The Schutz family, with several Pandora connections today, was among many of our Swiss pioneers who came to America from the Emmenthal or Canton Bern. This family came in three different waves, with the parents arriving after their children. Here is their story.
Parents Jakob and Anna Gruber Schutz
Jakob Schutz was born in April 1820 in Canton Bern. His father, also named Jakob, and his mother, Elizabeth, died at a young age and we have no further information about the parents.
Jakob married Anna Gruber in 1840. He was a farmer and cheese maker. The couple had eight children who grew to adulthood.
Jakob and Anna’s children, Jacob II and Albert, came to America in 1879, followed by sisters Mary and Elizabeth and a brother, Johannes, in 1883.
Jakob and Anna then came here in 1884 with daughters Louise and Emil. The youngest daughter, Anna, remained in Switzerland as did her brother Gottfried. Anna married a man with the last name of Zumbach. We have no additional information on these two Schutz children.
Jakob and Anna did not settle in the Bluffton-Pandora area. Upon arriving in America, they moved to the Lafayette, Indiana, area and Jakob died in Tippecanoe County in 1895. Anna, as a widow, relocated to Putnam County where she died on Oct. 3, 1904.
Three of the eight Schutz children remained in the Pandora-Bluffton area where they raised their families. Two of the Schutz brothers married sisters: Johannes Andreas married Marie Bichsel. Albert married Sarah Bichsel.
Jakob Schutz, Jr.
Born: April 1820, Canton Bern, Switzerland
Died: 1895, Tippecanoe County, Indiana
Married: 1840
Jakob and Anna came to America in 1884
Anna Gruber
Born: April 7, 1827, Canton Bern, Switzerland
Died: Oct. 3, 1904, Pandora
Buried: St. John Mennonite Church cemetery
Jakob and Anna’s Gruber Schutz's children
Mary Elizabeth Schutz
Born: 1852, Canton Bern, Switzerland
Died: Information not available
Jacob Schutz II
Born: 1855, Canton Bern, Switzerland
Died: Information not available
Albert Schutz
Born: Jan. 18, 1859, Canton Bern
Died: Nov. 9, 1933, Riley Township
Spouse: Elizabeth Geiger
Spouse: Sarah Bichsel (sister of Marie Bichsel)
Johannes Andreas Schutz
Born: Nov. 30, 1861, Canton Bern
Died: Oct. 12, 1937, Mountain Lake, Minnesota
Spouse: Marie Bichsel (sister of Sarah Bichsel)
The couple had 6 children
Louise Esther Schutz
Born: July 18, 1865, Canton Neuchatel, Switzerland
Died: Oct. 7, 1930
Spouse: Daniel C. Sutter
Gottfried Schutz
No information on birth and death dates
Anna Schutz
No information on birth and death dates.
Emil Schutz
No information on birth and death dates
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The following information is about Jakob and Anna's son, Albert.
Albert’s first wife: Elizabeth Geiger
Elizabeth was born April 19, 1860, in Richland Township, and died July 24, 1887, in Riley Township. She is was buried in Ebenezer Mennonite cemetery. Her father was Christian Geiger (1835-1905) and her mother was Anna Thut (1833-1886). Albert and Elizabeth were married Jan. 17, 1884.
Child of Albert and Elizabeth Geiger Schutz
Mary M. Schutz
Born: Oct. 22, 1884, Riley Township
Died: Dec. 20, 1963, Riley Township
Spouse: Reuben Schumacher – son of Christian P. and Regina Steiner Schumacher
Albert’s second wife: Sarah Bichsel (sister to Marie Bichsel)
Sarah was born Sept. 29, 1862, in Riley Township. She and Albert were married Nov. 12, 1889. Elizabeth died Oct. 26, 1928, in Riley Township. She was buried in Pleasant Ridge Cemetery, Pandora. Her father was Jacob Bichsel (1831-1886) and her mother was Barbara Welty (1832-1912).
Children of Albert and Sarah Bichsel Schutz
Professor Jakob Raymond Schutz
Born: Aug. 3, 1890, Pandora
Died: March 29, 1945, North Manchester, Indiana
Spouse: Salena Schumacher
The couple had 6 children
Elisabeth Schutz
Born: Dec. 18, 1891, Pandora
Died: Nov. 29, 1963, Pandora
Rev. Walter Schutz
Born: Aug. 9, 1893, Pandora
Died: Jan. 28, 1961, Dayton, Ohio
Spouse: Edna Hooper
The couple had 2 children: Stanley and Roy
Bertha Schutz
Born: Jan. 21, 1896, Pandora
Died: Jan. 26, 1934, Pandora
Edward E. Schutz
Born; May 26, 1898, Pandora
Died: Oct. 24, 1962, Riley Township
Spouse: Estella Marie Hilty
The couple had 7 children
John Paul Schutz
Born: Sept. 12, 1900, Pandora
Died: June 26, 1945, Riley Township
Spouse: Virginia Wolfe
The couple had 2 children: Barbara and Howard
Albert Schutz, Jr.
Born: Nov. 22, 1902, Pandora
Died: Oct. 9, 1959, Lima, Ohio, Memorial Hospital
Spouse: Irene Agnes Cherry
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The following information is about Jakob and Anna's son, Johannes Andreas Schulz
Spouse: Marie Bichsel (sister of Sarah Bichsel)
Marie was born June 22, 1860, in Riley Township. She and Johannes Andreas were married May 24, 1887. Marie died May 26, 1934, in Pandora. She was buried in Pleasant Ridge Cemetery, Pandora. Her father was Jacob Bichsel (1831-1886) and her mother was Barbara Welty (1832-1912).
Children of Johannes Andreas and Marie Bichsel Schutz
Martha Schutz
Born and died: July 6, 1888, Riley Township
Lavina Schutz
Born: Aug. 2, 1889, Riley Township
Died: June 9, 1969, Pandora
Spouse: Walter Geiger
The couple had 2 children
Hiram R. Schutz
Born: Oct. 23, 1891, Riley Township
Died: Bluffton Hospital, Jan. 13, 1979
Spouse: Lucille Weida
The couple had 5 children
Dr. Elmer E. Schutz
Born: Feb. 16, 1897, Riley Township
Died: Oct. 9, 1961, Mountain Lake, Minnesota
Spouse: Rhoda Estella Basinger
The couple had 2 children
Hulda E. Schutz
Born: June 4, 1899, Riley Township
Died: May, 1980, Darfur, Minnesota
Spouse: Arthur Jaeger
The couple had 3 children, Matilda, the youngest died a 1 month.
Schutz baby
Born: Jan. 8, 1901, Riley Township Feb. 9, 1901, Riley Township
The Schutz cousins, Hiram, Albert and Edward owned farms along State Route 12, at the time known as the Ridge Road, east of Pandora.
They raised potatoes in the sandy soil there. The Schutz family continues to own these farms and continue to grow potatoes and other vegetable crops there.