Sep 22

Willshire Milling Company

Today, another very nice local picture postcard, a horse-drawn wagon from the Willshire Milling Co. and its driver.

Willshire Milling Co, undated postcard.

Although the postcard does not specifically say Ohio and there is nothing written on the back and no postmark, it is most likely this photo is from Willshire, Ohio. Mainly because Willshire, Ohio, is the only village with that name in the United States. There are a few places that include the name, like Beaumont-Wilshire, Portland, Oregon, and Stonybrook-Wilshire, Pennsylvania, but those places have a hyphenated name that is spelled with only l, spelled Wilshire.

So, I am going to assume that this postcard is from Willshire, Ohio, probably taken in the early 1900s.

Willshire did indeed have a milling company, known as the Willshire Milling Company, as seen in this ad from the 4 May 1904 Willshire Herald. Note that that they sold coal, “Bring Us Your Orders For Coal.”  

Ad in 4 May 1904 Willshire Herald

Wilbert A. Dull owned the Willshire Milling Company in 1912 and may have owned it a few years before that. Dull attended a convention of grain men in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1912, as seen in this newspaper account:

OFFICERS OF THE GRAIN MEN WHO CONVENE IN NORFOLK TUESDAY
Among the attendees of the Grain Men’s convention: …W.A. Dull of the Willshire Milling Co., Willshire, O…[1]

The 1914 R.G. Dun Mercantile Reference also shows that Wilbert A. Dull, of Willshire, owned a flour mill and grain company, which had a Good rating and an estimated pecuniary strength of $10,000-20,000. [2]

WIllshire, 1914 R.G. Dun Mercantile Reference.

The 1900 and 1910 censuses also give some clues about mill owners in Willshire.

In 1900, Wilbert A. Dull, 31, managed a flour mill, John Custer, 30, was the engineer at a grist mill, and William Dickensheets, 37, operated a feed and exchange in the village.

In 1910, Wilbert A. Dull, 41, continued to be a grain merchant, as was Claude Buchanan, 34, mill owner. William Dailey, 44, was a flour miller, and J.W. Ross, 52, was a drayman of coal and flour.

A drayman was the driver of a wagon used to transport various goods, usually pulled by a horse or mule.

Could J.W. Ross be the man in the photo?

[1] The Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch/Ledger-Star, Norfolk, Virginia, 28 Sep 1912, p.13, Newspapers.com.

[2] 1914 R.G. Dun Mercantile Agency Reference Book, Vol. 183, part 2; Dun & Bradstreet Reference Book Collection, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov.

Sep 19

Tombstone Tuesday-Ferdinand & Catharine (Bollenbacher) Kable

Ferdinand & Catharine (Bollenbacher) Kable, Kessler/Liberty Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio (2023 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Ferdinand and Catharine (Bollenbacher) Kable, located in row 6 of Kessler/Liberty Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

FATHER   MOTHER
CATHARINE
Oct. 17, 1832
June 25, 1922

FERDINAND
Aug. 29, 1827
Jan. 14, 1912

CHRIST IS OUR HOPE

KABLE

Ferdinand Kable was born in the Saarbrucken area of Germany on 29 August 1827, very likely the son of Jean “Christian” Kable (c1782-?) and Catharina Elisabeth [Muller?] (c1791-1864). Ferdinand likely immigrated with his parents and brothers in 1849. Census reports consistently reported that Ferdinand immigrated in 1849 and this family on the ship Henrietta’s passenger list, arriving in New York on 8 May 1849, is most likely the Christian Kable family, traveling with some Kesslers. I have inserted approximate birth years for clarification:

Christian Kable, 68 [b. 1781]
Catharine Kable, 57 [b.1792]
Frederick Kable, 30 [b.1819]
Daniel Kable, 27 [b.1822]
Ferdinand Kable, 23 [b.1826]
Christian Kesler, 32 [b.1817]
Christian/Christine [?] Holdenbach, 28 [b.1821]
Margaretha Kable, 32 [b.1817]
Louisa Holdenbach, 28 [b.1821]
Margaretha Kesler, 4 [b.1845]
Christian Kesler, 3 [b.1846]
Louisa? 3 [b.1846] [1]

In 1850, about a year after immigrating, Ferdinand Kable, 25, lived with his brother Fredrick Kable, 30, and Margaret Kable, 50, in Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. [2]

Brothers Ferdinand, Frederick, and Christian Kable are in the very early records of St. Paul Lutheran, Liberty Township and some family members are in Zion Chatt’s records.

Ferdinand Kable married Catharine Bollenbacher 10 March 1853 in Mercer County, married by Rev. JD Gackenheimer. [3]

Catharine Bollenbacher was born in Bedesbach, Bavaria, 17 October 1832, the daughter of Johann George (1800-1889) and Maria Elisabeth Henrietta (Alt) (1805-1900) Bollenbacher. [4] Census reports consistently show that Catharine (Bollenbacher) immigrated in 1852 and this appears to be the George Bollenbacher family, including Catharine, arriving in New York on the ship Bavaria on 7 May 1852:

George Bollenbacher, 48
Henrietta Bollenbacher, 47
Catharine Bollenbacher, 19
Jacob Bollenbacher, 14
Adam Bollenbacher, 9
Caroline Bollenbacher, 7
Carl Bollenbacher, 5 [5]

By 1860 Ferdinand and Catharine Kable had two sons, John George and Jacob, and the family lived in Liberty Township, Mercer County, with a Skeels Crossroads Post Office address: Ferd Kable, 28; Catharine Kable, 25; George Kable, 5; Jacob Kable, 3. [6]

In late 1864 Ferdinand was away from his Mercer County home, fighting in the Civil War. He served as a Private in Company A of the 29th Regiment OVI from 22 September 1864 through 5 June 1865. [7]

Ferdinand Kable returned home soon after his honorable discharge and a couple months later two of his young sons died. Son Jacob died 11 September 1865 and son John George died 21 September 1865. Both are buried in Kessler Cemetery.

The Ferdinand Kable family in 1870: Ferdinand, 43; Catharine, 37; Adam, 9; Caroline, 7; Louisa, 3; Catharine, 1. [8] The family in 1880: Ferdinand, 54; Catharine, 45; Adam, 17; Caroline, 16; Louisa, 13; Catherine, 12; and Nettie, 8. This enumeration indicated that Ferdinand was born in Rhine Pfalz and that his wife Catharine was born in Rhine Bayern. Ferdinand was a farmer. [9]

The 1900 census gives us more information about the family. The Ferdinand Kable household in 1900: Ferdinand, 72, head; Catharine, 67, wife; Louisa, 33, daughter, single; Kattie [Katharine] Dittinger [sic] [Dellinger], 32, daughter, widow; Emmil Kable, 11, grandson; Henrietta Bollenbacher, 95, mother-in-law, widow. Ferdinand and Catharine had been married 47 years and wife Catharine had given birth to 8 children, 5 of them living. Daughter Kittie/Katharine, shown as a widow, had no children. Mother-in-law Henrietta Bollenbacher had 8 children, 6 of them living. This census shows that Ferdinand immigrated in 1849 and Catharine in 1852. [10]

By 1910 Ferdinand and Catharine Kable had been married 57 years, which was probably quite a milestone at that time. Their family in 1910: Ferdinand, 82; Catharine, 77, wife; Louisa, 43, daughter, single; Catharine D, 42, daughter, single; Henry Leininger, 23, nephew, single. It also indicates that Ferdinand was a Union Army veteran, that wife Catharine had 5 of 8 children living, and that Ferdinand  immigrated in 1849 and Catharine in 1852. [11]

Ferdinand Kable died of edema of the lungs and asthma at his home in Liberty Township on 14 January 1912, at the age of 84 years, 4 months, and 15 days. He was buried on the 17th. [12]

Ferdinand Kable’s obituary:
Ferdinand Kable, Aged 84
Ferdinand Kable, aged 84, one of the Liberty townships oldest and best known residents, died at his home near Chattanooga last Sunday evening as the result of asthma, from which he had been a sufferer for many years.

Deceased was born in Germany in August, 1827, and emigrated to this county with his parents when still a small boy. In March, 1853, he was united in marriage here to Miss Catherine Bollenbacher, who with several grown-up children, survive. Funeral services were held at the German Evangelical church at Chattanooga Wednesday. [13]

His occupation given on his death certificate was soldier and farmer.

In 1920 widow Catherine Kable lived in Liberty Township with her two unmarried daughters, Louisa, 53, single; and Catherine, 51, divorced. Again this enumeration indicates Catharine immigrated in 1852. [14]

Catharine (Bollenbacher) Kable died of chronic colitis about 2 years later, on 25 June 1922, at the age of 89 years, 8 months, and 8 days. She was buried on the 28th. [4]

Ferdinand and Catharine (Bollenbacher) Kable had the following children:

John George Kable (1855-1865)
Jacob Kable (1858-1865)
Adam Kable (1861-1948), married Catharine Hoffman
Caroline Fredericka Kable (1863-1934), married Theobald Leininger
Louisa Marie Kable (1866-1930), never married
Katherina C Kable (1868-1950), married TJ Dellinger [divorced]
Henrietta “Nettie” Kable (1871-1946), married Christian Merkle
Mary A Kable [per Sutton’s 1882 History of Van Wert & Mercer County]

[1] New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957, ship Henrietta, arrived 8 May 1849; database online, Ancestry.com.

[2] 1850 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, p.286a, dwelling & family 7, Ferdinand Roble [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[3] Mercer County Marriages, Vol. D, p.4, Ferdinand Kable & Katherina Bollenbaugh [sic], 10 Mar 1853.

[4] “Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953,” Katherine Kable, 25 Jun 1922; database with images, FamilySearch.org.

[5] New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957, ship Bavaria, arrived 7 May 1852; database online, Ancestry.com.

[6] 1860 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, p.360 [stamped], p.143 [penned], dwelling 1020, family 1025, Fred [sic] Kable; Ancestry.com.

[7] 1890 Veterans Schedules of the U.S. Federal Census, Series No. M123, Record Group 15, Mercer County, Ohio, p.1, Ferdinand Kable; Ancestry.com.

[8] 1870 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, dwelling 100, family 92, p.148B, Ferdinand Kable; Ancestry.com.  

[9] 1880 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 188, dwelling, 51, family 54, p.474C, Ferdnand [sic] Kable; Ancestry.com.

[10] 1900 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED, dwelling 162, family 167, p.9, Ferdenand [sic] Kable; Ancestry.com. [note by kmb, concerning Kattie/Katharine (Kable) Dellinger: Katharine Kable married TJ Dellinger 21 Feb 1895, married by Samuel Egger, Mercer Co Marriages 1887-1904, p.92. They apparently divorced before 1902, although the 1900 enumeration indicates that Katharine was a widow and the 1920 census indicates that she was divorced. Other censuses indicate that Katharine was single/never married. In 1900 TJ Dellinger was reportedly married, living in the August Brandt household. In 1902 TJ Dellinger (1876-1931) married Margaret Brunstetter. Their marriage license indicates that TJ was married once before.]

[11] 1910 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 119, p.17B, dwelling 391, family 342, Federinand [sic] Kable; Ancestry.com.

[12] “Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953,” Ferdinand Kable, 14 Jan 1912; database with images, FamilySearch.org.

[13] The Celina Democrat, Celina, Ohio, 19 Jan 1912; Newspapers.com.

[14] 1920 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 140, p.10A, dwelling 190, family 206, Catherine Kable; Ancestry.com.

 

Sep 15

Philip Schumm Farm, 1913

A couple weeks ago I featured a 1913 photo postcard of the Philip Schumm farm but I had still questioned where the house and barn were located and the name that was written on the barn.

Philip Schumm farm, Rockford, Ohio, 1913 picture postcard.

I now believe this was where Velma Schumm lived on U.S. Route 33 west of Rockford. This was probably the house she was born in 1914 and back then that stretch of road was known to the locals as Schumm Pike.

The frame house pictured on the postcard was probably torn town and replaced with the current craftsman-style brick home around 1920. According to the Mercer County Auditor website the brick house was built about 1920. Also, according to that same website, the barn east of the house was built about 1900. That means the barn pictured in the postcard is still standing.

The barn looks rather new on the postcard and according to the auditor information, it would have been about 12 years old at that time. All this seems to fit the timeline.

What was once Philip Schumm property, Google Earth photo, June 2023

This Google Earth photo shows the barn as it looks today. It has been resided but it is the same shape and size and is in the same location. The house and barn are about the same distance from the road as those pictured on the postcard.

As for the names on the barn, Maplewood Farms is clearly visible on the barn but the name above it is much harder to make out. The last name just doesn’t quite look like Schumm.

Barn on Philip Schumm farm, 1913, “Maplewood Farms”

I believe the name on the barn is Lorin C. Springer. According to the 1900 Black Creek plat map, Lorin C. Springer owned about 211 acres in the Labadie Reserve, the same section where I believe the Philip Schumm home photo was taken in 1913. Where U.S. Route 33 runs through.

Location of where Philip Schumm farm would be, 1900, Black Creek Township.

Black Creek’s 1910 Decennial Appraisement shows that Lorin C. Springer owned 111 acres in the same section. He owned the land but apparently he did not live on the property in 1900 or 1910. He and his wife Alice Luella (Bower) lived in Rockford.

Lorin C. Springer was born in Mercer County, Ohio, 15 Oct 1859, the son of William Springer (1829-1883). Lorin Springer and Alice Bower married in Mercer County in 1886. [1] In 1900 Lorin, 42, married (for 13 years), lived on East Second Street, Rockford, and was a boarder in the Emanuel Brown household. [2] His wife Alice Luella was living with her parents, in the Emanuel W. Bowers household on West Market Street, Rockford. [3]

In 1910 Lorin and his wife lived on South Street in Rockford. The couple did not have any children. [4]

There are a couple possibilities here. Perhaps Lorin C. Springer sold his property to Philip Schumm between 1900 and 1913 or Philip Schumm may have rented the home from Springer. I have not been to the recorder’s office to check the deeds, which would likely answer this question.

From Sutton’s 1882 History of Van Wert and Mercer Counties, Ohio, concerning Lorin’s father William Springer: Mr. [William] Springer was rather of a discontented mind or disposition; was never content to remain long in one place. He has twice been to California and moved from place to place a number of times, until in 1869 he bought his present home in Black Creek Township, where he proposes to remain the balance of his days.

William Springer did just that. He died there in Black Creek Township in 1883 and is buried in Riverside Cemetery, Rockford, Ohio.

The lure of California must have run in the family because by 1920 Lorin C. Springer and his wife had moved to California, where he lived for the rest of his life. [5]

[1] Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993, Mercer County, Vol 1861-1887, p.394, Lorain [sic] C. Springer and A.L. Bower, 16 Sep 1886; database online, Ancestry.com.

[2] 1900 U.S. Census, Dublin, Mercer, Ohio, ED 78, p.13, dwelling 277, family 184, Emanuel Brown; Ancestry.com.

[3] 1900 U.S. Census, Dublin, Mercer, Ohio, ED 78, p.8, dwelling 172, household 179, Emanuel W. Bowers; Ancestry.com.

[4] 1910 U.S. Census, Dublin, Mercer, Ohio, ED 111, p.6a, dwelling 172, household 179, Lorin C Springer; Ancestry.com.

[5] 1920 U.S. Census, Long Beach, Los Angeles, California, ED 84, p.10B, dwelling 194, family 210, Lorin C Springer; Ancestry.com.  

Sep 12

Tombstone Tuesday-Marriage Symbol

Till death do us part. A phrase taken from the traditional marriage vows.

Birth and death dates are the most common dates inscribed on tombstones and marriage dates are the third most commonly inscribed dates. A couple’s marriage date is often inscribed on their tombstone with a marriage symbol.

In the 19th century it was not uncommon for a husband and wife to have separate tombstones and often times they were not even buried next to each other. A common marriage inscription on old marble tombstones was two clasped hands. Although they usually signify marriage, clasped hands may have other meanings, usually depending on the cuffs.  

Clasped hands, Greenlawn Cemetery, Wapakoneta, Ohio

This tombstone simply states wife and husband:

Greenbriar Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio.

Today most couples are buried side-by-side and share a tombstone. A marriage date is often inscribed on a couple’s shared tombstone. 

Riverside Cemetery, Rockford, Ohio.

One of the most common tombstone marriage symbols is a pair of wedding rings, in a variety of styles:

Decatur Cemetery, Adams County, Indiana.

Decatur Cemetery, Adams County, Indiana.

Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery, Adams County, Indiana.

Riverside Cemetery, Rockford, Ohio.

The wedding cross, a cross with intertwined wedding bands:

Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery, Adams County, Indiana.

Riverside Cemetery, Rockford, Ohio.

Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Ohio.

Another version of the wedding cross, with the Greek letter rho, similar to the Chi-Rho cross:

Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Ohio.

Here are a few other nice tombstone marriage inscriptions:

Willshire Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio.

Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Ohio.

Willshire Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio.

Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Ohio.

I really like the following verse:

Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Ohio.

 

Sep 08

Schumm Pike

Last week, while researching the 1913 postcard showing the Philip Schumm home, I noticed that according to the 1910 census, the Philip Schumm family lived on Schumm Pike in Black Creek Township, Mercer County, Ohio.

Philip Schumm farm, Rockford, Ohio, 1913 picture postcard.

Schumm Pike. Interesting. And how appropriate! A Schumm living on Schumm Pike.

Plus, it is another clue to where the 1913 postcard house was located.

Just where was Schumm Pike? Fred and J.F. Schumm owned a fair amount of property just west of Rockford, in the Labadie and Charley Reserves. What is now U.S. Route 33 ran through their property. It appears that Schumm Pike was that section of the current Route 33 going west out of Rockford, between routes 33/118/Main Street and the Van Wert County Line. Maybe even going into Van Wert County.

Several years ago, at the Shanes Crossing Historical Society, Mike Schumm mentioned that a Rockford-area road was once called Schumm Pike, and I had forgotten about that until I saw the name Schumm Pike on the 1910 census page last week.

Schumm Pike, Philip Schumm, 1910 U.S. Census, Black Creek Twp, Mercer County, Ohio.

The first column on the 1910 census is for the name of the street the family/person lived on. Black Creek Township’s census taker went the extra mile and listed the roads people lived on. Unfortunately, Dublin Township’s 1910 census taker did not list the township’s roads. Therefore, Schumm Pike is not listed in Dublin Township in 1910 and we don’t know who lived along the Schumm Pike there. However, in 1910 the Rockford street names are listed and near the end of the town’s enumeration is Fort Wayne Road. That was very likely what is now Route 33, aka Schumm Pike back then.

Did Schumm Pike stop at the Mercer-Van Wert County line? We don’t know because in 1910 the rural road names are not listed in Willshire Township either.

Let’s look at the 1910 census, where there were 17 households along Schumm Pike in Black Creek Township, between the Dublin-Black Creek Township Line and the Mercer-Van Wert County line:

Mary Schumm (widow of Fred Schumm Jr), 49
Philip Schumm, 27
Estus C. Flemming, 25
Lewis Agler, 22
Chancy Gephart, 36
Maynard Gephart, 33
Homer E. Bury, 23
Robert Watson, 62
Marcus Tice, 42
Ferdinand Dreyer, 57
Zachariah H. Hartzog, 59
William W. Hufford, 35
Joseph Mottinger, 50
Henry C. Buechner, 42
Albert Jefferies, 54
Thomas J. Friedly, 41
Elijah H. Alspaugh, 32

Two other sources, the 1900 Black Creek plat map and the 1910 Black Creek Decennial Appraisement maps show there were about 14 houses along what is now Route 33 between Township Line and the County Line.

Another interesting document from the Shanes Crossing Historical Society, an undated land survey by A.J. Dellinger of 37 acres of land located on the north end of Rockford. Schumm Road is labeled on the map and is used as a reference point for the survey:

Schumm Pike, undated survey by AJ Dellinger

It reads: Said tract of land out of North East Corner of Lands now owned by J.F. Schumm in Charles Reservation Town four (4) South of Range one (1) East Lot four (4) in Mercer County Ohio…to center of said Schumm Pike thence along center of said Schumm Pike about 60 degrees…to south bank of St. Marys River thence south…

Schumm Pike, undated survey by AJ Dellinger

Schumm Pike was also mentioned a couple times in The Celina Democrat:

Claims Allowed…C.J. Schumm, Supt. Schumm Pike, $14.81… [1]

PIKE DIRECTORS
COMMISSIONERS
A petition was filed with the board last Friday by J.F. Karns, et al, praying for the improvement of a pike along the following route: Beginning at the junction of the Addy pikes 1 and 2; thence north along the township line between Dublin and Black Creek townships, until it intersects the Schumm pike, a distance of about a mile and a quarter…

Addy Pike(s), another road name from the past. I wonder if one section of Addy Pike was what is now Rockford West Road. Perhaps someone has heard of Addy Pike and knows where it was.

It is interesting to look at the 1910 census of Black Creek Township and see the local roads that were named after a family who probably lived on that road. Road names include Eichler Pike, Leininger Pike, Baker Pike, Brandt Pike, Winkler Road, Addy Pike, Schumm Pike, Dudgeon Road, Cross Road, Hoblet Road, Evans Road, Dellinger Road, Rutledge Pike, Robinson Road, Huffmann Road, Harb Pike, Bartlet Road, and Stover Road. Brandt Pike seemed to be quite long and I suspect it ran from the Van Wert-Mercer County Line to Chatt. Some of those road names are still used today, such as Winkler Road.

Many of the family-related road names were changed over the years. Roads such as Schumm Pike and Brandt Pike were renamed as State or U.S. highways. No road names were listed in the 1920 census but in 1930, what is now U.S. Route 33 west of Rockford was named State Road 54, at least in Black Creek Township and maybe even a longer section of the road. By 1940 the road was renamed as U.S. 33. Column one of the 1940 census specifically lists the road as Route U.S. 33, Formerly Route U.S. 54.

Sometime between 1915 and 1930 that section of highway was no longer called Schumm Pike.

[1] The Celina Democrat, Celina, Ohio, 24 Jun 1910; Newspaperarchive.com, viewed 4 Sep 2023.

[2] The Celina Democrat, Celina, Ohio, 4 Feb 1915; Newspaperarchive.com, viewed 4 Sep 2023.