From, "Amish Mennonites of Tazewell County" Pages 143-148, compiled by Joseph Peter Staker:

NICOLAS STECKER/NICHOLAS STAKER
Nicolas was born at Linstroff, Moselle Aug. 3, 1814. A civil birth entry was created at Grostenquin the
following day. It described the parents of 'Nicolas Stecker' as 41-year-old farm equipment operator Joseph Stecker of Linstroff, and Barbe Farny. Witnesses included [illegible] Schanz, 62; and blacksmith Christophe Schanz, 42. Father Joseph signed with an 'x'.

Two visits to the Landes Mennonite Cemetery failed to turn up Nicholas's headstone. Finally, on a third visit in August 2004, a bit of cleaning brought out the name Nicholas Stecker on an obelisk stone in the front row. The dates of birth and death appear to be Aug. 3, 1815, and July 27, 1876.

The first documented evidence of the presence of Nicholas Stecker in Ohio can be found in his citizenship declaration dated Sept. 21, 1840. Peter Schertz and Frederick Plate appeared as character witnesses. The log entry immediately before his belonged to Christian 'Gingrick' [Gingerich].

“Nicholas Stecker an alien: Be it known that on the twenty-first day of September in the term of September one thousand eight hundred and forty, before the Honorable Benjamin Kinkson Esquire, President and Daniel Milliken, Vincent D. Enyart, and John McCloskey Esquires, Associates Judges of our said Court of Common Pleas of the County of Butler in the State of Ohio, here at Hamilton comes Nicholas Stecker an alien, a native of Germany who being duly sworn in open court deposeth and saith that he was of the age of twenty-three years in the month of August last past. That in the year one thousand eight hundred and thirty-four he emigrated from Germany and came to the United States of America, being then a minor. That he has resided within the limits and under the jurisdiction of the United States for more than three years next preceding his arriving at the age of twenty-one years, and continued to reside therein to the time of making this application, being more than five years last past...”

'Apostle Peter' Naffziger, the minister who had performed the wedding of Joseph Stecker and Frena Roth, also performed the wedding of Nicholas Stecker and Maria Magdalena Eimer at Hamilton Aug. 22, 1841. (In America she dropped her first name and was known as Magdalena, Lena, or Malinda).

Nicholas and Magdalena are listed on the 1850 census of St. Clair, Butler County. Nicholas 'Stekar' is described as a 35-year-old farmer from France, while Lena 'Seker' is a 30-year-old from France. Their children are listed as John, 8; James (should be Joseph), 5; Barbary (Barbara), 3; and Nancy (should be Anna), 1. Both Nicholas and Magdalena are checked off as “Persons over 29 years of age who cannot read or write.”

On Jan. 5, 1858, Nicholas and Magdalena purchased 101 acres on Allentown Road in northwest Tremont for $4,500; full payment was made Feb. 4, 1859.237 Magdalena probably felt at home in the Dillon Creek meeting – the Ropps had family connections to Sigolsheim, Upper Alsace, a village located less than six miles from her own birthplace.

The 1860 census of Tremont lists Nicholas 'Soker' (this is amended to 'Saker' on the next page), 44, France; Malinda [Magdalena], 40, born in France; and children born in Ohio including John, 17; Barbara, 13; Anna, 11Magdalena, 9; Sophia, 7 (presumably this was Josephine, who died in 1865); Nicholas, 5; and Christian, 2. Joseph, 16, and Verena/Fannie, 4, are missing from the sequence.

The 1870 census of Tremont shows farmer Nicholas Staker, 53, France; Malinda, 50, France; Nicholas, 16, Ohio; Farina [Verena/Fannie], 12, Ohio; Christian, 10, Illinois; Mary, 8, Illinois; and Andrew, 4, Illinois. They lived next door to 'Valentin Burky.'

At Tremont their next door neighbor to the west was Peter Menard Jr. (1797-1871). He was a son of Col. Pierre Menard, the first lieutenant governor of Illinois for whom Menard County was named. Peter was a sub-agent for the Superintendent of Indian Affairs at Fort Clark (now Peoria) in 1830. He served in the Peoria Mounted Infantry, IV Corps, during the Black Hawk War of 1832. Many of his letters are still kept by the Kansas State Historical Society, and his father's French Colonial home in Ellis Grove is an Illinois landmark. He and his wife are buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery at Tremont.

Nicholas died in Tremont on July 27, 1876, though his probate papers give the date July 28. Although his cause of death is not known, one debt against his estate was a $31 payment to Harris & Schurtleff, Groveland doctors, for “medical attendance during last sickness.” Joseph W. Ropp, “the choice of the widow,” served as executor of his estate. His petition states that, “Said deceased left surviving Magdalena Staker his widow, and John, Joseph, Barbara, Anna, Magdalena, Nicholas, Fanny, Christ, Mary, and Andrew Staker his children and heirs.” Although his personal property was appraised at $3,272, Maria Magdalena received only $26 after all claims were settled, and each child received $38. (However, it is likely that the family savings was kept at home in cash, and would not have figured in the legal proceedings). He was buried in Landes Mennonite Cemetery.

No newspapers existed that may have documented his death, and no obituary was published in regional Mennonite publications. Members of the Dillon Creek meeting were buried in the smaller and more remote Landes Mennonite Cemetery from 1864 to 1885; the grave of Josephina Stecker, who died Nov. 9, 1865 at one year, eight months, and 21 days of age, is also found there. Josephina was the only child of Nicholas and Magdalena who died before the establishment of Pleasant Grove Mennonite Cemetery.

Maria Magdalena (Eimer) Staker died at Tremont March 14, 1907, and is buried in Pleasant Grove Mennonite Cemetery. Herald of Truth, April 11, 1907: “Magdalena Staker was born in France, May 15 [Sept. 25], 1819, died March 14, 1907, aged 87 y., 9 m., 29 d. She came to Ohio in 1837, united in marriage with Nicholas Staker, in 1840, to which union were born eleven children. Husband and three children preceded her to the spirit world. She came to Tazewell Co., Ill., in 1859, where she remained until death. She accepted her Savior in her young years, and united with the A. Mennonite church in which she was faithful unto the end. Funeral services were conducted by Daniel Roth and Samuel Gerber.”

In 2001, descendants in Tazewell County had no memory of a brother or even a cousin relationship between Joseph Stecker/Staker (1808-1872) of Morton and Nicholas Stecker/Staker of Tremont. Pearl Staker recalled that as a child she was told the families were unrelated. The estrangement – a result of the division within the church at Pleasant Grove – was mended by a 'reunion' meeting at the home of Mary (Staker) Bowers of Peoria in 2002.

Nicholas Staker and Maria Magdalena Eimer had 11 children. The two older sons left Stecker descendants. The remaining three sons left Staker descendants.