Person:John Speicher (9)

Paul Speicher, of the Garret County Historical Society (Oakland, Maryland) has an interesting story. He reports that in circa 1829, that a John Speicher from Switzerland migrated to New York City, and soon went to Holmes County, Ohio (adjacent to TUSCARAWAS). After four years, he returned to Switzerland and induced a great many Swiss to return with him to Ohio. Among them, a younger brother, Christian.

The story goes that the brothers remained in Holmes County until 1852, when they sold their properties, and moved to Wabash County, Indiana. This would have been about four years after the first group of Tuscarawas County pioneers (the Daniel Lower group) had migrated to Wabash County, Indiana. Paul Speicher comments on the founding of the Speicher Settlement, and that the brothers owned 2,500 acres of land. This compiler has located Speicher plats to the east of the village of Urbana, and to the south (where the village of Speicherville can be found). John was the founder of the SPEICHER CEMETERY east of Urbana.

Other Swiss families linked to these pages are: Karns, Maurer, Schluep (Sloop), and Gurtner.

--White Creek 15:39, 27 October 2012 (EDT)

SPEICHER CEMETERY, which is to the east of Urbana

JOHN SPEICHER

1.   History of Wabash County (1884).
2.   History of Wabash County, Indiana: a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests. (Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co., 1914).
3.   Alfred Spycher of Switzerland.
4. ↑ Alfred Spycher of Switzerland.

   Alfred says that John migrated in 1834.

5. ↑ History of Wabash County, Indiana (1884).

   John was not identified in the book's list of 18 founders of St. Peter's Church, but was probably on the other list of 21 founders. He was very prominent in the church, and lead a split in the congregation, which resulted in another, and separate church.