Gfeller Family History--700 Years
Peter and Anna Gfeller of Geary Co., Kansas
Fifty years before Europe's black plaque killed 25 million people and Switzerland was still a League of thirteen
Cantons in the Holy Roman Empire in the year of 1301, Burchard Gveller lived on his own farm three miles south
of Walkringen in the Canton of Bern. Walkringen is ten miles east of the City of Bern near the villages of
Landiswil, Ruderswil, Signau, Biglen, Worb and Obergoldbach. Our family history can be traced back to this
humble farmer. Geveller means a slope of hillside and in ancient times the spelling was "Gevelle". In the Swiss
dialect the name also means luck and Weller "lucky man".
The Beginning
The Bern Archives tell us that 430 years later sometime in 1731 Christen Gfeller was born. Just three years later in
1734 Ulrich Liechti had a daughter named Anna in Biglen Parrish. Christen and Anna married on February 22nd,
1765 and their union produced two children. Ulrich Gfeller was baptized December 12,1766 and Barbara Weller
was baptized July 11,1773. We don't know what happened to Barbara but Ulrich Weller married Anna Verena
Fischer on May 3rd, 1793 and they were blessed with seven children. Johannes was baptized April 5,1795, Ulrich
was baptized September 17,1797, Barbara was baptized January 5,1800, Christina was baptized April 17,1803,
Christen was baptized February 9,1806, Peter was baptized April 16,1809 and Elizabeth was baptized April 22,
1812.
Johannes became a teacher in Walperswil, a village about 15 miles north west of Bern at the foot of the Jura
Heights and married Magdeiena Niederhauser in 1819. He died in 1832. His brother Ulrich also became a teacher in
the near by village of Biel, at the north end of Lake Biel. Barbara married Heinrich Mayer of Magglingen, a village
just west of Biel, in 1821. Christina married Christian Hertig of Ruderswil, which lies 25 miles to the southeast.
Christen married Anna Maria in 1826 and died in 1843. Elizabeth took Johannes Liechti of Landiswil as her
husband in 1831. Now we turn our focus to Peter.
Peter Gfeller
Peter Gfeller was born in Landiswil, Bern, Switzerland on April 6,1809. He grew to manhood there and was
described as being 5' 5" with black hair and brown eyes. He was trained by Muhleim-a famous teacher before 1830,
Langhans- a National Church Minister, and by Wehrli-one of the best teachers of his time at Badhaus Hofwii, just
north of Bern. He took a teaching position at Obergoldbach, parish of Biglen when 20 years old. At age 24, he was
one of four applicants for the position of schoolteacher at Walkringen. The best of the four were Peter and Chris
Muller from Eggiwil, 31 years old and a teacher at Signau for 10 years. Reverend Kohler, the school Commissioner
from Worb, wrote on October 25,1833 "Both are capable men, with just a little difference in knowledge. Muller has
more capacity in asking the children questions. This is due to his longer practice. He is also better in arithmetic, on
the blackboard. On the other side, Gfeller is better for methodical teaching, accurateness, and lifefulness in
teaching. He wrote a better thesis, is more accurate and exact in singing. Finally, Weller has more modesty and
more aptitude in learning. So 1 put Gfeller in first rank, and Muller in the second. The School Board was present
the whole day, with much attention. They agreedwith me:' Peter Gfeller remained in that position for 20 years. Peter
was not only an excellent teacher; he was also a piano tuner with great musical ability and could play several string
instruments.
Anna Maria Moser
Anna Maria Moser was born in Biglen on March 25th. 1819. She had three brothers. Johannes lived from August
until October of 1816. Another brother also died as an infant. The third brother, also named Johannes, was born in
1822 and died in 1852. Her parents were Johannes Moser from Biglen, born January 30,1791 and Anna
Lugenbucael Von Grosshochstratten from Signau, born May 31,1793. They were married July 2nd, 1813. The
Moser's were a very affluent family in Biglen and their history can be traced back to 1510. Her father Johannes died
April 13,1840 and her mother Anna died September 29,1842. Peter and Anna Peter Gfeller married Anna Maria
Moser October 16, 1835 at the age of 26. Anna was 16. While still in Switzerland thirteen children were born. Two
died in infancy. One can only imagine the tenacity of the man, at age 44, as he went to the Passport Office March
26,1853 to apply to immigrate to an unknown land over 4,000 miles away with his wife and eleven children that
ranged in age from six months to 15 years. Very little time elapsed before the family, accompanied by Peter
Lehman, a young teacher from Worb who served as cook, and three servants, Anna Marie Riser from Ursenbach,
Magdalena Inabit from Grinwald and Fredrich Schneider from Biglen left on the 300 mile journey to Antwerp,
Belgium. It was late April when they boarded the "Roger Stewart", a sailing ship which measured 180 by 36 by 18,
for a stormy 38 day voyage 3600 miles across the Atlantic arriving in New York May 29,1853. A painting of this
ship hangs in the Skolfield Mansion in Brunswick, Maine. Four months later and seven hundred miles west, Peter
Gfeller purchased a 148-acre farm in Dunkel's Grove, Illinois for $1500. Today that farm is part of Bensenville, an
integral part of Chicago very near O'Hare Airport The family moved on to Polk City, Iowa in 1856. A log cabin and
200 acres of land located on the Des Moines River were purchased from John M. Neuenschwander. Five more
children were born here and two infants died. The cabin still exists today.
Some time in the late 1860's Peter began to search for cheaper land. After a trip to Tennessee he said " the boys
would have to become goat farmers to live in those hills." He headed west to Kansas and bought a half section of
railroad land near Alida for $2.50 an acre. Friedrich, Godfried, Gottlieb, Adolph and Robert were the first to arrive
in Alida, Kansas. The rest of the family came in 1875 after a Mr. Peters took possession of the Iowa land on March
1 st,1875. Records indicate that 3 acres were sold to N.R.Kuntz in 1863.
Peter and Anna lived in peaceful retirement for their remaining years in Kansas. They were members of the St.
John's Evangelical Church from the time it was built until their death. Peter Gfeller died August 27th,1893 and
Anna died October 26th,1912. Both are interred in St. John's Cemetery near the old town of Alida. Milford Lake
took the town of Alida in 1963.
Now 1 want you to close your eyes and imagine Peter on the last day of his life, citizen of Landiswil, Pioneer of the
American west, and honored father. He had almost 600 years of family history behind him. He had 7 daughters and
7 sons and 129 grandchildren, a few yet unborn. Now fast forward to 2001 and close your eyes again. Can you
picture the clan that has grown to nearly 3,000. Gfeller really does mean "lucky man".