Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-06-01
REACHED HER CENTURY.
\ Reunion on the Birthday Anniversary Of
Mrs Pheister.

n
Columbus, O., Nay 31.-To-day there
is to be big reunion in Basil, a SMALL
village in Fairfield County. The occa-
sion viii be the reunion of the Pheiste'
family, and more especially the birth
day of the oldest member of it, Mrs
Anna Maria Pheister. On that day she
will have rounded a century. Mrs.
Pheister has been living in the little
town OF Basil for nearly 20 years, and
here her children, grandchildren, and
great-grandchildren have grown up
around her
Mrs. Pheister was born in Haas,
Switzerland, May 81, 1895, when Wash
ing,on was yet living and the star Of
Napoleon was only a little way above
the horizon Her maiden name was
Haas. the same as that Of her native
village among the Alps, for her fore
fathers had founded it and given TO it
their name Mrs. Pheister lived in
Haas till she was - years old, when
She was married in 1914 She was the
mother of eight children, five of whom
are now living. John, the eldest, now
being II years Of age. In 1929 Mrs.
Pheister left Switzerland with her hus-
band and six other families. They
started on June S, and, as was the only
means of travel with the Swiss, began
their journey in wagons, travelling
/ through France to the sea coast. They
j0urueyed along in this laboriOus way
, till Havre-de-Grace on the coast Of
| France, was reached. Here they bought
I rr b. lab, 20
America with them. They took ship
from this port, going in the steerage
Of an Old-fashi0ned sailing ship, Anti
och by name. 1t took the Swiss six
weeks to cross the ocean. They finally
reached New York and went from
there 10 Albany by steam. From there
they went by way of the Erie Canal to
Buffalo, and thence by way of the lakes
10 Sandusky, o.
Here the families separated, some of
them going into the West and the
Pheister family to the South, finally
reaching the spot whore the village of
Basil now stands. Here they bought
farm. They paid $100.25 for it, and
when the deal was cOnsummaJed they
had % cents left. The husband put up
a temporary house. and they lived in
it for four months, until he could get al
log cabin completed. AS an illustration
Of the work that pioneer families had
To do in those days, Mrs. Pheister, her
/ youngest son and her husband cleared
i0ur acres of woodland, and fenced 1t
in splitting rails for the fences them
selves. The first wheat they raised she
and her daughter planted. To plant
the grain they had 10 prepare the
ground with q garden hoe. II was at
this time that they had a hard struggle
to keep the wolf away from the door
Mr.. PheisJer kept the family from
| starving through an intensely cold
winter by curing a few bushels of corn
and tah'g it 20 the mill where il was
ground up into meal cakes and coarse
/ bread
Mr.. Pheister died in 1873. For ten
| years the family lived in the little log
cabin they first built at Basil Then
I they built a house which is standing
to-day, and has been occupied by the
I Pheisters for 60 years
1irs. Pheister is a remarkably we'll
/ preserved woman for one of such ad-
vanced age She retains all her facul-
ties, and although her memory is not
strong the past few years, she can sCill
/ remember many things about the early
| history of the State. She is still very
bright and though feeble, is still able
TO get about with comparative alacricy.
She has always enjoyed the best Of
health and is the very picture of a hale
and green old age. For 81 years she
has been a devout member Of the Ger
man Reformed Church.