Our story begins in 1840 when the "Markut" family sailed from Switzerland to New Orleans taking the steam ship up the Mississippi River to the sparsely inhabited Bond- Madison County area of southern Illinois. The Markut name was changed back to a previous old World spelling "Marcoot". We know for certain by the mid-1800's our ancestors had Jersey cattle because we have dated "Marcoot Jersey Farm" letterhead. Seven generations of the family have raised Jersey cattle.
We will have a variety of cheeses and dairy products available. Our speciality raw milk cheeses are aged in our aging cave. The aging cave is modeled after the man made cheese caves in Switzerland. Some of our cheeses are raw milk cheese which will age from a minimum of 60 days up to 12 months. Our building is purposedly built with viewing windows so the public can view as we make cheese and process milk. You are also invited to visit our calves, housed near the creamery. Our goal is to create premuim products and provide education to the public.
From the Family Bible -
Highland, Madison County, Illinois
January 1st A.D. 1876
Marcoot is our family name of English
ancestry and military rank, sometime in 1600 – one of our forefathers emigrated
to Switzerland and married in a family:
Jerich, an old Swifs family and also of military rank and noteable in
and during the war procuring Swifs independence. Thus the family became Germanized and spelt
their name differently, but mainly Markut.
I have no connection of our family history down to the year 1804 when my
father Martin was born, his fathers name being John. My father Martin had three sisters and no brother,
only one of his sisters now living.
Martin Markut taught school in his native land a period, and served in a
Swifs regiment in Holland as musician.
At the age of 33 or in the year A.D. 1837, he married to Mifs Agnes
Risch aged 20 being born in the year A.D. 1817.
John was born on the 21st of
August A.D. 1838, and in the spring of the year A.D. 1840 our parents took ship
for America, landing in New Orleans in the month of August, having been on
highwater from haven de Grace to that place 73 days during which time they
endured much peril and hardship. After
landing at New Orleans they wound their way up the Mississippi river through
the then uninhabited country, from St. Louis they came out and settled at this
place, first above mentioned, and followed farming as a calling lived quietly
and peaceably, though sometimes hard in raising a family which became numerous,
Rosina being born December 5 1842 and I, Maurice, so named after my grandfather
Risch, was born March 18th, 1845 and Catherine D. on April 21st,
1847, Mary C. was born December 25th, 1848, Firdinand, March 23rd,
1851 and Lydia was born January 1st, 1855.
This family account was written by Maurice
Marcoot in the old Marcoot family Bible.”