Is there curry in Curryville?

Continuing on my journey, I got off 1-70 after Columbia, onto Highway 54.  I followed that highway to Curryville.  The little town of Curryville was platted in 1866 and named after the original owner of the town site, Perry A. Curry.  A post office has been in operation there since 1869.

I chose to make a little tour of this area.  There is an Amish community around there.  Our ancestors used to be Amish.

It was the years following the reformation in Switzerland, our ancestors, who were Anabaptists, were met with cruel persecution.  There was a formal decree issued that stated all children must be baptized within 8 days.  The Anabaptists believed in believer's baptism, upon one's confession of faith.  The decree stated that special meetings for Bible study must be discontinued and leaders of the Anabaptist movement must be banished.  Anabaptists were punished by severe fines, confiscation of property, imprisonment, torture, burning at the stake, scourging, and exile, being sold as galley slaves, and death by drowning.

Persecution became so severe that in 1671 some 700 families fled the country.  Our distant relative Peter, or Pierre Graber, as he was probably called,  fled with his family from Huttwil, Switzerland in 1707.  The Swiss government seized their property and sold it to help pay for a new church building in the village.  The Grabers went to Alsace, France, arriving 14 days before their first son was born.  They were one of the first Amish families known to have settled in the Rhine plain.  (Yes, our ancestors were Amish Mennonites!)  Here Peter Graber worked as a weaver.  Then in 1713 King Louis XIV threw the Mennonites out of Alsace, so they went to Etoban, France just NW of Montbeliard where he was a tenant farmer and miller.  He also supplemented their income by making charcoal and carrying wood.

An entry in church records in Montebeliard show that  a descendant of Peter, Christian and his wife, Maria Roth, left for Poland in 1791, along with several others.  Their daughter had just gotten married the month before, and she and her husband are also listed on the passport list.  Also their son Daniel, from whom we are descended.  Before they left, Christian was ordained to serve as the minister of this Amish Mennonite group in Urszuin and Michelsdorf, Poland.   Sometime before 1874, when our relatives immigrated to America, the Graber family had left the Amish sect of the Mennonites.

Heading south from Curryville, I came upon a woman driving a buggy.  The horse was trotting along 4-8 miles per hour.  

I had found a map of the Amish from this area on-line and printed it out.  It located the various shops in the area.  I wanted to stop at a quilt shop and a bakery too.  I didn't find the bakery but did locate the quilt shop. 

A Mrs. Eichel ran the shop.  I would have loved to have taken a photo of Mr. Eicher unhitching the buggy from his horse and of the little 3 year old daughter.  But Amish do not like pictures of themselves taken so I didn't do it.

Mrs. Eicher was in her house when I first arrived, but the shop said "Open" so I went in.  And I did get a few photos before she came out.

I purchased some fabric and had a good chat with Mrs. Eicher.  She told me she was originally from Ohio and did know some of the Graber Amish.  I asked her if there was a country restaurant that had good old Swiss German food.  She said no.  There is a lady who sometimes does cook for people, but it is by reservation ahead of time in her home.

I love good old fashioned Mennonite cooking!  Here is a cookbook I received for my wedding from my high school  home-ec teacher.  It includes recipes from various Mennonite groups.  There is no curry included in the Amish section, however, perhaps someone does cook curry in Curryville?

I continued on my way.

I made a stop at this gas station for a pit stop and to take a photo of the bridge over the Mississippi River.

Across the street was a junk yard or auto salvage place.  It looks like Grandma's car that we have in our garage!  (a one-day-for-Al-to-work-on car)  Grandma's car is in much better condition.

All along the way, I saw many signs.  Mid-term elections are around the corner!  Wonder if this lady is related to our friend Pete?

I continued on to Pittsfield for the night.  Next post.