Susanna Sidler 1832 - 1862

Susanna Jenta, Susanna's mother was 27 years younger than her husband Johannes. They married  23 December 1824 and had their first child, Barbara, 3 months 5 days later.

The district doctor in Ottenbach, at the time, was Jakob Hegetschweiler a relative of the Sidler family. He was born in Ottenbach 1792 and died in 1845 at 53 which was a common age to live at the time. Most likely Dr Hegetschweiler delivered Johannes' three girls namely: Barbara 1825, Anna 1827, and Susanna in 1832. Susanna was delivered in Maschwanden, which is 3.7 miles south of Ottenbach. Susanna Jenta's mother's maiden name was Frei and many in the Frei family are found in Maschwanden so she most likely was visiting a relative when she gave birth.  Susanna birth place was found on microfilm 008126955 page 307) (Note: Maschwanden definition: Schwanden means the land was gained by pealing the trees so they would dry out and can be burned. Mano is a German first name, so it was an Allemanic guy that conquered that land (forest) in about 700 to 800 after Christ.)

Susanna was born on on 15 December 1832 and christened on 9 December 1832. In 1850 she was confirmed in 1850 into the Reformed Church of Ottenbach at the age of 18. The confirmation procedure happened in the church with all members and parents, godparents present. This allowed Susanna to join the Abendmahl for the first time (symbol of the evening meal of Jesus Christ with his followers, or Last Supper), and  become full member of the church. When she become 16 she probably went to Kinederlehre (Sunday lecture), which was after the normal sermon when the adults left the church. This was compulsory. She may have gone to Sonntagsschule (Sunday school) on Sunday mornings. (The Zürich Household Ottenbach record says she was born 3 December 1832, her baptismal record says 15 December 1832, her birth record entered by the Parish Priest says 3 December 1832.)

When Susanna Sidler was 23, she was converted and baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 6 July 1856 in the Sihl River, by H. Hug, confirmed by H. Bar,  (page 22 film 128145)

Sometime after Susanna was baptized she meets Lebrecht Bar (Bear) of Affoltern. Affoltern is 3 miles from Ottenbach where Susanna was living with her two sisters, and niece. Lebrecht proposes and they make an announcement January 8th 1860. From then on things get hazy. While still in Switzerland Susanna, her sister Anna and Ann's daughter Anna Hegetschweiler get passports. They emigrate on the ship Underwriter but Anna doesn't take on Lebrecht's name and while on the ship Lebrecht marries again to his "beloved." Lebrecht keeps a detailed journal which is available today but never mentions who his "beloved" is or Susanna's name in any of his writing.  (Swiss passports from Zurich Archives and Page 208 New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1891 )

1862 After arriving in Utah they joined the Morrisites in Weber County. According to Anna Sidler's granddaughter, Emma Scholl, Anna Sidler and her baby are killed in the Morrisite War by a canon ball. Anna's daughter Anna Hegetschweiler who is 12 watches as her mother and stepsister are buried. (Anna Hegetschweiler's daughter, Emma Scholl hand wrote a handwritten 100 page legal size history of her mother and herself which includes details of Anna Sidler's death.

The big question is what happened to Susanna. Because Emma spoke with her mother Anna Hegetschweiler who was a 15 year old witness to the Morrisite death we must assume it was Anna Sidler and her daughter who died. Certainly more information may bring clarity to what exactly happened to Susanna. Emma says she went back to Switzerland but we have no evidence of that happening. More research needed.

What we know about Susanna's and Lebrecht:

1. Lebrecht says that in 1859 he prayed for a wife and found her in the branch. As far as we can tell he never mentions her name in his autobiography or anywhere else.

2. Labracht Bar and Susanna Sidler announces a proclamation of marriage January 8 and marry on January 16.

3. The passports say: Sidler, Anna, von Ottenbach, -, 33, with her daughter Anna Hegetschweiler, 13, von Ottenbach, (same day as her sister Susanna (28) and her husband, Johann Lebrecht Bar, 21, von Affoltern am Albis), to America, 20.2.1850. (Zürich Archives)

4. Lebrecht, Susanna, Anna, and Anna Hegetschweiler emigrate on the ship Underwriter but Anna doesn't take on Lebrecht's name in the passenger list and while on the ship Lebrecht marries again to his "beloved." Lebrecht keeps a detailed journal which is available today but never mentions who his "beloved" is or Susanna's name in any of his writing.

5. Labracht Bar wrote an autobiography which vividly describes the death of his wife and 16 month old child.  (See end of this post)

6.  The Morrisite membership records show an Anne Bar and Labracht Bar.  It would be unusual for Susanna to use her sister's name as her own nickname. (see end of this post)

7.  Emma Bachman records the memories of her mother Anna Hegetschweiler, who was 15 at the time, and was an eye witness to the Morrisite War and the killing of her own mother’s and half sister by canon ball.

8. The book below lists the "Mrs Lebrecht Bar and child" a as those killed in the Morrisite War. Lebrecht's wife's name is not included.
9 Lebrecht makes it clear in his autobiography that he is totally against polygamy however it appears
he had six wives in his lifetime. The count is difficult to make because he doesn't go into detail
on the who and when of his marriages. 

Documents relating to Susanna Sidler

Susanna Sidler birth 3 Dec 1832 FamilySearch Ottenbach microfilm 008126955 page 307 

  Jan 8 1860, Page 864 film 8126955 Lebrecht / Susanna marriage proclamation,

1860 Zürich Archives Wedding Proclamation January 8
and Wedding January 16, Ottenbach E3.7 Wedding

1860 Swiss Passports, Zürich Archives, top entry

Lebrecht Bear's marriage aboard the Underwriter Ship

Sidler, Anna, von Ottenbach, -, 33, mit ihrer Tochter Anna Hegetschweiler, 13, von Ottenbach, (gleichentags wie ihre Schwester Susanna (28) und deren Mann, Johann Lebrecht Bar, 21, von Affoltern am Albis), nach Amerika, 20.2.1850.

Translation:

Sidler, Anna, von Ottenbach, -, 33, with her daughter Anna Hegetschweiler, 13, von Ottenbach, (same day as her sister Susanna (28) and her husband, Johann Lebrecht Bar, 21, von Affoltern am Albis), to America, 20.2.1850.

Johannes Sidler Zürich Archives, Household Record, E_III_88.19_S_434

Historic sketches of Walla Walla, Whitman, Columbia and Garfield counties, Washington Territory, 

and Umatilla County, Oregon 

by

 

Gilbert, Frank T page 373

Ottenbach Reformed Church as it might have looked in the 1800s when
graves were the church grounds were still used for graves. Today there are
no graves next to the church building but some are further away from the main building.

Where Susanna Sidler was confirmed and first partook of the Sacrament.

Lebrecht Bar Autobiography excerpt:

June 13 1862: The family next to us came over to our place, we all sat on the ground thinking that the balls would pass above us.  Well, in about 2 hours after the first shot a ball crashed into my shelter. I felt it on top of my head, filling my mouth, ears, nose and eyes with dry powered willow plaster. A terrible scream came from under the bed where the 13 year old daughter of the neighbor had hid. she crawled out with her face bleeding from the splinters from the bedstead. I looked at the place where my wife was sitting, opposite me against the wall. Oh! my God, is it possible? Dead, her head leaning to one side and all that was left of our 16 week old baby that she had in her lap was a handful of flesh, the rest scattered on the roof, on the door, on the sides and on the bed and just a minute before she was laughing and gay as any one that age is. The sight was too horrible to behold. The last words she said just a little while before the shot were to ask me to pray. Then she took off her apron and said: "Put this on the ground and sit on it so you won't get rheumatism." Well, reader, ou cannon comprehend the feelings of sorrow and the bleeding of my heart. It is indescribable. When I look back to the time I embraces the Gospel, working with all the energy and zeal to bring people to repentance and the wife of my youth, who was a number one dress maker and paid every tenth she earned as tithing for support of those Utah emissaries, left all our friends and kindred and our beloved country to come to Zion, so called to the chambers of the Lord, to escape the impending doom and how. Oh! my God and my Redeemer, hast thou forsaken me?

Partial list of those baptized into the Morrisites: 

Utah History Information Center

call number: PAM 9569c1

[Gift of William Mulder]

Reorganized Church Library

Roll of Membership, Names of Persons Baptized into the Fulness of the Gospel.

Published by Geo. S. Dove & Co. 1886 [8 pp.]

Roll of Membership

Names of persons baptized during the administration of Joseph Morris, at

South Weber, Utah Territory, in the years of 1861 and 1862.

Adams, William

Alvy, Richard D.

Alvy, Sarah

Anderson, Andrew

Anderson, Ann

Anderson, Niels

Anderson, Mary

Anderson, Matilda

Anderson, Christian

Anderson, Jorgen

Anderson, Maren

Anderson, Abelone

Anson, Mary

Armstrong, Anne C.

Astel, Joseph

Astel, Esther

Babbington, Thomas

Baker, Mary Ann

Banks, John

Bar, Labrach

Bar, Anne

Baxter, Agnes

Baxter, Henry

Beck, Niels R.

Bevington, Elizabeth

Bowen, James

Bowen, John