Elmer Francis Badertscher was born on April 2, 1900 in Shanesville, Ohio. He was the fourth child born to Gottfried and Emma Reusser Badertscher. Elmer had three sisters (Louise, Hulda and Clara) and two brothers (Fred and John).
Gottfried came to the United States as a young man of 20 in 1892 and settled in Ohio. He left his father, Ulrich, and seven younger siblings, brother (5) - Adolf, Albert, Ulrich, Rudi & Charles and sisters (2) - Elisa & Lina. Gottfried's mother, Elizabeth Marti Badertscher, died in June of 1876. On March 23, 1895 Gottfried was married to Emma Reusser in Shanesville, Ohio. Emma, along with her parents John & Marie, had also migrated from Switzerland when Emma was five years old.
Gottfried was a cheese maker on his farm in Ohio. In 1910 he and his family left Ohio and moved to Fenner, NY where he operated a farm. All that is left of the old homestead is the fallen down remnants of the house and the foundation of the silo. We have reason to believe that Gottfried knew the Wyss faily well, either from Switzerland or from his early days in NY. The Wyss farm is still in operation [at time of research 1993], although no longer in the Wyss family. After his wife's death in May of 1929, Gottfried traded the farm for property on Columbus Avenue in Syracuse. By this time the children were grown. Elmer had graduated from Morrisville College. We'll pick up on Elmer Badertscher life from here... [Gottfried obituary]
Elmer married Bernice Francis on August 9, 1023. They had two children together; Janice Muriel and Elmer Francis Jr. Elmer and Bernice eventually divorced. Bernice established her own hair dressing business in Morrisville,NY. She remarried several years later.
While working as a supervisor at Dairymen's League in Utica, Elmer met the woman who would become his second wife, Gertrude Sophia Hammond. [Elmer & Gertrude] In 1930 they married and together they had nine children; Shirley May, Dorothy Agnes, Emma Lillian, Evelyn Joyce, Dawn Marie, Margy Lou, Isabel Mae, Gail Lenore and James Milton.
After leaving Dairymen's League, Elmer took a job in construction as a heavy equipment operator with Allis-Chalmers and White Oaks Construction Co. They made their home in Albany, NY in the early 30's and several of the children were born there. In 1938 they moved to Austerlitz, NY where they lived and raised the children. There is much to be told about the years they spent in Austerlitz.
When Elmer finally became too old to run heavy machinery he became master mechanic and fixed the equipment instead. He did this until he retired. He suffered with a lengthy illness of cancer before he died at age 73 on May 2, 1973 [funeral card]. Just four months after Gertrude died. They both are buried in the Austerlitz Cemetery, which is located next to the family homestead.
Elmer's son, Elmer Francis Jr. [pictured here with Janice] was born February 19, 1927 and, tragically, died at the age of four as a result of drowning on March 27, 1931 [obituary]. [News article]
