Aug 30

Church Cookbook Recipes

A shout-out to Jean Giesige, who mentioned my Aunt Kate last week in her weekly column, Calamity Kitchen. Her lighthearted, often touching and inspirational articles are featured in the Daily Standard. We look forward to reading them and having a little chuckle.  

Last week’s piece reflected on sauerkraut and babies, and she ended it with my Aunt Kate’s Mango Kraut Recipe, which was published in the Mercer County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee Cookbook, about 1982.

Kate (Miller) Eichler

Aunt Kate (Miller) Eichler (1927-2016) and her four sisters were all very good cooks. I would recommend any of their recipes that you find in old local cookbooks.

And those cookbooks are still out there.

Churches often published cookbooks that featured the best recipes from the members of their women’s group. Other organizations, like the Mercer County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee, published cookbooks with local tried and true recipes.

When I was a teenager, I spent a day at Aunt Kate’s house and she taught me how to make her award-winning Swedish Tea Ring. Aunt Kate usually won a blue ribbon for her Swedish Tea Ring every year at the Mercer County Fair. It took the better part of a day to make the yeast bread and it was delicious. Her sugar cookies were delicious, too. So, I would imagine her Mango Kraut recipe would also be tasty.

I am not the cook my aunts were. I think I could be. I’m a decent cook and baker when I cook. I just don’t take the time to cook for a couple reasons. For one, cooking takes a lot of time and I prefer to do other things. Like genealogy research. Plus, it is easy and healthy to put a salad together. We are pretty creative with our lettuce salads and we try to eat light.

Even though I don’t cook much, I do have a collection of cookbooks, many from local churches. I pull them out when the family comes home and for family reunions. And when I feel like cooking a special meal.

Some people collect cookbooks. My mom was one of those people and she was also an excellent cook. She had a lot of cookbooks from a lot of places and a cookbook was always a good gift for her. A cookbook from Amish country or from another church was a good choice. I saved some cookbooks from my mom’s collection but gave many of them to my cousin Sharon.

But I saved the church cookbooks. Church cookbooks are the best. Women submitted their best recipes, the ones they knew were tasty and for the most part fool-proof. Some of these recipes have been in handed down in families for generations. It was often a difficult decision to pick which recipes to include. After all, these cookbooks would be around for along time. 

Take for example:

St. John Lutheran Church, Hopewell Township, 1968 cookbook

This is A Book of Favorite Recipes from the Women of St. John’s Lutheran Church [Hopewell Township], 1968. Aunt Kate gave me this cookbook, from her church, as a bridal shower gift in 1973 and I have used this cookbook for over 50 years since.

Aunt Kate submitted about 18 of her favorite recipes for the book. She submitted a variety of recipes from appetizers, salads, vegetables, and main dishes, to cakes, cookies, and desserts. One of my favorite recipes that she submitted, which I haven’t made for years, is her recipe called Beef Porcupines. An easy, tasty recipe.

BEEF PORCUPINES
1 lb. ground beef
1 ½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. celery salt
1 Tbsp. grated onion
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
¼ – ½ c. uncooked rice   
¼ tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped green pepper
4 c. tomato juice
1Tbsp. sugar

Mix together beef, rice, salt, pepper, celery salt, green pepper, and onion. Form into about 18 small meat balls. Pour tomato juice into a large skillet, add sauce and sugar. Add the meat balls, cover and simmer over low heat for about 1 hour or until rice is tender in the center of the meat balls. You can also add ¼ – ½ cup of uncooked rice to the tomato juice when you add the meat balls. Stir occasionally.

I can almost taste those meat balls. I may have to make this again soon.

No doubt about it, the church ladies are some of the best cooks and have the best recipes.  

Aug 27

Tombstone Tuesday-Knights of Pythias Flag Staff

This is a Knights of Pythias flag staff, located at the Feasel monument, Willshire Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio.

Knights of Pythias flag staff, Willshire Cemetery (2024 photo by Karen)

This flag staff incorporates many of this fraternal society’s symbols.

Its general shape is that of a sword, topped with a knight’s helmet.

Inscribed below that in a triangle are the letters F C B, an acronym for the society’s motto, Friendship, Charity, and Benevolence.

Below the triangle are the large letters K P, the initials of Knights of Pythias.

Knights of Pythias flag staff, Willshire Cemetery (2024 photo by Karen)

The rest of the flag staff looks like a sword.

The Knights of Pythias symbol is also carved into the Feasel tombstone.

Knights of Pythias symbol, Willshire Cemetery (2024 photo by Karen)

Below is the Knights of Pythias logo:

Knights of Pythias logo

What an attractive and unique flag staff.  

Aug 23

Headlines from the Past (1926 & 1930)

My abstracts of some news stories from one of my favorite local newspapers, The Willshire Herald (1926 & 1930).

New Business Venture by Stetler Brothers
Earl and Ralph Stetler purchased the Ward Acheson lot and the W.R. Brown service station building just west of the post office on Wolcott Street, to engage in the business of spouting, roofing, roof painting, and washing and painting automobiles. They have the right of sale for Paulding and Van Wert Counties for the Monarch Paint Company, Cleveland. In addition to selling paint, they will contract for painting, as a savings to property owners.  Earl and Ralph previously operated an auto service business, now operated by Lewis Wise on State Street. (Willshire Herald, 18 March 1926)

 Service stations seemed to be big news in Willshire.

New Service Station to Keep “Open House” Saturday
Willshire’s newest service station, the Scott Service station, will have an open house on Saturday and Sunday, 21-22 June. Walter Scott, local agent for the Sinclair Company, announced that a valuable gift will be given to each motorist who purchases five gallons of gasoline. (Willshire Herald, Thursday 19 June 1930)

An obituary:

Willshire Herald, 14 Jan 1926

Well-known Schumm Man Dies Suddenly in Barn Lot
John C. Schumm was found between 4-5:00 p.m. in the barn lot by his son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Schumm.

Mr. Schumm left his house shortly after 12:00 noon to do a few chores around the barn and then go to the store at Schumm to pick up several items for his daughter-in-law. A few hours later his daughter-in-law noticed that she had not seen him go toward Schumm. She phoned the store and they informed her that he had not been there. She looked around the premises but could not find him. She then telephoned her husband, Arnold Schumm, who was helping butcher at the W.A. Buechner farm, the adjoining farm to the north. Arnold hurried home and discovered the body in the barn lot.

John C. Schumm was survived by his children [Victor, Lydia, Hilda, Elisabeth, Arnold, Salome], one brother, Louis J. Schumm, three miles east of town, and a sister, Mrs. [Charles F.] Germann, Harrison Township. Other relatives resided in California. (Willshire Herald, 14 January 1926)

A stockholders meeting:

The annual meeting of the stockholders of the Willshire Equity Union Exchange Company was held at the town opera house Monday Afternoon, with 40-50 farmers in attendance. Secretary E.O. Stelter gave a favorable business report and after President T.J. Dellinger called for nominations for directors. T.J. Dellinger, R.C. Elston, George Grauberger, E.O. Stetler, and Thomas O. Hill were nominated, and all were elected since only five names were needed. (Willshire Herald, 14 January 1926)

Only from a small community:

Mary Dellinger was in Decatur Monday afternoon having dental work done. (Willshire Herald, 14 January 1926)

And from the Chatt area (Willshire Herald, 14 January 1926):

Funeral services were held Monday at Zion Lutheran, Chatt, for Jacob Hiller, 80, life-long resident of the Chattanooga area. Rev. J.E. Albrecht conducted the service.

Zion Chatt’s Luther League met at home of Carl Brandt’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Otto Brandt, Friday night. Not all members were present due to the weather.

And lastly, an airplane ride in 1930 is big local news:

Willshire Herald, 19 June 1930

First Willshire Person to Ride Airplane from Pacific Coast
Miss Rilla Hileman, a young Willshire woman, was believed to be the first person in the community to be a cross-country passenger on an airplane.

She had been visiting her niece, Mrs. T.C. (Eathyl Hileman) Robbins, in Glendale, California, for three months. Mrs. Robbins was formerly from Willshire.

Hileman departed Los Angeles at 10:00 a.m. Saturday for Clovis, New Mexico. There she
boarded a Santa Fe Pullman train bound for Colorado, traveling during the night. She flew from Colorado to Indianapolis, arriving about 4:00 p.m. Sunday. It took about 30 hours for the 1800-mile trip.

Another niece, Bernita Moore, of Van Wert, met Hileman at Indianapolis and drove her home. They arrived home about midnight. (Willshire Herald, Thursday 19 June 1930)

 

Aug 20

Tombstone Tuesday-Caroline Linn

Caroline Linn, Riverside Cemetery, Rockford, Mercer County, Ohio (2024 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Caroline Linn, located in Riverside Cemetery, Rockford, Mercer County, Ohio. Her marker is inscribed:

Caroline
LINN
1897-1983

Caroline Linn was born in Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio, on 28 July 1897, the daughter of Jacob Linn Jr (1865-1927) Elizabeth (1872-1943) Garman. Caroline’s parents were both born in Germany.

Caroline Linn, age 2 years, was enumerated with her parents and 3 siblings in 1900: Jacob Linn Jr, 34, head; Elizabeth, 28, wife; Peter [sic] [Otto], 6; Louise, 4; Caroline, 2; and Peter, 2 mo. This enumeration indicates that both her parents were born in Germany, that her father immigrated in 1872 and her mother in 1888, that her parents were married for 9 years, all their children were all born in Ohio, 4 of their 6 children were living, and that her father Jacob Jr was a farmer,. [1]

By 1910 there were five children in the Jacob Linn Jr family: Otto, 16; Lucy, 14; Caroline, 12; Peter, 10; and Philip, 3 mo. [2]

The 1916 Mercer County Directory shows the following: Jacob Linn Jr, wife Elizabeth, 5 children, farmer, owned 120 acres, 8 horses, and 18 cows, lived at Route 1 Celina, Liberty [Twp] 48, and had an Indiana telephone. [3]

In 1920 Caroline Linn, 22, resided with her father and 3 siblings: Jacob Linn Jr, 54; Louisa, 25; Caroline, 22; Peter, 19; and Philip, 9. [4]

In 1940 Caroline, age 42, single, was employed as a housekeeper in the Bernard Westbrock household, Dayton, Ohio. Caroline’s employer was an undertaker, and she had been at this residence for at least five years. The highest grade she had completed was the 5th grade. [5]

Caroline Linn died in a long-term care facility in Fairborn, Greene County, Ohio, on 29 October 1983. [6]

Caroline Linn had the following siblings:
Infant brother (1891-1891)
Otto Linn (1893-1960), married Norah Gladys Stover
Infant brother (1894-1894)
Catharine Louisa Linn (1895-1974), married Theodore Arndts
Peter Linn (1900-1976), married Iola Ione Kanorr 
Philip Linn (1910-1994), never married

[1] 1900 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 85, p.8, dwelling 149, family 154, Jacob J Sinn [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[2] 1910 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 119, p.16a, dwelling 349, family 310, Jacob Linn; Ancestry.com.

[3] The Farm Journal Illustrated Directory of Mercer County, 1916, Wilmer Atkinson Co, Philadelphia: 1915, p.108.

[4] 1920 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 140, p4B. dwelling, 83, family 86, Jacob Linn; Ancestry.com.

[5] 1940 U.S. Census, Ohio, Montgomery, Dayton, ED 94-156, p.4A, house 531, Caroline Linn; Ancestry.com. 

[6] Ohio Deaths, 1958-2007, Ohio Department of Health, Carolin [sic] Linn, 29 Oct 1983; Ancestry.com.

 

Aug 16

Improved Order of Red Men Area Tribes

Earlier this week I wrote about the Improved Order of Red Men and their unique emblem, and I learned about them myself. I learn a lot when I write blog posts and that post was no exception.

As I wrote Tuesday, the Improved Order of Red Men was established in America about 1834 and still exists today. They are considered a secret society and claim direct descent from the patriotic colonial group, Sons of Liberty, devoted to inspiring a love for America and the principles of American liberty. Their insignia consists of Indian items, such as tomahawks, clubs, and war bonnets. Their women’s auxiliary is called the Degree of Pocahontas.

Improved Order of Red Men, Riverside Cemetery, Rockford, Mercer County, Ohio. (2024 photo by Karen)

After seeing their symbol on the Riverside Cemetery tombstone, I wondered about the Improved Order of Red Men society in the area and did some follow-up research since Tuesday.

I learned that there were quite a number of Red Men “tribes” in the area. There were tribes in just about every local village-Van Wert, Rockford, Middle Point, Convoy, Scott, and Haviland. Convoy apparently had a fairly large tribe and sent a delegation of 80 to the annual meeting of the Ohio tribe in 1911.  

The Van Wert group was the Abanaki Tribe No. 77 and they had a Pocahontas auxiliary group. I am not sure of the spelling. I read both Abanaki and Abenaki. Some of their meetings were called wigwams.

Abenaki Tribe No. 77, Red Men, Van Wert, Ohio, 1920

From the newspaper accounts I learned that the head of a tribe was called the Grand Sachem and the head of the auxiliary was called the Great Pocahontas. Degrees included a Chief’s Degree and a Warriors’ Degree. …The degree of teams of Abanaki Tribe Improved Order of Red Men will confer the Warriors’ degree at a meeting of the tribe in Rockford… (Van Wert Daily Bulletin, 8 Mar 1919)

The Van Wert Abanaki Tribe had apparently been around since about the 1870s: …Abanaki Tribe celebrated its 34th annual feast, a party of more than 300 in attendance. The tepee was nicely decorated in honor of the occasion. J. Val. Faudree was toastmaster. The address of welcome was by O.A. Balyeat and the response by Levi X. Jacobs. There was a musical and literary program, presented by Misses Spahr, Tumbleson, Tomlinson, Ensminger and Poling, and Earl Wallace and the Jacobs Orchestra… (Van Wert Daily Bulletin, 4 Dec 1907)

I do not know if the Abanaki Tribe had their own building or not, but a 1905 news article mentions the Van Wert Red Men’s Hall. In 1937 the Red Men’s lodge room was moved from the Brumback building to the third floor of the Rumpf building, East Main Street. (Van Wert Times Bulletin, 19 Oct 1937)

Red Men meet in Haviland, 1917

From one of their meetings: …The Grand Sachem…emphasized the strength and beauty of the cardinal principles of Freedom, Friendship and Charity. [He] dwelt upon the great force of Redmanship and the need of its exercise in the direction of crushing out Bolshevikism in event that monster show its head in the United States… (Van Wert Daily Bulletin, 8 Mar 1919)

The tribe at Middle Point had a Memorial Day observance in Middle Point in 1910. …enactment of the grand tribe of the order it is proposed that the annual observance of the day to the memory of the soldier dead shall be perpetuated by the Red Men, who are purely an American institution, with American ideas and sentiments in all matters. The Middle Point tribe has extended an invitation to the other secret societies there to join in the observance… (Van Wert Daily Bulletin, 23 May 1910)

The 10th District School of Instruction was held at Middle Point in 1910 and lasted all day and into the evening. At noon they adjourned for lunch, which consisted of corn and venison. The event included music by the Red Men’s Band. The Red Men’s Band was mentioned in several news articles. (Van Wert Daily Bulletin, 5 Oct 1910)

Red Men meet at Middle Point, 1910

In 1912 a large delegation of Red Men and Daughters of Pocahontas attended the annual meeting of the Great Council in Springfield, where about 2000 men and women participated in a parade. …quite a number of the Red Men appearing in Indian garb and war paint… The great council fire will not be extinguished until Wednesday evening… (Van Wert Daily Bulletin, 14 May 1912)

The Improved Order of Red Men also participated in funeral graveside services. From a member’s obituary: …Grover Snyder, as prophet, conducted the ritualistic services of the Red Men at the grave, during which a white dove was released… (Van Wert Daily Bulletin, 2 Nov 1912)

It is surprising that we do not see more tombstone symbols of this society in the area, considering how popular the group once was.