Anna Sidler was born to Johannes Sidler b 1583
and Katharina Kleiner b 1584. Her mother Katharina died when Anna was ten years
old. Johannes Sidler never re-married so he raised Anna and her 6 living
siblings by himself. FamilySearch has
her middle name as Katharina but we have not located verification of her middle
name. Whether or not it is true it seems like a good idea because naming her
after her mother is an honor. Julius Billeter called her just Anna.
After her birth her parents welcomed four more children into their home.
Verena died in infancy as did Barbara and Walthar but Othmar lived 25 years.
Death was no stranger to these people. There was constant giving births and
dying on the farms, similar to what happened in the stable with the animals.
Death was seen as natural. Only medicine and hygienic measures lowered the
infant and childhood mortality rate.
Many villages lost 30 to 40% of the Swiss population never lived past
infancy or the toddler age in the 17th century.. (Peter Bertschinger)
Anna lived during the 30 years war. More people
were killed in that war between Protestants and Catholics than in WWI. But
Switzerland was relatively peaceful. Anna married Hans Jakob Bär when she was
about 29. Anna had 15 children in 17 years which must be some kind of a record.
Her first five children died in infancy. This is the reason no children are
listed in the 1649 church Census. Eight
died altogether and 7 lived to adulthood. The seven children are all
represented in the 1670 Kirche Census. She lived 27 years 10 months 13 days.
We often see that from the age 20 years on, when
marriage was allowed by the church, the parents had least one child every year,
often stillborn. The rule for naming was that the godparents gave their first
name to the child,. For example if a child named Barbara died, they continued
the name until one survived the first years. From this Julius Billeter
concluded that a child died young and noted a "dy" by their name. On
average these big farmer families had about two boys and two girls that made it
to adulthood and most of them got married. (Peter Bertschinger,)
During their lives:
1618 - 1649 The balance of power between the
Reformed and Catholic estates leads the Confederation to stay out of the Thirty
Years' War. (Ottenbach Municipality Website)
1600 - 1800 Switzerland is a loose confederacy
of 13 cities and small valley communities dominating the rest of the country. A
few families control state
The Thirty Years' War was a war fought in
Central Europe between 1618 and 1648. One of the most destructive conflicts in
human history, it resulted in eight million fatalities not only from military
engagements but also from violence, famine, and plague but the Swiss
confederacy is a "peaceful island." (Wikipedia and Ottenbach
Municipality)
Food
Pork, beef, poultry and other meats were
processed and preserved at home. Even the menus were seasonal; during the
spring and summer, more fruits and vegetables were eaten because they were
fresh and ripe, while in the winter families relied on preserved foods.
(Wikipedia)
1670 Census
The "T"means Testimonial (Zeugnusse,
Zeugnisse) and the “C” Communicantes or
Confirmation (those after the communicaton with 15 years can go to the Lords's
supper (Abendmahl) and partake of the sacrament. The Decal. refers to the 10
commandments Kirche curriculum. (Dr Ziegler Latin terms)
The church censuses were taken every few years.
The Ottenbach Pastor took all of his records and made a clean copy to send to
his higher ups. The census included the advancement of each child in the
church's curriculum.
First children learned how to pray, then they
learned the 10 commandments curriculum, the small confirmation book and finally
the large confirmation book. Anna's children are making good progress.
Anna Katharina's Children (from FamilySearch)
1. Katarina Bär 1646-
2. Elsbeth Bär 1648-1648
3. Catharina Bär 1649-
4. Jacob Bär 1650
5. Heini Bär 1651
6. Georg Heinrich Bär 1651-1727
7. Heinrich Bär 1652-
8. Barbara Bär 1652-1711
9. Rudi Bär 1653
10, Hans Bär 1653-1699
11. Rudolph Bär 1654
12. Hans Jageli (Jacob) Bär 1655-1703
13. Fridi Bär 1657-1682
14. Barbara Syedler Bär 1659-1711
15. Ulrich Bär 1663-1735
Documents related to Anna Sidler:
1. Katarina Bär 1646-
2. Elsbeth Bär 1648-1648
3. Catharina Bär 1649-
4. Jacob Bär 1650
5. Heini Bär 1651
6. Georg Heinrich Bär 1651-1727
7. Heinrich Bär 1652-
8. Barbara Bär 1652-1711
9. Rudi Bär 1653
10, Hans Bär 1653-1699
11. Rudolph Bär 1654
12. Hans Jageli (Jacob) Bär 1655-1703
13. Fridi Bär 1657-1682
14. Barbara Syedler Bär 1659-1711
15. Ulrich Bär 1663-1735
Documents related to Anna Sidler:
Anna Sidler birth 29 May 1617
film 8014328 page 83 Note the spelling of
Katharina Kleiner. The K in
German script looks like an S.
|
Anna Sidler and Hans Jakob Bär marriage 4 August 1646, Ottenbach, Züirch Archives reference: E III 88.2, S. 11 |
Hans Jakob Bär marriage to Anna Sidler 4 August 1646 film 8014328 page 107 |
This is Pastor Wiesendanger's key so a person can
decipher where each child is in their progress toward
confirmation.
|