Regula Aebli was early settler of Highland. Many of her descendants are still here.

Memorial Day in the Highland area is this weekend, and I hope you will visit your families cemetery, putting out some flowers and going to a Memorial Day service (See a listing of services in this week's News Leader).

Now, let's talk about the Aebli family.

Jacob Aebli traveled with his relative, Heinrich Lienhard, who was the subjects of last week’s column, to Highland to see his sister, Regula Aebli Schneider.

Regula Aebli was born in 1809 in Bitten, Canton Glarus, Switzerland, and in 1833, she married Johann Casper Schneider Jr. of Elm, Switzerland. They had a son, Johann Casper Schneider III, in 1836, in Elm, Switzerland.

I haven’t been able to find when the Schneider family came to Highland, but they were here in 1840. Roy Worstell, who does my genealogy, has printed 17 pages of the Aebli genealogy. He found that Regula Aebli’s father, Heinrich Aebli, was born in 1784, also in Bitten, Switzerland. So, if Heinich Lienhard's mother, was a sister to Jacob and Regula, that is probably where the name "Heinrich" came from in the Heinrich Lienhard family.

Johann Casper Schneider Jr. and Regula Aebli Schneider farmed south of Highland. (Roy Worstell’s genealogy, doesn’t have where they are buried.)

Their son, Johann Casper Schneider III, and his wife, Caroline Billeter Aebli, are buried in the Highland City Cemetery. Their son, went by "Casper," his middle name. They had at least five children Edward, Leo, Albert and Harry.

Edward Schneider

Edward J. Schneider married Estelle H. Steiner, the daughter of Johannes G. and Bertha T. Droesch Steiner.

Edward worked for Pet Milk Co. in Highland, then for Highland native John Wildi in the new John Wildi Milk Condensing Co. of Marysville, Ohio. He then remained with the new Nestle Co. They both died in Maryville, Ohio.

Edward and Estelle had four children:

▪ Harlon Casper Schneider (1910-1974) married Edna Kutzbach.

▪ Elmer J. Schneider (1915-?) married Irma Koelz, the daughter of George J. Koelz and Tillie M. Hug Koelz. She is buried in Highland City Cemetery.

▪ Florence J. Schneider married Harold Forsha in 1942.

▪ Oliver F. Schneider (1919-1944) was killed in action during World War II on Dec. 31, 1944, in the Morati Islands, New Guinne, South Pacific. Oliver had married Edwina Johnson Schneider, and they had one son, Earl L. Schneider, born Sept. 18, 1939 in Breese.

Leo Schneider

Leo J. Schneider (1887-1983) married Maria Bircher, the daughter of Heinrich Bircher and his wife, Rosina Krebs Bircher.

Leo worked for Artex of Highland for many years.

He and Maria had two daughters. Miss Arlene R. Schneider was a Highland fourth-grade teacher and was on the Highland Home Board of Directors for many years. Marian A. Schneider Bardelmeier of Edwardsville had three sons, Dennis (1949), Donald (1951) and Richard (1957).

Albert Schneider

Albert L. Schneider (1889-1969) married Maria M. Landert Schneider, and I have record of three children. Albert was the sextant at the Highland City Cemetery when I came to Highland in 1948 and for many more years.

Merton L. Schneider (1910-1978) was one of Albert's children. He married Melba M. Bellm (1911-2002) in 1935, and they had two children: Karen L. Schneider West and Fred M. Schneider, who died April 2, 2013.

Merton Schneider’s first job was with Wicks Organ Co., then he worked for Carl Basler, when he started Basler Electric Co. in the Emil Basler Garage and workshop, at the alley between Broadway and Main, on Olive. Merton later was one of the early employees of the Alton Box Co. of Highland.

After Merton retired from Alton Box, he and his wife opened, M&M Antique Store in the basement of their Highland home on Olive Street. After Merton died, Melba became an assistant at Lynn Nagel Rehberger’s Antique Shop, in the former Hagnauer & Knoebel Hardware and Implement buildings on Washington Street.

Herman J. Schneider (1913-2006) was another child of Albert's. Herman married Viola Kapp in 1935, and they had three daughters:

▪ Ruth Ann Schneider married Dennis Lory and had three children: Steven Dennis Lory, who died in 1983; Lisa Ann Lory, who married Michael Clark; and Susan Lory, who married Jeff Gibbons. Ruth Ann later married Tom Holp.

▪ Nancy Schneider married James Petty.

▪ Eileen Schneider married Stanley "Stan" Schwend, and they had two daughters: Sandra Schwend, who married Jon Hoyt, and Kathy M. Schwend, who married Grant Portell.

Harry Schneider

Harry Schneider married Lena Landert, a sister of Eileen Schwend’s grandmother.

Harry was an employee of C. Kinne & Co. for many years. Harry had four children.

Benton Schneider was one of them. He married Fern Foster, and their daughter, Lucille Schneider, married Harry Feuquay.

Valista Schneider was another child of Harry and Lena's. She married Cletus Hug. They farmed east of Highland and had three children. Beverly Hug, who married Charles Strackeljahn, was one of them. Bev is a volunteer at our Highland Home Museum, and Charles is retired from Rural King of Highland. Bev and Charles have four children.

Delray Hug is Bev's brother. He married Constance "Connie" Carrillon, and they have two children.

Larry Hug married Carol Pfister, and they farm the home place.

Melvin Schneider

Melvin Schneider married Eva Maurer. They had no children, and she died in 1946.

This story was originally published May 22, 2018 at 10:50 AM with the headline "Regula Aebli was early settler of Highland. Many of her descendants are still here.."