Sep 20

Tombstone Tuesday-John A. & Louisa C. (Lillich) Buechner

John A & Louisa C (Lillich) Buechner, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of John A. Buechner and Louisa C. (Lillich) Buechner, located in row 11 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

BUECHNER
Louisa C.
1872-1963

John A.
1865-1933

Johannes “John“ Peter Buechner was born in Willshire Township on 20 August 1865, the son of John and Margaret (Scior/Zior) Buechner. John Buechner was baptized 27 August 1865 with Peter Germann and Adam Dietrich serving as his sponsors. John was christened as Johannes Peter but he may have had a second middle name, Adam. His tombstone and some other records indicate that his middle initial was A.

The John Buechner family in 1870: Catharine Lillich, 80; John Buechner, 42; Margaret Buechner, 40; William Buechner, 11; Mary Buechner, 9; John Buechner, 5; and Henry Buechner, 2. John Buechner’s father John was a farmer. [1]

The John Buechner family in 1880: John Buechner, 51; Margaret Buechner, 51; William A Buechner, 21; Mary C Buechner, 19; John P Buechner, 14; and Henry C Buechner, 12. [2]

John Buechner’s father John died 7 January 1896.

John Buechner married Louisa Lillich on 19 April 1900 at the Zion Lutheran parsonage, Schumm.

“Louisa” Charlotte Lillich was born 6 February 1872 in Van Wert County, the daughter of Fredrick Samuel (1829-1890) and Sarah (Shell) (1836-1911) Lillich.

Louisa was enumerated with her family in 1880: Frederick Lillich, 51, head; Sarah, 43, wife; Rebecca, 21, daughter; Rose Elizabeth, 17, daughter; Frederick S, 15, son; Sarah U, 13, daughter; William H, 10, son; Charlotte L, 8, daughter; John A, 6, son; George F, 3, son; Emma Isadore, 11 mo, daughter; John R Ellinger, 19, nephew. [3]

John Buechner and Louisa Lillich were married in April 1900 the newlyweds were enumerated in the 1900 census in June: John Buechner, 34, farmer, and Louisa, 28, wife. [4]

John’s mother Margaret (Scior) Buechner died 20 April 1907.

By 1910 John and Louisa Buechner had two children, Lillian, 7, and Leo, 2. [5]

Their household in 1920: John A P Buechner, 54; Charlotte L Buechner, 47, wife; Lillian M, 17, daughter; Leo B Buechner, 11, son; John F Buechner, 5, son; William H Lillich, 50, brother-in-law. [6]

The John Buechner family in 1930: John 64; Louisa, 57; Leo, 22; and John, 16. [7]

John Buechner died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Van Wert County on 27 April 1963, at the age of 67 years, 6 months, and 7 days. He was buried on 1 March. [8]

By 1935 widow Louisa Buechner had moved into the village of Willshire. In 1940 widow Louisa Buechner lived with her son Leo Buechner and his family in Willshire: Leo, 32, head; Louise, 31, wife; Louisa, 68, mother; John Buechner, 26, brother. [9]

Widow Louisa Buechner, age 78, lived by herself in Willshire in 1950. [10]

Louisa (Lillich) Buechner died from complications of a stroke in the Van Wert County Hospital on 17 April 1963, at the age of 91. She was buried on 19 April. Her usual residence was Willshire. [11]

Louisa C. Buechner
Willshire-Mrs. Louisa Charlotte Buechner, 91, died at 6:35 a.m. Wednesday in Van Wert County Hospital where she had been a patient six days.

Born Feb. 6, 1872, in Willshire Township, she was a daughter of Frederic and Sarah (Shell) Lillich. Her husband, John, died in 1937 [sic].

Surviving are a daughter and two sons, Leo Buchner [sic] of 3270 Ottawa Rd, Lima; and John of Sacramento, Calif; a daughter, Mrs. Lillian Schinnerer of Fort Wayne; three grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

Mrs. Buchner [sic] was a member of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, a charter member of the Ladies Aid and the Women’s Missionary League.

Services will be Friday at 2 p.m. in the church. Rev. Elmer Braun will officiate and burial will be in the church cemetery.

Friends may call at Cowan and Sons Funeral Home, Van Wert, until noon Friday when the body will e taken to the church. [12]

John and Louisa (Lillich) Buechner had the following children:
Lillian Margaretha Buchner (1902-1994), married Gerhardt Johann Schinnerer
Leo Bernhard Buechner (1908-1971), married Louise M. Schumm 
Johann “John” Friedrich Buechner (1914-1973), married Marcile Margery Schumm

Interesting to note is that Louisa (Lillich) Buechner’s sister Rosa Lillich married John Buechner’s brother Henry Buechner.

[1] 1870 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, p.445B, dwelling 218, family 2019, John Buechner; digital image by subscription, Acestry.com, viewed 11 May 2020.

[2] 1880 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 154, p.444C, family 24, John Buechner; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com, viewed 11 May 2020.

[3] 1880 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 154, p.450D, family 138, Frederick Lillick [sic]; Ancestry.com, viewed 16 Aug 2022.

[4] 1900 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 97, p.9, dwelling 176, family 189, John A Buechner [sic]; Ancestry.com, viewed 12 Sep 2022.

[5] 1910 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 114, p.1A, dwelling & family 12, John Buechner; Ancestry.com, viewed 12 Sep 2022.

[6] 1920 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 146, p.3B, dwelling 64, family 65, John A P Buechner; Ancestry.com, viewed 12 Sep 2022.

[7] 1930 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 24, p.2A, dwelling 33, family 34, John Buechner; Ancestry.com, viewed 13 Sep 2022.

[8] “Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953,” Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, John Adam Buechner, 27 Feb 1933; database with images, FamilySearch.org, viewed 13 Sep 2022. 

[9] 1940 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 81-26, p.5B, house visited 119, Leo Buschner [sic]; Ancestry.com, viewed 13 Sep 2022.

[10] 1950 U.S. Census, Willshire [village], Van Wert, Ohio, Ed 81-38, serial no. 92, Louisa C Buechner; Ancestry.com, viewed 12 Sep 2022.

[11] “Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953,” Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, Louisa Charlotte Buechner, 17 Apr 1963; database with images, FamilySearch.org, viewed 13 Sep 2022. 

[12] The Lima News, Lima, Ohio, 18 Apr 1963, p.2; digital image, Ancestry.com, viewed 13 Sep 2022.

Sep 16

More Local News from 1910

I am still looking through old newspapers, specifically the Celina Democrat in 1910. This newspaper is online, is easy to view from home, and has some interesting information for our part of the county as well as all of Mercer County. Perhaps you will recognize some of the names mentioned here.

Farm Residence Goes Up in Smoke
The residence of Adam Kaylor in Blackcreek Township was totally destroyed by fire last Sunday, only a portion of the household goods being saved. The fire is supposed to have originated from a defective flue, but was not discovered until it had gained such headway that hardly anything could be saved. The loss is partially covered by insurance. (Celina Democrat, 6 May 1910)

Celina Democrat, 6 May 1910, p.1.

BLACKCREEK
Samuel Wick, an old resident of Blackcreek township, died on the 5th inst. and was buried Sunday at Duck Creek cemetery. The Berne (Ind.) band and the Willshire quartet furnished the musical part of the service, which was very impressive.

J.F. Harb had the bone removed from a finger that has caused him much trouble for some time last Saturday.

Frank Egger and Gusta Leininger were the guests of Clyde Harb Sunday. (Celina Democrat, 13 May 1910)

Celina Democrat, 13 May 1910, p.1.

THE GRIM REAPER
Mrs. Catherine Linn, aged 35 years, widow of the late George Linn, died at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Hiller, in Liberty township, last Saturday afternoon, after a lingering illness, of tuberculosis. She is survived by two children. Funeral services were held at the Lutheran church at Chattanooga last Tuesday morning. (Celina Democrat, 13 May 1910)

Linn obituary, Celina Democrat, 27 May 1910, p.1.

TOWN TOPICS
Our old friend John C. Brehm, of Liberty township, always prompt, was in with his renewal Wednesday.

John Sipe, of Blackcreek township, was in town Wednesday on his way to St. Marys to attend to some business matters. (Celina Democrat, 24 Jun 1910)

Adam Alt, of Liberty township, was in town Wednesday and took home with him some fine Holstein cattle he purchased at New Bremen. Adam surely captured some prizes. (Celina Democrat, 17 Jun 1910)

There were some interesting clubs in Celina in 1910:

There was a Thimble Club. I am not sure if this was a sewing club or if they collected thimbles.

Celina Democrat, 6 May 1910, p.1.

The B.E.S. Embroidery Club was probably a sewing club.

There was a Shakespeare Club, likely a reading/book club and not all that unusual.

And there was the Jolly Dozen Club, which included a couple I mentioned several months ago, John Eli Headington and his wife Ruth. They lived in Celina before moving to Portland, Indiana, in 1910. Their son Ken Headington’s widow Elma eventually ran Celina’s Headington House Hotel in the 1930s, until her death in 1970.

The following article is not from Blackcreek or Liberty Townships, but from Celina and is rather interesting:

Celina Democrat, 13 May 1910, p.1.

ISAAC WILLING TO TRY IT AGAIN
Hoping This Time, No Doubt, to Have a Less Strenous Wife for Partner
Isaac J. Gallihugh and Anna M. Gallihugh divorced Saturday morning at 10 o’clock. Isaac J. Gallihugh and Mrs. Luesia Kennard married Saturday afternoon at 2 o’clock.

Such is part of the unwritten diary of last Saturday’s adventures of Ike Gallihugh, a part time resident of the County Infirmary. Despite the fact that Ike found it necessary as well as difficult to hobble into court on a pair of crutches last Saturday morning to secure a decree of divorce from his wife Anna, whom he told Judge Layton had thrown various kitchen utensils at him, beat him over the head at various times and lastly broken his leg when she threw a stick of stove wood at him, he couldn’t be without a wife and about four hours after he had been untied by the Judge he was again tied to a life partner by Justice Raudabaugh. Gallihugh is 47 and his new bride is 25. (Celina Democrat, 13 May 1910)

Note: Isaac and Luesia both had been married before. Isaac Jackson Gallihugh (1863-1942) married Anna Abigail (Lyman) in 1886 and Luesia/Louise (Kittle) (1885-1933) married Charles Kennard in 1903.

Sep 13

Tombstone Tuesday-Daughters of Rebekah Symbol

The Daughters of Rebekah, a branch of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was established in 1851. Their name is derived from Rebekah in the Bible and they are sometimes called the Rebekahs. Their society is an international service organization.

Daughters of Rebekah symbol, Woodlawn Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio.

Initially, membership was open to only women but they now allow male members. Women do not have to be related to an Odd Fellow to be a Rebekah member as long as they meet the moral, ethical, and age requirement of 16-18 years and older for admission.   

Members are to live peaceably, do good to all, and to obey the Golden Rule.

Daughters of Rebekah symbol on flag holder, Greenlawn Cemetery, Wapakoneta, Ohio.

The items on their symbol include a moon, seven stars, a dove, and a lily. They represent the following:

The moon and seven stars represent the never-failing order which pervades God’s universe and all of nature and the value of regularity and precision in all worthy undertakings.

The dove symbolizes peace. Rebekahs are to promote peace on earth and good will to men and strive to bring happiness to others.

The lily symbolizes purity and represents the purity of character, thought, word, and action.

Sep 09

Mystery Solved! 1910 Liberty Township Boxwell Commencement

Sometimes it takes a while to solve a mystery. Sometimes it takes 9 years.

Such is the case concerning a Liberty Township photo sent to me 9 years ago.  

On 22 November 2013 I wrote a blog, A Chatt-Area Graduation? , about a photo of a group of young Liberty Township individuals. They were from all over Liberty Township, not just from the Chatt area. It appears the photo was taken at a graduation of some sort. The young adults were dressed in their Sunday best and all held rolled papers that look like certificates. The names of the young adults are written on the bottom of the photo and by calculating from their birth dates, the photo was taken about 1910.  

Chattanooga Graduation photo, c1910.

Those in the photo: Mina Baumgartner, Flossie Stoll, Carl Berron, Alvina Keck, James Gibbons, Rosa Betzel, Isa Martz, Dolan Loree, Rosa Turckes, Herald Roettger, Irma Wilson, Chester Kincaid, Eda Kable, Ed Bauer, and Hugo Fahncke.

Donna from Indiana sent me the photo nearly a decade ago. Her mother Mina Baumgartner is standing in the photo and Donna wondered if it was her mother’s eighth grade graduation picture, possibly taken at Wildcat School in 1910. Mina Baumgartner (1897-1983) married William Andress (1889-1972) in 1915. Both of their families lived in or near Chatt years ago. But the photo would not have been taken at Wildcat School because Wildcat was in Blackcreek Township and those in the photo were from all over Liberty Township.   

Nine years ago we did not know what the event was or when or where it occurred. The photo has remained a mystery until this past week.

As I was reading through old issues of the Celina Democrat, on-line at the Library of Congress website, I believe I have found the answer to the photo mystery.

The following article is from the 3 June 1910 issue of the Celina Democrat:

Liberty Township Commencement
The annual Liberty township Boxwell commencement will be held at the German Reform Church on Tuesday evening, June 7, beginning at 8 o’clock. Prof. Wilkin will deliver the address, and the Liberty Union band will furnish the music. Joseph Hinton is the teacher in charge. The public is cordially invited to attend.  

Liberty Township Boxwell Commencement, 3 Jun 1910, Celina Democrat.

Just what was the Boxwell commencement mentioned in the above article?

After further research I learned it was the graduation ceremony for those who passed the Boxwell Proficiency Exam. The Boxwell Proficiency Exam was a test for 8th grade students who were going on to high school, to indicate that a student was competent to enter high school. It was similar to today’s proficiency tests and a student had to pass the Boxwell Exams to get into high school. The Boxwell Exams were considered to be fairly difficult and I read that some who passed it were hired to teach at one-room schools.  

So this commencement was a big deal and an important event.

Prior to 1902 the county examiners prepared the questions used to examine 8th grade pupils from the rural and village schools, to make sure they were ready to enter high school. The act of 28 March 1902 required that the State Commissioner of Common Schools prepare the questions for the two examinations, send the questions to the clerk of each county board, who would then prepare the questions and send them to the examiners. The examiners used the questions to test the students in two sessions, held in April and May.   

I found a book on-line that contains the Boxwell Exam questions from 1902-1913. The questions covered the subjects of United States History & Civil Government, Arithmetic, Geography, Grammar, Physiology, Orthography, Writing, and Reading. All subjects were covered in both examinations, although it appears that students did not have to answer every question. They could choose to answer a certain number of questions from each major category. E.g. answer 5 or the 8 questions.

Some questions from the 16 April 1910 exam. See how well you would do.

U.S. History & Civil Government category:
1. Describe the early settlement of Ohio.
2. Who were the inhabitants of Ohio before the whites? Write about their manner of living.
3. Who is our Governor? What are his duties? What are the duties of any of our county officials?
4. Name the important wars in America before the Revolution. Give causes and results of one of them. What were the terms of the treaty that closed this war?  
5. What is the Declaration of Independence? What is the Constitution? When was each adopted? Where? By whom?
6. Give an event in the life of each of the following men: W. T. Sherman, James Russell Lowell, Rutherford B. Hayes, Capt. John Smith, Jacques Marquette, Robert Fulton, Marquis De Lafayette, and Admiral George Dewey.
7. Define history, rebellion, war, statesman, civil government, congress, treasurer.
8. Outline the administration of any president since the Civil war. What were the chief events of his term of office?

Arithmetic:
1. What is a fraction? A note? Interest? A decimal fraction? A circle?
2. Smith and Oaks load 37 cars with 1,056,600 lb. of soap; allowing 64 lbs. to the box, how many boxes did it take?
3. If 4/5 of a number is 20,256, what is the whole number?
4. Find the L. D. M. of 2, 6, 8, 12, 18, 40, 63, and 128.
5. How many square feet of zinc will be needed to line the five sides of an open cubical tank containing 1728 cubic feet?
6. Find the interest on a note of $675 given July 1, 1906, drawing 6% interest and due the day you are taking this examination.
7. Add 2358, 3165, 16395, 406, 2749, 428690, 3174, 4528, 53185, 4749 and divide the sum by 128.

Orthography:
1. What is a vowel? A syllable? Pronunciation?
2. Show the different sounds of C and G in words properly marked.
3. Define silent letter, consonant, accent, polysyllable, and primitive word.
4. Mark these words with the proper diacritical markings: Nasal, cartilage, Brazil, merciful, Tecumseh, watch, humid, Cuyahoga, valise, verify…

Writing:
Write a stanza of poetry not to exceed four lines in length as a sample of your penmanship.

Reading:
Examiners will conduct the examination on this subject orally. [1]

Enough of that. You get the idea and I don’t like thinking that hard anymore.

I really disliked math story problems. And is Arithmetic question no. 2 a trick question? Do they want just the number of boxes of soap? So the 37 cars were added to trick you? I was always on the lookout for trick questions. The answer is, a whole lot of boxes of soap. The Arithmetic questions would be so much easier today because we have calculators. I can’t imagine adding all those numbers by hand anymore. Although we used to.

The news article answers a couple other questions about the mystery photo. The Liberty Township Boxwell Commencement was held on 7 June 1910 at the German Reform Church. It was probably held at one of their two churches, which were located just a couple miles apart. Their North Church, a frame structure built in 1880, was about a half mile east of Chatt on Tama Road. I remember it as the Grange Hall or the Parish Hall. The old North Church was torn down several years ago. They also had a South Church, on the corner of Oregon and Wabash Roads, and they alternated services between the two churches. In 1928 the South Church became the main place of worship and the North Church became the Parish Hall. The South Church became St. Paul UCC and is now St. Paul Country Church. I guess the commencement could have been held at either church.

Another mystery solved!

I love it when the pieces all come together to solve a mystery, even if it takes nearly a decade. I was just lucky that I remembered the photo in question when I read the news article.

[1] Eighth Grade Examinations: Boxwell-Patterson Examinations, Columbus, Ohio, Published by The Ohio Teacher, 1922; The Ohio Collection, Ohio State University Library, Archive.org.

Sep 06

Tombstone Tuesday-Odd Fellows Symbol

The symbol of the fraternal society known as the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, aka Odd Fellows, is three links of a chain. The society is sometimes known as the Triple Link Fraternity.

Odd Fellows symbol, Union Cemetery, Darke County, Ohio.

The three links may contain the letters FLT, which stand for Friendship, Love, and Truth.

Odd Fellows Symbol, Woodlawn Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio.

Odd Fellows symbol, Tomlinson Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio.

The Odd Fellows has been called the “poor man’s Freemasons” and was (and may still be) the second largest fraternal organization, second to the Freemasons.

Odd Fellows & GAR symbols, Union Cemetery, Dark County, Ohio

The Odd Fellows was established in England in the 1700s as a working-class social and benevolent association to help widows and orphans. The Odd Fellows was established in the United States in Baltimore in 1819 and separated from the English Order in 1843, when they took the name Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The society had over 3 million members in 1915 but membership declined during the Great Depression. They reportedly had nearly 500,000 members in 2000.

Odd Fellows & Masonic symbols, Green Park Cemetery, Portland, Jay County, Indiana.

Odd Fellows & Masonic symbols, Green Lawn Cemetery, Wapakoneta, Ohio.

Death care, including funerals, is one of their major member benefits. Lodges usually purchase plots in an existing cemetery or establish a cemetery of their own where plots are sold to members at a modest fee.

Their female auxiliary, the Daughters of Rebekah, was established in 1851.