Geiser (Geyser, Gyser) family
Geiser (Geyser, Gyser) is a Mennonite family name originating in Langental, canton of Bern, Switzerland, probably dating back to the 14th century with persons whose occupation was goat herding. The first recorded bearer of the name who was connected with the Anabaptists was a Gabriel Geyser, who was fined in 1685 by Bernese authorities because it was suspected that he had connections with the Anabaptists. Early in the 18th century some members of the Geiser family who espoused the Anabaptist faith moved from Langental to the Jura where as early as 1724 Johannes Geiser and his wife Anna Jorg and four children were residing on the Sonnenberg Mountain in the commune of Corgémont. A list of 1768 names some members of the family living at Aux Convers. By 1823 most of the family lived in the vicinity of La Chaux-de-Fonds where Johannes Geiser (b. 1756) was a minister. In the early 1830s members of the Geiser family moved to the Sonnenberg settlement in Wayne County, Ohio, where a number have been prominent in church activities. In 1953 in the Jura Geiser was one of the most prominent names among the Mennonites, six of their ministers carrying this name. Best known was Elder Samuel Geiser of Brügg, who wrote Die Taufgesinnten-Gemeinden, a history of the Swiss Mennonites, upon the request of the Swiss Mennonite Conference, for many years secretary of the conference. Elder David Geiser (d. 1950) long served the congregation at Chaux d'Abel, Elder Louis Geiser served at Les Bulles, and Elder Samuel Geiser of Les Fontaines served at Jeangisboden.
Bibliography
Geiser, Samuel. Die Taufgesinnten-Gemeinden: eine Kurzgefasste Darstellung der wichtigsten Ereignisse des Täufertums. Karlsruhe: H. Schneider, 1931.
Author(s) | Delbert L Gratz |
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Date Published | 1956 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Gratz, Delbert L. "Geiser (Geyser, Gyser) family." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Web. 25 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Geiser_(Geyser,_Gyser)_family&oldid=119587.
APA style
Gratz, Delbert L. (1956). Geiser (Geyser, Gyser) family. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 25 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Geiser_(Geyser,_Gyser)_family&oldid=119587.
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