Dec 06

Tombstone Tuesday-George F. Allmandinger

George F. Allmandinger, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of George Frederick Allmandinger, located in row 2 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

George F.
ALLMANDINGER
1895-1961

George Frederick Allmandinger was born in Mercer County, Ohio, 10 November 1895, the son of Frederick (1869-1953) and Anna Katharine (Kallenberger) (1875-1944) Allmandinger. George F. was baptized by P.S. Hunzicker at Zion Lutheran Church, Chattanooga, Ohio, on 28 November 1895. His parents served as his baptismal sponsors.  

The Frederick Allmandinger household in 1900: Fred, 30; Anna, 24; George F, 4; and Paulena, 1. Frederick farmed. [1] They resided in the same place in 1910 and had three additional children by that time, Rudolf B, 7; Carl M, 4; and Elizabeth, 2. [2]

In 1911 the Frederick Allmandinger family moved to Liberty Township, Van Wert County. The family in 1920: Fred, 56; Anna, 46; George, 24; Paulena, 21; Rudolf, 16; Carl, 14; Elizabeth, 12; and Matilda, 9. [3]

In 1930 George F. Allmandinger, 34, and his sister Matilda, 29, lived at home with their parents Frederick and Anna. [4] By 1940 George, 44, was the only child living at home with his parents Frederick, 70, and Anna, 65. [5]  

George’s mother Anna (Kallenberger) Allmandinger died 2 October 1944.

In 1950 George F. (54) resided with his sister Paulena (51) and her husband Herbert Merkle (50) in Pleasant Township, Van Wert County. George F. was unable to work because of a long-term disability. [6]

George’s father Frederick Allmandinger died 6 December 1953.

George Frederick Allmandinger died in Van Wert County 31 May 1961. He was buried next to his parents on 2 June.

George Allmandinger
Van Wert- George F. Allmandinger, 65, Liberty Township resident until a few months ago, died unexpectedly at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday in the home of his sister, Mrs. Herbert Merkle, in Pleasant Township. He had been ill much of his life.

He was born Nov. 10, 1895, in Black Creek Township in Mercer County to Frederick and Anna (Kallenberger) Allmandinger. He was never married.

He is survived by two brothers, Rudolf of Willshire Township and Karl of Celina Rt. 1; and three sisters, rs. Pauline Merkle, Mrs. Harold (Elizabeth) Giessler of Willshire Township ad Mrs. Herman (Matilda) Schaekel of ear Decatur.

Funeral services will be held at 1:15 p.m. Friday in the Zwick Funeral Home in Decatur and then at 2 p.m. in the Zion Lutheran Church in Schumm, of which he was a member. The Rev. Edward Zacharias will conduct the services. Burial will be in the church cemetery.

Friends may call in the funeral home. [7]

George had the following siblings:
Paulena Katharine (1898-1988), married Herbert D Merkle
Rudolf Benjamin (1903-1993), married Lula Anna Scare
Karl Michael (1905-1984), married Chloa Estella Smith
Elizabeth M (1907-1972), married Harold Alfred Giessler
Matilda Rebecca (1910-2009), married Herman William Schaekel

[1] 1900 U.S. Census, Black Creek, Mercer, Ohio, ED 74, p.8, dwelling & family 165, Fred Alma [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[2] 1910 U.S. Census, Black Creek, Mercer, Ohio, ED 107, p.5A, dwelling & family 99, Fredrick Allmandinger; Ancestry.com.

[3] 1920 U.S. Census, Liberty, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 127, p.2A, dwelling 5, family 6, Fred Allmandurgh [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[4] 1930 U.S. Census, Liberty, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 7, p.2B, dwelling & family 48, Fred Allmandinger; Ancestry.com.

[5] 1940 U.S. Census, Liberty, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 81-7, p.2B, household 37, Fred Almandinger [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[6] 1950 U.S. Census, Pleasant, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 81-25, sheet 776 [stamped], Herbert Merkle; Ancestry.com.

[7] George F. Allmandinger obituary, The Lima News, Lima, Ohio, 1 June 1961, p.2; Ancestry.com.

Dec 02

1907: Traction Line Planned for Chatt

Chattanooga, Ohio, was founded a little before 1840. It was and still is a very small town. Some might call it a hamlet. It hasn’t grown much over the years.

A state highway runs through it and there are no side streets. It is a one-road town, bounded by two roads, Strable Road and Tama Road.

At one time there were a number of businesses in the town, including a bank, a couple grocery stores, a saloon, a post office, sawmill, garage, a hardware and implement store, and several other businesses over the years. Today there is a restaurant and two churches. The town saw a little boom in the late 1890s and early 1900s when there was oil drilling in the area.

1912 picture postcard of Chattanooga, Ohio.

I have heard that a railroad was expected to go through Chatt years ago. The 1978 History of Mercer County states that a train from Bluffton, Indiana, to Celina was planned to go through Chatt, but that the train got only as far as Geneva. Whether this was to have been a steam train or an interurban electric train, I do not know. That was the only Chatt train story I had heard until recently, when I read this 1907 newspaper article about yet another train bound for Chatt, a traction/electric train:

THE SURVEYORS ARE AT WORK
And the Springfield & Ft. Wayne Traction Line Will be Extended Without Delay

With a view of extending the line from Decatur, Ind., to Celina, via Pleasant Mills, Willshire and Chattanooga, the Springfield & Ft. Wayne Railroad Co. has a surveying party now going over the route. It is estimated that the cost of the extension will be $600,000, of which about $400,000 has been guaranteed. This means that the towns of Rockford, Mercer, Mendon, Neptune and St. Marys will not be touched by the line, although a route including the latter towns would be more feasible and better paying one than the one the Company contemplates adopting.

However, if the people along the route including these towns would raise the required amount of money there is no doubt that this route would be adopted. The company does not ask the money as a donation but will issue stock in the road for the amount subscribed. The portion of the road now in operation is doing fine only 25 per cent of the receipts being required to operate it. This shows that it is under conservative management, and for the towns of Rockford, Mercer, Mendon, Neptune and St. Marys to lose sight of this opportunity of getting an electric road means that the probability of being compelled to ride from one town to another in the “old spring wagon” for years to come is very favorable.

Obviously, that railroad, an interurban line, was never built in Chatt. Going from Willshire to Celina via Chatt is not the most direct route, although it would have been a nice means of transportation for the Chatt locals. I don’t think this interurban ever made it to Willshire or any of the other towns mentioned.   

The Fort Wayne & Springfield Railway Company was incorporated in 1903. Grading was completed from Fort Wayne to Decatur in 1905 and the first car ran in December 1906. Regular service between Fort Wayne and Decatur started 1 February 1907. The rails ended at five points in Decatur. After some major flood-damage in 1913-1915, the line was sold and became the Fort Wayne-Decatur Traction Company.

The Interurban was a type of electric railway with streetcar-like electric rail cars, used primarily for passenger travel between cities and their surrounding rural communities. The cars also ran within the cities and towns. They were prevalent in North America between 1900 and 1925, before most people owned automobiles.

In the early 1900s most roads and many town streets were unpaved. Transportation and hauling was done by horse-drawn carriages and carts, which was often inadequate in rural areas. Steam railroads made limited stops, mostly in towns. The interurban provided reliable transportation between town and rural areas and offered the possibility of increased business. Interurban railways were popular in Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Iowa, Utah, and California. Although they started mainly as passenger carriers, many survived as freight railways after passenger their service ceased.

An interesting little story in Chatt’s history.

Sources:

“The Surveyors Are at Work,” Sidney Daily News, Sidney, Ohio, 29 May 1907, p.6; Newspapers.com.

Fort Wayne & Springfield Railway Station, Decatur, IN, published by lumbricus, 2011; Waymarking.com, viewed 30 Nov 2022.

Nov 29

Tombstone Tuesday-Frederick & Anna K. (Kallenberger) Allmandinger

Frederick & Anna K (Kallenberger) Allmandinger, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio (2012 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Frederick Allmandinger, located in row 2 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

ALLMANDINGER
Father
Frederick
1869-1953

Mother
Anna K.
1875-1944

Frederick Allmandinger was born in Butler County, Ohio, on 12 Sep 1869, the son of John Lewis (1829-1988) and Rosina (Schneider/Snyder) (1833-1915) Allmandinger.

The Lewis Allmandinger family in 1870, residing in Wayne, Butler County, where they had a Jacksonburg post office address: Lewis, 40; Rosina, 36; Lewis, 12; Michael, 11; John, 8; Jacob, 6; William, 3; Frederick, 8 months. The father Lewis was a farmer. [1]

By 1880 the Lewis Allmandinger family had moved to Black Creek Township, Mercer County. Their family in 1880: Lewis, 51; Rosina, 46; Lewis, 23; Michael, 22; John, 17; Jacob, 15; William, 12; Frederick, 10; Mary, 8; and Lena, 6. [2] The Allmandingers attended Zion Lutheran Church in Chattanooga, Ohio, also where his future wife attended church.

Friedrich Allmandinger married Anna Katharine Kallenberger on 8 January 1895 at the Kallenberger residence. William Allmandinger and Elisabeth Margarethe Kallenberger were witnesses to the marriage.

The bride Anna Katharina Kallenberger was born in Mercer County, Ohio, on 14 November 1875, the daughter of Andreas (1830-1914) and Elisabeth (Burkhart) (1841-1935) Kallenberger. Anna was baptized 4 May 1876, with her parents and Christ Heintz serving as her sponsors. Her father Andreas was born in Germany.

The Andrew Kallenberger family in 1880: Andrew, 50; Elizabeth B, 39; Christena, 14; Andrew M, 9; Margaret E, 5; and Anna C [K], 4. The father Andrew was a farmer. [3]

Five years after their 1895 marriage, Frederick and Anna (Kallenberger) Allmandinger resided in Black Creek Township with their two children, living very close or next to Anna’s parents. The Frederick Allmandinger household in 1900: Fred, 30; Anna, 24; George F, 4; and Paulena, 1. Frederick farmed. [4] They resided in the same place in 1910 and had three additional children by that time, Rudolf B, 7; Carl M, 4; and Elizabeth, 2. [5]

The Frederick Allmandinger family moved to Liberty Township, Van Wert County, in 1911 and another daughter, Matilda, was born about that same time. The family in 1920: Fred, 56; Anna, 46; George, 24; Paulena, 21; Rudolf, 16; Carl, 14; Elizabeth, 12; and Matilda, 9. [6]

By 1930 only two children were living at home with Frederick and Anna, George, 34, and Matilda, 29. [7] Only son George, 44, lived at home with Frederick, 70, and Anna, 65, in 1940. [8]  

Wife Anna (Kallenberger) Allmandinger died in Van Wert County of cancer on 2 October 1944. She was 68 years old and was buried on the 5th. [9]

In 1950 widower Frederick Allmandinger, 80, lived with daughter Elizabeth and her husband Harold Geissler and their 2 children, Donald N, 20, and Lela Ann, 4. [10]

Frederick Allmandinger died of pancreatic cancer at the Adams County Hospital, Decatur, on 6 December 1953. He was 84 years old and had been ill for less than a year. He was buried on the 9th. [11]

Frederick’s obituary:

Frederick Allmandinger
Willshire-Services will be at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday for Frederick Allmandinger, retired Willshire Township farmer, who died Sunday in Adams County Memorial Hospital, Decatur, Ind.

Services will be in the Zion Lutheran Church, at Schumm, with the Rev. Werner Kuhlberg officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery.

Mr. Allmandinger was born Sept. 12, 1869, near Hamilton and had lived in the Willshire community since 1911.

Surviving are three daughters and three sons: Karl of Celina, Ridolph [sic], of Willshire, George Allmandinger and Mrs. Harold Giessler, of Ohio City, Mrs. Herbert Merkle, Van Wert, and Mrs. Herman Schaekel, Decatur. [12]

Frederick and Anna (Kallenberger) Allmandinger had the following children:
George Frederick (1895-1961)
Paulena Katharine (1898-1988), married Herbert D Merkle
Rudolf Benjamin (1903-1993), married Lula Anna Scare
Karl Michael (1905-1984), married Chloa Estella Smith
Elizabeth M (1907-1972), married Harold Alfred Giessler
Matilda Rebecca (1910-2009), married Herman William Schaekel

[1] 1870 U.S. Census, Wayne, Butler, Ohio, p.491B, dwelling 78, family 75, Lewis Allmandinger; Ancestry.com.

[2] 1880 U.S. Census, Black Creek, Mercer, Ohio, ED 179, p.323A, line 38, Lewis Allmanding [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[3] 1880 U.S. Census, Black Creek, Mercer, Ohio, ED 179, p.327, line 24, Andrew Kallenberger; Ancestry.com.

[4] 1900 U.S. Census, Black Creek, Mercer, Ohio, ED 74, p.8, dwelling & family 165, Fred Alma [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[5] 1910 U.S. Census, Black Creek, Mercer, Ohio, ED 107, p.5A, dwelling & family 99, Fredrick Allmandinger; Ancestry.com.

[6] 1920 U.S. Census, Liberty, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 127, p.2A, dwelling 5, family 6, Fred Allmandurgh [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[7] 1930 U.S. Census, Liberty, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 7, p.2B, dwelling & family 48, Fred Allmandinger; Ancestry.com.

[8] 1940 U.S. Census, Liberty, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 81-7, p.2B, household 37, Fred Almandinger [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[9] “Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001,” Liberty Township, Van Wert, Anna Katherine Allmandinger, 2 Oct 1944; FamilySearch.org.

[10] 1950 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 81-40, sheet 3, dwelling 37, Frederick Allmandinger; Ancestry.com.

[11] Indiana Archives & Records Administration, Death Certificates, 1953, Roll 12, Frederick Allmandinger, 6 Dec 1953; Ancestry.com.

[12] The Lima News, Lima, Ohio, 8 Dec 1953, p.2, Frederick Allmandinger obituary; Ancestry.com.

 

Nov 24

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! Wishing you all a blessed Thanksgiving Day.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. Psalm 118:1.

Nov 22

Tombstone Tuesday-Hands

Hands are depicted in many ways on tombstones.

Praying:

Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Ohio

Willshire Cemetery

Pointing upward:

Greenbriar Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio

Union Cemetery, Darke County, Ohio

Pointing downward:

Hand pointing downward, holding flowers

Riverside Cemetery, Rockford

 Clasped hands:

Elm Grove Cemetery, St. Marys, Ohio

Hands crossed:

St. Joseph Cemetery, Wapakoneta

Hands are often shown holding things.

Holding a Bible:

Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm

Holding a cross:

St. Augustine Cemetery, Minster, Ohio

Holding flowers:

Woodland Cemetery, Van Wert

Holding shears:

Woodlawn Cemetery, Ohio City, Ohio

Holding a rope:

Woodlawn Cemetery, Ohio City

This hand probably symbolizes something, but what, I do not know. Maybe someone has an idea.

Riverside Cemetery, Rockford