Tombstone Tuesday–Sophia & George Byer

Sophia & George Byer, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Ohio.

This is the tombstone of Sophia Byer and her son George, located in row 6 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio.

The marker is nearly unreadable now but was transcribed by the Mercer County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society in 1990. Their transcription: Byer, Sophia, wife of Jasper, died 10 March 1872, aged 22 years, 3 months, 6 days. George, son, 26 Feb 1872-10 Mar 1872.  (Mercer County, Ohio, Cemetery Inscriptions, Volume VI, Blackcreek, Hopewell and Liberty Townships,  compiled by The Mercer County Chapter OGS, 1990:96.)

This information corresponds with their death and burial record in Zion’s church records: Sophia Beyer, born Gugel, wife of Casper Beyer, died 10 Mar 1872. She was 22 years, 3 months and 6 days old.  She died 13 days after the birth of a child, who went to the eternal rest of the Holy Ones on the same day with his mother. He was baptized on 1 March and was given the name Georg Friedrich. Their funeral text was Psalm 16:6.

Sophia was the daughter of Sixtus and Magdalene (Herzog) Gugel, featured in last week’s Tombstone Tuesday.

According to Zion’s Family Register Anna “Sophia” Gugel was born 30 December 1849 in Butler County, Ohio. She was baptized and confirmed 15 May 1864 in Mercer County. Sophia married Casper Beyer and their marriage is also recorded in Zion’s records:

Casper Beyer and Sophia Gugel, both single, were united in Holy Matrimony on 8 Aug 1867. His parents were Johann Michael and Catharine Beyer and her parents were Sixtus and Magdalene Gugel. The groom was age 27 and was from Puschendorf, Kingdom of Bavaria. The bride was age 18 and a native of Butler County, Ohio. Witnesses were William Becker and Magdalena Betzel. The marriage ceremony was in the church.

Casper and Sophia had the following children, as recorded in the baptism records of Zion, Chattanooga:

Sixtus Michael Beyer was born 28 August 1868 in Blackcreek Township, Mercer County, Ohio. He was baptized 27 September 1868. His parents were Casper Beyer, born in Puschendorf, Mittelfranken, Bavaria and his wife Sophia, nee Gugel, born in Butler County, Ohio. Witnesses at his baptism were Sixtus Gugel and his wife Magdalena. 

Catharina Elisabetha Beyer was born 27 February 1870 in Blackcreek Township, Mercer County, Ohio.  She was baptized 3 April 1870. Her parents were Casper Beyer, born in Puschendorf, Bavaria, and Sophia, nee Gugel, born in Butler County, Ohio. Witnesses at her baptism were Heinrich Becker and Sophia Gugel.

Georg Friedrich Beyer, their infant son who is buried with his mother, was not listed in Zion’s baptism records.

Note: Byer was also spelled Beyer in the church records.

 

3 comments

    • Andy Gappa on June 14, 2013 at 4:41 pm
    • Reply

    Not only was the Byer spelled differently, so was Sophia’s husband’s name. In our family tree, he is Johann Jasper Byer and he’s buried in Knox, Indiana. Like the Gugels, his family emigrated from Puschendorf. I’ve got quite a bit of the Byer family genealogy completed including branches of Jasper’s siblings Leonard Byer, George Byer, Christopher Byer and Christena Byer Foreman Johnson. Heck, I’ll bet 99% of he Byers in Adams and Mercer County can trace their lineage back to Catherine and Johann Michael Byer. I’ll be at the 90th Byer reunion in Berne on June 23rd, 2013, if anyone is interested in comparing old photos and sharing information.

    1. Thanks for the information! I only know what is in Zion Chatt’s records about the Byers.

    • Andy Gappa on January 21, 2014 at 12:40 pm
    • Reply

    The 91st Byer reunion is scheduled for June 22nd of 2014 from noon to 4 or 5 at the senior center there in Berne. It’s across the parking lot from a public pool. It’s a potluck luncheon. This year’s emphasis is on old photos–the kind with cardboard backings or those made by a Browning camera. I’ll be there with my laptop and scanner so those attending can take their photos back home with them. So, if you’re a Byer(s) or can trace your lineage back to one, please come on out and introduce yourself. There are tons of you in the Van Wert/Mercer County area of Ohio and in Adams/Allen County in Indiana. I hope to see you there and you’ve now got plenty of time plan ahead. E-mail me if you’d like more information.
    Andy Gappa–Tarantulaman59@hotmail.com

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