This column’s focus is Christian Sr., and Magdalena Steiner Suter and their children, with a special emphasis on the family of their son, Christian, Jr., and his wife, Anna Basinger Suter. The parents of Christian Sr., (John and Barbara Christener Sutter) – note spelling change – lived in Canton Aargu, Killikon, Switzerland.
The parents of Magdalena (Hans and Elizabeth Leeman) lived in La Charme, Cme. Florimont, France.
Christian Sr., and Magdalena were married around 1814 and came to America in 1823 with their four children, Johannes, Barbara, Elizabeth and Christian, Jr.
The family lived in Rockingham County, Virginia, for nine years and their fifth child, Magdalena, was born in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The family decided to move west to Holmes County, Ohio, and after living their only one year, they moved to Putnam County in 1834. Their two youngest children, Verena and Mary, were born in Riley Township. One of their children, Christian, Jr., and Anna Basinger Suter lived one mile south of St. John Mennonite Church and owned 160 acres, which he purchased from his father on July 31, 1858, for $3,000. Later Gideon Nusbaum purchased the south half (80 acres) and had a lane to the house just north of the Noah Soldner property on Road 4. The house, which was in the middle of the 160 acre farm, was sold to Charles and Saundra Niswander in 1973. They moved it south through the field and today it is located at 8680 Road R. In a remodeling process, the date of 1857 was found. The Gideon Nusbaum farm has since been repurchased by the Suter family. Robert L. Suter (in 2002) and family live there on Road Q and became the seventh generation of Suters living there. Many of Christian Jr. and Anna's descendants continue to live in the area. For local readers, the Suter Produce families, northwest of Bluffton, also come from this family. Christian Suter, Sr. Born: Oct. 11, 1792, Alsace Lorraine France Died: Dec. 7, 1874, Riley Township Buried: Old Mennonite Cemetery, Bluffton Christian’s father: John Sutter (1765-1811) Christian’s mother: Barbara Christener (1765-1826) Magdalena Steiner Born: Aug. 15, 1793, Alsace Lorraine, France Died: May 28, 1860, Riley Township Buried: Old Mennonite Cemetery Magdalena’s father: Hans Johannes Steiner (1746-1806) Magdalena’s mother: Elizabeth Leeman (1750-1814) Children: Johannes Suter Born, 1817 c Cme Le Puix Haut-Rhin Belfort, France Died: Aug. 30, 1841 Spouse: Anna Amstutz Barbara Suter Born: Oct. 15, 1818, Cme Le Puix Haut-Rhin Belfort, France Died: April 5, 1860, Putnam County Spouse: Peter Thüler Elizabeth Suter Born: Dec. 6, 1821, Cme Le Puix Haut-Rhin Belfort, France Died: Oct. 12, 1897, Allen County Spouse: Rev. Peter Schumacher Christian Suter, Jr. Born: Aug. 16, 1823, Ober Alsace Lorraine, France Died: March 12, 1899, Riley Township Spouse: Anna Basinger Magdalena Suter Born: June 22, 1826, Harrisonburg, Virginia Died: April 24, 1897, Putnam County Spouse: Peter Sutter Verena Fannie Suter Born: March 14, 1834, Riley Township Died: June 12, 1914, Riley Township Spouse: Peter Bixel, Jr. Mary Suter Born: April , 1836, Riley Township Died: Feb. 4, 1853, Riley Township ---------- Christian Suter, Jr. Spouse: Anna Basinger Anna’s father: Christian Bösiger, Sr., Columbiana (1779-1857) Anna’s mother: Verena Schumacher (1787-1861) Christian, Jr., and Anna’s children Mary C. Suter Born: Oct. 31, 1846, Riley Township Died: Aug. 15, 1936, Pandora Spouse: Peter C. Basinger Fannie Suter Born: Feb. 10, 1849, Riley Township Died: March 21, 1853, Riley Township Magdalene Suter Born: Oct. 1, 1850, Riley Township Died: Nov. 16, 1918 Spouse: John S. Hilty Elizabeth Suter Born: Aug. 23, 1852, Riley Township Died: Jan. 13, 1914, Pandora Spouse: Josef Probst David D. Suter Born: April 14, 1854, Riley Township Died: May 13, 1923 Spouse: Elizabeth Neuenschwander Peter C. Suter Born: Jan. 11, 1857, Riley. Township Died: Jan. 23, 1934, Riley Township Spouse: Sarah P. Lehmann Sarah Suter Born: Jan. 10, 1960, Riley Township Died: Feb. 15, 1902, Putnam County Spouse: Amos Welty Adam Suter Born: Sept. 27, 1862, Richland Township Died: June 18, 1943, Richland Township Spouse: Mary Ann Badertscher Anna Suter Born: June 25, 186?, Riley Township Died: Oct. 29, 1926, Riley Township Spouse: Solomon Cleophas Baumgartner Note on Christian Suter, Jr.: Riley Township Plat map of 1889 shows C. Suter owned the northwest quarter (160 acres) of Section 28.