Martin Keiser was baptized 13 April 1777 in Kirche St. Niklaus, Lausen, Canton Basel, Switzerland, and was likely born just a few days prior. He was the youngest of six known children. He had one brother and four sisters. His mother Barbara Zeller died when he was about 5 years old. His father, also named Martin Keiser, died on 1 May 1799, and Martin's first marriage took place just a few months later on 27 August 1799. He married Ursula Tschudy, daughter of Johannes Tschudi and Elisabeth Brodbeck. Martin was a silk ribbon weaver in Switzerland.

Martin and Ursula had three known children. If there were any other children born to them, they were not noted on the family register. Their son John was born 1 March 1806. Their son Martin was born 21 October 1807. Their daughter Ursula was born 17 January 1811. All were born in Lausen. Each was baptized in St. Niklaus 3 or 4 days after their birth.

On 8 April 1816, Martin and Ursula, along with their three children ages 5 to 10, left Lausen. According to the Combination Atlas of Tuscarawas County, on page 120, the family "came down the Rhine in 1816, and after a stormy voyage of sixty days settled at Gnadenhutten." They had arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the Broderschap on the 16th of August 1816. On 24 September 1816 they arrived in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. The family settled near relatives in Fry's Valley. Ursula's brother had come to Tuscarawas County in 1803. Her father came in 1806. There were likely other family members in the area.

On April 7, 1817, Martin and Ursula were presented as candidates at the Sharon Moravian church. On May 26, they were first-time communion participants at the Moravian church.

On the 9th of October of 1830 or 1836, Ursula died in Fry's Valley. (I believe the 1836 is the correct date.)

On 5 September 1837 in New Philadelphia, Martin married Anna Margaret HUBER, the widow of Moravian minister Jacob Rauschenberger. She passed away on 25 Feb 1848 in Clay Twp, Tuscarawas County of "bilious plurisy."

Moravian minister Herman Tietze noted in his diary, that on the 8th of January 1840, he visited "our brother and sisters in Fry's ValleyValley; hence we drive, by sleigh, to Bro. and Sr. Martin Keyser, senior, and in the evening we visit with the not distant John Tschudys. But then my horse rolled itself under the trough at night and was wedged in so tight that it required the help of some neighbors and chopping through the trough before he could be pulled out of his difficult situation; he was lame and quite useless for our farther visit in the valley. Hence, Bro. Kayser had the goodness to hitch up one of his horses and to drive us to Bro. and Sr. Jac. Hellers who had settled at the farthest end of the Valley. Scarcely warmed, a messenger, sent after me from Sharon overtakes me to hold the burial in the afternoon at Sharon, as the 8 day old little son of John Demuth, Jr. had gone home. I therefore rode in all haste on my borrowed horse about 8 miles by way of Gnadenhutten to Trenton, Where I give an English address to a very small group of mourners. I get back in time in the evening to conduct the evening meeting in Gnadenhutten The following morning I get my family at Fry's Valley. Fortunately the horse had improved enough that he was able to pull us home."

In the same diary, on Sunday August 2, 1840, Rev. Titze noted that "After dinner Br. Martin Keyser, Sr., told me that bad reports have reached his ears about many of our young people who have carried on card playing for a good while and have given our more strict neighbors just cause for offense. Altho I had at times been suspicious that at the gathring in numbers of our young people, and often continued until into the night, with our doctor in town, what was not good might have been pursued, so it was extremely painful to learn of its certainly amd indeed of its extent. I see the necessity and duty of investigating these disagreeable events and of controling the situation where possible, according to my strength."

In 1842, in the Moravian minister Wolle's diary, he noted on February 6 that "Father Martin Keiser incurred a bad injury on his face while log-rolling." A few days later, on February 12, Rev. Wolle wrote "On receiving the report that Bro. Martin Kaiser was dangerously ill from the injury received in the face, Bro. Christian Blickensderfer and I rode to Frey's Valley to visit him,-- but found him busy in his field, but still pretty unwell. We then visited sick Mother Frey, at Samuel Frey's, Jesse Frey's and John Tschudy's. In all the families they have suffered immensely from a kind of scarlet(fever) during the past few weeks; this epidemic seems to be creeping around through the whole neighborhood, also in Gnadenhutten, but it is worse in this valley than elsewhere. Peter Edmond's family are all said to be very sick. The weather is continued warm and for the most part we have had a very unusual winter so far. We have had spring-like weather during January and February. As there is a great scarcity of feed for the cattle, it is very much to the advantage of the poor farmers."

On 30 September 1851, Martin Keiser married for the third time. This time he married Margaret Roth.

In 1857, Martin Keiser helped found a new Moravian church, the Fry's Valley Moravian church. On page 179, the 1988 History of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, notes that "Early in 1857 the people of Fry's Valley expressed interest in joining the Moravian Church. On June 7, 1857 Brother Bachman rode on horseback to Fry's Valley for a special service. Following the service he received a note saying that the families of the church wished to form a new Moravian congregation. The following Thursday, June 11, 1857, the new congregation was formally organized. Brother Bachman held a church council with twenty-four members present. The founding members included: Martin Kaiser, Sr., Joseph Kinsey, Nicholaus Dubach, Benedict Bigler, David Kislig, Samuel Fry, David Kinsey, Sr., Benedict Dappen, Samuel Myer, John Bigler, Christian Maurer, Samuel Bigler, Theodore Fox, Joseph Fry, John Dubach, and Christian Kinsey. Also present were Jacob Wenger and Louis [sic-Lewis] Kaiser."

On March 9, 1865, a little more than a month before the first shots of the American Civil were fired, Martin Keiser died in Fry's Valley.




NOTE: In America the Keiser name was spelled various ways, including Keyser, Kiser, and Kaiser. As time went on, some families used Kiser and others used Kaiser. Note also that the Tschudy was also spelled different ways. Some lines went with the Americanized spelling of Judy, while others kept Tschudy.


======================================


Original notes that were entered on this memorial before I took it over:

Marriage 1 Ursula TSCHUDY b: 6 May 1778 in Switzerland
Married: 27 Aug 1799 in Switzerland 6

Marriage 2 Margarethe (Anna Margaret) HUBER b: 12 Sep 1790 in [near] Graceham, Frederick Co., Maryland
Married: 5 Sep 1837 in New Philadelphia, Goshen Tp., Tuscarawas Co., Ohio 7

Marriage 3 Margaret ROTH
Married: 30 Sep 1851 in Tuscarawas Co., Ohio 8

.