May 17

New Book about 1872 Secaur Murder

Just in time for summer reading, a newly published book about the events surrounding the murder of 13-year-old Liberty Township resident, Mary Secaur. Many from this area of Mercer County, Ohio, have heard and read about these events that occurred just east of Chattanooga, Ohio, in June 1872.

Even after nearly 150 years there is still an interest and many questions about that murder and the lynching that followed a few days later.

Shadows of the Summer Solstice, by Sharon Schaadt Cowen, 2019.

The most recent account of those incidents is the new book, Shadows of the Summer Solstice…A Legend about a Farmer and the Green Ribbon Murder, by Sharon Schaadt Cowen, ISBN13:978-0-578-46094-9, 294 pages, published by SSC Publishing, April 2019. It is available in paperback and Kindle edition at Amazon.com.

Most locals have heard about the murder of young Mary Arabelle Secaur and about the lynching of Absalom Kimmel and Alexander McLeod, two men who were accused of murdering her. Mary Secaur was murdered on her way home from church one Sunday, murdered a couple miles east of Chatt on Tama Road, near where the Farmer’s Picnic is held. Kimmel and McLeod were two of three men accused of murdering Mary and were being held in the Mercer County jail when a mob overcame the sheriff and took the prisoners from the jail. The mob took the men out of town and hung two of them east of where the murder occurred.

Author Sharon Schaadt Cowen has a special interest in this story. Four generations of her family lived east of Chatt and her great-grandparents, Fred and Kate Schaadt, were next-door neighbors to Mary Secaur and the Sitterleys on Tama Road. The families knew each other and the Schaadts were eye-witnesses and participants in the events that occurred after Mary’s murder. Those details have been passed down in the Schaadt family for four generations. Sharon herself grew up near Tama Road and tells the story as it was told to her by her father, Herb. Herb heard the story from his father Lewis, as was told to him by Fred Schaadt himself. Although Cowen tells her family’s version of the incident, she says that the bones of her story come from J.H. Day’s account, Lynched.

I enjoyed the way Cowen tells this sad and tragic story. In her book, set in about 1932, old Duck Legs Phil Kromer, who was a real person, narrates the story from his room at the county home. With his colorful language he recalls the details of the events that summer, nearly sixty years before, and how those events affected the community and how the local people reacted.

One of my favorite things about this book is how Cowen’s personal and local connection makes the characters come to life. Cowen gives the characters real personalities and tells how they dealt with this tragedy. The book also provides a glimpse of what everyday life was like in rural Mercer County in the 1870s. Of course, having grown up in the Chatt area, the names and places were familiar, which added to my reading enjoyment. I know the story, but the book was still hard to put down.

Shadows of the Summer Solstice, by Sharon Schaadt Cowen, 2019.

After nearly 150 years, parts and details of the story will likely always remain a mystery. Although there are several theories about what really happened and who was guilty and who was not, there are just some things we will never really know for sure.

May 14

Tombstone Tuesday–William G. Hoffer, Ora, Gretchen

Ora M, William G, & Gretchen Hoffer, Willshire Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2019 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of William G. Hoffer, his wife Ora M. (Morehead), and daughter Gretchen Hoffer, located in section 3, row 11, Willshire Cemetery, Willshire, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

HOFFER
Mother
Ora M.
1871-1951

Father
William G.
1865-1949

Daughter
Gretchen
1899-1964

The Hoffers were a prominent Willshire family during the first half of the 20th century.

Among his many accomplishments and activities, William G. Hoffer was the editor and publisher of the Willshire Herald until nearly the time of his death in 1949. The Willshire Herald was the predecessor to today’s The Photo Star. Hoffer was also Willshire’s postmaster for about 22 years, having that position until about the time of his death.

I published William’s full obituary last week, as it was published in the 1949 Willshire Herald: William G. Hoffer Obituary, 1949.

His wife Ora played piano at church and gave piano lessons for many years. She died 6 January 1959. Her obituary, from The Lima News, Thursday, January 8, 1959:

VAN WERT – Mrs. Ora M. Hoffer, 87, 417 S. Washington, Van Wert, died at noon Tuesday after an illness of several years. She had suffered a broken hip three weeks ago in a fall.

A daughter of Robert E. and Sarah M. (Allen) Morehead, she was born June 24, 1871, at Romney, W. Va.

Mrs. Hoffer, a resident of Willshire for about 50 years, was the widow of William G. Hoffer, whom she married December 19, 1893.

Mr. Hoffer, who died in 1949, served for 22 years as postmaster at Willshire. He was a former editor and publisher of The Willshire Herald and assisted in founding the Van Wert Times and Wapakoneta Daily News.

Mrs. Hoffer, a piano teacher of two generations, was a member of the Willshire Methodist Church and served for years as church pianist. She was a charter member of the Pythian Sisters and was a member of Bethlehem chapter No. 25, Order of Eastern Star, Willshire.

Surviving are a daughter, Miss Gretchan Hoffer of this city, who is associated with the Starr Commonwealth; a brother, R. M. Morehead of Fresno, Calif. and a sister, Mrs. Blanche M. Hall of Lyons, Kansas. A son, George, is deceased.

Rites will be held at 2 p.m. Friday in the Cowan and Son Funeral Home, Dr. Paul D. Chiles, pastor of the First Methodist Church, and Rev. William D. Powers, pastor of the Willshire Methodist Church, to officiate. Burial will be in the Willshire Cemetery.

Friends may call at the funeral home. The family requests no flowers and friends may contribute to Starr Commonwealth.

Their daughter Gretchen Hoffer died a few years later, on 14 June 1964 in Van Wert. Her obituary:

Van Wert—Miss Gretchen Hoffer, 64, associated with Starr-Commonwealth at Albion, Mich., was pronounced dead on arrival at 3 p.m. Sunday in Van Wert County Hospital. Death was attributed to a heart condition.

Miss Hoffer, a former resident of Willshire and Wapakoneta, was stricken while attending memorial services for Gordon Langley at the local Starr-Commonwealth school for boys.

Two physicians, also attending the memorial services, attempted to revive the stricken woman through mouth to mouth resuscitation and by massaging the heart. Their efforts proved futile.

She was a daughter of William and Ora Hoffer.

Miss Hoffer was a social worker for Starr Commonwealth. She was a former manager of the Van Wert Aid to the Aged and had been associated with the Methodist Children’s Home in Worthington and the Ohio Soldiers and Sailors Home in Xenia.

Services will be Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. in Cowan and Son Funeral Home. Rev. Dr. Paul D. Chiles will officiate, and burial will be in Willshire Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home. [1]

 

[1] The Lima News, Lima, Ohio, 16 Jun 1964, p.2, Gretchen Hoffer; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com, viewed 7 May 2019.

 

 

 

May 10

William G. Hoffer Obituary, 1949

Below is a detailed obituary for William G. Hoffer, who, during the first half of the 20th century, was the editor and publisher of the Willshire Herald and Willshire’s postmaster for nearly 22 years. This obituary was published on the front page of the Willshire Herald on 20 January 1949, not quite a week after his death. It is a wonderful tribute to a man who was a prominent member of the Willshire community.  

William G. Hoffer

Rites Are Held Wednesday For Widely-Known Resident
Final tribute and funeral services for William G. Hoffer, civic leader and journalist of Willshire, were held Wednesday afternoon, January 19, 1949, at 2 p.m. at his late residence in this town. Rev. E.O. Bissell, pastor of the Willshire Methodist church, assisted by Rev. R.C. Tucker of Van Wert, conducted the last sad rites, and special music at the piano was played by Mrs. Carrol Geisler. Burial was made in the local cemetery under the direction of the Cowan and Son funeral home of Van Wert.

Death resulted from complications following major surgery at the Decatur, Ind., hospital on December 21, 1948. Although afflicted for a number of years with the ailment which made the operation necessary, his condition did not become acute until several months ago.

Realizing that he could not long endure the severe pain that overtook him prior to going to the hospital, Mr. Hoffer finally consented to undergo the surgeon’s instruments, but reluctantly, on account of his advanced age, prospects for his recovery were bright at first, then the tide turned and the Grim Reaper removed him from this mundane sphere.

A son of the late John and Susan Durst-Hoffer, he was born October 26, 1865, in Centre County, Pa., being the last of a family of 13 children to answer the final summons. He had attained the age of 83 years, two months, and 19 days.

His marriage to Ora M. Morehead was an event of December 19, 1893, and the celebration of their golden wedding anniversary was a source of much pleasure to them and the people of this town and community.

Mr. and Mrs. Hoffer became the parents of two children, George Edward, who died in infancy, and Gretchen of Worthington.

When a young man, Mr. Hoffer took to newspaper work and followed that vocation the greater part of his life. His career covered all phases of the fraternity, from printer to editor, and his fame as an editorial writer was known far and wide.

In his younger days the ”colonel” amazed colleagues with his ability to cover the story and write three columns of news without having taken a note.

In addition to being a former editor and publisher of the Willshire Herald, he assisted in founding the Van Wert Times and Wapakoneta Daily News and was associated with other newspapers in Ohio, Indiana, Kansas, and many other states. He was included in the list of reporters who followed Coxey’s Army on its historic march to Washington D.C., reporting the facts as a representative of the larger city dailies.

The Hoffers first came to Willshire in 1900 and after a brief absence returned here in 1918 to make this place their permanent home.

Politically, Mr. Hoffer was a staunch Democrat and labored diligently in the party’s cause, one reward being his appointment as a postmaster here, his tenure of office extending over a period of 22 years, the retirement law stopping further service in this line of work.

Mr. Hoffer’s interest in the welfare of the town and its citizens is best attested by the recognition given him through his election as mayor, member of council, member of the board of education, and finally as justice of the peace of Willshire township, a position he held for the past eight years.

For a short period he served as the town’s marshal and had many connections with the County Democratic Central Committee.

Fraternally, the deceased had affiliations with the Masonic and Elk lodges of Wapakoneta, and Chas. A. Knott Lodge, Knights of Pythias, of Willshire, an order with which he was identified for nearly 60 years, many years of which he was master of finance of the local lodge. The Elks and Knights of Pythias lodges held services for their departed brother at the home Tuesday night.

Besides these, he had many other identifications, some being that of a school teacher, farmer, stockholder in the old Farmers and Merchants State Bank and Willshire Equity Union Exchange Co., treasurer of the former Willshire Cigar Co., secretary and manager of the one-time Willshire Canning Co. and Willshire Telephone Co., and various connections with the town’s business men’s and community clubs.

Religiously, he was born and reared in the faith of the Reformed church, and at one time in early manhood was a student in Heidleberg College at Atchison, Kansas, with the intention of preparing for the ministry. In 1880 he served as a delegate to the YMCA national convention in St. Louis.

As a citizen, husband, father, and friend he had few equals, and as a follower of baseball and kindred sport, his enthusiasm was considerably restrained.

All in all, it can be truly said that Mr. Hoffer’s passing will be keenly felt in these environs for many years to come, and in bringing to a close this last testimonial to one who selected the newspaper field as his vocation, no more fitting words could be used than to say it with Mr. Hoffer’s own words, “Goodnight and 30.”

William G. Hoffer obituary, Willshire Herald, 20 Jan 1949.

A few of my observations about the information in Hoffer’s obituary.

About the “30” mentioned at the end of his obituary, journalists put the number thirty (-30-), three pound signs (###), or the word “END” at the bottom of a press release copy, indicating the end of the article. [Our son Jeff, who has a Bachelor degree in Journalism, explained this to me when I started blogging. Myself, I use ###.]

There is some conflicting information as to the name of William G. Hoffer’s father. This obituary names him John. He was Joseph in the 1870 census, George in the 1880 census, and George in his newspaper death notice.

The Hoffer’s marriage announcement in a Kansas newspaper [married last Thursday night at the home of the bride] indicates they married in 1894, not 1893. [The Tiller and Toiler, Larned, Kansas, 28 Dec 1894, p.4, Personal Matters; digital image by subscription, Newspapers.com, viewed 2 May 2019.]

Coxey’s Army [mentioned in his obituary] was a protest march by unemployed workers from the United States, led by Ohio businessman Jacob Coxey. They marched on Washington, D.C. in 1894, the second year of a four-year economic depression that was the worst in United States history to that time. [Wikipedia] Hoffer did seem to be very interested in politics.

It is interesting to read about the Willshire Cigar Company and to see Willshire’s canning factory also mentioned.

Hoffer’s obituary, from the Willshire Herald, is on microfilm at the Brumback Library in Van Wert. Since my last visit there they have acquired a new digital microfilm reader. It is quite nice and is user friendly, after the helpful staff at the library showed me how to use it. I particularly like the automatic focus and the sharp image it produces. Also nice is the tall monitor, which is perfect for reading newspaper images. It has several zoom features and many other features that I have not used yet, but I will be using it more in the future. I took digital photos of the images with my pocket camera, but you can also print a copy of the image on paper. I prefer to use my camera, one reason is that I simply do not need any more papers around here. Digital is also easier to store and magnify on my laptop. 

Digital microfilm reader, Brumback Library, Van Wert, Ohio, May 2019.

Wouldn’t Mr. Hoffer be amazed with today’s technology and means to share the news. I am sure he would be delighted to see that so many people enjoy reading and searching through old newspapers today.

Wouldn’t he be proud to know that the newspaper he once published and labored over and loved is still read and shared today, just in a very different format.   

May 07

Tombstone Tuesday–Magdalena (Schueler) Bienz

Magdalena (Schueler) Bienz, St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery, Preble, Adams County, Indiana. (2019 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Magdalena (Schueler) Bienz, located in St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery, Preble, Adams County, Indiana. The marker is inscribed:

BIENZ
Magdalena
Ehefrau von
Joh. Bienz
3 Nov. 1835
21 Sep. 1916

Magdalena, wife of John Bienz, 3 Nov 1835-21 Sep 1916.

Magdalena Schueler was born in Ohio, probably in Holmes County, on 3 November 1835, the daughter of Michael and Maria “Katharina” (Schumm) Schueler (1810-1838). Magdalena’s parents were married in Holmes County in 1833. [1] Magdalena’s mother Katharina Schumm immigrated to America with her four brothers and their father Johann Georg Schumm (1777-1846) in 1833.

The Michael Schueler family moved to Van Wert County by 1838, where Magdalena’s mother Katharina (Schumm) Schueler died. Magdalena was only 3 years old when her mother died. Katharina was the first person buried in Zion Schumm’s cemetery. Magdalena’s widowed father, Michael Schueler, married Catherine Lakehard on 1 March 1839 in Van Wert County, married by Jacob M. Harper. [2]

The Michael Schuller family in 1850, living near Schumm: Michael, 40; Catharine, 37; Magdalena, 15; Rosanna, 13; Hanna M, 10; Andrew, 7; and Jacob, 1. Michael and Catharine were born in Germany and the children were born in Ohio. Michael was a farmer and they lived near Jacob Dietrich. [3]

Magdalena Schueler married John Bienz 15 April 1852 near Schumm. Both were from Zion’s parish and John was a widower. John’s first wife, Louise A. Billmann, died 18 June 1849. John Bienz was born 23 March 1823 in Wuerttemberg, the son of Balthas and Catharina Barbara (Weidlin) Bienz. [4]

In 1860 John and Magdalena (Schueler) Bienz lived near Schumm, with Christoph Kreiselmeyer and Michael Geisler as some of their nearest neighbors. The John Bienz family as enumerated in 1860: John, 36, born in Wuerttemberg; Rose AM, 24, Ohio; John F, 7; George E, 5; Catharine R, 4; Anna BC, 1; and Alfred Geier, 20, born in Bavaria. [5]

The John Bienz family in 1870, spelled Bence in this enumeration: John, 47; Magdalena, 35; John F, 17; George E, 15; Rosina C, 13; Anna BC, 11; John JC, 9; Henry W, 5; and Mary, 1. The father John was a farmer. [6]

The John Bienz household in 1880, in Van Wert County: John, 55; Magdalena, 45; Catharine, 21; John, 19; August, 17; Henry, 14; Mary, 11; Christian, 8; and Martin, 4. [7]

John Bienz died in Van Wert County on 13 July 1898 [8] and is buried next to their daughter Maria Bienz, who died the year before.

Widow Magdalena Bienz lived in Willshire Township with two of her unmarried children in 1900: Magdalena, 64, widow, head; Martin, 24, son; and Anna MM, 19 daughter. This enumeration indicates that Magdalena had given birth to 13 children and that 10 of them were living. [9]

Sometime between 1900 and 1910 Magdalena Bienz and her two unmarried children Martin and Anna moved to Preble in Adams County, Indiana. Their household in 1910: Magdalena K, 74, widow, head; Martin M, 34, single; and Magdalena A, 29, single. This enumeration indicates that the mother Magdalena had given birth to 13 children and that 10 of them were living. [10]    

Magdalena (Schueler) Bienz died of liver cancer in Preble, Adams County, on 21 September 1916. She was buried on the 24th. [11]

St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery, Preble, Adams County, Indiana. (2019 photo by Karen)

Johann and Magdalena (Schueler) Bienz had the following children:
Johann Friedrich (1853-1918), married Mary “Virginia” Bleichner
George Emanuel (1855-1954), married Lucinda “Cindy” Fox
Rosina Catharine (1857-1940), married Charles Carl Meyer
Anna Barbara Catharine (1859-1943), married Henry Linnemeier
Johann Jacob Andreas (1861-1935), married Caroline Dueker
August George (1863-1938), married Lena Strubel
Heinrich Wilhelm (1865-1926), married Mini Winte
Maria Barbara Elizabeth (1868-1897)
Christian Andreas (1872-1947?)
Ludwig Eberhart Ferdinand (1873-1876)
Martin Gottfried (1875-1954)
Wilhelm C (1878-1879)
Magdalena Anna Margaretha (1881-1965), married Charles Hobrock

St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, Preble, Adams County, Indiana. (2019 photo by Karen)

 

[1] Holmes County, Ohio, Marriages, Vol. 1:161, Michael Scheuler & Catharine Schoone, 22 Nov 1833; “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013,” database with images, FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939K-PX39-9L?i=112&cc=1614804 : viewed 30 Apr 2019), Franklin County Genealogical & Historical Society, Columbus.

[2] Van Wert County, Ohio, Marriages, 1837-1840, unpaginated, Michael Shueler & Catherine Lakehard, 1 Mar 1839; “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013,” database with images, FamiySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-G5BW-9479?i=1&cc=1614804 : viewed 30 Apr 2019), Franklin County Genealogical & Historical Society, Columbus.

[3] 1850 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, p.172A [stamped], p.343 [penned] dwelling 356, family 375, Michael Shuler; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1850usfedcenancestry/ : viewed 30 Apr 2019).

[4] Lutheran Taufen, Tote, & Heiraten, 1564-1875, [Baptisms, Deaths & Marriages] Gerlingen, Wuerttemberg, 1823 baptisms, Johannes Bienz; Ancestry.com, tree of klicen, viewed 2 Apr 2019.

[5] 1860 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, p.150 (penned), dwelling 1071, family 1065, John Bientz; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1860usfedcenancestry/ : viewed 1 Apr 2019).

[6] 1870 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, p.439B, dwelling 135, family 136, John F. Bence; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1870usfedcen/ : viewed 24 Mar 2019).

[7] 1880 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 145, p.452C, family 162, John Beinz; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1880usfedcen/ : viewed 24 Mar 2019).  

[8] Van Wert County Deaths, Vol. 2:13, John Bienz, 13 Jul 1898; database with images, Family Search (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6722-2S?i=380&cc=2128172 : viewed 1 Apr 2019), “Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001.”

[9] 1900 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 98, p. 11 [penned], p.110A [stamped], dwelling 212, family 217, Magdalena Bienz; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com  (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1900usfedcen/ : viewed 29 Apr 2019).

[10] 1910 U.S. Census, Preble, Adams, Indiana, ED 8, p.10B [penned], dwelling 187, family 194, Magdalena K Benz; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1910uscenindex/ : viewed 29 Apr 2019).

[11] Indiana, Death Certificates, 1916, Roll 1, Adams County, Magdalena Bienz, 21 Sep 1916; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com, Indiana Archives and Records Administration, Indianapolis.

 

May 03

William G. Hoffer, Editor

After spending the past several months extracting and posting information from a single 1904 edition of the Willshire Herald, I wanted to learn more about the newspaper’s editor and publisher, William G. Hoffer. 

William G. Hoffer

I noticed that editor William Hoffer did not live in Willshire in 1900. The Hoffer surname did not appear to be what I consider a local name such as Schumm, Schinnerer, Dietrich, Spitler, Dellinger, or one of the many other names that have been in the area for decades. Although Willshire was eventually Hoffer’s home town, he was not a native of this area.

Who was this man who was a former editor and publisher of the Willshire Herald, who assisted in founding the Van Wert Times and Wapakoneta Daily News, and who served 22 years as Willshire’s postmaster?

William Groh Hoffer was born 26 October 1865 in Centre County, Pennsylvania, the son of George and Susan (Durst) Hoffer. [1]

In 1880 William’s father George was an inn-keeper in College Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania. The George Hoffer household in 1880: George, 56; Susan M, 56; Elizabeth, 24; Frances A, 21; Rozzella, 19; Isaac, 16; William G, 14; Sarah, 11; and Emma, 9. Everyone in their household was born in Pennsylvania and it appears the Hoffers had early roots in America, as the parents’ parents were reportedly also born in Pennsylvania. [2]

By 1893 William G. Hoffer had moved to Kansas and was the editor of the Shield. His father George Hoffer died in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, on 1 December 1893, at the age of 70, and William returned to Pennsylvania for the funeral. [3]

A year later William G. Hoffer married Ora M. Morehead in Kansas, on 19 December 1894: Will. G. Hoffer and Ora A. Moorehead [sic], both of Larned, were united in marriage last Thursday night at the home of the bride. [4]

Ora Morehead was born in West Virginia on 24 June 1871, the daughter of Robert E. and Sarah M. (Allen) Morehead. William G. and Ora had two children, Gretchen Hoffer (1899-1964) and a son George, who died in childhood before 1900. [5]

By 1895, not long after their marriage, William and Ora resided in Pawnee County, Kansas. In this enumeration William was 28, born in Pennsylvania, and Ora was 23, born in West Virginia. [6]

By 1896 William G. Hoffer was the editor of The Lincoln Sentinel, Lincoln, Kansas. [7]

In 1900 William and Ora lived in Lincoln, Kansas, where their daughter Susan “Gretchen” was born in November of 1899. William’s occupation was reported as a printer. Their household in 1900: William G Hoffer, 35, head, born in Pennsylvania; Ora M, 28, wife, West Virginia; and Susan G, daughter, 6 months, Kansas. [8]

By 1904 William, Ora, and Gretchen had moved back east to Ohio, where he was the editor and publisher of the Willshire Herald, as indicated by the newspaper I have here at home.

The Willshire Herald, 1904.

Hoffer apparently left the Willshire Herald a couple years later. A 1909 article in The Lima News describes Hoffer as the former owner of the Willshire Herald, who recently purchased an interest in the Wapakoneta Daily News. [9]

In 1910 the Hoffer family of three lived at 511 W. Mechanic Street in Wapakoneta and William was a newspaper editor. Their household in 1910: William G, 43; Ora M, 38; and Gretchen, 10. [10]

Hoffer was the editor of Wapakoneta Democrat in 1912. [11] He moved on from that newspaper in a couple years.

In 1916 Hoffer purchased the Auburn Bee, in Auburn, Indiana, from John C. Lochner. Hoffer was described as a newspaper man of much experience and the former editor of the Wapakoneta Daily News  and Auglaize County Democrat for seven years. It went on to say that his wife and daughter would move to Auburn by 1 July 1916. [12]

In December 1916 William G. Hoffer was sued by former Auburn Bee editor Lochner, sued for the collection of a promissory note with a balance of $900 and interest of $100. The note was originally for $1000, payable 1 November 1916. [13]

Soon after, Hoffer moved to Piqua, Ohio, and in 1917 became editor and general manager of the Piqua Press. This article states that Hoffer was well known throughout Ohio and had been connected with the Wapakoneta News for eight years. [14]

Hoffer made another move in December 1917, a move to northeast Ohio, where he was worked in the editorial portion of the financial department of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. [15]

The family’s final move would be within the next couple years. By 1920 William G. Hoffer and family had moved to Willshire, where they resided the rest of their lives. In 1920 they lived on Walcott Street and William, age 55, was a newspaper editor and daughter Gretchen, 20, was a mail clerk at the post office. Wife Ora was not employed. [16]

By 1930 the Hoffers resided on Hogan Street, where William’s occupation was postmaster. Wife Ora was a music teacher and Gretchen was the assistant postmaster. [17]

William G. Hoffer was Willshire’s postmaster for at least 22 years, beginning about 1918. He was reappointed postmaster there several times: 6 February 1926, 22 March 1934, 9 April 1938. He retired 31 January 1940. His daughter Gretchen took over as postmistress after his retirement in 1940 and held the position until August of that year, when John E. Reichard became postmaster. [18]

In the 1940 census enumeration no occupations are given for William and Ora, but Gretchen, 40, single, was the acting postmistress. No street residence is given but they resided in the same house as they did in 1935. [19]

Willshire’s one-time newspaper publisher and former postmaster William G. Hoffer died in Willshire from gallbladder complications on 15 January 1949. He was survived by his wife Ora M. and their daughter Gretchen. He was buried on the 19th and H.B. Cowan was in charge of the arrangements. [1]

William’s wife Ora was active in the community, as a piano teacher of two generations, pianist for many years at the Willshire Methodist Church, where she was also a member. She was a charter member of the Pythian Sisters and a member of Bethlehem chapter No. 25, Order of Eastern Star, Willshire. Ora died 6 January 1959. [3]

William G, wife Ora, and daughter Gretchen (1899-1964) are buried in Willshire Cemetery and share the same tombstone.

Below is one of William G. Hoffer’s obituaries:

Ohio Weekly Editor Dies At Age Of 84
Willshire, O.—(AP)—Funeral services will be held Wednesday for William Hoffer, 84, editor of the Willshire Herald, a weekly newspaper in this Van Wert-co community.

 Hoffer, who previously worked for newspapers in Cleveland and Bellefontaine, Oh., and Elkhart, Ind., died Saturday.

 Hoffer at one time amazed colleagues with his ability to cover a beat and write three columns of news without taking a note. [20]

Next week, William G. Hoffer’s obituary, as published the 1949 Willshire Herald.

 

[1] Death Record, Willshire, Willshire Township, Van Wert, Ohio, William Groh Hoffer, 15 Jan 1949; “Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001,” database with images, FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9ZY-TJ6P?i=741&cc=2128172 : viewed 30 Apr 2019). 

[2] 1880 U.S. Census, College, Centre, Pennsylvania, ED 228, p.275A [stamped], dwelling 179, family 199, George Hoffar; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1880usfedcen/ : viewed 29 Apr 2019).

[3] The Larned Eagle-Optic, Larned, Kansas, 1 Dec 1893, p.3, Death of Mr. George Hoffer; digital image by subscription, Newspapers.com, viewed 2 May 2019.

[4] The Tiller and Toiler, Larned, Kansas, 28 Dec 1894, p.4, Personal Matters; digital image by subscription, Newspapers.com, viewed 2 May 2019.

[5] Find a Grave.com, Ora M. Morehead Hoffer (1871-1959), memorial no. 77417095, Willshire Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio; Ora Hoffer obituary, from The Lima News, 8 Jan 1959, posted with memorial.

[6] 1895 Kansas Territory Census, Larned, Pawnee, p.43 [penned], dwelling 320, family 326, William G Hoffer; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com.

[7] The Lincoln Sentinel, Lincoln, Kansas, 23 April 1896, p.2; digital image by subscription, Newspapers.com, viewed 2 May 2019.

[8] 1900 U.S. Census, Elkhorn, Lincoln, Kansas, ED 62, p.1 [penned], dwelling & family 14, William G Hoffer; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1900usfedcen/ : viewed 30 Apr 2019).

[9] The Lima News, Lima, Ohio, 17 Feb 1909, p.4; digital image by subscription, Newspapers.com, viewed 2 May 2019.

[10] 1910 U.S. Census, Wapakoneta Ward 3, Auglaize, Ohio, ED 53, p.7A, dwelling 138, family 141, William G Hoffer; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1910uscenindex/ : viewed 30 Apr 2019).

[11] The Mansfield News-Journal, Mansfield, Ohio, 27 Jul 1912, p.3, Democrats Seem Dead; digital image by subscription, Newspapers.com, viewed 2 May 2019.  

[12] The Garrett Clipper, Garrett, Indiana, 15 Jun 1916, p.4; digital image by subscription, Newspapers.com, viewed 2 May 2019.

[13] Fort Wayne Weekly Sentinel, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 27 Dec 1916, p.3, Former Editor Is Sued; digital image by subscription, Newspapers.com, viewed 2 May 2019.

[14] The Lima News, Lima, Ohio, 16 Jan 1917, p.2, William G. Hoffer I Head of Piqua Press; digital image by subscription, Newspapers.com, viewed 2 May 2019.

[15] The Mansfield News-Journal, Mansfield, Ohio, 10 Dec 1917, p.12, Locates in Cleveland; digital image by subscription, Newspapers.com, viewed 2 May 2019.

[16] 1920 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 146, p.9A [penned], dwelling 60, family 61, William G Hoffer; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1920usfedcen/ : viewed 30 Apr 2019).

[17] 1930 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 22, p.3A [penned], p.251 [stamped], dwelling & family 55, William G Hoffer; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1930usfedcen/ : viewed 30 Apr 2019).

[18] Postmasters, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, 1930-1971, Vol. 5, William G Hoffer, 22 Mar 1934; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com, U.S., Appointments of U.S. Postmasters, 1832-1971, Records of the Post Office Dept, Record Group 28.

[19] 1940 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 81-26, p.6A [penned], dwelling, William G Hoffer; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1940usfedcen/ : viewed 30 Apr 2019).

[20] Lancaster Eagle-Gazette, Lancaster, Ohio, 17 Jan 1949, p.1, Ohio Weekly Editor Dies at Age Of 84; digital image by subscription, Newspapers.com, viewed 2 May 2019.