Person:Unknown Spycher (1)

Paul Speicher, of the Garret County Historical Society (Oakland, Maryland) has an interesting story of the origin of the Speicher surname. It is a story that the Wabash County family also harbors.

The Speicher (Spiker/Spyker, etc.) Family seems to have originated in the German speaking area of Switzerland in circa 1500. Paul Speicher credits the Speicher Family in Indianapolis, Indiana for this story. Apparently, an English Catholic priest named "Wesley" fled religious persecution in Elizabethian England, for Switzerland in circa 1585. He found refuge on a farm outside of Bern, and was hidden in a "granary". According to the story, a granary is a speicher in the German language (spoken in Canton Bern). Hence, he took on that name, became a protestant (probably German Reformed), and married a Swiss girl, and originated the Speicher Family. Nice story, and much of it is credible, except in those days it doesn't seem likely an English person would migrate to a part of Switzerland that was embroiled in religious wars. However, we will probably never know for sure!

The "thread" of this Spycher family extends down to Lorenzo Speicher (died 1967 in Florida), who was married to Alma GEIBEL. Alma was descended from a family whose roots go back to the Palatine village of WALDGREHWEILER, which is the heart of "White Creek's" postings on these WeRelate pages. Alfred Spycher of Switzerland, was the source of much of the data regarding the Spycher / Geibel connection. The Geibel family links to the Henry family, which in turn links to the LOWER (Lauer) family of Wabash County, Indiana. "White Creek" does not know where "Fred" connects to this Speicher family. In 2002 Fred made a visit to America, and included 4 weeks in Wabash County, Indiana.

This Speicher family also connects to the Swiss KARNS (Kern) family of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, and Wabash County, Indiana. They also connect to other families - especially related Palatines - in Wabash County.

--White Creek 00:09, 23 October 2012 (EDT)