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Johannes Beyeler was born on 03 Sep 1854 in Schwarzenberg, Wahlern, Bern, Switzerland1 to parents Christian Beyeler and Magdalena Hostettler.2 Johannes, better known as John, is listed under multiple last names in his lifetime. Originally, John states his last name as "Beyeler", after immigration he changes it to "Beieler", common misspellings have listed "Beiler" & "Beichler", and finally some children adopted "Beeler" and their records applied that spelling to John.
Born and raised in rural Chester Township, Ohio in 1851 to a farmer, Catharine was 1 of 4 children, 1 died in infancy. At the age of 18, Catharine married a civil war veteran from a neighboring farm named John Wesley Winkler in 1870. The couple had 3 sons and 1 daughter that they raised in Chester on property Catharine's father gave them. Husband John passed away in 1913 and after youngest son died in 1922, Catharine moved into Wooster to live with son Thomas' family. She died in 1942 at the age of 90.
Born the son of a farmer in Wayne Township, Ohio, John was a Civil War veteran. He fought along side the Union Army in the 120th, 114th, and 48th divisions of the Ohio Volunteer Infantry over the span of 3 years. John returned home after the war and lived out a quiet life on a farm in Chester Township raising his four children with his wife Catharine.
Emma was born in the area of Wahlern, Switzerland in what we assume is Schwarzenberg. Emma immigrated to America with her mother in 1883, 2 years after her father. The family settled in Wooster, Ohio where Emma grew up speaking both English and French. She married farmer and laborer Thomas Winkler in 1895 and the couple would raise 2 boys together. The family had little money and although they spent their entire lives around Wooster, they never put down permanent roots until around 1930. Emma and Tom were married for 49 years. Emma passed in 1955 following a heart attack.
Thomas E. Winkler, known as "Tom", was born on 19 Apr 1871 in Overton, Chester Township, Wayne, Ohio to parents John Wesley Winkler and Catharine Ann Warner.1 Thomas was raised in Overton. He was the oldest of 4 children, with his sister Effie being 2 years younger, brother William being almost 8 years younger and brother Charles being 18 years younger. The amount of schooling he received is not known but his education level is listed as being able to read and write.2
Born in Cleveland, Ohio to a machinist and laborer, Mona was the second youngest of seven children. She spent her early years on the southern end of Cleveland's west side before moving out to Medina closer to the age of 10. She met her husband while living with her brother and working as a packer for an aluminum manufacturer in Wooster at the age of 24. Together they had 2 children, but the marriage didn't last as her husband's drinking and rebellious side saw him abandon them. Mona would move back in with her mother and brother, and raise her children as a single mother. She had a wonderful relationship with her in-laws and gained a loving second family. She never remarried and lived in Medina the rest of her life.
Born to a day laborer and farmer in Smithville, Ohio, Glenn spent most of his childhood in Congress Township outside of Wooster. He worked as a laborer at an aluminum manufacturer where he met and married his wife at 22. Together they had two children. Glen abandoned his family and moved to South Bend, Indiana where he was caught after robbing a string of men's clothing stores at 29. He spent the next two years in the state prison, was released at 31 and returned to Wooster. The following year he was committed to a mental institution for general paresis, similar to Al Capone. He died a month later in Massillon, Ohio.
