This is the 21st installment in this series. Click here for the previous installment. 

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

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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.