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Joseph is the son of Joseph
Letcher [Sr.] and his wife
Magdalena Koch of Willisau, in
the Canton of Luzern, in Switzerland,
and (later), of Naperville,
DuPage County Illinois.
--------------------------------
Note: PLEASE, do NOT transfer this
memorial to other web sites.
Thanks, Nancy (Letcher) Heib.
---------------------------------
Joseph was born on April 29, 1883
(per his obituary).
--------------------------------------
Joseph was born in Willisau,
in the Canton of Luzern, in Switzerland
(per the birth certificate for his
son Harvey).
--------------------------------------
Joseph was the eldest of four children
(two boys and two girls).
-------------------------------------
Note: In 1970, Ronald Yender (later
known as "Father Basil - Yender"),
the grandson of Joseph's sister Mary,
went to the Catholic Parish in ...
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Joseph is the son of Joseph
Letcher [Sr.] and his wife
Magdalena Koch of Willisau, in
the Canton of Luzern, in Switzerland,
and (later), of Naperville,
DuPage County Illinois.
--------------------------------
Note: PLEASE, do NOT transfer this
memorial to other web sites.
Thanks, Nancy (Letcher) Heib.
---------------------------------
Joseph was born on April 29, 1883
(per his obituary).
--------------------------------------
Joseph was born in Willisau,
in the Canton of Luzern, in Switzerland
(per the birth certificate for his
son Harvey).
--------------------------------------
Joseph was the eldest of four children
(two boys and two girls).
-------------------------------------
Note: In 1970, Ronald Yender (later
known as "Father Basil - Yender"),
the grandson of Joseph's sister Mary,
went to the Catholic Parish in
Willisau, Switzerland (when he was
studying for the priesthood), and
obtained the birth records for Joseph
and his siblings, and the marriage
record of their parents.
(The family states that the "date of
birth" he obtained there for Joseph
was incorrect. Perhaps that date was
for "another" Joseph Letcher).
-------------------------------------
Joseph immigrated to the United States
through Ellis Island, New York with
his parents, his brother Alois, and
his sister Mary, on Dec. 18, 1893, when
he was age 10 years, and 8 months
(NOT 18 years as stated in his obituary).
---
Note: "Portions" of their ship passenger
records (which were later typed),
can be viewed at: www.ellisisland.org
(listed under Joseph "Lotscher")
-----
Note: The entire "original" ship passenger
records for this family (written in the
original handwriting), can be viewed
(on microfilm), at the Allen County
Public Library, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
-------------------------------
Note: Joseph's Granddaughter
Janet (Letcher) Harper, has had
Joseph's family added to "The Ammerican
Immigrant Wall of Honor" at Ellis Island,
New York, in the name of: The Joseph G.
"Lotscher" Family, on Panel # 720.
(See them listed on the
Ellis Island web site).
---------------------------------------
Note: His family also brought two
little boys to the U.S. with them,
both named Joseph Koch, ages 4 and 7.
They were the sons of his mother
Magdalena's unwed sisters Mary and
Rosa Koch, who had both immigrated
previously.
-----------------------------------
In Switzerland, their surname was
spelled "Lotscher", with two dots
over the "o", called an "umlaut".
This was the spelling in both the
Catholic Parish (Church) records in
Willisau, Switzerland, and on the ship
passenger records when they immigrated.
When it is typed on a typewriter
which has no "umlaut" key, it is
spelled as "Loetscher".
(When the "umlaut" is removed, that
changes the spelling, as the "umlaut"
takes the place of a vowel).
The family switched to the spelling
of "Letcher" after they had settled
in Naperville, DuPage County Illinois.
---
Note: When doing research on this family
in Switzerland, search under both
spellings, "Lotscher", and "Loetscher".
-------------------------------------
Joseph was age 15 years and 8 months,
when his mother Magdalena died of
"post operation infection" on
Dec. 30, 1898, at the age of 38.
-------------------------------------
Joseph was age 19 years and 8 months,
when his father Joseph Letcher Sr.
died of pneumonia, on Dec. 29, 1902,
in Naperville, DuPage County Illinois,
which left the four children orphans.
-------------------------------------
Joseph and his brother Alois Letcher
then went to live on the farms of
seperate "Ehrhart" families in the area.
Note: Edward Ehrhart was a "witness"
(in the wedding party), for the
wedding of Joseph's Aunt Rosa Koch
to Alex Keller on June 6, 1893, at
the Sts. Peter and Paul (Catholic)
Church in Naperville, Illinois.
(There were five different Ehrhart
family's shown on a Naperville
Township plat map).
--------------------------------------
Joseph was married to
Ida May Ketchum on
Feb. 20, 1906 in Eola, Illinois
(West of Naperville), at the
St. Mary's Catholic Church in
Eola, DuPage County Illinois,
by D. P. O'Brian, Pastor of
St. Mary's Catholic Church
(per their marriage certificate).
"Witnesses" to the ceremony were
Alois Letcher (Joseph's brother),
and Stella Ketchum (Ida May's sister).
Joseph was age 22 and Ida May age 19.
--------------------------------------
Note: Joseph G. Letcher and his brother
Alois Letcher married sisters, Ida May
and Alice Ketchum.
--------------------------------------
Joseph and Ida May had five children
(They are listed in the memorial for
his wife Ida May Letcher, of Michigan).
--------------------------------------
In 1908, Joseph's brother Alois Letcher
and his sister Mary Letcher, were the
godparents at the baptism for Joseph's
first-born child Grace Mary Letcher,
at the Saints Peter and Paul (Catholic)
Church, in Naperville, Illinois.
----------------------------------
On Sept. 8, 1909, Joseph's brother
Alois (nicknamed "Alex") Letcher
was married to Alice Ketchum
(Ida May's sister), at the
Sts. Peter and Paul (Catholic) Church,
in Naperville, Illinois.
Joseph and his wife Ida May did not
attend this wedding (per post-cards
that Joseph's sister Mary, had sent
to their sister Pauline, following
this wedding).
The "attendants" at the wedding
of Alois Letcher and his wife
Alice Ketchum, were James Ketchum,
and Stella Ketchum (siblings of Alice),
Mary Letcher (sister of Alois), and
Herman A. F. Jordan (per their marriage
certificate, and also, per their sister
Mary's son Andrew Yender). See a photo
of Alois Letcher's wedding party, on the
memorial for Alois Letcher of Michigan.
---------------------------------
In 1910, Joseph's brother Alois Letcher
and a relative named John Neff
("possibly" a cousin of Joseph's mother
Magdalena),
were the "sponsors" at the baptism
for Joseph's second-born child
Harvey James Letcher, at the
Sts. Peter and Paul (Catholic) Church
in Naperville, Illinois.
-------------------------------------
Note: John Neff was a relative of
the family (per postcards Joseph's
sister Mary wrote to her sister Pauline).
The 1900 and 1910 census' shows
John Neff (a single man), living
near Naperville, in Lisle township,
DuPage County Illinois, with farming
families.
John Neff was born in the Canton
of Luzern, in Switzerland
on May 1, 1866. He was married in
Naperville on June 6, 1911.
(Joseph's sister Mary Letcher, was the
maid-of-honor at John Neff's wedding).
(Joseph Letcher purchased his farm
in Buchanan, Michigan in 1912).
John Neff had a daughter who was born
in Buchanan, Michigan on Sept. 9, 1912.
(Did Joseph Letcher and John Neff
possibly follow one another to
Buchanan, Michigan?) John Neff died
on Jan. 8, 1914, in Buchanan, Berrien
County Michigan, at the age of 47 years.
Joseph and his brother Alois Letcher,
are both mentioned in John Neff's
probate records (because John Neff had
loaned each of them money, about the
time that each of them were married).
See the memorial for
John Neff, who is buried in the Calvary
Cemetery, in Niles, Berrien County
Michigan, on find-a-grave.
---------------------------------------
On Nov. 11, 1911 (11-11-1911), a tornado
hit the farm of Calvin Steck, which Joseph
and Ida May were renting in Naperville
township, near Big Woods (N.-W. of
Naperville, DuPage County, Illinois).
The barn was totally demolished and a
number of Joseph's cattle were killed,
while others were badly hurt. Two
windmills were demolished and other
buildings wrecked. Joseph and his
hired man, who were in the barn
milking the cows, heard the cracking
of the timbers, and they left the
barn just in time.
(Article published in the "Naperville
Clarion" newspaper, in Naperville, IL
on Wed. Nov. 15, 1911, page one).
---------------------------------------
Joseph and his wife Ida May, then
moved from Naperville Township,
DuPage County Illinois to
Main Street Road (in Buchanan Twp.)
N.-W. of Buchanan, Berrien County
Michigan in 1912.
----
On March 6, 1912 Joseph purchased
70 acres in Section 15 of Buchanan
Township, Berrien Co. Michigan from
John A. Arthur. Joseph purchased
an additional 40 acres in Section
15 of Buchanan Twp. Berrien Co. MI
on May 13, 1916 (across the street
from the first 70 acres), where the
Miller School was later built (on
the corner of Main Street Road and
Miller Road). Joseph was a charter
school board member. This is also
the parcel of land on which Joseph
and his wife Ida May built a new home
after they retired, and their son
Bob and his wife Doris moved into
the original farm-house.
----------------------------------
Joseph's farm was a fruit farm (mainly
peaches), and dairy farm. The peach
orchards were removed in the 1950's.
-----------------------------------
Note: Joseph's Aunt Rosa (Koch) Keller
(his mother's sister), then moved from
Naperville, DuPage County Illinois to
Buchanan Twp., Berrien County Michigan
with her seven children in 1913,
shortly after her husband passed away.
[They had purchased the farm before
Rosa's husband died].
--------------------------------------
Joseph's brother Alois (nickname "Alex")
Letcher, moved with his wife and three
sons, from Naperville, Illinois, to a
farm he purchased in 1919, located at
3575 W. Bertrand Road, in Bertrand
Township, South of Buchanan, Michigan.
---------------------------------------
The "Moccasin Grange" No. 1658
(later called the "Wagner Grange"), in
Buchanan, MI was organized on Nov. 21,
1918 with 32 charter members. Mr. and
Mrs. Joe Letcher were listed among
the charter members.
-------------------------------------
Joseph and his family were members of
the St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church
in Buchanan, Michigan.
------------------------------------
The obituary for Joseph G. Letcher
was published in the
"Berrien County Record", newspaper,
in Buchanan, Michigan,
on Thurs. Dec. 3, 1959,
Page 4, Column 6, and in
"The Niles Daily Star", newspaper,
in Niles, Michigan, on
Fri. Nov. 27, 1959, page 2, column 4.
It reads as follows:
------
JOSEPH G. LETCHER
Buchanan - Joseph G. Letcher, Sr., 76,
died at 9 p.m., Tuesday, in his home on
route one, Main street road, following
an illness of two weeks. He had been
ill of a heart condition for two years.
He was born in Switzerland April 29, 1883,
and came to the U.S. with his parents,
the late Mr. and Mrs. Joseph G. Letcher,
when he was 18 years old ["should" say
"10" years and 8 months old].
On Feb. 20, 1906, he married Ida
May Ketchum, of Naperville, Ill.
They came to Buchanan in 1912.
He is survived by the widow, three sons,
Harvey J. and Robert E. of Buchanan,
and Joseph G. Jr., of South Bend [IN]:
a daughter, Mrs. Lillian Vaselin of
South Bend: two sisters, Mrs. Mary
Yender, and Mrs. Pauline Brown, both
of Naperville, Ill.: 16 grandchildren
and two great grandchildren.
A daughter Grace May [Grace Mary],
died Feb. 12, 1959.
The body is at the Swem Funeral Home
and funeral arrangements are incomplete.
--------------------------------------
Another obituary was published in
The Niles Daily Star in Niles, MI on
Nov. 28, 1959, page 2. It reads:
--------
LETCHER RITES SET.
Buchanan - Funeral services will be
held at 10 a.m. Monday in St. Anthony
Roman Catholic Church here for Joseph
G. Letcher, Sr., 76, who died Thursday
at his home on Main street road. The
Rev. Frank Jansen, pastor, will
officiate and burial will be in Oak
Ridge Cemetery. The Rosary will be
resided at 8 p.m. Sunday in the Swem
Funeral Home where friends may call.
--------------------------------------
Joseph is buried next to his wife
Ida May and their eldest child
Grace Mary Letcher,
in Section D, Lot 194.
(Grace died Feb. 12, 1959, age 50,
nine months before her father).
Their headstone reads:
------
LETCHER
JOSEPH G.
1883-1959
IDA M.
1886-1971
GRACE M.
1908-1959
------------------------------------
Note: ALL of the persons with the surname of "Letcher", who are buried in this cemetery, are descendants of Joseph G. Letcher and his wife Ida May (Ketchum) Letcher, "OR" of his brother Alois Letcher and his wife Alice (Ketchum) Letcher.
-------------------------------------
Click on "Find all Letcher's in
Oak Ridge Cemetery" (on the left),
to see memorials for many of
Joseph's relatives.
---------------------------------
For additional information on the
history of this Letcher family, see
the memorials for Joseph's brother
Alois Letcher of Michigan, and for
their father Joseph Letcher of Illinois,
and their mother Magdalena (Koch) Letcher,
of Illinois.
----------------------------------
Click on photos for enlargements,
captions, and additional photos.
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