Barth family came from Hungary

Loose hay had to be lifted up and into barns before hay balers.

Most people who emigrated from Europe and ended up in Fairbury were from England, Ireland, Germany, and Switzerland.

The Barth family is the only family known to have emigrated from Hungary to Fairbury.

The Barth family's story began with the birth of Valentine Barth in Austria, Hungary, in 1844. That part of Europe has a fascinating history. When Valentine Barth was 23 years old, the Austria-Hungarian Empire was formed in 1867. This Empire was a combination of Austria and Hungary. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consisted of two sovereign states with a single monarch who was titled both Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. One of Europe's major powers at the time, Austria-Hungary was geographically the second-largest country in Europe and the third-most populous (after Russia and the German Empire). This form of government continued until it was dissolved in 1918.

In 1870, Valentine Barth married Johanna Matheis. He was 25 at the time, and she was 22. Valentine and Johanna Barth had three girls and three boys. Unfortunately, all three daughters died in infancy. The names and birth years of the three sons included John Barth, born in 1875, Valentine Barth Jr., born in 1881, and Adam Barth, born in 1883.

In 1875, Valentine Barth became a member of the German Apostolic Christian Church in Hungary. In 1892, the Valentine Barth family emigrated from Hungary to Fairbury. When they emigrated, Valentine was 48, Johanna was 44, John Robert was 17, Valentine Jr. was 11, and Adam was nine.

By 1892, the Apostolic Church was well established in the Fairbury and Forrest areas. Valentine Barth may have chosen to emigrate to Fairbury because of connections to the Apostolic Church.

Benjamin Nussbaum wrote two pamphlets about the history of the Apostolic Church. In 1973, he wrote his history of the South Side, and in 1975, he wrote his history of the North Side.

In his writings, Nussbaum recounted the North Side church began with Joseph Virkler. He was both an Elder and a Minister. In 1864, he and his family moved from New York to a farm north of Forrest, Illinois. As more families arrived in the area, Virkler started conducting church services in local homes. Around 1870, a small two-room church was built on Virkler's land. The family names of some of the first members were Abersol, Honegger, Huber, Keller, Leuthold, Metz, Ramseyer, Scharlach, Stoller, and Schwartzentraub.

As more families settled in the Fairbury area, attending the church north of Forrest using horse-drawn wagons or buggies became increasingly challenging. When there were enough Fairbury members, they built their own South Side church building in 1875. Some of the family names of those early members included Bittner, Farney, Gerber, Hari, Hartman, Hosterwitz, Nussbaum, Roth, Slagle, Sohn, Sommer, Steffen, Wenger, Yoder, Ziegenhorn, and Zimmerman.

In the 1900 U.S. Census, Valentine Barth and his wife lived on Elm Street in Fairbury. He was 55, and his wife was 51. Valentine's occupation was a carpenter.

Just one year after this Census was taken, Valentine Barth was almost killed in a farm accident. In that era, loose hay had to be lifted to the top level of barns using a steel hook or harpoon stuck in the hay and attached to a rope. The rope went up to a high pulley. Men or horses pulled the rope and lifted the hay up and into the barn.

Valentine was helping to put up hay for Andrew Steffen near Cropsey. The harpoon fell and struck his breast and broke one rib. Had he been standing straight, Valentine probably would have been killed outright. Valentine likely worked as a "hired hand" for various farmers south of Fairbury.

In 1904, Adam Barth, son of Valentine and Johanna Barth, married Jennie Mowery. She was the daughter of Francis M. Mowery (1842-1927) and Rebecca Parker (1842-1926). He was 21, and she was 20 when they married. They had three children. They lived in Fairbury.

John Barth, son of Valentine and Johanna Barth, moved to Harper, Kansas, and married Emma Rebecca Maninger. Valentine Barth, son of Valentine and Johanna Barth, married Ida Mae Fickes, and they lived in Peoria.

In the 1910 Census, Valentine and his wife lived on East Locust Street in Fairbury. He was 66, and his wife was 62. Valentine listed his occupation as a farmer. The Census also noted that Valentine was a Naturalized Citizen.          

Valentine Barth died in 1916 at the age of 72 in Fairbury. He was a member of the German Apostolic Christian Church and was buried in Graceland Cemetery. When Valentine died, his son John Barth was living in Harper, Kansas. His son Valentine Barth Jr. lived in Peoria when his father died. The third son, Adam Barth, lived in Fairbury.

Seven years after her husband died, Johanna Barfth died in 1923 in Fairbury at the age of 74. She was buried alongside her husband in Graceland.

In the 1930 Fairbury phone book, son Adam Barth and his wife, Jennie, along with their children, Raymond, Hazel, and George, lived at 406 E. Maple Street, and their telephone number was listed as 246 W.

Jennie Barth, the wife of Adam Barth, died in 1956 at the age of 72. She was buried in Graceland Cemetery.

In 1964, Adam Barth was 81 years old and still working as a plasterer in Fairbury. That year, U.S. Route 24 had a detour that included a bridge one mile south and a half mile east of Fairbury. Mr. Barth hit a pothole, which caused him to hit the guard rail on the bridge.

State Trooper John Manning reported that Barth refused medical treatment and transport to a hospital. Keith Stiver took Mr. Barth home in the Stiver Funeral Home ambulance. Mr. Stiver stayed with Mr. Barth for an hour at his home, and then Keith went home. The next morning at 8:30 AM, Keith Stiver checked on Mr. Barth at his house and found him unconscious. He was taken to the Fairbury Hospital and died in the afternoon. An autopsy revealed Mr. Barth had several injuries, including a skull fracture. Adam Barth was buried in Graceland cemetery with his wife, Jennie Barth.

Valentine Barth was an example of a man who brought his family from Hungary to the Fairbury area, and he became a successful farmer. His three sons also led productive lives in America.

Dale Maley's weekly history feature on Fairbury News is sponsored by Dr. Charlene Aaron.