Kaercher will be at home to their friends in the Wooley residence on south Ale street. Page Four LOCAL ITEMS Mr. and Mrs. J.H. Kaercher and son, Clarence, of Elkton attended the Muck-Kaercher wedding here Wednesday evening . (Both courtesy of Robert Carlson)
  Children	1. Charles Russell Kercher, Sr.,   b. 1 Feb 1910, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan d. 6 Oct 1996, Bay County, Michigan (Age 86 years)   2. Ferris A. Kercher,   b. 30 Apr 1916, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan d. 5 Oct 2007, Ocala, Marion County, Florida (Age 91 years)   3. Gerald Frederick Kercher,   b. 9 Jan 1924, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan d. 21 Aug 2011, Quaker Hill, New London County, Connecticut (Age 87 years)
  Family ID	F9567	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	10 Dec 2011

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - 5 Sep 1888 - Michigan Marriage - 1 Sep 1909 - Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan Death - 14 Nov 1955 - Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan Burial - 18 Nov 1955 - Elkland Township Cemetery, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos

  Live Wire Bible Class of the Evangelical United Brethern Church Sunday School, Cass City Michigan, ca 1917 FRONT ROW, l to r, Grant McConnell, class leader; UNKNOWN Clergyman, UNKNOWN class member, William Schwegler, Sam Helwig, George Burg SECOND ROW, l to r, Hattie Helwig McConnell, Janet "Jennie" Gardner Buehrly, Minerva Helwig Sherman, Mary Buehrly Striffler, Mary Mark Buehrly THIRD ROW; l to r, Alma Striffler Schenck holding her baby Ruth, Lena Helwig Jaus, Lillian Striffler Ricker, Minnie Jesse Benkelman, Mary Schwegler Jaus, Jacob Hiller. Note: Alma Striffler Schenck's three year old son, Donald, was said to be asleep in the Model T Ford just to the left of the group at the time this photo was taken FOURTH ROW: l to r, Elsie Buehrly, Mary Striffler Helwig, Cora Helwig Klinkman, Laura McConnell Hiller, Alice Ross Schwegler, Mary McLellan Joos, Ed Helwig FIFTH ROW, l to r, Art Ricker, Erwin Kercher, Ed Buehrly, Harvey Klinkman, UNKNOWN Class Member, Fred Buehrly, Fred Joos TOP ROW, l to r, Sol Striffler, Clayton Schenck, Fred Jaus, William Ackerman, Sam Jaus It appears that at least 33 of the 36 adults in this Sunday School class were directly related, through either blood or marriage, to the Striffler, Benkelman and Helwig families who emigrated together from Erie County, New York to Tuscola County, Michigan beginning in the 1860's. PLEASE HELP US IDENTIFY THE UNKNOWN INDIVIDUALS.

  
  

  Documents

  Striffler-Benkelman Annual Labor Day Family Reunion, 1936 Newspaper article In the mid 1850's, in Erie County, New York, two sons of Jacob & Otilla Striffler married two Benkelman sisters. Shortly after their marriages, the couples moved to the Michigan frontier, many of their brothers and sisters following them. The two families remained intertwined for subsequent generations. At a reunion of the Henry Striffler family in 1930 it was decided to enlarge the scope of the reunion to include descendants of Henry, Jacob, Joseph, Christian, John and Susan Striffler. Members and "in laws" of these families first gathered at the Assembly grounds in Sebewaing for a reunion in 1932. As the Benkelman-Striffler family had remained very close over the years, all branches of the Benkelman family were invited to their Sixth Reunion, and since that time it remained a joint event. This articles from the 1936 "Cass City Chronicle" details one of the earliest joint reunions. Attended by over 170 family members, the reunion was held on the John Striffler homestead northeast of Cass City, with attendees travelling from Ontario, Ohio and many places in Michigan. President W.D. STRIFFLER presided at a business meeting in 1936, and Harry HUNT, Mrs. S.G BENKELMAN (the former Mary Striffler), and Mrs. Ben SCHWEGLER (the former Joanna Mark) were elected officers for the ensuing year. The first volume of the STRIFFLER-BENKELMAN BROADCAST was published for the September 1936 reunion.

  
  

• Sources

  [S722] Elkland (Twp, Tuscola Co, MI) Cemetery Records ; http://elkland.rawson.lib.mi.us/. [S653] Cass City Chronicle, P.O. Box 115, Cass City, Michigan 48726, Published continously since 1899, archived from 1899 through 2005 at http://newspapers.rawson.lib.mi.us/chronicle/, Friday, September 3, 1909 (Reliability: 3). [S595] Striffler-Benkelman Broadcast, (Family Publication, published sporadically to record family milestones in connection with the annual Striffler-Benkelman Family Reunions, with Vol. 1, Number 1, published Sept. 7, 1936. Issues on file at the Rawson Memorial Library in Cass City, Michigan include Vol. 5 (1941), Vol. 7 (1944) and Volumes 8 (1945) through Vol. 28 (1968). Issues published from 1961 through 1964 were not assigned volume numbers, and 1963 appears to be missing. Xeroxes of the existing issues were also made by Melinda McLemore Strong in 2007. According to a article published by the Cass City Chronicle on August 6, 1981, commemorating the Fiftieth and Final Striffler-Benkelman Reunion, the final issue of the STRIFFLER-BENKELMAN BROADCAST appears to have been Volume 28, published in 1968.), Volume 19, September 3, 1956 (Reliability: 3).