Person:Anna Minger (6)

BIOGRAPHY: Written by Mae Brown Siemers Rand

ANNA MAGDALENA (MINGER) ANDEREGG, 1825-1884, AND JOHANN ANDEREGG, 1823-1910

Anna Magdalena Minger was born 10 October 1825 in Limpach, Switzerland and was the oldest child of Johann Ulrich and Anna Maria (Hofer) Minger. She was baptized in the Reformed Church of Messen, a neighboring to Mulchi, where she lived with her parents. At the age of 15, on Sunday, 4 April 1841, she was confirmed in that same church. In the spring of 1845, when Magdalena, as she was known, was 19 years old she and her family immigrated to America. Her name appears on the French passport as "Madelaine". The Minger family settled on a farm in the area near New Philadelphia, Ohio.

On 26 August 1845 Magdalena was married to Johann (John) Anderegg who also had immigrated to America from Switzerland. Various spellings for the name Anderegg appear on record as Andregg, Andregge, Andrech, Andrik and Underick. Magdalena and John had three children born in Ohio - John, Anna Elizabeth (Lizzie) and William. We believe that it was in the year 1852 that the Anderegg family left Ohio and moved to Clayton County, Iowa where John conducted a building and contracting business in the town of Guttenberg. The construction for the Evangelical Lutheran church (now known as St. John's) was started in the year 1854 and John was given the contract for the carpenter work, since his bid of $1100.00 was the lowest. This was the church attended by the Anderegg family and as Magdalena was described as a profound religious person, we can believe that she took an active interest in this church throughout the rest of her life. In time the Anderegg family settled on a farm on Section 32, southwest of Guttenberg. In the year 1856 Magdalena's parents also moved from Ohio to Iowa and located on a farm just a short distance west of the Anderegg farm.

Three more children were born to Magdalena and John - Charles, Julius and Amelia. All of the Andregg children no doubt attended the Jolly Ridge country school which was built in 1858. John "Andregg" is listed as a director of the school in that year. On 16 August 1862 John Anderegg enlisted in the Civil War. He was then 39 years old, with a wife and six children. Eleven days after the date of her husband's enlistment, Magdalena had a seventh child whom she named Lydia. John served in the 27th Infantry and achieved the rank of First Lieutenant. He was discharged after two years of service and returned to his farm.

During the time he had been gone, his little daughter Amelia and also Magdalena's father had both died. Magdalena and John became the parents of two more children - Lydia and Herman. The Sunday School on the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Guttenberg was organized in 1876 and classes were conducted from one to three on Sunday afternoons. In later years Herman told of how he, as a young boy, would take his noon lunch with him and then spend all day Sunday in church. All of Magdalena and John's children married. John made his home in Boise, Idaho. William and Herman both farmed at West Bend, Iowa. Emma, who has been described as a very loving, generous lady, lived in Ireton, Iowa and worked as a midwife and physician's assistant at home deliveries of babies.