The Judys of Lucinda, Pennsylvania

adapted from

A PROUD PEOPLE, A PROUD HERITAGE
The History of Clarion County's Knox Township Area,
Lucinda, Snydersburg, Huefner and St. Joseph Parish
(Jostens, State College, Pa., 1988)

Francis (Franz Josef) Tschudi was born July 24, 1785 in Solothern, Switzerland; died 1849; son of Joseph Tschudi and anna Maria Gaugler. He married Frances Brueling (Boulogne, deBulogne) born June 28, 1786 in Bouxwiler in Alsace; died Sept. 4, 1843; daughter of Franciscus Bruleng and Margarita Boegli.

According to family legend, Franz Josef left Switzerland and settled for a time in Fountainbleau, near Paris, France. He became a landscape gardner for a royal Frenchman, Franciscus Bruleng (Boulogne), who owned an estate and castle. He fell in love and married the Countess Frances Bruleng, daughter of his employer, and according to tradition, she never regretted her marriage; her father did not approve of the match.

Franz Josef and his wife, Frances, and two children, Victor and Margaret, arrived in America Aug. 14, 1816, on the Broderchap. When the last of the Bruleng brothers died in France (all unmarried) the estate was to go to Frances and efforts were made to trace her in America. The change in spelling their name lost them a fortune. The children could prove nothing. [Soon after their arrival in America, Franz Tschudi, found that his name was more often than not spell "Judy". Tradition indicates that a school teacher simply took it upon himself to make the spelling simplier and phonetic by changing the TSCH to "J: and the "i" to a "y". Some of the children retained the original spelling of Tschudi through out their lives and others accepted the "Judy" spelling.] The parents were dead, so the estate was given to France. They appear on the 1820 census for Clarion County as a family of five. In 1822, the Tschudi family settled on a hill opposite that of Vogelbacher in what is now Lucinda.

Children:

The family moved to Logan, Ohio, except for Victor, who remained on the farm in Lucinda. Five months after the death of Frances, Francis Judy married Mary Gailer (Giler). It is believed that he is buried there near his first wife.

Victor Judy was born in Fontainbleau (near Paris), France, Feb. 17, 1813; christend in Gempen, solothurn, Switzerland; died Dec. 31, 1860; son of Franz Josef Tschudi (Francis Tschudi) and the Countess Frances Bruleng (deBoulogne). He came to America with his parents and sister Margaret, and were living in Clarion County (then Venango) by 1820; settling in the Vogelbacher Settlement in 1822.

Victor and his family remained to farm the land when his parents, brothers, and sisters moved on to Ohio. He married Anna Walley, born c. 1827; died Jan 21, 1850; possibly the daughter of Nicholas Walley and Mary Greenwalt.

Children:

After the death of Anna Walley, Victor married Catherine Fries (Katherine Freas), born Feb. 2, 1830; died Apr. 26, 1916; daughter of Joseph Fries and Anna Mary Kaiz (Kainz). The Fries family came from Nithnau, Bavaria, Germany, and setteled in St. Mary's, Elk Co., Pa. Catherine came to the vogelbacher Settlement to keep house for Anna Walley Judy. Joseph Fries, father of Catherine, froze to death while walking from St. Marys to the Vogelbacher Settlement.

Children:

On Dec. 31, 1860, Victor Judy had a tragic accident. The wagon that he was pushing suddenly came back toward him; the wagon tongue rammed him in the stomach, killing him on the spot. This left Catherine with a family of small children to raise. Victor left nine living children.

After the death of Victor, Catherine Fries Judy married Martin Kelleher, born c. 1829; died. Sept. 7, 1862; son of Patrick Kelleher and Winifred Moran. Martin was killed with an axe during the "serenade" at the time of their marriage. A fight broke out that night between the Irish Kellehers and the German Judys, and during the chaos it is believed that Martin was struck by his own brother. A daughter, Catherine Kelleher, was born Oct. 11, 1862 - d. 1947.

After the death of Martin Kelleher, Catherine Fries Judy Kelleher married Sebastian Bendal, born in Bavaria, Germany, Feb. 7, 1819, died Dec. 8, 1917, son of Joseph Bendal and Catherine. He came to America in 1845 and came to the Volgelbacher Settlement after serving in the Civil War. He met Catherine while she was outside chopping wood. The family lived on the original Tschudi (Judy) farm along Lander Drive. Catherine died April 26, 1916, at the age of 86.

Children:

Andrew Apostle Judy was born May 7, 1860 (1861); died Mar. 16, 1916; son of Victor Judy and Catherine Fries. He married Anna Mary Bauer, born Dec. 29, 1869; died Oct. 17, 1962; daughter of John B. Bauer and Barbara Schneider. Andy and Anna built a grocery store near the train depot; he was a postmaster.

Children:

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