Newsletter No. 25 Ruswil - March 1999

Table of Contents

Preface

The Religious Men and Women of the Stirnimann Family

Franz Stirnimann, Basel 

Forum 

Miscellaneous 

Preface

Dear relatives and cousins

Dear members and friends of our family association

"Despite what man knows, creation will always be a miracle." This sentence, which I recently saw on a calendar sheet, touched me in a very special way. Shortly before the turn of the millennium, with its unprecedented technical possibilities, I once again asked myself the question of human perfection. Scientists are experimenting in core areas of creation, and the plethora of future possibilities seem more limitless than ever. In our striving for "even more" we humans have forgotten that we are only a small part of this great creation. Every particle, whether human, animal, plant or stone, can be regarded as a miracle, and at the latest when answering the question of where the whole thing comes from, the imperfection of the thinking person shows itself “perfectly!"

Well, sometimes you also need to look back at the past so that looking ahead into the future doesn't turn into a "mad-sense view". When we, dear association members, throw our gaze back here and there, we always make a meaningful reflection on our own existence: Who were our ancestors? Where and how did they live? What joys, but also worries and hardships did they have? What did you do wrong from our point of view, where will we do something wrong from your "past" point of view? From this reflection, for me, "creation" also means maintaining contact with fellow human beings in the "now" and striving for the community. With this, I think, we can take a more essential step towards our "perfection" with respect for the wonderful creation than to call our knowledge the most important thing with apparently scientific urgency and technical arrogance.

In the sense of community care mentioned above, I am pleased on the occasion of our anniversary conference on June 6, 1999 in the "most beautiful village in the Canton of Aargau", Gränichen, to be able to maintain very special contact with people who bear the name. Gränichen, the place of origin of our association members named Stimemann, will give us hospitality. I would like to cordially invite you all, dear association members, to this anniversary conference. I look forward to seeing you. Incidentally, the official invitation is enclosed with this circular so that it is not necessary to send it separately.

On the occasion of our 25-year anniversary conference in Gränichen, the board of directors transferred an amount of CHF 1000 to the church renovation in Storbeck, Germany (see circular number 24). The joy and gratitude of our namesake in the neighboring country, as I could see from a few phone calls and letters of thanks, was very great.

At its last meeting, the board decided to include a "new" page in the newsletter with the title "FORUM". The aim of this new page is to enable all association members to put messages, questions, suggestions, etc. in writing. The board is of the opinion that we can also help each other with family research within our association. If you are interested, you can contact a board member.

Before I finish, I would not like to miss the warm welcome to our new board member, Gregor Stirnimann-Lisebach, Nottwil, on the board. After dozens of phone calls looking for a successor to Alois Stirnimann-Zihlmann, Wolhusen, it was Alois himself who found a PC expert in Gregor and thus an ideal successor for the cashier's office. Gregor has already done a great job, the whole area is now managed electronically. I would like to thank him and all board members for the good cooperation and commitment to our association!

Now I wish you, dear association members, all the best and look forward to many encounters on June 6th in Gränichen.

The president

Beat Stirnimann-Stäger

The Religious Men and Women of the Stirnimann Family

Our previous circulars dealt with the origins, with the individual tribes and branches of our race. In almost every newsletter, a single progenitor or a significant member of our family was introduced with his family, with leading personalities their political position in the village Ruswil was mentioned and, if necessary, explained.

Today's newsletter reports for the first time about the seven religious men and women of our family who renounced marriage and family and stood up for the ideals and tasks of the Church and her orders - I am thinking above all of the care of the sick, of the Old people, children and other people in need. I am convinced that these religious deserve to be remembered today for their faithfulness to the Church and their selfless and exemplary commitment to their fellow man. We are currently experiencing, to the detriment of the Church and the general public, a disregard and a decline in religious professions such as has not existed for centuries.

1. The religious

1. Father Jost Stirnimann (1654-1706), Benedictine of Muri Abbey

The earliest known religious of our family is Jost Stirnimann, monk of the Benedictine abbey Muri in Freiamt in Aargau. Peter, as he was called by his baptismal name (baptized on February 25, 1654 in the parish church in Buttisholz), saw the light of day in the oldest ancestral home of our family in the Rot in Ruswil as the third son of Hans-Jakob Stirnimann and Barbara Bucher . Sebastian took over from the two brothers, the older father's farm in the Rot, who owned 160 Jucharten, Hans, the younger, received the farm in neighboring Etzenerlen, inherited from Uncle Peter Stirnimann, in the amount of 170 Jucharten. As mentioned, Peter, the brother of the two, became a monk of the Benedictine abbey of Muri. It was no coincidence that a farmer's son in the Rot chose this monastery. For centuries, the Muri monastery has received its annual tithe from numerous courts in the Ruswil district. Until the 18th century, the farmer in the Rot was the porter for the monastery, that is, he collected the taxes owed to the monastery, especially grain and fruit, from the farmers in the area and brought them to the monastery. These constant contacts and relationships are likely to have moved the young Peter Stirnimann to enter this monastery. Peter had been a student at the monastery school since June 27, 1670. On March 7, 1672 he began the novitiate. On March 21, 1673 he made his profession under the monastery name Jost (Jodocus, Jodok). On the day before their profession, the brothers Sebastian and Hans Stirnimann "zue Etzenerlen and in the Roth Lucerne rulership" guaranteed the novice the paternal and maternal share of the inheritance in the amount of 5000 guilders, which were handed over to the monastery "in good, similar, secure letters of validity" . This trousseau of 5000 guilders, undoubtedly one of the highest that the monastery ever received from a novice, corresponds to around one million Swiss francs at today's value. It is not surprising that Father Leodegar Mayer, the chronicler of the Muri monastery at the time, mentions this trousseau in his monastery history and adds that Frater Jost Stirnimann "came from a rural, but very rich family" ("ex progenie quidem rustica , sed valde divite ").

On February 29, 1676, Frater Jost was ordained a deacon by the papal nuncio in Lucerne and a priest on June 4, 1678. On June 29, 1678, the new priest celebrated his first mass in the monastery church of Muri in the presence of his relatives.

P. Jost held the office of grain master (Granarius) in the monastery. As such, it was the time of natural economy - the dues of the monastic fiefdoms and had the supervision of the grain stores.

The lasting merit of P. Jost, which is unique in its kind, is his diary written under the title "Anale breve" (today in the archive of the Benedictine College in Samen: MS 399, Pp 4). In the pre-1800 period, diaries are very rare. P. Jost wrote his diary in a skillful, extremely beautiful Latin. Only a few, mostly short, sections are written in German. In addition to his personal observations and thoughts, P. Jost primarily records the memorable events of his monastery in his notes. In 1695/97 he closely followed the construction work on what is now the Muri monastery church. The diary is considered to be the main source of the architectural history of this important central church building.

But our family is also indebted to Fr. Jost, as his diary contains a wealth of news about joys and sorrows and events worth knowing in the life of his siblings and relatives, with whom the religious remained closely connected. We express the expectation that the publication of the diary and its German translation will not be long in coming.

Father Jost Stirnimann died in Muri Monastery on December 28, 1706 at the age of 52.

P. = Father Br. = Brother Sr = Sister

2. Father Fortunat Stirnimann (1733-1808), Franciscan of the Werthenstein Monastery

Like the Benedictine Jost Stirnimann, the Franciscan Fortunat Stirnimann also saw the light of day in the oldest family house in the Rot. The fourth and last son of Peter Stirnimann and Anna Maria Schwegler of Wolhusen was born on November 5, 1733 in the Sursee parish church baptized the name Leonz. In 1758 Leonz entered the Franciscan monastery in Werthenstein. The novice was given the name Fortunat. Werthenstein and its Mother of God Church, built on a high rock, were the most popular pilgrimage sites in Switzerland along with Einsiedeln in the 18th century. This is probably the explanation why the farmer's son in the Rot decided in favor of the Franciscan monastery in Werthenstein.

The Werthenstein Monastery

Engraving by Matthäus Merian 1642

We are remarkably well informed about the various financial contributions and assurances of the novice's father to the monastery. The various donations, especially the trousseau, testify to the prosperity and generosity of the farmer in the Rot. In a purchase agreement concluded with the monastery, he committed himself to take over the costs of his son's livelihood during the novitiate, and to make his son's profession to give new vestments and to pay the travel money for a possible relocation to another monastery, and - the most important assurance - to hand over a secure validity letter in the amount of 1200 guilders in Lucerne currency to the monastery after the son's profession as trousseau Monk Fortunat was to receive 10 guilders a year as long as he lived. The father also undertook to give the monastery a bed with a mattress, three main pillows, two suits and four sheets immediately after the novitiate or a few years after. In addition to the Guardian and four monks, Peter Stirnimann, the novice's father, also signed this purchase agreement, proof that he, too, could read and write, which was obviously a matter of course for a tax investor at the time. Peter Stirnimann established this validity to the value of 1200 guilders "the honorable Fathers Franciscans of Werthenstein" on February 24th, 1760 on his farm Lower Rot. The amount of 1200 guilders corresponds approximately to a current value of approx. 200,000 Swiss francs and should one of the highest, if not the highest dowry that the Werthenstein Monastery ever received from a novice.

Father Fortunat was spiritual in the Franciscan convent in Bremgarten. From 1792 to 1807 he performed this service in the women's monastery in Muotathal. In 1799 this mountain valley was the scene of armed conflicts between the French on the one hand and the Austrians and Russians on the other. With the population of the valley, the monastery, in which 400 captured and wounded soldiers were quartered, was in dire straits after the war. This prompted Father Fortunat to collect money and food for the monastery in the Lucerne area for a month. P. Fortunat died on August 12, 1808 in Werthenstein as a senior of the monastery at the age of 75 and was buried in the inner courtyard of the cloister, to the left of the church portal.

Please also note the detailed article on P. Fortunat Stirnimann in circular no. 18 (1992), p. 3 ff.

***

It has always been a very rare occurrence for two or even three sons of the same family to become priests or enter an order. This was the case with the following two Capuchins P. Karl and P. Sigismund Stirnimann and the Benedictine P. Leodegar Stirnimann. All three were sons of the married couple Jost Stirnimann and Elisabeth Weber in Neuenkirch. Jost Stirnimann, born on July 19, 1807 in Mittelarig in Nottwil as the son of the married couple Joseph Stirnimann and Agatha Hüsler, married on April 10, 1837 in the parish church of Sursee Elisabeth Weber, the daughter of the married couple Kaspar Weber, born on March 24, 1818 in Neuenkirch and Elisabeth Wüest. Jost Stirnimann took up residence in Neuenkirch with his wife. The original shoemaker developed over the years into a skilled and wealthy leather dealer. Of the 10 sons, one became a farmer, a court clerk and landlord in Sempach, one was a postillon in Sempach, and four worked as  merchants. The following is a discussion of the three religious men.

3. Father Karl Stirnimann (1842-1897), Capuchin

The fourth of the ten sons of the married couple Jost Stirnimann and Elisabeth Weber was baptized on December 13, 1842 in the parish church in Neuenkirch the name of Klemens. He was dressed as a Capuchin on November 4, 1861. He was ordained a priest on October 22, 1865. Father Karl was Guardian in the following three monasteries: 1881-1884 in Appenzell, 1884-1887 in Schüpfheim, 1889-1892 in Näfels. In the last two years of his life he was ailing and suffered repeated strokes. Father Karl died on June 2, 1897 in the Capuchin Monastery of Zug at the age of less than 55 years. The obituary of the monastery calls Father Karl a peaceful, kind-hearted man.

Provincial Archives Swiss Capuchins, Lucerne, MS 139. Swiss Capuchin Chronicle 1884-1902, p. 144. Helvetia Sacra, Dept. V, Volume 2.1. Part, p. 170, p. 419, p. 570.

4. Father Sigismund Stirnimann (1844-1904), Capuchin

The 5th son of the couple Jost Stirnimann and Elisabeth Weber was baptized on 18 August 1844 in the parish church Neuenkirch with the name Sigismund. He became like brother Klemens a Capuchin. Brother Sigismund, how he was known as a Capuchin, on 17 September 1867 professed his Orders, on 18 October 1870 when he became the head priest. The stations of his 38 year life were the Kloster Sarnen, Dornach, Altdorf, Sursee, Mels, Rapperswil, Olten and since 1899 Arth where he died on 18 January 1904. The chronicler attests: "with P. Sigismund a soulful enthusiastic and dutiful priest was carried to his grave.”

Swiss churches newspaper, 1904,S. 31.

5. Father Leodegar Stirnimann (1855-1904), Benedictines of Einsiedeln Abbey

The 9th son of the couple Jost Stirnimann and Elisabeth Weber was baptized on 4 December 1855 in the parish church Neuenkirch the name Pius. He entered into the Benedictine abby Einsiedeln and received the name Leodegar. Professed on 3 September 1876, priest consecration on 23 January 1882, Primiz at the subsequent 7 May.

September 1876, ordination on April 23, 1882, primacy on May 7th.

Father Leodegar gave the novices lessons in Latin and Greek since 1882, and gave music lessons at the grammar school. Since January 1, 1884 he was a catechist in Trachslau, and in October of the same year he was again a teacher at the monastery school. In October 1885 he became vicar in Einsiedeln. From August 16, 1887 to September 7, 1888 he was spiritual in the Ingenbohl convent. On October 7, 1888, Father Leodegar was appointed curate in Gross, and in 1896 pastor in Feusisberg. There he died after a short illness on April 7, 1904 and was buried in the local church. Father Leodegar was also a valued mission minister.

P. Rudolf Henggeler, profession book of the princely Benedictine abbey U.L. Wife of Einsiedeln. Volume 3 (1933), p. 586.

6. Father Dr. Hans Stirnimann (1910 ~ 1989), Mariannhiller missionary

Pater Hans Stirnimann of the marriage of Alois Stirnimann and Marie Tanner on 10 June 1910 in Grosswangen as third of the seven children born. The family moved later to Wolhusen. After the people training in Wolhusen visited the boy gifted the Progymnasium in Beromünster and subsequently the cloisters-Einsiedeln educates. After the Matura studied in philosophy in Löwen and theology in Rome and in Freiburg in Switzerland. In the autumn of 1937 Hans Stirnimann in Würzburg in the congregation active above all in South Africa of the missionaries by Mariannhill entered. On 28 January 1938, the novice discharged his Profess. On 26 July 1942, he became celebrated in customs the head priest, on 15 August 1942 he in Wolhusen his first holy fair sacrifice. In the years 1942-46, he functioned as an assistant priest in Wallis.  Then he was called to South Africa. From 1947 to 1957 Father Hans was a pastor in the dioceses of Umtata and Mariannhill. His missionary activity, which was open to all races, aroused criticism and resistance from the old diocesan bishop over time. The result was that the gifted missionary returned to his homeland to be trained in ethnology, i.e. ethnology, especially in Africa. From 1958 Fr. Hans attended the relevant lectures at the Universities of Freiburg and Vienna, where the internationally renowned ethnologist Prof. Paul Schebesta was one of his teachers. The doctoral thesis "Nguni and Ngoni" published by P. Hans Stirnimann on the Bantu-speaking peoples of Africa met with great interest in specialist circles. Since 1963 the indefatigable has been entrusted by the Swiss National Science Foundation with ethnographic and linguistic research in East Africa. This work was reflected in several research reports published by the Freiburg University Press.

After further language studies at the University of Cologne and renewed field research, Fr. Stirnimann published the first grammar of the previously unknown Bantu language in 1983.

The internationally renowned and highly respected religious man died on July 31, 1989 at the age of 79 in the Steinhof in Lucerne and was buried in Altdorf.

7. Brother Hans Stirnimann, member of the Brothers of the Christian Schools

The St. Johannes Baptist de La Salle founded in 1681/84 in Reims the lay congregation of Christian schools - also called Christian school brothers - heads all kinds of schools and educational institutions. The educationally very successful school brothers are the world's largest lay congregation for education and teaching. The congregation now has around 15,000 members. There are currently 15 school brothers working at the Ecole Catholique in Neuchâtel, the only branch in Switzerland.

Most members of our family association learn from this newsletter for the first time that it is in gives our family a religious today, namely the Christian school brother Hans Stirnimann. I am very pleased to welcome and introduce him in this newsletter. Hans Stirnimann was born on May 5, 1930 at the Frühauf farm in Oberkirch, Lucerne, as the first of nine children of the married couple Hans and Rosa Stirnimann-Meier. After attending primary school in Oberkirch, Hans was a student at the Institut Catholique, headed by the Christian School Brothers in Neuchâtel, in 1946/47. From July 29, 1948 to September 19, 1949 he made the novitiate in the monastery of the Christian School Brothers in Bettange (Luxembourg). Then he continued his studies in Annappes near Lille. In the summer of 1952 he returned to Neuchâtel and took over teaching in the 3rd and 4th grade of the primary school. On August 15, 1955, Brother Hans made his perpetual vows in Thillon near Reims. From April 26, 1962 to Easter 1966, he was employed as an economist at the Institut Catholique in Neuchâtel. In 1966 he took over teaching again. On September 4, 1980 he became director of the Ecole Catholique and responsible for the upkeep of the College of Vieux-Chatel. In March 1988 Brother Hans gave up primary school to study the Spanish language. For this purpose he traveled to Peru on June 30th of the same year, where he took care of the boys who want to become school brothers and gave religious lessons to the children of the 1st and 2nd grade. He also became vice director of the school community in Nana and then in Lima. He has been at the agricultural school in Urubamba for two years.

Joseph Stirnimann

The second part about religious women follows in the next newsletter.

Franz Stirnimann, Basel

On February 14, 1999, Franz Stirnimann died in his house at St. Albananlage 59 in Basel at the age of 84. The deceased was one of the earliest and most loyal members and by far the most generous patron of our family association. We would like to remind you of the certificate of honor printed in circular no. 23 (1997) dated September 12, 1996, with which the industrialist, painter and sculptor Franz Stirnimann was made an honorary member in gratitude for his great services to our association.

Franz Stirnimann was born on January 24, 1915, the only son (he had two sisters) of Franz Stimimann (1885-1961) and Johanna Baumgartner (1888-1968). The father was the founder of the world-famous construction machinery factory Franz Stimimann AG in Olten. The only son Franz was introduced to the various areas and functions of his company by his father from the age of 21. After his father's death, Franz was the owner and head of the construction machinery factory for 20 years. On December 10, 1981, he sold it to ERO-Holding AG and moved to Basel.

Franz Stirnimann has made a name for himself not only as an industrialist, but also as an iron sculptor and painter. He drew and painted from an early age. Even after taking over his father's company, he quietly worked at the easel and workbench. He was 56 years old when the mayor of Olten discovered the artistic work of the industrialist quite by chance and in November 1971 organized the first exhibition of his iron sculptures and paintings in the Olten town hall. The exhibition became a cultural event far beyond the Olten region. A highlight in Franz Stirnimann's further artistic career was his exhibition held in the southern French city of Les Baux at the invitation of the curator of the local art gallery from April 14 to May 27, 1973. The press was full of praise for the extraordinary beauty and poetry of the sculptures and pictures. "C'est un grand artist!” was the unanimous verdict of three leading newspapers in Provence about this master of surrealism. Franz Stimimann was also a cousin of the important Uri painter and graphic artist Heinrich Danioth.

Joseph Stimimann

The relationship between the industrialist Franz Stirnimann from Olten and the painter Heinrich Danioth from Uri

FORUM

As in the previous year, we received mail from the USA for the first time via e-mail on the Internet. Janet Nichols wrote the following to us on January 12, 1999:

Janet Nichols, 1015 Devereux Chase, Roswell, GA 3075 / USA

Dear sir

1 am writing to you in hopes that I might find out more about my ancestors. I have enclosed my pedigree chart showing my relationship to the families Stirnimann, Egli, Keizer and Haas families of Ruswil and Udligenswil. My grandmother was Anna Maria Haas born in Luzern, Switzerland (daughter of German Haas). She came to the United States and married Oscar Walter in St. Louis, Missouri.

There are quite a few descendants here that are very interested in making contact with our Swiss relatives and learning more about their ancestry. Is there any information that you could provide, such as names and addresses for us to write to find others interested in these families?

Recently I had the pleasure of making contact with Walter Sterneman, also a descendant and he provided me with your address. He also showed me some notes regarding an Association of the Families Stirnimann / Stirnemann. Can you please teil me how I can acquire a membership in this group? My address is at the top of this page and I would very much to hear from you. I also have an Internet e-mail address, which is Janetga@aol.com if any of the members would like to correspond using the computer.

Thank you so much for your assistance and I hope to hear from you soon.

Janet Nichols

Dear Mr. Stirnimann, February 12, 1999

Thank you ever so much for your response to my letter of January 12. I was so happy to receive it. I certainly would appreciate it if you would add my name to the list of members and if there is a charge to receive the circular, I would be very happy to send you a check for the cost. Please advise me as to how much to send and if it is possible to send U.S. money.

Yes, of course, it is agreeable with me to publish my letter and I would like very much to leam as much as possible about our ancestry. Just recently I have found someone else researching this family and hope that you do not mind if I share your letter with him. His name is Tom Pletcher and he has an email address which I will forward you to along with his message to me.

Also, thank you for giving me the address of Prof. Dr. Joseph Stirnimann. I will certainly write to him.

Very truly yours

Janet Nichols

We ask all those who know something about the ancestors in question or can provide any information to contact Janet Nichols directly or to contact us. The family tree mentioned in the first letter will be made available if required.

Franz Stirnimann-Bühlman

Storbeck Parish

1618 Storbeck near Neuruppin

Pastor Helmut Gröpler, Bechliner Weg 21

16816 Neuruppin, Tel./FAX 03391/500774 Neuruppin, December 21, 1998

Dear Mr. Stirnimann!

On the occasion of an Advent-Christmas get-together of the Storbeck parish, Mr. Breitschmid from Berlin / Lucerne brought us your donation for the restoration of the church. At first I was speechless as the pastor in charge. Only then could I grasp it: My worries about our church have diminished again. Thank you very much for sending us DM 1,200. This is another important building block that our dear Swiss Church will benefit from. In addition to the funding from the preservation of monuments and the state of Brandenburg, we have to raise a large part "ourselves". We can only do this if others help - for the good of the Storbeckers and for the glory of God. On behalf of the community leadership, I would like to express our sincere thanks to you. Please also pass on our thanks to the association of the Stirnimann/Stirnemann families.

The enclosed "Christmassy" photo (see report in circular no. 24 of March 1998) was taken ten days ago in freezing cold. Perhaps one day you will be able to visit the building and see it for yourself. We would be delighted; there is still a lot to be done before the work is completed. Above all, we still need heating.

We wish you and yours a merry and healthy Christmas and a happy 1999. With best regards, I am your pastor.

Helmut Gröpler

Our New Members

Our Board of Directors

The president requests contributions, communications and ideas for the next newsletter