First
Generation
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1. Ulrich Sterchi. Born on 16 Sep 1638 in Interlaken Switzerland.
Married about 1658 to Lucia Hofstetter (Born bef 1644), in Interlaken,
Switzerland.
They had the following children:
2 i. Kaspar (1659-1750)
3 ii. Heinrich (1662-1722)
4 iii. Barbara #13 (1663-)
5 iv. Christian #14 (1666-1746)
Second Generation
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2. Kaspar Sterchi. Born on 20 Nov 1659 in Gsteig bei Interlaken, Switzerland.
Kaspar died in Gsteig bei Interlaken, Switzerland in Oct 1750; he was
90. Buried on 14 Oct 1750 in Gsteig bei Interlaken, Switzerland.
They had the following children:
6 i. Ulrich (Sr.) (1694-)(Emigrated
in 1752 with wife Margareta, son Christian and godson Ulrich)
7 ii. Margaret (1697-)
8 iii. Heinrich (1702-)(Emigrated in 1750 with wife
Elizabeth Hirni)
3. Heinrich Sterchi.
Born on 17 Jan 1662 in Gsteig bei Interlaken, Switzerland. Heinrich died
in Switzerland on 24 Oct 1722; he was 60. Married Margareth Ritschard.
They had the following children:
9 i. Ulrich (1704-)(Emigrated
in 1755 with daughter Margaret(b.1734). His son was had already emigrated)
10 ii. Michael (1707-)
11 iii. Margarita (1710-)
12 iv. Heinrich (1715-)
13 v. Heinrich (1716-)
14 vi. Lucia (1720-)
On 28 Nov 1684 when Heinrich was 22, he second
married Adelheid Hertzig (Hertzog), in Interlaken, Bern, Switzerland.
Born on 15 May 1663 in Gsteig bei Interlaken, Switzerland.
They had one child:
15 i. Christian (1696-1758)
4. Barbara #13 Sterchi. Born on 18 Dec 1663 in Gsteig bei Interlaken,
Switzerland.
5. Christian #14 Sterchi. Born on 2 Mar 1666 in Gsteig bei Interlaken,
Switzerland. Christian #14 died in Switzerland on 6 Nov 1746; he was 80.
On 1 Nov 1694 when Christian was 28, he first married Maria Mani, in Gsteig
bei Interlaken, Switzerland. Born abt 1670. Maria died in Switzerland.
On 3 Jan 1700 when Christian #14 was 33, he second married Anna Furer.
Born on 4 Jun 1702 in Switzerland.
They had the following children:
16 i. Anna #141 (1702-)
17 ii. Margarita (1705-)
18 iii. Bernhard #143 (1707-)
19 iv. Hans Caspar #144 (1710-)
20 v. Anna #145 (1714-)
21 vi. Hans Caspar #146 (1718-)
On 4 Dec 1725 when Christian was 59, he married his third wife, Barbara
Bircher ( Born bef 1710)
They had one child:
22 i. Christian (1726-)
Third Generation
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6. Ulrich (Sr.) Sterchi. Born on 7 Sep 1694 in Gsteig bei Interlaken, Switzerland. Ulrich
(Sr.) died in Orangeburg, SC. Married Margarita Sterchi.
They had the following children:
23 i. Margarita (1722-)
24 ii. Christian (1724-)(Emigrated
in 1752 with his father Ulrich Sr.(1694); mother Margaret; and cousin
Ulrich.
25 iii. Anna (1727-)
26 iv. Margarita (1729-)
27 v. Anna (1732-)
28 vi. Kaspar (1734-)
29 vii. Margarita (1735-)
7. Margaret Sterchi. Born in 1697 in Gsteig bei Interlaken, Switzerland
.
8. Heinrich Sterchi. Born on 5 Feb 1702 in GSteig bei Interlaken, Switzerland.
Buried in Old Sturkie Plantation, Orangeburgh District.5(Emigrated
in 1750 with third wife Elizabeth Hirni.)
On 7 Jun 1725 when Heinrich was 23, he first married Margarita Ritschard.(
born in 1684 in Switzerland). Margarita died in Switzerland on 28 Jan
1730; she was 46.
They had the following children:
30 i. Hans Kaspar (1726-)
31 ii. Michael (1727-)
32 iii. Heinrich (1728-)
33 iv. Margarita
On 14 Mar 1731 when Heinrichwas
29, he married his second wife Anna von Allmen. Born in Switzerland. Anna
died on 1 Jan 1733 in Switzerland.
They had one child:
34 i. Margarita (1733-)
Heinrich's third marriage
was to Elizabeth Hirni, daughter of Petter Hirni der Schiffmann bei dem See & Verena Heim.
Born on 13 Dec 1722 in Switzerland. Elizabeth died in Orangeburg, SC on
16 Jan 1757; she was 34.
They had the following children:
35 i. Anna #1135 (Died as Infant) (1753-1753)
36 ii. Ulrick (1754-) -Born
in Orangeburgh, SC
9. Ulrich Sterchi. Born on 28 Aug 1704 in Gsteig bei Interlaken, Switzerland. Ulrich died
in Orangeburg, SC.
(First cousin of Ulrich Sterchi (Sr.) and father of Ulrich (Jr.). Married
Elizabeth Michel.(Emigrated in 1755 with daughter
Margaret. Son Ulrich Jr.had already arrived with Ulrich Sr. in 1752)
They had the following children:
37 i. Heinrich (1729-1786)
38 ii. Ulrich (Jr.) (1732-)
39 iii. Margaret (1734-)
40 iv. Hans (1742-1742)Child:
41 i. Margarita (1722-)
10. Michael Sterchi. Born on 7 Aug 1707 in Gsteig bei Interlaken, Switzerland.
11. Margarita Sterchi. Born on 23 Nov 1710 in Gsteig bei Interlaken, Switzerland.
12. Heinrich Sterchi. Born on 30 Mar 1715 in Gsteig bei Interlaken, Switzerland.
13. Heinrich Sterchi. Born on 30 Nov 1716.
14. Lucia Sterchi. Born on 7 Jul 1720 in Gsteig bei Interlaken, Switzerland.
15. Christian Sterchi. Born on 2 Oct 1696 in Matten bei Interlaken, Bern,
Switzerland. Christian died on 4 Aug 1758; he was 61.
On 23 Mar 1723/24 when Christian was 26, he married Margaritha Custer,
in Matten bei Interlaken, Kt. Bern, Switzerland. Born in 1698 in Oberhasli,
Kt. Zurich, Switzerland.
They had one child:
42 i. Christian (1729-)
16. Anna Sterchi. Born on 4 Jun 1702 in Matten bei Interlaken, Switzerland.
17. Margarita Sterchi. Born on 19 Jul 1705
in Matten bei Interlaken, Switzerland. Margarita died in Orangeburg, SC.
Married Ulrich (son of Kaspar Sterchi and Margarita Zurbuchen) Sterchi
Dec. 1720. On 5 Dec 1720 when Margarita was 15, she married Ulrich (Sr.)
Sterchi (6), son of Kaspar Sterchi (2) & Margarita Zurbuchen, in Switzerland.
Born on 7 Sep 1694 in Gsteig bei Interlaken, Switzerland. Ulrich (Sr.)
died in Orangeburg, SC.
They had the following children:
23 i. Margarita (1722-)
24 ii. Christian (1724-)
25 iii. Anna (1727-)
26 iv. Margarita (1729-)
27 v. Anna (1732-)
28 vi. Kaspar (1734-)
29 vii. Margarita (1735-)
18. Bernhard #143 Sterchi. Born on 12 Jun 1707 in Matten bei Interlaken,
Switzerland.
19. Hans Caspar #144 Sterchi. Born on 5 Jan 1710 in Matten bei Interlaken,
Switzerland.
20. Anna #145 Sterchi. Born on 14 Jan 1714 in Matten bei Interlaken, Switzerland.
21. Hans Caspar #146 Sterchi. Born on 27 Nov 1718 in Matten bei Interlaken,
Switzerland.
22. Christian Sterchi. Born on 9 Sep 1726 in Matten bei Interlaken, Switzerland.
Fourth Generation
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23. Margarita Sterchi. Born on 29 Sep 1722 in Gsteig bei Interlaken, Switzerland.
24. Christian Sterchi. Born on 14 Jan 1724 in Gsteig bei Interlaken, Switzerland. Christian
died in Orangeburg, SC.
Married Agnes Ringgenberg in 1745.She was the daughter of Christian Ringgenberg,
in Switzerland. Born abt 1729 in Leissigen/Lensingen, Switzerland. Agnes
died in Switzerland.(Emigrated in 1752 with his
father Ulrich Sr.(1694); mother Margaret; and cousin Ulrich).
They had one child:
43 i. Margarita (1748-)
25. Anna Sterchi. Born on 19 Oct 1727 in Switzerland.
26. Margarita Sterchi. Born on 27 Nov 1729 in Switzerland.
27. Anna Sterchi. Born on 16 Jan 1732 in Switzerland.
28. Kaspar Sterchi. Born on 18 Apr 1734 in Switzerland.
29. Margarita Sterchi. Born on 25 Aug 1735.
30. Hans Kaspar Sterchi. Born on 6 Jun 1726 in Gsteig bei Interlaken, Switzerland. Hans Kaspar
died in Orangeburg, SC. Hans Kaspar married Anne Hofstetter,
daughter of Caspar Hofstetter, in Switzerland. Born in Switzerland. Anne
died in Orangeburg, SC.(Emigrated in 1755 with wife
Anne Hofstetter)
31. Michael Sterchi. Born on 19 Oct 1727 in Switzerland.
32. Heinrich Sterchi. Born on 27 Feb 1728 in Switzerland.Heinrich married
Margarita Ohrli
33. Margarita Sterchi.8
34. Margarita Sterchi. Born on 1 Jan 1733 in Switzerland.
35. Anna Sterchi. Born on 28 Nov 1753 in Orangeburg, SC.9 Anna #1135 died on 16 Dec 1753
in Orangeburg, SC. Buried on 17 Dec 1753 in Orangeburg, SC.
36. Ulrick Sterchi. Born in 1754 in Orangeburg, SC.
bef 1782 when Ulrick was 28, he married Margaret (---), in Orangeburg
District, SC.
They had one child:
44 i. John Caspar (1782-)
37. Heinrich Sterchi. Born on 19 Mar 1729 in Gsteig bei Interlaken, Switzerland.
Heinrich died in Switzerland in 1786; he was 56.
38. Ulrich (Jr.) Sterchi. Born
on 22 Feb 1732 in Gsteig bei Interlaken, Switzerland. Ulrich (Jr.) died
in Orangeburg, SC. Married abt 1758 in Orangeburg to Margaret Culler daughter
of Benedict Kuller & Magdalene Spring, in Orangeburg District, SC.
Born on 14 Nov 1739 in Orangeburg, SC.
They had the following children: (All born in SC)
45 i. John (~1762-)
46 ii. Anna (1759-)
47 iii. William (~1765-~1830)
48 iv. Benjamin (~1764-~1824)
39. Margaret Sterchi. Born on 7 Nov 1734 in Gsteig bei Interlaken, Switzerland. Margaret died
in Orangeburg, SC.(Emigrated in 1755 with father
Ulrich Sterchi (b. 1704)
40. Hans Sterchi. Born in Feb 1742 in Gsteig bei Interlaken, Switzerland.
Hans died on 30 Dec 1742 in Gsteig bei Interlaken, Switzerland.
41. Margarita Sterchi. Born in Sep 1722 in Switzerland.
42. Christian Sterchi. Born on 2 Oct 1729 in Matten bei Interlaken, Kt.
Bern, Switzerland.
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Because our Sterchi ancestors were both
prominent and prosperous in their community of origin, Gsteig bei Interlaken,
Switzerland, researchers were able to find a great deal of background
information on them.
During the eighteenth century Switzerland
was divided into thirteen political units called cantons.The cantons
were divided into districts (Berne had 50 districts.Interlaken was one
of those districts.)"The districts were divided into"low courts"
(niedere Gerichte). These low courts were under the chairmanship of
the Landvogt (a married citizen or aristocrat of Berne). The judges
(for example the Landstatthalter, the Landsvenner and the Lancseckelmeister)
were elected by the villages and towns of the low court for their lifetimes...The
Landsvenner was the reliable and authorized person of the "Landfolk"
and he kept the seal of the region of his civil court of 'Niedergericht.'Originally
,had to carry the flag/banner of a military troup of the low court.
The Landseckelmeister was responsible for the financial affairs fo the
district of the low court."1
Many of our early Sterchi ancestors were members of this magistrate
and were well respected citizens of Gsteig bei Interlaken. Ulrich Sterchi
b. 1694 was Landsvenner; Caspar Sterchi b. 1659 was Landstatthalter
for 23 years (1710-1733).
The Swiss Sterchi's were from the canton
of Berne and the communities of Bolligen, Interlaken, Isenfluh, Lutzelfluh,
Matten bei Interlaken, Ruegsau,Schalunen, Trub, UnterseenVecigen, Walkringen,
Wilderswil, Wob. Leaving your country of origin in these early
times in Switzerland without permission was considered a crime but that
is exactly what Ulrich Sterchi (b. 1694) and his wife Margaret and son
Christian did. The praefect at Interlaken informed the councilor in
Bern that old Landsvenner Sterchi probably emigrated to America and
his son-in-law, Jacob von Bergen admitted that he took with him about
3000 pounds. The authorities ordered that such deserters should pay
for this in the future. The exodus of these prominent citizens was a
great concern to the courts who issued the opinion: This case concerns
the funds of the old Landsvenner Ulrich Sterchi, who leaved the country
by night and got away to Pennsylvania...",and Jacob von Bergen
who helpt him. The authorities gave a lot of mandats and orders for
such persons and we don't know how to treat this man and his leaved
funds. In this case we send this legal adviser Sterchi as a legal adviser
for orphans to Landvogt. He may order with his inborn cleverness."
In another instance "I, Friederich Sinner, acknowledge with this,
that in past May old landsvenner Ulrich Sterchi from Aarmüle, his
wife and his son Christian Sterchi--without permission and behind at
our back - got away from our country and emigrated to Pennsylvania.."
Christian Sterchi married Agnes Ringgenberg whose family were members
of the Mennonite sect. The Mennonites or Täufer as they were called
in Switzerland of that time renounced conventional government and it
was feared that they would pose a threat to the state.The Swiss government
instituted many fines and taxes and other punishments on them. Christian
may have had to pay large fines for his marriage to Agnes.Whatever the
case, he left Agnes and their daughter Margareth in Switzerland when
he emigrated with his parents.Perhaps the reason for the emigration
of these Sterchi's was to escape religious persecution or to escape
the financial burdens of this marriage.
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