The Goering Gazette website is the story of the John B. Goering family.
The story starts way before John B.
This post is from the Goering Genealogy book maintained by Art Goering and the following story is told from the point of view of a grandchild of Johann Goering and Freni Krehbiel Goering:
Johann Goering & Freni Krehbiel Goering
Gc 929.2 G55303W 1797917 REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2018 https://archive.org/details/johanngoeringfreOOwede The Johann Goering and Freni Krehibiel Family Record 1850 - 1962 l • v Compiled by Jacob A. Wedel Neva ( Stucky) Kaufman Viola (Gehring) Stucky Printed by THE MENNONITE PRESS North Newton, Kansas 1962 Printed in U.S.A.
To complicate matters, the name Johann Goering appears repeatedly. We start with the Johann Goering who was born on September 2, 1828. He was called to the ministry by the Mennonite congregation at Kotosufka Wahylmnie, Russia, on the 4th day of October, 1864, and served until death. He married Elisabeth Graber, born April, 1833 in Edwardsdorf, Russia on November 10, 1848.
During the years of 1770-1780, the ancestors of the Johann Goering family belonged to a group that came to Russia, which at that time was a sort of a haven for the Mennonites, who for years were driven from place to place, mostly on account of their religious belief and doctrine. They were invited by the Queen of Russia to come and settle in that country. They were exceptionally good workers, thrifty, ready to clear land and make it fit for farming. They were granted certain privileges, if they settled there. The main ones were religious freedom and exemption from military service. During the century that they were in Russia, in 1850 Johann Goering was born to Reverend Johann Goering and Elizabeth Graber Goering, their oldest child. Freni Krehbiel’s parents were John Krehbiel and Katharina Stucky Krehbiel. She was also the oldest child in the family born in 1851 in the village of Edwardsdorf. Grandfather was born in Waldheim. In 1861 they moved to Kotosufka, where they spent their youth and were married in 1872. When the government came with the proposal that they must take military training or if they so desire they can emigrate it was easy to decide at that time what to do. With nearly one accord, the congregation decided to emigrate to America.
On the 3rd day of September, 1874, the steamship, City of Richmond, entered the harbor in New York and 73 families (Schweizer Mennoniten) landed to make their future home in this country. One of those was Grandfather (Johann), then 24, Grandmother (Freni) 23, and one daughter, Anna, 1 year old. They had a little more than the ordinary responsibility since his father had died about three years before they left Russia, also Grandmother’s mother. They both being the oldest in their respective families, it was their duty to look after the welfare of his mother and her children and also her father and his family.
Representatives from Kansas had come to meet the group in New York and to help them and encourage them to come to Kansas, where there still were areas large enough for the whole congregation to settle. They came by train to Peabody, Kansas, where they were housed for two weeks or so until the fathers had found a location for settlement. It was decided to start a settlement in southern McPherson County, Mound and Turkey Creek townships. From Peabody they went by train to Halstead, which was a little nearer to the community where they had decided to make their home. From here they drove by wagon to section 23 in Turkey Creek Township where the Grandparents, Great-Grandmother with her family, and another family lived in a house the first winter. It was nearly the end of September when they arrived and a few farmers joined hands to prepare a small field to plant wheat, two miles south of the present site of Moundridge. Grandfather remembered the place as he lost his pocket watch in the field when they planted the wheat.
The first years they lived on the E1/2 of Section 23, Turkey Creek Township. Then a few years on the NW1/4 of the same section. In 1892 they purchased the NW1/4 of Section 24, Turkey Creek Township. Here they lived on the East 1/2 of their quarter until all the children had established homes of their own and in 1912 they built a house and some other small buildings a quarter of a mile west of the home place. Here they lived happily together until Grandfather’s passing in 1921. Now Grandmother lived with her children. Grandmother left us in 1933. They passed on to their reward and we cherish their memory and admire their thrift, their attitude toward God and the church, and their prayers and well wishes for their posterity.
Anna, married John J. Goering. Anna was born on September 16, 1873 and died on February 2, 1893.
Katharina, married Christian C. Stucky. Katharina was born on October 5, 1875 and died on January 28, 1966.
Elisabeth, married Andrew J. Wedel. Elisabeth was born on February 13, 1977 and died on April 11, 1955.
Maria, married Peter Zerger. Maria was born on June 24, 1879 and died on August 8, 1903.
Freni, married Elias B. Stucky. Freni was born on September 21, 1881 and died on February 16, 1975.
Benjamin B., married Lena Krehbiel. Benjamin was born on November 8, 1883 and died on April 20, 1939.
Emilie, married Gideon Stucky. Emilie was born on May 14, 1887 and died on May 23, 1967.
John B., married Jessie Schrag. John B. was born on July 27, 1889 and died on June 13, 1988.
Pingback: boustrophedon patterns… | The Goering Gazette