Maria Stein and Cassella, Ohio

The Goeckes: carved altars, bees and a shoe shop

Carpentry, farm work and a multigenerational shoe business connect the Goecke family to everyday life in Maria Stein.

Martha Siegrist’s family history describes John Bernard Goecke learning carpentry at Minster as a teenager and becoming a skilled woodcarver. It credits him with making altars for St. John in Maria Stein and St. Mary in Cassella.

The account also recalls an uninsured fire in 1850 that destroyed his property. John and Mary Ashman rebuilt their livelihood, combining carpentry and farming. His 1885 will distributed lots and other property among his wife and children.

Their son John later managed the family tile yard and opened a shoe and harness-repair business. The shop passed to his son Fred and grandson Arnold. Published accounts differ on the opening year, so no single year is asserted here.

Alongside the business, John kept bees. Siegrist recalls that the Sisters of the Precious Blood used the beeswax for altar candles. John and Anna also helped raise two granddaughters after the deaths of their mothers. These details preserve the family’s trades and the care relatives provided for one another.

Sources and further reading

• Martha Siegrist, My Bertke Family History, printed pages 153–157; preserved copy on the linked cards