An amazing opportunity awaits...
Schürch Heritage Tour
September 9 to September 20, 2025
Trace your family and faith story through the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland.
Your tour begins in Amsterdam with visits to the famous Aalsmeer flower auction and Singel Mennonite Church. Your group will explore historic Dutch villages, hidden Mennonite churches, and an open-air museum.
In Germany, you’ll cruise along the majestic Rhine River, browse Mennonite archives in the Weierhof, and worship with the local Mennonite congregation.
As you immerse yourself in the captivating landscapes of the Swiss Emmental, visit homesteads directly related to your family’s history and enjoy the company of distant relatives. Also, ascend Schilthorn Mountain for breathtaking views. On a walking tour in Zürich, uncover the origins of the Anabaptist movement. End your tour with a meaningful time of worship and reflection in the Anabaptist Cave at Bäretswil, where Anabaptists once worshipped in secret.
Experienced TourMagination storyteller, Ayold Fanoy along with Justin Houser, will share insights as you travel in these beautiful countries that were so important to your Anabaptist ancestors.
This tour has an activity level rating of ACTIVE, please expect 2–3 hours of walking each day, with regular breaks.
Please register with a $1000/person deposit to secure your spot. The final payment is May 9, 2025.
All payments are made by credit card online.
General registration opens on Wednesday, November 27, 2025. First come, first served.
Diane Bergmann,
On behalf of The TourMagination Team
35-2855 Pembina Hwy, Suite 420, Wpg, MB, R3T 2H5
519-885-2522 Toll free: 1-877-668-2732
The 2024 reunion is over. It was a great reunion where lots of information was shared and new connections were made.
The next one will be in Ontario in 2026 in the area where a reunion was held almost thirty years ago. This area was settled by Casper Scherch in 1804.
Updates on the next reunion will appear on this page.
For forty years, The Sherk Family by Thomas A. Sherk has been the go-to resource for Schürch family history. At the 2022 reunion auction, two copies sold for more than $200 each. Now, through a one-time collaboration with Tom Sherk, the Schürch Family Association of North America is able to offer copies of a limited reprint edition of The Sherk Family.
The book was reprinted in November 2023 and can be purchased for $169 USD. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to own your personal copy of The Sherk Family. This price includes shipping.
Please send your check/cheque or money order as well as the number of desired copies, your contact information including name, mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address, to our US treasurer at the following address:
Jack Sherick, 18 North Pine Street, Lancaster, PA 17603. Direct inquiries may be sent to Jack at sci5teach322@yahoo.com.
Please make payments payable to Schürch Family Association of North America in US$.
Canadians, please use a US bank draft or a money order.
FAMILY NEWSLETTER
The April 2024 issue of the Schürch Family newsletter has been mailed.
Click here for excepts of the November issue.
FREE digital copy of “Table of Contents” and “Every Name Index” based on all newsletters published 1983-2017.
This is a vital resource for researchers and newsletter subscribers. Send your request to Cary Adams,
cavalleyboy@earthlink.net and he will email you a pdf version.
The Sherk Family
by Thomas A Sherk
Schürch Symposium
The latest symposium took place on Saturday, September 23rd, 2023. Lots of good information was shared in Introduction to SFANA Ancestry Discovery Tools.
If you missed it and would like to see it, it will be uploaded to our YouTube channel. It is not there yet but look back in a week or two.
To see the previous symposia, click on this link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiS3CNfUlAeITjo09Y0aJ2DeNtlLgCCbG
LANCASTER COUNTY BARN TOUR
Tour Launch October 21 from 10 to 2
Location: Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum
Read all about the tour in the Schürch Newsletter - November 2023 issue.
How Many Ways can one Spell Schürch?
Scharc
Schark
Sharrach
Schearch
Schearck
Scherch
Scherck
Schereck
Scherg
Scherge
Scherich
Scherk
Scherrich
Schirch
Schirck
Schirg
Schirk
Scheorck
Schoerg
Schorch
Schorck
Schorg
Schorock
Schorrock
Sharrich
Shirrock
Schorg
Sherak
Shorck
Schuerch
Schurch
Schurcho
Schurck
Schuerg
Schurg
Schürg
Schurge
Schurger
Schurgh
Schurgo
Schurig
Schuricht
Schurke
Scurean
Scurge
Sharg
Sharick
Sharigh
Shark
Sharrich
Sherak
Shercg
Sherch
Sherck
Shereck
Sherg
Sherich
Sherick
Sherig
Sherk
Sherock
Sherog
Sherrick
Sherrig
Shierk
Shirch
Shirck
Shirg
Shirk
Shirok
Shirrock
Shorck
Shorg
Shork
Shurck
Shurg
Shurixh
Shurk
Sierck
Tscherck
Tsherch
Tsherck
How many? Sixty or more at last count. Add family surnames with ties to the Schürch family like Bergey, Brubacher, Clemmer, Detweiler, Erb, Good, Hunsberger, Martin, Shantz, and many more and the number of Schürchs skyrockets. In the 37 years since our association was established, Schürch historians have discovered numerous ties connecting the descendants of the first Swiss arrivals in 1727. Come and explore and celebrate your ties to Schürchs in Switzerland and across North America.
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Y-DNA Project
Alan Leis is the administrator of this project. Justin Houser is a co-administrator. If you would like to have your Schurch genes tested, contact Alan. He would be more than happy to assist you.
E-mail: alanleis1@gmail.com
Who are the Schürchs?
Well, if your family name or that of any ancestor is Scherich, Scherch, Schirch, Schuerch, Sharick, Sherck, Sherick, Sherk, Sherrick, Shirck, Shirk or any of the more than 70 variants, you are a member of the Family. The Schürch Family originated in Switzerland and through emigration spread to North America in the late 1600s.
Our Swiss-German ancestors spelled their name Schürch and this is still the accepted spelling in Switzerland today. The Swiss also spell it ‘Schuerch’ exchanging the umlaut for the letter ‘e’. Our immigrant forefathers did not speak English and the clerks on the ships at the port of arrival did not usually speak German. Thus in Colonial America and later in the 1800s, various phonetic spellings were adopted. The name of the Family Association uses the Swiss spelling since it is the original surname and is representative of all the various branches of the family in North America today.
The Schürch Family Association of North America (SFANA) was created in 1982 by a group of individuals who were interested in preserving their family heritage. At that time, it was known that at least twenty-five individuals with likely ties to a Schürch family arrived in North America between the years 1727 and 1808. Many of those families (but not all) had ties to Sumiswald, Switzerland. Consequently, a sister organization, Schweizische Gesellschaft für Namenstrager Schürch (SGNS), developed around the same time, with similar goals. This sister organization has compiled extensive documentation on family branches in Switzerland.
The Swiss Schürch Association meets regularly. To learn more of the Schürch Family Association of Switzerland, abbreviated SGNS, visit the Swiss Schürch Family.
SFANA has provided this site to disseminate information about our family and the activities of the Association. Check in on a regular basis to see the latest information on the biennial reunion, research and family happenings.
To learn more of the Schürchs who first landed on North American shores go to Schürch History.