Zacharias Fässler (1791 - aft. 1870)

Born Jul 1791 in Alpthal, Schwyz, Switzerland [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Maria Theresia (Steiner) Fässler — married 25 Oct 1819 in Alpthal, Canton Schwyz, Switzerland

Descendants

Died after 1870 after age 78 in Chanhassen Township, Carver, Minnesota, USA [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Pat Quinn [send private message]

Biography

Zacharias was born in the village of Alpthal, Canton Schwyz, Switzerland in 1791. He is the son of Felix Fässler and Katharina Kälin.^[1]

He married Maria "Theresia" Steiner Oct 25, 1819 in Alpthal. She is the daughter of Martin Steiner and Apollonia Bisig. They had 16 children; 12 boys and 4 girls. From 1819 to about 1824 Zacharias and Theresia lived in Eigen, then on Malosen Farm which is south of Alpthal from 1825 to 1861. One son died in childhood. His wife, Theresia, passed away in Alpthal in 1855.^[2]

His daughter, Elisabeth, and her husband Carl Diethelm, immigrated to Laketown Township, Carver County, Minnesota, USA in 1853. Three of his sons followed them to Minnesota over the next few years. At age 65, Zacharias sold Malosen Farm to Franz Holdener, and on Feb. 19, 1861, he and five more sons (and one future daughter-in-law), traveled to Le Havre, France to board the ship "Helvetia" bound for America. The Helvetia docked in New York City on May 10, 1861. It's assumed that they continued overland to their destination by rail and riverboat. Here's a copy of Helvetia's passenger manifest. The Fasslers are passengers 108 through 113. Barbara Steiner, his son's fiance', is psgr #116.^[3] Another son immigrated from Switzerland around 1863. He may have been living in Zacharias' house in 1865 in Minnesota, but he moved to Tennessee before 1872. Three sons and three daughters remained in Switzerland.

In Switzerland, the family name is spelled Fässler. Zacharias kept this spelling throughout his life but most of his offspring changed their names to Fessler after moving to America. (In English, Fässler is spelled Faessler.)

Three of his sons served in the Union Army during the Civil War. One may have been wounded (he later collected a veteran's disability pension), the second son was captured in battle and became a prisoner of war, later exchanged; and the third died of illness in Tennessee, 7 weeks after enlisting.

Zacharias appeared on his first US census in Laketown Township, Carver County, Minnesota in June 1865. Unfortunately, the census only showed his name as head of the household and how many total males (4) and females (1) were living there. The 3 extra males must have been his sons, but I'm not sure who the female in the house was since he was a widower and his married sons all had homes of their own. Another of his sons got married the following month so this may have been his fiance'.

By Aug, 1870, Zacharias, now 75, had retired from farming, and was living with his son and daughter-in-law, Martin and Mary, in Chanhassen, Carver Co. When the census was done again in 1875, Martin and Mary are still there, but Zacharias is gone. Although a few of his sons had left Minnesota and migrated to other parts of the country during this time period, there's no evidence that Zacharias went with them. Most likely he passed away in Chanhassen in-between the censuses taken on 08/17/1870 and 05/11/1875. His grave has not been located.^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ Alpthal Parish Baptismal Record Books & Eigen/Alpthal Parish record, Zacharias Fässler-Steiner family page.
2. ↑ Eigen/Alpthal Parish Record, Zacharias Fässler-Steiner family page and 7/14/13 em from AMF to PQ.
3. ↑ "New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1891," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-16954-33661-11?cc=1849782 : accessed 03 Nov 2014), 210 - 18 Apr 1861-10 May 1861 > image 399 of 434; citing NARA microfilm publication M237, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C.
4. ↑ MN & US Census records

Parish records and other information provided by Annemarie Fassler. Photographs courtesy of Annemarie Fassler.

Acknowledgments

• Thanks to Pat Quinn for starting this profile.
• Thanks by PQ to A. Fassler of Alpthal, CH & B. Fessler of WA for their assistance.