Johannes Zehr

In 1833, Michael migrated to America with his entire family intending to settle in Ohio. He wanted to escape the military service laws which went against his Mennonite beliefs and to take advantage of the opportunity to own his own land. The Zehrs were very poor when they left France and it was quite an adventure for them. But they thought that if they could only reach here they would be able to get along nicely.

The Zehr's ship, the Barque Statera with 112 passengers, arrived at New York City on June 19th. Agent of Comte LeRay de Chamont, John Keiffer, who had been searching for colonists to settle the lands of Chamont in New York, persuaded Michael to settle here. In fact Michael got the impression that work was to be had almost anywhere in America and that money could almost be picked up in the streets. They heard the speculation that Lewis Co. would become the wine producing center of the world, since it was at the same latitude as the Mediteranean. This influenced them to head for Lewis County, which they expected to find quite near at hand, instead of Ohio, the destination listed for the Zehrs on the ship's manifest.

The ship manifest of the Statera lists Michael Zehr (44), his wife Anna (40), sons Michael (19), Christian (16), Georges (12), Jean (10), and Joseph (8) and daughters Anna (14), Barbe (5), Catherine (4) and Susanna (1). By the 1840 census, Susanna was no longer listed, and is presumed to have died.

Mrs. Michael Zehr (nee Anna Jantzi) had two sisters who also emigrated with the Zehrs with their families on the Statera in 1833 - the Christian and Marie (Jantzi) Nafziger family and the Christoph and Magdalena (Jantzi) Kennel family.