A Letter from the President of the Association

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To the remarkable Schürch family,

The unmistakable signs of spring are here. The temperature is rising, trees are budding, flower blossoms are everywhere, and my Trillium is sprouting! It is just a glorious time. But into this bright and beautiful landscape a dark, deadly, invisible force has crept—covid19. This threat has created massive disruption in our lives and reached down into Schürch Family Association plans.

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At the Executive meeting held on April 25, 2020, using the Zoom virtual meeting platform, a motion was brought forward as follows: The Schürch Family Association Reunion scheduled for August 6, 7, 8, and 9, 2020 in Fort Erie, Ontario is hereby postponed and is rescheduled for August 5, 6, 7, and 8, 2021 in Fort Erie, Ontario.

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The Reunion dates are the traditional time that Executive Officers are elected. In order to create a smooth transition during this unsettled time a second motion was brought forward as follows: As a result of the cancellation of the 2020 Reunion, the current Executive Officers will continue in office until the next Reunion scheduled for 2021.

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So today, we have a choice. We can succumb to the depression and darkness of the coronavirus. Or we can maintain the vision that our Schürch ancestors had 300 years ago to escape the religious persecution and find new light and new life in the New World. I say we go forward into the light and continue to fulfil the mission of proclaiming the heritage of the Schürch Family Association.

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Please contact me with any information or questions.

Tom Shirk

2 Riverhills Lane, Toledo, Ohio 43623

419-346-1811

HOT OFF THE PRESS

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The latest issue, November 2020, of the Schürch Family newsletter highlights  Schürchs who moved to California. Excerpts of it can be viewed by clicking here.

New Brubacher House Video

This new video shows the history of the Brubacher House as it relates to the Brubaker Family but the House also has deep Sherk roots. The House was built by John and Magdalena Brubacher. John’s father was Deacon John E Brubacher, Code C346 who was the first male Brubacher immigrant to Waterloo County. John E was the grandson of Maria Sherk Erb, Code C3, and her husband, Christian Erb, immigrants to Waterloo County about 1806.

John Brubacher’s mother was Catherine Sherk, Code H464, daughter of Joseph Sherk, Code H46, who was the first immigrant to Waterloo County in 1800.

Thus John Brubacher, descendant of John E Brubacher and Catherine Sherk and builder of the Brubacher House can claim two Schurch codes, C3464 and H4644.

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At the Schürch Reunion in 2016 in Waterloo Region, this house was one of the stops on a bus tour.

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Enjoy the video!

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Hanspeter Jecker Lecture

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During our Heritage Tour to Switzerland we had an opportunity to visit with lecturer Hanspeter Jecker on the 28th  of September 2019 in Bienenberg at the Theological Seminar History Centre. He is a professor of Anabaptist History. 

Hanspeter granted permission for his presentation to be recorded by Stephen Shirk, our Historical Committee Chairman. Having received permission from him we offer his lecture for your viewing and education. Click on the link to our Facebook page. Once on the site, scroll down until you see the heading Schurch Family Association of North America with Justin Houser giving an introduction.

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Reunion 2020 POSTPONED

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NEW DATES: August 5 to 8, 2021

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Details of the next reunion will be posted here and on the Reunions pages in the menu as they become available.

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.

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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.

How Many Ways can one Spell Schürch?

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.