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PIFHER Family of North Auburn and Crawford County OH, and also of MI, MN, OR, WI

PIFHER Family of North Auburn and Crawford County OH, and also of MI, MN, OR, WI

Posted: 3 Jan 2005 4:30PM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: Pifher
I am searching for descendants of the Pifher family that originated in the town of North Auburn and Auburn and Cranberry Townships in Crawford County, Ohio. Matthias and Odelia (Heffner) Pifher immigrated from Alsace-Lorraine in what is now France first to Canada, then to Thompson Township, Seneca County, Ohio near the town of Frank. Their original name was Pfeiffer, but the family story is that, while at school in Frank, the Catholic branch was forced to change their name to distinguish them from the Protestant branch. Thus, the Pifhers are the Catholics. The children of Matthias and Odelia were:

Michael, born 1838 not in Ohio, died June 16, 1863 at the Battle of Vicksburg, never married.

John, born October 28, 1840, died June 8, 1901 in Marcell Township Itasca County MN, married Barbara Gullung.

Joseph, born August 7, 1843, died March 16, 1918 in Auburn Township, married Elizabeth Rebecca DeWitt.

George, born 1844, enlisted in Civil War despite being underage, given court martial on July 15, 1865 at Nashville TN military prison, paroled September 1865, never returned home. Pifher family may have given out the tradition that George died at Andersonville prison in SC to avoid disgrace. May have changed the spelling of his name, perhaps to PIFER.

Daniel, born 1847, died 1850 in Thompson Township.

Mary Catherine, born September 26, 1849, died June 15, 1935 in Bucyrus OH, married Anton Schott.

Charles, born February 1853, died in Wood County OH, married Lillian R. Ginter.

Lewis M., born March 12, 1855, died May 3, 1925 in Coleman MI, married Mary Catherine Dallas.

John, Joseph, George, Daniel, and Mary Catherine were all born in Thompson Township. Charles and Lewis were born in Cranberry Township. The family of John Pifher branched out to Minnesota, Oregon, Wisconsin, and back to the North Auburn area. Joseph's line remained in the North Auburn and Crawford County areas. Lewis family settled in Michigan. Mary Catherine's family (the Schotts) has mostly stayed in Ohio (I am her great-great-grandson).

Any information anyone has about any of these lines would be greatly appreciated, especially those of Charles and, if any of his story rings a bell, of George, I'd be very grateful for your help. I have a lot of other info myself and would be more than happy to share. E-mails are welcome.

Thanks,
Noah Graf

Re: PIFHER Family of North Auburn and Crawford County OH, and also of MI, MN, OR, WI

Posted: 16 Jun 2005 4:39PM GMT
Classification: Query
I am a decedant of a Charles william pifher my ggrandfather, my grandfather was charles edward pifher, who married Ava Baldock and they had 6 kids Caroline, Carl, Josephine, robert, Earl, and pasty. Earl is my father, He said that we originated from somewhere between france and germany then migrated to ohio area. I am just starting to do this so I don't have much information yet.

Re: PIFHER Family of North Auburn and Crawford County OH, and also of MI, MN, OR, WI

Posted: 17 Jun 2005 4:49AM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: Pifher
Hi Amy!

Yes, we are indeed related (pretty much all the Pifhers are). I actually do have some info on your line of the family, but I was never able to work extensively on the Oregon branch of the family. However, I do have Charles Pifher in my records:

Charles William Pifher
born, February 7, 1879 in Buycrus, Crawford County, Ohio
died, October 7, 1957 in Baker City, Oregon

married (1) on January 30, 1907 in Minneapolis, Minnesota:
Rosa T. Gamoll
born, 1884
died, August 22, 1913 in Crawford County, Ohio
buried, Mother of Sorrows Cemetary, North Auburn, Ohio

married (2) on April 14, 1915 in Madison, Wisconsin
Mary Marcella Raftery
born, (unknown)
died, November 14, 1925 in Marcell Township, Itasca County, Minnesota

Charles William Pifher had the following children:

By Rosa Gamoll:
1) Lucille Pifher
2) Charles Edward Pifher (your grandfather)
3) Jerome Victor Pifher
4) Magdalena Pifher

By Mary Raftery:
5) Robert A. Pifher
6) Francis L. Pifher
7) Joseph A. Pifher
8) Mary A. Pifher

In terms of general family history, I know this much. Charles William Pifher and his elder brother Edward George Pifher moved to the area of Marcell Township, Itasca County, Minnesota and started a farm there at the very end of the 19th century. They started out as farmers, though the area was apparently most noted for it's lumber, and thus at least a few Pifhers would later become lumberjacks in Minnesota. The brothers were joined in 1917 by their younger brother Arthur Jerome Pifher, who also started his family in the area. Charles' family moved to the area of Baker City, Oregon at some point after the death of his second wife Mary. As far as I have been able to surmise, the Oregon branch of the family has mostly remained in that same area.

Charles William Pifher was the 5th child of John Pifher and Barbara (Gullung) Pifher. John Pifher owned a farm in Auburn Township, Crawford County, Ohio, though for a period of time he lived in the nearby town of Bucyrus where Charles and several other children were born. John was a highly respected member of the Crawford County community. He served with great distinction in the Civil War, joining in 1861, serving until his term of service was up in 1863, then reenlisting in 1864 before finally getting wounded and sent home later in that year. He actually died on a trip to visit his sons in Minnesota in 1901.

The Pifher clan, however, originates with Mathias and Odelia (Heffner) Pifher. Their original surname was Pfeiffer, but that was changed in the United States, according to a story by John Pifher, by the nuns in the Catholic school where the children attended, in order to tell them apart from the Protestant lines of the family who had also immigrated. The Pfeiffers immigrated from the Alsace Lorraine region of France (which is on the German border and is inhabited by many German speakers) in 1840 and moved immediately to the area of Seneca County, Ohio (they would later move to nearby Crawford County where the family would be based from then on). Unfortunately, I do not know the name of the village in Alsace from which they came. Mathias' parents were John (Johann) and Catherine Pfeiffer, who came over with Mathias, but who I have thus far been unable to track in this country.

I have been researching the Pifhers for a few years now and have built up quite an extensive database and file on them. Hopefully this gives you a good background on where to go with your own research. The thing is, if you are serious about genealogy, getting your hands dirty and researching is the fun part. Basically I wouldn't want to give you so much information that it would leave little left for you to go after, unless of course that's what you'd want. I am more than willing to share whatever you would like that I can give you. Also though, since I really don't have much information beyond what I just listed on the line of Charles William Pifher, if you wouldn't mind sharing any info you have gathered on his line (since obviously you are much more closely related on that side) it would be greatly appreciate. Trading information is sort of a currency among genealogists as you will find in your future searches

Anyway, please do keep in touch and so let me know what you'd like me to send to you. E-mail would be easiest for me to use in the future if we exchange larger amounts of information. You can contact me at graf_n17@hotmail.com or if you'd prefer, just post a response here.

I look forward to working with you Amy, and good luck with your own Pifher quest.

Sincerely,
Noah Graf

Re: PIFHER Family of North Auburn and Crawford County OH, and also of MI, MN, OR, WI

Catherine M. Pifher (View posts)
Posted: 21 Aug 2005 4:00AM GMT
Classification: Query
Hi Noah....
I'm the grand daughter of Lewis Pifher and Mary Catherine Dallas.
My father was the youngest son of Lewis family. Norman Harold
Pifher born Oct,20th, 1907 and died Apr.14th, 1991 in Flint, Mi.
Lewis had five children, John Lewis, Clarence Albert, Edward
Charles, Hazel (Genevieve) a nun of Sisters of Charity of
Baltimore, Md., and Norman Harold Pifher all of Michigan.
They were all born in Montpiler. Ohio or close by. I'm 76 yrs.
and reside in Fremont, Mi. which is north of Grand Rapids,Mi.
I've accumulated very much on the Pifher genealogy.
I have two brothers, Donald LeRoy Pifher and Frank Lewis
Pifher living. Three sons, eight grand children and three great
grand children. E- Mail kit.obrien @ comcast,net

Re: PIFHER Family of North Auburn and Crawford County OH, and also of MI, MN, OR, WI

Deborah Pifher (View posts)
Posted: 9 Sep 2005 3:22PM GMT
Classification: Query
I am a great grand daughter of Lewis Pifher and Mary Catherine Dallas.
I don't have my information on me. But he had a son named Norman Pifher that married Helen Wildfong (my grandparents) They had a son named Donald Pifher that married Marlene Hatt (my parents).
There is a family reunion on Sept 25 this year at the church in Ohio and you can visit the cemetary where most of the family is buried. If you need more information contact me.
Deb@BirchwoodHomes.com

Re: PIFHER Family of North Auburn and Crawford County OH, and also of MI, MN, OR, WI

Posted: 28 Jun 2006 8:37PM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 28 Jun 2006 9:10PM GMT
Surnames: Pifher, Wechter, Hay, Mann
I am beginning a family tree for Randal Pifher, who is falling in line with other messages of yours that I have read. Can you please e-mail me more. real4me3@bellsouth.net

Re: PIFHER Family of North Auburn and Crawford County OH, and also of MI, MN, OR, WI

G. S. Weithman (View posts)
Posted: 9 Jul 2006 5:19PM GMT
Classification: Query
I have documentation on the marriage of Pierre (Peter) and Barbary (Young, Jung, Tung). They had several children one daughter Mary married a Heydinger. Barbara My great great grandmother married John Pifher son of Mathias Pifher.

Contact me,

G. S. Weithman

Re: PIFHER Family of North Auburn and Crawford County OH, and also of MI, MN, OR, WI

Posted: 11 Jul 2006 8:52PM GMT
Classification: Query
I would be interested in receiving whatever info you have on the Pifher side. The line that I am tracing is through Matthias, Joseph, etc. I am willing to share any info that I have. Thanks!

Re: PIFHER Family of North Auburn and Crawford County OH, and also of MI, MN, OR, WI

Posted: 9 Sep 2006 3:16AM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: Pifher
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Re: PIFHER Family of North Auburn and Crawford County OH, and also of MI, MN, OR, WI

Posted: 9 Sep 2006 3:19AM GMT
Classification: Query
Just trying to figure out which account is my main one.
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