Martha Jane Tawzer Switzer was born enroute to Roanoke, Illinois, in Fulton Co. As the daughter of Jeremiah and Barbara Thomas Tawzer, she inherited a fine mind and a creative spirit. She learned one of her father's arts of Scherenshcnitte, cutting paper into fine designs, using a pocketknife.  

The author's mother was raised in the Switzer home with, as she said, " two sets of

parents, grandma and grandpa and mom & dad!  When I had to be scolded, it was almost always Grandma that did the scolding."

Martha Jane played the parlour organ that was brought to Illinois by her father J.B. Tawzer, in that way she took after her father, who was a composer of songs.

 Married John Will Switzer

Nov.23, 1878

 Children

Pearl Anna b. Feb.19, 1854, Jessie Mabel b. Feb. 20, 1887, Erma Gem b. May 18,1889.

Squirrels Scherenschnitte

Bouquet

Roses

Valentine Hands

Martha Jane, Erma Gem, Pearl Anna, Jessie Mabel, and John Will Switzer

 Joyce Wiley Whisler's Recollections of Martha Switzer

"My grand-mother, Martha Switzer told me that she would often have to go find the cows out on the prairie, in the same section where their truck farm was located, 'Where the buffalo grass was high enough to hide a man on horseback. But I always took my little dog along. One time when some 'bad boys' decided to way-lay me, I siccd the dog on them and he kept them busy until I got away', she said.  She was born at Farmington IL, as the Tawzer family came by covered wagon to Panther Grove on Panther Creek.  Her father, J.B. Tawzer, brought $1500. in gold with him from PA, with plans to invest in the steel plow company of Toby Anderson in Peoria, IL, but on arriving, decided to invest in prairie land instead.

When his daughters were old enough to go on with their education, J.W. took them to the Church of the Brethren College at Mt. Morris, IL. His three daughters all got teaching certificates.  J.W. stayed with his daughters while they attended school, and he also attended classes as well as doing carpentry work in that area.  Martha also lived at Mt. Morris, as the farm was rented, but she periodically would return to the farm, her Grand-daughter Joyce said, "knowing Grandma, you could guess why she had to oversee it."

"In our kitchen was a large wooden cellar door, built flush with the floor.  The rule was that you were not ever supposed to leave it open.  One time one of my mother's sisters went down and left it open, because they were afraid of the dark and didn't have a candle.  Grandma ( Martha) walked into the kitchen and fell down the cellar steps, and after that was always in a wheel chair.  Grandpa John Will dedicated himself to taking care of her until her death."