Eicher (Eichert, Eichler, Eycher) family
Eicher is a Bernese Mennonite family name which appears in the Martyrs' Mirror. In 1529 Konrad Eicher of Steffisberg was executed for his Anabaptist faith in Bern, Switzerland. In the latter part of the 17th century the Eicher family was represented in the Thun area of the canton of Bern. Eicher was among the family names represented in the Bernese migration to Alsace in 1671-1711, and occurs in the Montbéliard, France list of 1759. Among the Palatine Mennonites of 1685 was Ulrich Eicher of Osthoven bei Wachenheim. A 1706 list of Mennonite families living in Mannheim, Germany, included the name Eycher, while a 1738 census names Christian Eicher of Mossbach. The 1759 Palatinate Mennonite census list names Jacob Eichler of Erbesbüdesheim. The 1936 Adressbuch of Mennonite families in South Germany lists 12 Eichers in 3 congregations.
In 1754 Johannes Eicher and Christian Eicher were among the 27 Mennonites who landed in North America. In the 18th century the Eichers were represented among the Amish Mennonites of Ontario. In 1848 five Eicher brothers, Martin, Christian, Daniel, Benjamin, and John, the sons of Johann and Margaret (Conrad) Eicher of Pulversheim, Alsace, migrated to Wayne County, Ohio and later settled in Henry and Washington counties, Iowa in the early 1850s. Benjamin was the founder of the Eicher Emmanuel Mennonite Church of Washington County, Iowa. Their descendants have lived principally in Iowa and Nebraska. Among them is William R. Eicher, who was bishop of the West Fairview Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church) in Beaver Crossing, Nebraska.
Bibliography
Braght, Thieleman J. van. The Bloody Theater or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians who Baptized Only Upon the Confession of Faith, and Who Suffered and Died for the Testimony of Jesus, their Saviour, from the Time of Christ to the year A.D. 1660. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1951.
Gingerich, Melvin. The Mennonites in Iowa. Iowa City, 1939.
Neff, Christian. Mennonitsches Adressbuch. Karlsruhe: Heinrich Schneider, 1936.
| Author(s) | Melvin Gingerich |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1956 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Gingerich, Melvin. "Eicher (Eichert, Eichler, Eycher) family." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Eicher_(Eichert,_Eichler,_Eycher)_family&oldid=119579.
APA style
Gingerich, Melvin. (1956). Eicher (Eichert, Eichler, Eycher) family. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Eicher_(Eichert,_Eichler,_Eycher)_family&oldid=119579.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, pp. 167-168. All rights reserved.
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