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< PreviousPrussia’s King William I enacts the military service law, forcing Mennonites to comply with the draft. 1867 1874 Abraham and Eva Siebert and their four children, Jacob, Tobias, John and Helena, immigrate to the U.S., settling in Dundee, Kansas. 1876 A daughter, Mary, is born. Abraham moves his family, plus one cow, from Kansas to Petoskey by covered wagon. 1883 A daughter, Martha, is born. A Mennonite church is built in Brutus, where Abraham, an animated and expressive speaker, occasionally preaches. 1889 Jacob Siebert, 24, is declared “indignant, insane” and sent to the Northern Michigan Asylum in Traverse City. 10 SECRETSof the Russian SwampIn any family history, there are some stories that defy explanation, mysteries woven into the fabric of generations past. Such is the story of the Siebert family, whose lineage in the late 19 th century bore witness to a curious pattern: a series of inexplicable events that befell several of Abraham and Eva Siebert’s five sons. Determined to uncover the truth behind this mysterious legacy, North Central students Phoenix Backus and Anna Ruhling dug into the archives. Yet caution accompanied their curiosity: Were some secrets best left undisturbed? From Prussia to Petoskey Abraham Siebert, a Mennonite pastor living in Prussia, carefully packed all of his family’s money and important papers into a wooden toy box for safekeeping. The box was to be carried by Abraham’s five-year-old son past German soldiers as the family fled to the United States. The German government had eliminated a long-honored exemption from military service granted to the Mennonites, whose religious beliefs made them strict pacifists. For the Sieberts, it was truly fight or flight. In 1874, Abraham led a group of 50 Mennonite families from Prussia to Barton County, Kansas, where he found work in the logging industry. When Abraham’s quest for lumber brought him to Northern Michigan, he knew he’d found his family’s new home. In 1882, for a sum of $500, he purchased 80 acres of wooded, low-lying land near the Bear River, in what is now the NCMC Natural Area. In keeping with their beliefs, the family rejected popular culture, including Victorian-inspired dress, in favor of plain clothes and a simpler way of life. Curious locals soon adopted a nickname for these strangers: the Russian swamp family. “Not only were they outsiders, but they were also very secluded, which probably added to the mystery,” Backus explained. Unraveling the Mystery of the Siebert Sons In September 2023, Kerri Finlayson, professor of anthropology and sociology, tapped Backus and Ruhling to dig into that mystery. The genesis for the project was a hallway conversation between Finlayson and NCMC President David Roland Finley about historical signs in the college’s Natural Area. Their conversation led to an assignment: Expand on previously known information about the Siebert family to update that signage. Finlayson knew just who to ask. “I sensed that Anna and Phoenix were interested in doing something hands-on,” she said. The two had taken several of Finlayson’s classes and were familiar with the Sieberts’ property and two-story farmhouse. Except for a hole where the foundation once stood, there is no trace of the family or their years spent there. Field archaeology at the site had 1906 John Siebert, 33, and his wife travel to South Dakota for a delayed honeymoon. They are never seen or heard from again. 1908 Jacob dies of tuberculosis, apparently at Northern Michigan Asylum. His body never claimed, he is buried in a common grave in nearby Oakwood Cemetery. 1918 Abraham dies at age 75. He is buried in the Mennonite Church Cemetery in Brutus. 1921 The 120-acre Siebert farm is abandoned. Eva dies four years later. 1962 Martha Siebert transfers the deed for the Siebert property to the college. 11 ETS 12 ASPIRE - YOUR NORTH CENTRAL MICHIGAN COLLEGE MAGAZINE The first book I opened — the first page I turned to — said, ‘Hi, Anna.’ i felt like, ‘OK, I was meant to help you tell your story.’ — Anna Ruhling ” “ long since been completed. Now the researchers would have to rely on digital archaeology. “We were super excited about the project,” Backus said. “How many people can say they get to do a hands- on, cultural research project as an undergrad?” They began by organizing and fact- checking all recorded information about the family. To their surprise, some information was vague. Worse yet, some was wrong. “It was one of those projects where one answer leads to five more questions,” Backus recalled. Take the eldest Siebert son, Jacob, for example. Born in 1865, Jacob was believed to have died with his brother Nicodemus in 1908. The two were said to have drowned at a logging dock. “That wasn’t even close to the truth,” Backus said. Instead, they learned that Jacob had been in the Northern Michigan Asylum in Traverse City from 1900 until 1908, when he died of tuberculosis. They also learned that it wasn’t the first time Jacob had been sent to the asylum. According to Emmet County court records, in 1889, Abraham had his son committed. Two words, written in flowy cursive on the probate court filing, listed the reason: “Indignant, insane.” Mysteriously, Jacob’s death certificate lists his family as “unknown.” His body never claimed, he was buried in a common grave near the asylum. Backus and Ruhling wondered: If the details of Jacob’s death had been wrong, what really happened to Nicodemus? The Disappearance of Nicodemus and John During their year-long project, Ruhling and Backus celebrated every small discovery that helped bring the Sieberts’ story into sharper focus. “We were following breadcrumbs of things that were only hinted at,” Ruhling said. “The best ‘hoorah’ moments came when we could expand on some little tidbit that we found, anything that we thought would help set the historical record straight.” Their biggest frustrations, however, occurred when they hit data deadends, where the information simply ran out, as it did with Nicodemus and John. “Nicodemus is the family mystery that’s never been solved,” Backus said. “How does he have a death date but no death certificate?” John, the third-born Siebert son, suffered an equally mysterious fate. Records indicate that in 1906, he and his wife, Lena, traveled to South Dakota for their honeymoon. Continued on page 15 Jacob (lower left) and Nicodemus (lower right) cutting lumber. Determined to uncover new information about the Sieberts, Phoenix Backus (left) and Anna Ruhling scoured historical records and visited sites throughout Northern Michigan, including the original Mennonite church in Brutus.Kristin Jardine and Anne Thornton don’t just want to change the game for parents in Northern Michigan. They want to rewrite the rulebook. As parents, they share a deep understanding of the urgency of Emmet County’s child care crisis. Now, as the two newest members of NCMC’s Child Care Initiative, they’re poised to do something about it: Jardine as a liaison to North Central’s student parents, and Thornton as director of the NCMC Child Care Program. “I bring the lens of a parent who has struggled finding child care, a teacher who has struggled with ever-changing requirements and mandates, and an administrator and coach who’s worked tirelessly to support families and early childhood professionals,” Thornton said. It’s equally personal for Jardine, who experienced first-hand the challenges of juggling college and raising a family. “When you’re trying to balance working full time, raising a family and completing your education, school is the first thing to go,” Jardine said. “Bringing awareness to our student parent demographic is incredibly needed.” The NCMC Child Care Initiative, which is leading the development of a sustainable, community-centered child care system in Emmet County, recently entered its second phase with more than a half-million dollars in funding, including a federal grant and local support from the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation (PHSACF), the Emmet County Board of Commissioners and Leadership Little Traverse. PHSACF, along with the Frey Foundation, provided the initial funding for Phase I research. A $490,569 grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Child Care Access Means Parents in School program (CCAMPIS) will provide NCMC’s student parents with funding for child care expenses, addressing a key barrier to graduation. Jardine will help connect student parents with those resources. “By breaking down the stigma of receiving support and addressing the barrier of financial stress, we replace fear and shame with possibility and power,” she said. Jardine also aims to foster a sense of community among student parents. Informed by her 13 years as a doula and birth assistant, her approach emphasizes compassion and understanding. “In a lot of ways, those facets of support are the same. Going to school as a parent is a different transition than welcoming a baby home, but the care, planning, support, and social work aspect of this position is very similar,” she said. Meanwhile, Thornton will develop and oversee the NCMC Child Care Program, a proof-of-concept prototype built on a true-cost business model. She’ll also manage implementation of its Reggio-inspired early education program. Named for the Italian city in which it originated, the Reggio Emilia philosophy emphasizes the environment as a “third teacher,” placing importance on curiosity, exploration and creative expression. “Believing that children are capable of being active participants in their education creates rich, project-based learning between teacher and child in a holistic, organic way,” she explained. Together, Thornton and Jardine are implementing a blueprint for accessible child care that resonates with their personal and professional lives, and they’re doing it with empathy. “Underneath everything — race, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status, education level — when we strip it all away in times of vulnerable transition, we find ourselves at the heart of humanity. And to meet there, it takes empathy,” Jardine said. p WWW.NCMICH.EDU 13 Meet the moms who are shaping child care in Emmet County The NCMC Child Care Initiative is a long-term plan that will include many additional, exciting updates. Follow our progress and find the latest news at ncmich.edu/cci. Anne Thornton and Kristin Jardine & Innovation Empathy14 ASPIRE - YOUR NORTH CENTRAL MICHIGAN COLLEGE MAGAZINE Jim Cousino had a problem. Louie, the lifelike patient manikin used to train EMS and paramedic students, had a broken elbow. Worse yet, Louie was out of warranty, so repairs would be costly — likely $5,000 or more. But Cousino, North Central’s dean of Career and Technical Education, also had a plan. He tapped students Ron Cronk and Liam O’Hare to help repair Louie. Replicating the broken elbow joint became a directed study project for their CAD II class taught by instructor Travis Seagman. To Cronk and O’Hare, it was an opportunity to apply their skills in a meaningful way, bridging the gap between theory and practice. “What really appealed to us was the chance to get some real-world experience making CAD drawings,” O’Hare explained. O’Hare took meticulous measurements of the intact elbow joint, which Cronk translated into detailed CAD drawings in Autodesk Inventor. The resulting orthographic drawings represented Louie’s three-dimensional elbow joint using two-dimensional views from the top, front and sides. Cousino then uploaded their drawings to the college’s 3D printer, which printed a new elbow joint out of carbon fiber- reinforced plastic. The final product was strong, durable and lightweight — but would it fit? “It fit perfectly on the first try,” O’Hare said, smiling. “That never happens.” During the process, Cronk and O’Hare learned practical lessons, including the importance of holistic design. Precision became paramount, with each measurement contributing to the integrity of the final product. O’Hare also recognized the need to communicate his CAD knowledge more effectively, a skill he aims to refine as he pursues further studies in product development and mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan in the fall. “I’m just glad we were able to help the college in a way that involved our degree program,” he said. Their experience, highlighting the benefits of student-led innovation and problem-solving, showcases the spirit of innovation and teamwork fostered within North Central’s engineering program. p Engineering ingenuity CAD II students get creative to repair a model patient [] Ron Cronk (left) and Liam O’Hare worked alongside CAD instructor Travis Seagman.NCMC FOUNDATION BOARD James C. Schroeder, Chair Chris Etienne, Past Chair Max Bunker, Treasurer Dan CasaSanta, Secretary Dawn Bodnar Dave Boor Walt Byers Ashley DeCarteret David Roland Finley President, North Central Michigan College John Fought Chris Morley Chelsea Platte Vice President of Advancement, NCMC Foundation Executive Director Sharon Schappacher Stan Smith, M.D. Jim Votruba, Ph.D. North Central’s donors help ensure that all students have the resources and support they need to succeed in the classroom and beyond. Your gifts to the NCMC Foundation help the college maintain state-of-the-art learning environments while providing funding for scholarships, student support needs and community enrichment programs. YOUR GIFT, YOUR IMPACT F O U N D A T I O N One of those opportunities was the chance to present a research project during a nationwide symposium for Snapshot USA, a research collaborative gathering information about mammals across the country. Makarewicz spent hours reading research papers, analyzing data and creating her presentation on the effects of agricultural land cover on coyote, opossum and woodchuck populations in the Midwest. “I was terrified because so many professors, students and researchers across the U.S. would be watching,” she said. “But I was so proud that I pushed myself to do it. It gave me confidence that I could become a research scientist and that what I have to say is valuable.” Makarewicz’s short-term goals include maintaining her dean’s list status at NMU while doing independent research on plant tissue culture in the lab. She’s looking forward with gratitude for everything — and everyone — that’s helped her get there. “I’ll always have a special place in my heart for North Central,” she said. “You can create unbreakable bonds within the Timberwolf community that you can’t find anywhere else.” p Read more inspiring stories, connect with valuable resources and stay in touch at ncmich.edu/alumni. WWW.NCMICH.EDU SECRETS Continued from page 12 SUCCESS Continued from page 7 They planned to visit John’s sister, Mary. Before they left, John deposited a large sum of money in a bank. After that, neither John nor Lena were ever seen or heard from again. “What happened to John and Nicodemus?” Backus wondered. “Those are the two things we can’t figure out. We might never know.” An Enduring Lesson Education is a curious thing. Its goal is always to impart knowledge about a topic, but at its best, it reveals something about the student in the process. For Ruhling, the Siebert project confirmed her chosen program of study. “I was already planning on being an archaeologist, but this gave me a taste of what deep research really entails, from scouring the internet to learning how ancestry works,” she said. What Backus learned from the experience was as affirming as it was humbling. “We went into this project extremely confident,” she said. “I learned that the more you think you know about something, the less you probably know. It’s always easier to learn with an open mind, when you don’t think you have all the answers.” It was also proof that Backus, who will study anthropology and archaeology at Grand Valley State University in the fall, had chosen the right academic pathway. “It’s rewarding to know that someone, somewhere, is going to use my research to help them further their own work,” Backus said. “Research and history live on for a long time.” So, too, do mysteries. “I can picture myself calling Anna years from now, saying, ‘You’ll never guess what I found out about the Sieberts!’ I think we’ll always be drawn back to the mystery of the Siebert family.” p 15 PAVING THE WAY FOR INNOVATION: We’re redefining technology and trades education in Northern Michigan, creating state-of-the-art spaces for training in high-demand fields including engineering, robotics and welding. GROWING THE HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE: We’re adding cutting-edge classrooms, lab spaces and high-fidelity simulation to meet the rising demand for healthcare professionals. EMPOWERING STUDENT SUCCESS: From expanded scholarships to career development programs, we're eliminating barriers and empowering students to achieve their academic and professional goals. JOIN US! Fundraising is underway to support this important initiative. To join others in creating more opportunities for local learners, consider a gift to the NCMC Foundation’s Career & Technical Education Fund. Your support fuels opportunities and transforms lives. 1515 Howard Street | Petoskey, MI 49770 COMING FALL 2026 Career & Technical Education Expansion Learn more. ncmich.edu/learn Visit campus. ncmich.edu/visit Apply today. ncmich.edu/apply INTERESTED IN BECOMING A TIMBERWOLF?Next >