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Founders of the Church |
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| FRED JAEGER, | JACOB HAHN, | CHARLES BLEICHER, |
| WILLIAM BUSS, | JOHN HAAB, | JACOB HAAS, |
| GOTTLIEB ZAHN, | C. GOTTLIEB ANDRES, | JACOB TRAUTWEIN, |
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FRED JAEGER, was the first chairman for the organization of the church in 1883, served on the first building committee and was the first treasurer of the church. Born Charles Frederick in Wurtemberg, Germany in 1836, he was left an orphan at the age of twelve. He then lived with an aunt for seven years and then came to Michigan and settled first in Ann Arbor. He was in the Civil War for three months and then returned to Ann Arbor. In 1871 he married Louise Kalmbach, the daughter of Gottlieb Kalmbach of Lima Township. They had three sons, Otto, Fred and one who died in infancy. Fred first had a grocery, meat market, bakery and saloon in Dexter, beginning in 1866. He ran the business until 1888 when his health failed and then moved to his farm near Dexter. His wife died in 1902 and the following year he moved to Dexter to live with his son Otto. He died that year. |
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| JACOB HAHN, was the first secretary of the church in 1883. | ||
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CHARLES BLEICHER, was one of the first deacons of St. Andrew's and was on the first building committee. He was barn in Germany in 1826 and came with his parents to the United States in 1844 and settled in Webster Township. He married Anna Burkhardt in 1850. They had seven children. Their son, John Christian, born in 1862, married Lydia Mast, the sister of John Mast. John was a long time member of St. Andrew's and his children were and are members of St. Andrew's. John and Lydia lived for many years in Webster Township and were active in the church. They are buried at St. Andrew's Cemetery as are Charles and his wife Anna, Charles's sons, Frederick and Charles W. |
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WILLIAM BUSS, born John William Buss in 1838 in Lima Township served on the first building committee in 1883. He married Caroline Horning and settled on a farm on the motor line. They had ten children. He carried mail at one time from the Chelsea Post office to Freedom Township. One son, Herman was a member of St. Andrew's. Another son, Samuel married Elizabeth Elsasser the daughter of Ernest and Elizabeth Weidman Elsasser. A daughter Emma married Albert Trinkle. |
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| JOHN HAAB, who served on the first building committee was born in Germany in 1837, the son of John and Anna Haab who came to the county in 1832. He married Christiana Zahn in 1862, the daughter of Michael and Hannah Zahn. They had a farm in Webster Township where they remained all their married life. There were ten children. A daughter Katherine married Frederick Jedele, the brother of Emanuel Jedele who had a meat market many years ago in Dexter. His son, Alfred Haab also lived in Webster Township. John and his wife and their son Michael are buried in St. Andrew's Cemetery. | ||
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JACOB HAAS, one of the first deacons of the church and who also served on the first building committee, was born in 1841 in Freedom Township, the son of John and Barbara Haas who came to the United States from Germany. Jacob married Anna Katherine Smith in 1868 from Lodi Township. That same year they purchased a farm in Lima Township. They had three children; the oldest was Jacob V.; Edwin A. married Lissie Schmidt, the daughter of Christian and Elizabeth Schmidt, members of St. Andrew's; their daughter, Christina Barbara, married John Bauer. Jacob and his wife are buried in St. Andrew's Cemetery. |
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| GOTTLIEB ZAHN, one of the first trustees of the church, was born in Lodi Township in 1852. He married Regina Gartman in 1878. They had five children. Their daughter Bertha married Herman Bauer; their daughter Emma married Otto Benz and were members of St. Andrew's Church; son Samuel married Olive Gross, the sister of Alfred Gross a long time member of St. Andrew's. | ||
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C. GOTTLIEB ANDRES, one of the first trustees of the church, who was born in Germany in 1844 and came to the United States in 1846, farming first in Lima Township and then in Dexter Township on what is now Fleming Road. He was treasurer of Dexter Township for several years. His wife Elizabeth died in 1891. In 1900 he moved to Ann Arbor, where he died in 1909 and is buried in Bethlehem Cemetery in Ann Arbor along with his wife and other members of his family. He had four sons; Otto, whose wife was a sister of William Rhode who had the Rhode Building Supply business in Ann Arbor many years; a son Samuel, who had a plumbing business on E. Huron St. in Ann Arbor a number of years; a son Jacob, who was Sheriff of Washtenaw County from 1924 until his death in 1940; and a son Emanuel. |
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| JACOB TRAUTWEIN, one of the first trustees of the church. | ||
