PETER E. BOSHART

Peter E. Boshart was born, according to the French records, January 26, 1823 in Luemschwiller, in eastern France not far from Basel, Switzerland. He was the son of John and Marie (Eicher) Boshart. Peter’s father died in France before 1834, leaving widow Marie and their five children, Christian E., Joseph E., Peter E., Catherine, and Benedict E.

When Peter was 14 years old, his widowed mother Marie, age 49, with her five children, ages 8 to 18, were passengers on the Ship Burgundy, leaving from Havre de Grace (Le Havre), France for the United States of America. According to documents they were probably 42 days on the Atlantic Ocean and arrived at New York City on April 20, 1837.

Marie’s maiden name was listed as Eicherin, (the German way of indicating the female form of Eicher) on the District of New York-Port of New York, ship’s Passenger list. It was the customary practice of women in France to use their maiden names.

According to family legend, they journeyed through Albany to Buffalo in New York (via the Erie Canal), crossing into Canada, then on to Wilmot in Waterloo County, Ontario where they were taken into the home of Peter’s uncle, Christian E. Boshart. From there, as was the custom, the children would have found their first employment in various settlers’ homes.

Before 1826, Christian H. and Maria (“Polly”)(Miller) Erb with daughter, Catherine (“Katy”) Erb, who was born in Pennsylvania on March 9, 1823, moved to Canada and settled on Lot 12, north side of Snyder’s Road. Eight more children were born in the Erb family. They later lived in East Zorra Township.

In Canada, on June 1, 1845, Peter married “Katy” Erb. Peter farmed 100 acres purchased from Edward Merigold in 1846 in East Zorra Township, Oxford County, Lot 35 (the west half), Concession 16, several miles west and south of the Wilmot-Wellesley settlements. They had eight children who were all born in Canada: Leah, Magdelena, Menno, Barbara, Daniel, Mary, Fannie, and Lydia.

Magdalena died in 1857 at the age of 9 years and was buried in the East Zorra Amish Mennonite Cemetery. Before leaving Canada, Peter and Katy put a marker on her grave on the 16th line, which is now the earliest marked grave in that cemetery.

In the United States, according to Indiana history, all the Indians in Indiana had been moved west to reservations by 1838, making it possible for settlers to move in and begin farming. The five-year Civil War ended in the spring of 1865. The Conscription Act of March 1863 for the Union Army had applied to all men between ages of 20 and 45. Canadians were now free to move to the States without facing conscription.

In 1868, Peter sold his farm in Oxford County, Canada, to Joseph Zehr. Peter and Katy moved to Indiana with their seven living children: Leah, Menno, Barbara, Daniel, Mary, Frances, and Lydia who are all listed in the 1870 Census Records for Clinton Township; Elkhart County, Indiana (under the misspelling Peter Buzzard).

According to Menno’s grandson (eldest son of Amos), Walter Lorain Boshart, they traveled from Canada to the United States by ferryboat crossing Lake Erie to Port Clinton, Ohio, then on to Indiana by ox and wagon, which was most likely brought with them on the ferry.

On October 26, 1868, Peter purchased 160 acres of farmland in Clinton Township, Elkhart County, east of Goshen, Indiana for a sum of $11,200. Menno, Peter’s eldest son, who was then age 17, would help farm this land. The location is found (under misspelled P.E. Bushart) in the 1874 Plat Book for Clinton Township: NW4, Sec.21, 36-7-160A (the northeast corner of County Roads 35 and 36).

Three weddings took place in Indiana. On January 14, 1872 Barbara married Jonas Stutzman. On March 30, 1873 Menno married Sophia Mehl, in Lagrange County. On September 14, 1873 Leah married Levi Miller.

SETTLING IN IOWA

Peter first acquired land in Iowa in November of 1872, about 12 miles north of Mount Pleasant in Marion Township, Henry County for the sum of $6,300.

According to W.L. Boshart, “Peter took a horse from his Indiana farm and rode to Iowa, later returning the horse to Indiana.” Lloyd Widmer, grandson of Fanny (Boshart) Laws, verified this family legend at the Iowa 1992 Boshart Reunion when he was 84 years old, as “that is the way I remember it being told.” Peter may have taken his horseback trip after harvest in the fall of 1872 purchasing the land in November in Iowa.

Then perhaps in 1873 after the harvest and most likely after the last Indiana wedding on September 14 and before Mary died in Iowa, Peter and Katy, along with their four younger children, Daniel, Fannie, Mary and Lydia moved to Iowa. Mary died at the age of 14 on November 11, 1873 and is buried in the Sugar Creek cemetery near Wayland, Iowa. Menno and Sophia remained on the Indiana farm.

Peter probably again used oxen to travel as his oxen yoke hung in storage for years in Iowa. At 10 miles per day by a team of ox, it would have taken close to 30 days for the 300-mile trip. According to Dennis Boshart, grandson of Daniel, the yoke hung in the old storage house on Uncle Omer’s farm (son of Daniel). Omer’s son, Gerald D. reportedly placed Peter's yoke in the historical museum at Quincy, Illinois, (just east of the Mississippi) for display and as part of the permanent collection.

Two years later, probably after the harvest and before October of 1875, Peter’s eldest son Menno and wife Sophia also moved to Iowa with their firstborn child, Amos Mehl. Amos often told how, being a year old on this trip, his father fixed an area for him in a crate placed just behind the driver’s seat of one of the covered wagons. Amos laughingly said he went to Iowa in a “chicken crate.” Having been born on May 22, 1874, he would have been an adventurous toddler, small enough to require such a secure and safe place in which to travel. He remembered his parents telling how this allowed his mother to drive a team of horses pulling one of their wagons while his father drove the second team as their wagons carried farm equipment, household furnishings and crates of small farm animals, such as chickens. Sophia would have been “fully with child” as Willie was born in Iowa on October 26, 1875. January 16, 1877 the farm in Indiana was sold for $10,400.

In the 1880 Census of Henry County, Iowa, Peter and Katy were recorded living in Marion Township with the three younger children, Daniel, Fannie and Lydia. Menno and Sophia were recorded living in Wayne Township with their first three children: Amos, William and Emma.

In Henry County, Iowa on November 21, 1881, Peter E., a native of Germany, according to the District Court Record, Book “J”, Page 355 “in open court, took and subscribed the oath required by law and was admitted and declared a citizen of the United States.”

Peter became, as stated by Reverend George Schlenker, “A prosperous farmer having the confidence of all with whom he came in business contact, a good citizen and neighbor, a faithful husband, and a kind and affectionate father.”

When still in Canada, Peter purchased “one acre and a half and one sixth part of an acre composed of the south half, of the west half of the original road allowance between Lots 35 and 36 in the 16th Concession of the Township of East Zorra” from the Corporation of the Township of East Zorra for the sum of ten pounds, eight shillings and four pence. It’s interesting to note the following transaction that occurred in 1882. Peter E. Boshart of the County of Henry in the State of Iowa sold this same piece of land to Almon Ralph Dewey of the County of Washington in the State of Iowa for $300. This indenture was executed in the City of Washington, Washington County, Iowa! Peter also acquired considerable acreage of farmland in Henry County in 1872, 1878, 1880, April and May of 1881, 1882, 1886, 1890 and 1894.

In 1885, the families of Peter and Menno moved off their family homesteads into the small rural community of Wayland, Iowa, where both Peter and Menno made land purchases. According to the 1895 Atlas of Wayland, Peter E. owned lots numbers 17, 18, 19, 29, 30, 31, 32 and Menno owned the middle section of lot # 11 and on the 1917 Atlas Out-Lot #9 (includes numbers 80, 96 and part of 160).

Menno built the “big” house on the large Out-Lot Nine at the corner of Main & Adams (104 N. Adams) and Peter and Katy lived in a “little” house next to Menno’s home.

In Wayland several family members were established in various businesses:

Menno and Willie - livery, Amos – restaurant, Orus and Omer - drug store/pharmacy and jewelry, Frank Magdefrau and Nora (Boshart) - dry goods/clothing.

In May of 1890, Peter and Katy received a visit from Christian E. Boshart, Peter’s Canadian brother, and his wife Catherine. Two younger sons, Daniel B. and David and a married daughter Veronica (Fanny) and her two children accompanied them. This visit was an exciting event, confirmed by family photographs and still talked about long afterwards, which has become part of the family legend. It was stated that Christian E. wanted to see his brother, Peter E., once again before either died, thus the visit was arranged on their way to Nebraska where they were planning to settle. Christian E. died in Nebraska about three years later.

Peter died on August 21, 1896 and was buried in the Sugar Creek Cemetery one mile south and 2/3 mile east of Wayland. He was a member of the Amish Mennonite Church.

It would appear that Peter E. Boshart would have been considered wealthy, due to the fact that Peter owned quite a bit of real estate, and when he died in 1896, he still owned all his land. Also, in his will, he established “life use” for his farm land which was to be used by each of his children as designated then to pass on to the grandchildren.

Katy later bought more farmland in 1896. She died November 2, 1906, at Wayland and was buried beside her husband.

The Peter Boshart history was collected by Lorraine Roth, Ontario, Canada, Researcher, Historian and Genealogist; Doris Sharp, New London, Iowa, Historian and Genealogist for Marion and Henry counties, Iowa; Della (Mrs. Jim) Boshart and Grace (Boshart) Roth of Wayland, Iowa; Walter Lorain Boshart (eldest son of Amos Mehl Boshart) and his daughter M. Jean (Boshart) Stucky of Goshen, Indiana and by the suggestions, stories and confirmation of many Boshart Families in Iowa, Indiana, and Ohio.