4.  JOHANN⁴ BAILER (BASIL³, CHRISTIAN², JOHANN¹) was born April 14, 1842 in Salmendingen, Germany, and died May 05, 1927 in Otisco, New York.  He married ELIZABETH EDINGER, daughter of GEORG EDINGER and MARIA KAPPELL.  She was born September 06, 1849 in Neidereisenbach, Rhenish Prussia¹, and died December 26, 1926 in Otisco, New York².

Johann Bailer's story has been pieced together from documents, interviews with his children and visits to his home town in Germany.

Johann Bailer was small of stature rising to the height of four feet and a full eight inches. The village of Salmendingen, his birthplace is located in the Swabian Alb region of the southern portion of Germany. The area is bordered to the east and west by the beautiful Danube and Necker Rivers and to the north by the Black Forest, the backdrop of so many fairy tales. It has long been thought that one reason the Bailers and other German imigrant families settled in Upstate New York was because it so closely resembled the lush rolling landscapes of their homeland.

The Alb is a low mountain range at a height of 700-1000 meters above sea level. The chalky soil is not deep and is very stoney. In years when there was little rain there were famines leaving the inhabitants of this expanse with little to eat.


The 800 inhabitants that live in Salmendingen today far exceeds the size of the village Johann knew. There remain four Bailer families in Salmendingen and up to thirty-five Bailers in the surrounding area. Since 1617, the center of the village has been dominated by the parish of St Michael. The current church structure was built in 1746. The breathtaking interior is ornately detailed including the side alters, which were beautifully painted by leading Swabian Baroque painter Franz Josef Speigler.

Immaculate homes line the narrow streets surrounding the church. Walking distance up the hill from the church are the ruins of an ancient castle and early burial grounds. The  Gasthaus Lamm (Restaurant Lamb), one of two inns in town is owned and run by Hans Gunther Bailer. It provides the perfect ending after a day of hiking or cross country skiing, two of today's favorite activities in this recreational region.

A short distance from town arising from the flat farmlands is a large round mound called the Kornbuhl. Leading to the top of the Kornbuhl is a spiral pathway interspersed with shrines.
 

At the summit, the 500 year old chapel Salmendinger and three crosses offer a place of solitude and prayer. Local residents have long stated that it is here that the earth touches the sky. Johann would have known all of these landmarks as a youth. While we are not certain of Johann's religious beliefs the area of Salmendingen is predominantly Roman Catholic, the faith of the remaining Bailers in that region.

From the top of the Kornbuhl one can see the impressive Hohenzollern Castle. The Hohenzollerns were a German princely family that ruled Brandenburg (1415-1918), Prussia (1525-1918), and Germany (1871-1918). At the time that Johann and Christian emigrated to America, Salmendingen and Steinhilben belonged to the kingdom of Hollenzollern. Salmendingen belonged to the principality of Hollenzollern-Hechingen and Steinhilben to the principality of Hollenzollern-Sigmaringen.



In 1805, Napoleon founded the kingdom of Wurttemberg which totally encircled Hollenzollern. There were many conflicts between Hollenzollern and Wurttemberg. Then, in 1850 Hollenzollern became a part of Prussia. Kaiser Wilhelm I, ordered the young men to serve time in the army in Berlin. A second impetus for Johann's migration passed down through Johann's children was that Johann received his passport to emigrate from Prussia to find new opportunity and to avoid conscription into the Kaiser's army.

The German migration to America first began in the late 17th century. By the late 18th century there were so many German Americans that on January 13, 1795, the newly formed United States congress considered a proposal to publish the laws of the new republic in both English and German.

In the late 18th century a famine occurred driving many of the people from this region to south-east Europe and Russia in search of food and an easier life. A third reason for Johann leaving his homeland was the famine of the 19th century.

From Johann's official papers allowing him to emigrate from Prussia to America, it can be established that he traveled from Salmendingen to Mannheim. The mode of transportation for this 150 mile trip is unknown. Mannheim, Germany, located on the Rhine River on which he might have boarded a riverboat. The trip down the Rhine would take him past cities such as Bonn. The Rhine then wanders through Amsterdam and eventually empties into the North Sea at Rotterdam.

In the mid-1800's over 500,000 Germans made their journey to the United States through the port of Liverpool, England. It was here that Johann boarded a steamer that would take him to the uncertainties of a new life in North America.

There are two "Johann Bailer" entries in the book entitled "German Passenger Lists". However, neither are a match for dates and ages:

According to Johann's son Floyd Bailer, "Johann and his brother Christian (Chris) were the only two of seven children to emigrate to America. Johann came over with some of the Youngs's." Bethel Brehm, a granddaughter of Johann had heard that he was fourteen years old when he came over from Germany. She believes that Basil Bailer, an uncle, was here before John got here. This information is unsubstantiated, however in a book believed to be Johann's diary, there is a Basil Bailer listed inside the back cover.

Floyd adds, "Upon Johann's arrival in America he went to work on the railroad between Binghamton and Syracuse, New York. It took three years to accumulate enough money to pay for his brother Christian "Chris" Bailer to travel to America. This all occurred before either Johann and Christian were married." Floyd confirmed that the Johann emigrated from Hollenzollern, Germany which was a kingdom located in current day Baden-Wurttenburg, Germany.  John met Elizabeth Edinger in Syracuse. Her family had also emigrated from Germany.

Floyd recalled that after the railroad Johann, now referreed to as John, and his wife Elizabeth moved to Skaneatlas, New York where Elizabeth (called Lizzie), George and Francis were born. John had a team of horses and did "team-work" as an occupation. They then moved to Dutch Hill and lived near Carl Bumises house.

In the mid-1800's the winds of religious revival swept across upstate New York. It was during this period that Charles Taze Russell founded the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Mary Baker Eddy began the Church of Christ, Scientist. It was also during this period that Joseph Smith began his Church of the Latter day Saints also known as the Mormon church.

Many farmers from the areas surrounding Syracuse abandoned their homes and farms to follow Joseph Smith through his westward trek. It was fortuitous for the new European immigrants when they found empty homes in the Otisco Valley. Johann Bailer homesteaded in one of these empty homes located at  1999 Buckwheat Road, Otisco.

Some time after they had moved into the house, the Wheelers who were the original owners of the property, showed up and demanded that they get out. The matter ended up in court and the court found in favor of the Bailers, therefore they were able to take over ownership of the house and property. During the time period that the property was being contested a guard had to be posted at the Bailer home because the Wheelers were threatening to burn the house down while the family was asleep.

The house was occupied by Floyd Bailer, who lived there until his death. Doreen Sullivan and Peter Holden now occupy the home. It has been renovated but some of the original beams inscribed by some of the Bailer children remain.

Due to the large influx of Germans settling in the Syracuse vicinity there was wide-spread hatred of the German immigrants throughout the Syracuse area in the mid-1800's. John and Elizabeth made the children learn and speak English so that they would be better accepted.

According to Nancy Shelley, Otisco, New York Historian, the spelling of Bailer in the 1880 Federal Census was "BILLER". The most likely explanation is that in Germany the name is pronounced as "By-ler".

According to the "The Farm Journal Illustrated Rural Directory of Onondaga County 1917".  Philadelphia:  Wilmer Atkinson Co., 1917, pp. 43-98, Bailer, John (Mary E.) 11 ch ret O R4 Tully Otisco 15. It appears as though John and Elizabeth lived with son Edward or vica versa as the listing states "Bailer, Edward farmer R4 Tully Otis 15".

John and Elizabeth are both buried in the Amber Village Cemetery on the shores of Lake Otisco.