Oesch Family

The story of the Oesch family is the story of the Swiss immigration to the Lowell area during the late 1800’s. Many of the Swiss Settlers came to the United States and the greater Lowell area specifically because of the available farmland. The earliest Swiss Settler was Samuel Moye who came to Vergennes Township in 1843. Chain migration began as additional Swiss continued to come to be with family and friends who had successfully settled here.

Karl Oesch was the first Oesch in the area. He was born in 1841. He married Elisabeth Berger and together they had at least five children. Elisabeth died in 1884 shortly after the birth of their youngest child. In 1891 he brought his family to the United States on the ship La Bourgogne. Karl is shown owning land in Alton on the 1894 Vergennes Township plat map.

In 1900 and 1910 Karl was living in Bowne Township with his daughter Rose and her husband Daniel Wingeier.

His children Mary and Rose married brothers, Alexander and Daniel Wingeier of Bowne. Margaret married Frank Keech of Alton. Carl Charles married Fern and lived most of his life in the Belding area, and Ida married Fred Pike of Trufant. Karl is buried in the Alton Cemetery.

In the 1910 census, along with Daniel and Rose’s family, and Rose’s dad, there is a servant listed as Frederick Oesch, age 22. Fred and his siblings were orphaned when Fred was only six years old. They lived with relatives and Fred dreamed of coming to the United States. In 1903 when he was only 16, Fred came to America. His older brother Karl came later, in 1906. Karl farmed in the Alto area until 1932 when he moved his family to Richland County, Ohio.

Fred worked hard and 11 years later, in 1915, he was able to purchase 91 acres of land in Bowne Township. In 1918 he married Louise Wingeier. They had six children. Joseph stayed on the farm and worked on it. He married Melva Crosby and they had seven children. Their family grew and by Melva’s death in 2018 the family had grown to include 25 Grandchildren, 56 Great Grandchildren, and even 1 Great-Great Grandchild! Joe and Melva owned the Oesch Soft Serve Ice Cream Wagon. They loved serving ice cream to children and Joe especially loved passing out Skittles. He was known as the “Skittleman.”

Sons Fred, Jeff and Tom worked on the farm, and it continued to grow. Today we all know this farm as “Swiss Lane Farms”. The farm is known for being an economic benefit to the community and for their care for the land. The farm is MAEAP Certified. This is the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program, a voluntary program that helps farms prevent or minimize agricultural pollution risks. Swiss Lane is certified in the Livestock System and the Cropping System and are re-certified every three years. Swiss Lane Farms introduced Dairy Discovery, taking the extra step to teach the public about dairy farming and provide an opportunity to see the real process.

Swiss Lane Farms achieved Centennial status in 2015. Today the farm is transitioning ownership from the third-generation brothers Fred, Jeff, and Tom to the fourth generation: Annie, Matt, and Tommy. The farm is still family-focused with 67 members of the family living within ten miles of the farm.

An orphaned boy’s dream became a family legacy. Swiss Lane Farms, “The dreams of a young man from Switzerland remain alive and are being passed down through generations. This is not just a farm. This is not just a business. This is our heritage.”

Images

Oesch family - second generation Joe and Melva are highlighted in the center of the picture.

Frederick Oesch naturalization.

Joe and Melva 1950.

Joe Oesch family 1970.

Front left to right Ezra and Jude, rear, Keilah take turns milking.

Robot Milking cow.
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Keilah Skero petting a cow on June 1, World Milk Day Celebration.