Vegter-Tschetter Heritage

John and Susanna Tschetter

John Tschetter was a younger brother of Paul Tschetter, one of the two delegates who had made the initial trip to America to explore the possibility of a Hutterite migration. John later "split" from the Hutterites by emphasizing a personal experience of salvation, public confession, baptism by immersion, eternal security, and strict living. One church history described John as "the first of the Hutterisch [Hutterite] people who publicly confessed to personal salvation through a spiritual experience with Christ." John was influenced initially by local Pentecostals, but was eventually disenchanted with their emotional exhuberance (The Prairie People, Rod Janzen, p. 111). John became a leader of the KMB (Krimmer Mennonite Brethren).

Baptized in the winter of 1886 by breaking a hole in the ice of Wolf Creek, John was ordained a minister in 1889. Donating the land, John helped build the Salem KMB church (10 miles SW of Bridgewater) in 1900. John pastored the Salem church until 1908 when he moved to a farm 17 miles northeast of Huron to be near his grown and married children. Here he attended and helped lead the Bethel KMB church near Yale. In 1948 he moved into Huron and attended the Bethesda KMB church.

CASTLE GARDEN
Before Ellis Island, Castle Garden (now Castle Clinton) served as America's immigration station for 8 million immigrants from 1855-1890. Although the original records were lost in a great fire, you can still view John's record as a 14 year old immigrant. John departed Bremen and Southampton on the ship Main, arriving at Castle Garden on September 4, 1875. You can also view Susanna's record as an 11 year old immigrant, arriving at Castle Carden on September 4, 1875.

Susanna and John

Susanna and John

John & Susanna's
Wedding Invitation

Castle Garden, 2018
During an East Coast bicycle trip, Kathy (John and Susanna's great granddaughter) visited Castle Garden, lower Manhattan, where John and Susanna disembarked from the Main, September 4, 1875.

Recollections of
Grandma John and Grandma Susanna
by grandson Will Hohm,
son of Barbara Tschetter Hohm.

Rev. John Tschetter's Autobiography (Kathy's great grandpa) continued

In 1908, the 12th of September, we moved to Beadle County because our children who were married had already bought land and lived there. We bought a farm 17 miles northeast of Huron. We farmed there with our children for almost 40 years. Here we attended the Bethel Church near Carpenter, which had been organized by John Z. Kleinsasser in 1902. In 1910 John Z. Kleinsasser and his relatives moved to California. The property on which the church stood was sold, and so a new church was erected 2 miles south of the old one. Here I took over the leadership for 2 years. In 1912, Rev. Jacob M. Tschetter returned form North Carolina where he was missionary among the negroes. He took over the leadership, and I assisted him in the ministry. We were blessed together in the work of the Lord. For over 50 years I served the Lord in the ministry, and many were the blessings the Lord bestowed upon us in all these years.

We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary on November 3, 1931, at the Bethel Church in June, 1932, because our youngest son, Paul, was attending John Hopkins Medical School and could not be present in November. On November 26, 1944, we celebrated our 63rd wedding anniversary at the Bethel Church.

I was always very healthy until my 86th year. In December, 1947, I had a bad fall and was seriously hurt. In February, 1948, we moved to the City of Huron to our present home at 837 Simmons Avenue. Quickly my health failed. I had to undergo 3 operations; 2 for ruptures and one on the bladder. Two of our sons and 2 of our grandsons performed the operations. The Lord was gracious and everything went well.

I had the misfortune of falling several times, and so at present my feet and legs are weak. My eyesight is failing me so that I can't read well anymore, but I am happy in my Lord and Savior. I long to be in my heavenly home. October 30, I will be 90 years old. I preached the Gospel for over 50 years. Now I can only pray. It is my delight.

Later: Now my eyesight is so that I cannot read or write any more, but my beloved wife reads for me.