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