Samuel Leutwiler started Highland's first machine shop in 1849
In Highland, when we think of Leutwiler, we think first of (2-4) Samuel Leutwiler, who started a wood lathe shop in a log cabin in 1848.
Samuel saw the need for a machinist's metal lathe and opened Leutwiler Machine Shop in 1849 on Pine Street. The one-story brick building housed all of the belts, pulleys, lathes, presses and gadgets he needed in his specialty business. The original lathe was turned by the "old gray mare," then by steam power. It wasn’t until 1916 that the first electric motor was installed to run the lathes, drill presses, grinders and other machinery.
In 1885, the Helvetia Milk Condensing Co. opened its milk condensing factory at 1000 Broadway, and it was a big customer of Leutwiler Brothers’ machine shop, as they first did repair work. Then, only three weeks after the milk plant opened, the preserving apparatus burst with a loud detonation heard all over Highland. The factory shut down for repairs. The company's repair crew, with help from the Leutwilers, had it running again in two weeks.
Bert Leutwiler was the last owner of the business. He retired in 1982. He died on July 23, 1983, at the age of 91.
Now, back to the Leutwiler family.
The original family was started by Johannes "John" R. Leutwiler (1-1), 1775-1869, who married Elizabeth Zobrist in Canton Aargau, Switzerland. Elizabeth was the mother of the first five of John's children. However, she died in Switzerland.
Johannes remarried Frena Verena Vogt (she used the name Verena). She gave birth to (2-6) Heinrich Leutwiler in 1823. Johannes and Verena brought their family of six children to America. Verena died in Highland in 1843.
By 1849, Johannes had started distributing his many acres northeast corner of Section 36 in Marine Township to among his six children.
Johannes died in rural Highland in 1869.
(Thanks to the John Nagel and wife for their abstract, which I received from the late Delmar Mersinger.)
The oldest son, (2-1) Jacob Leutwiler (1804-1876) married Louise Elizabeth Zobrist. She went by Elizabeth and was the daughter of Jakob John Zobrist Sr. and his wife, Anna Rychner (today Rickher) Zobrist, on Dec. 3, 1842 in St. Louis. I don’t have the exact year they came to the Highland area, but their oldest granddaughter, Elizabeth Leutwiler (Mrs. Christian G.) Hirni Jr., was born in Highland in 1844. (Christian Hirni Jr.’s father was with the John Suppiger family on the steamship Schiller when it sank off the coast of England in 1875.)
The other 5 children were:
▪ (2-4) Samuel Leutwiler Sr. (1815-1883), the machinist of Highland who married Elizabeth Hediger. Their second child, Elizabeth Leutwiler, was born Nov. 10, 1845, on the Atlantic Ocean, on a sailing vessel headed for New Orleans.
▪ (2-5) John Jacob Leutwiler (1822-1905), who married Maria Schuepbach. It was their grandson, (6-1) Fred J. Leutwiler, who married Emilie Clementz and started Leutwiler Garage at 1014 Broadway in 1912-13.
It took a lot of background information to get to Fred Leutwiler’s garage on Broadway.
Earl Ellis retired from farming and moved to Highland, where Earl became a car salesman for the Leutwiler Garage I can’t find the date that Earl Ellis and Earl Williams purchased the garage from Freddy, but Ellis and Williams became partners in E&W Chevrolet, which later became Williams Chevrolet, when Earl Ellis retired. Thanks to Marvin "Mick" Pacatte, who was a mechanic at the garage.
You can come to the Highland Home Museum and see the Jerry Gentemann's 10 framed photos and information that show the transition of the Freeway Garage and Implements at the corner of U.S. 40 and Illinois 143. Today, after many owners, Leutwiler’s Garage continues as Steve Schmitt Chevy-Buick-GMC and Cadillac at 12631 Illinois 143. The Highland Home Museum is open for tours on the first Saturday of each month. The next date will be Saturday, July 7. Tours start at 1:30 p.m., and last tour starts at 3:30 p.m.
▪ (2-6) Heinrich "Henry" Leutwiler (1823-1902) was the youngest child and married Elisabeth Huber. He originally lived in Marine in 1843, and after they married, farmed and had a dairy business in Section 36 of Alhambra Township. Besides farming, Henry Leutwiler and Frederck Leuscher, in 1867, started a dry goods store in Alhambra at the northeast corner of Main Street and Dauderman Road. Leuscher was also postmaster in their store for 10 years. (The location today is Maedge’s Service Station and Restaurant.) They remained partners until the early 1880s, when Leuscher sold his interest to Henry Leutwiler. Henry retired in 1889.
Three of Henry Leutwiler's daughters married sons of Peter Gehrig, also of Alhambra. Elizabeth "Eliza" Katharina Leutwiler, born in 1843 in Marine Township, married John Gehrig; she died in 1933 in New Douglas, where she retired. Maria "Mary" Susanna Leutwiler, born in 1853, married Jacob Gehrig; they had a son, Edward Gehrig. Anna Maria Leutwiler, born about 1862, married Adam Gehrig, born about 1860, and they had a son, Richard Gehrig, who was born 1885.
I’m sure many of my readers are related to this Leutwiler family, as most of the children married Highland area people.
(Quotes and information from Kathy Oriez, feature writer for the Highland News Leader, Marion Leutwiler Deane, Lester Leutwiler, "Centennial History of Highland," Highland’s Sesquicentennial book, Alhambra Sesquicentennial book, Delmar Mersinger abstract’s information, Mick Pacatte, Roy Worstell genealogy and my files.)
This story was originally published June 20, 2018 at 2:45 PM with the headline "Samuel Leutwiler started Highland's first machine shop in 1849."