Oct 15

A Virtual Walk through Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chatt

A virtual cemetery walk. The next best thing to being there. No worries about uneven ground, walking distances, inclement weather, or getting tired.

I did the walking so you don’t have to.

Today, a virtual walk through Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Ohio.

Land was purchased for Zion’s cemetery in 1866 from Michael Burger. Zion Lutheran Church was established in 1855 and members first met in homes until a frame church was built in 1860.

The old iron fence & gate, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio

Zion Lutheran Cemetery today (2013 photo by Karen)

Let’s take a virtual walk through Zion Lutheran cemetery and learn the stories behind some of the people interred there.

Agatha (Kirn) Heintz, Zion Chatt

Zion’s oldest known tombstone in the cemetery is that of Agatha (Kirn) Heintz (1843-1868), row 5. Agatha died of erysipelas on 2 February 1868, at the age of 24 years. She was the wife of Zion Chatt’s first full-time minister, Rev. George Heinz. She was a German immigrant and left behind her husband and two young sons, aged 1½ years and 5 months. Her widowed husband later married Maria Elisabeth Germann from Van Wert County in 1869.  

Rev. Karl Adam (1823-1889)

Rev. Karl Christian Konrad Adam Jr, (1823-1889), row 6, was Zion Chatt’s sixth minister. He was born in Swabia, graduated from Capital University, and was ordained to preach in 1850. Rev. Adam ministered at several parishes before serving at Zion Chatt from 1883-1889, where he died at age 66. He was married to Wilhelmine Philippine Rieger.

Eliza (Bobo)  Edgington (2015 photo by Karen)

Eliza (Bobo) Edgington (c1848-c1877), row 1, was the wife of Dr. Benjamin Franklin Edgington (1849-1930), a Chatt physician from about 1876-79. Dr. Edgerton, his wife Eliza, and their two young daughters Carrie Wren and Nettie D. lived in Chatt when Eliza took ill and died at age 30.

Carrie W. Friedell (2011 photo by Karen)

Carrie Wren (Edgington) Eichorn Friedell (1873-1965), row 1, daughter of Dr. Benjamin Edgington and wife Eliza (Bobo), is buried next to her mother Eliza.

John F. Bahn Jr, adopted son of Henry Trisel (2011 photo by Karen)

John F Bahn Jr (1865-1876), row 3, was the son of John F. Bahn Sr and Elizabeth Feldman, both German immigrants. John Jr. was born less than a month before his father was killed when a boiler exploded on the steamer Sultana in April 1865. John Sr had been released from Cahaba Confederate prison and was returning home on the overcrowded steamer. He perished with over 1200 other men. John Sr’s widow Elizabeth married Henry Trisel in Cincinnati in 1865. Henry was also a German immigrant and he became the legal guardian of John Bahn Jr. The Trisel family moved to the Chatt area about 1869, where John Bahn Jr died of typhoid fever on 9 Sep 1876, aged 11 years.

John F. Merkle (2011 photo by Karen)

John F. Merkle (1870-1895), row 7, son of Joseph & Lucinda (Kantner) Merkle, was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio. John, age 25, drowned in Chicago’s Calumet River on 27 July 1895 when he was out sailing alone and his sailboat capsized.

Christian Miller (1880-1911)

Christian Miller (1880-1911), row 7, son of Jacob Miller and Margaretha Strabel/Strobel. Christian and his half-brother Jacob Miller Jr went West about 1906 to find work in the oil fields. He worked in Oregon, California, Oklahoma, and Texas and died of typhoid fever in Wichita Falls, Texas, in 1911 at age 31. 

Jacob Miller Jr (1886-1913)

Jacob Miller Jr (1886-1913), row 7, son of Jacob Miller and Christena Rueck. Jacob Jr left home with his half-brother Christian in about 1906 to work in the western oil fields. He worked in Oregon, California, Texas, and Oklahoma. In 1913 he left California and arrived in Drumright, Oklahoma, six days before he was killed by falling timber from an oil derrick following an explosion of shale gas. He was age 27.

Henry R. & Mary A. (Menche) Baker (2011 photo by Karen)

Zion’s south window, given in honor of Henry and Mary Baker. (2011 photo by Karen)

Henry & Mary (Menche) Baker, row 1. Henry (1851-1914), born in Piqua, Ohio, married Mary Menche (1856-1915) in 1874 and they lived in Black Creek Township. Zion’s south stained-glass window was given in memory of Henry and Mary Baker by their children. Henry and Mary passed away a couple years before the current church was built in 1916.

Andrew M. & Elisabeth Kallenberger

West Window, Zion Lutheran Church, Chattanooga

West Window, Zion Lutheran Church

Andrew & Elisabeth (Burkhart) Kallenberger, row 1. Andrew (1830-1914), born in Germany, married Elisabeth Burkhart (1841-1935) in 1870. She was born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. Zion’s west stained-glass window was donated in memory of Andrew and Elisabeth Kallenberger. Andrew’s first wife was Margaretha Kessler (1842-1868).

Edward J Kuehm & Harriet I (2014 photo by Karen)

Edward J. Kuehm (1892-1922), row 1, son of Jacob and Julia (Berron) Kuehm. Edward’s father died when he was seven years old and his widowed mother married William Betzel in 1901. Edward Served as a PVT in CO. A, 308th Ammunition Train, US Army, during WWI. Edward married Harriet Frey (1900-1968) in 1919 and they moved to Oklahoma, where Edward worked as a tool dresser in the oil fields. He drowned in an oil tank in Yale, Oklahoma, on 27 October 1922, when the tank deck gave away as he was walking across it. He was 29 years of age. He left behind his widow and a two-year-old daughter. A son, Edward Jr, was born a few months after Edward Sr’s death.

Albert & Ethel Heffner (2011 photo by Karen)

Albert Heffner’s military marker (2011 photo by Karen)

Albert C. Heffner (1888-1945), row 9, was born in Chatt, the son of Fredrick and Anna (Merkle) Heffner. Albert served in the 1st, 64th, 66th, and 52nd Balloon Companies during WWI and held the ranks of corporal and sergeant. He was a piano dealer/music salesman in Celina before and after the war. Albert married Ethel Olson about 1920 and they moved to Rockford, Illinois, where he was a salesman and where he died.

It matters to most of us that we are not entirely forgotten when we die, but that our names are still spoken and we are remembered.

You can contact Karen at karen@karenmillerbennett.com

 

 

Sep 10

4 April 1887-Fire Destroys Chatt Hotel

The hotel belonging to M.E. Kelley, of Chattanooga, this county, was destroyed by fire on Monday last. Loss about $1,500. Not insured. The storeroom of Gabe Worthner, on adjoining building was also burned at the same time. Loss about $1,500. This building was insured by McAfee & Snyder’s Agency for $1,500. [1]  

Chatt Hotel fire, 7 Apr 1887, Western Standard, Celina, Ohio

This would have been a major fire in the village of Chatt. There were probably not many buildings in the village back then and fires were a constant threat. Over the years fires destroyed parts of the business sections in local towns like Willshire, Rockford, and Celina. And now we see that Chatt also had a major fire.

There were not many people living in Chatt at that time. The best source of information for that time period is the 1880 census, which gives the inhabitants of Chattanooga, Ohio. It is a pretty short list, about a page and a half census pages. Chatt never grew much over the years and is properly called a village, smaller than a town and usually in a more rural community. Even the 1880 census calls Chatt a village.

Ten families. 67 people. That was the village of Chatt in 1880:

John Schlenker, dry goods merchant
Jacob Deitsch, farmer
Henry J. Cordier, physician & surgeon, a boarder in the Jacob Deitsch household
F.W. Schroer, grocery keeper
A.A. Ayres, dry goods merchant
Gabriel Wurthner, shoemaker
Joseph Markle [sic], blacksmith
C.L. Knerr, laborer
Frederick Hartsog, retired farmer
Samuel Kelly, keeping grocery
John Baker, farmer [2]

1880 Census, p.471A, Village of Chattanooga, Ohio

1880 Census, p.471B, Village of Chattanooga, Ohio

1880 Census, p.472A, Village of Chattanooga, Ohio

In the 1880 census we see Gabriel Wurthner, 33, shoemaker, who lost his storeroom in the 1887 fire. [3] Wurthner was a German immigrant with a wife and five children. His storeroom in Chatt was insured, and sometime after the fire he left Chatt and resumed his shoe-making business in Dayton. By 1900 he and his family resided in Dayton, where he was a shoemaker. [4] You can’t blame him. Business opportunities would have been much greater in a larger town. Gabriel Wurthner died in Dayton in 1908 and is buried in Woodland Cemetery there. [5] 

What about M.E. Kelly, the hotel owner? The only Kelly living in Chatt in 1880 census was Samuel Kelly, 29, a grocer. I do not know if he was related to the M.E. Kelly who lost his hotel in the 1887 fire. I wish the article had given a first name for Kelly.

This 1888 map of Chatt shows Kelly’s hotel and a shoe shop. The shoe shop may have been Wurthner’s. The news account mentions that Wurthner’s storeroom burned. Was the storeroom separate from the shoe shop? And, although this is an 1888 map, did it actually reflect Chatt in 1888, or maybe Chatt in 1887? Back then it took more time to construct and print a plat map. The information on the map was likely a year or two old by the time it was published. 

Chattanooga, Ohio, 1888.

The other names mentioned in the article were the insurers, McAfee & Snyder Insurance Agency. John P. McAfee, 29, was enumerated in Celina in 1880, occupation insurance agent. [6] McAfee was born in Zanesville in 1850 and lived in Celina for a few years, where he also worked as a bank cashier and in the hardware business. By 1900 McAfee and his family had moved to Toledo. He died at the home of his daughter in Cleveland in 1914 and is buried in Celina’s North Grove Cemetery. [7]

I do not know who McAfee’s Snyder associate was.

Little by little, piece by piece, another tiny bit of Chattanooga, Ohio, history. A thriving little community in 1880, with a hotel, dry goods store, grocery, blacksmith, shoemaker, and physician.


[1] The Western Standard, Celina, Ohio, 7 April 1887 (Thursday).

[2] 1880 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 188, p.471A, 471B, 472A, Village of Chattanooga; Ancestry.com.

[3] 1880 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 188, p.471B, dwelling 12, family 13, Gabriel Wurthner; Ancestry.com.

[4] 1900 U.S. Census, Ohio, Montgomery, Dayton, Ward 6, ED 60, p.5, dwelling 104, family 112, Gabriel Wuetner [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[5] Gabriel Wuerthner obituary, The Dayton Herald, Dayton, Ohio, 7 Jan 1908; Ancestry.com.

[6] 1880 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Celina, ED 187, p.456C, dwelling 200, family 245, J. McAfee; Ancestry.com.

[7] “The Grim Reaper,” John McAfee obituary, The Celina Democrat, Celina, Ohio, 13 Nov 1914, Ancestry.com.

You can contact Karen at karen@karenmillerbennett.com

Jul 30

Our Sensational Schumm Family

The biennial Schumm reunion is this weekend, 102 years of Schumm reunions, the 46th reunion. In commemoration of the John George Schumm family, I am sharing the talk I presented at the 2024 reunion, Our Sensational Schumm Family.

For that 2024 reunion, the 100th year anniversary of the Schumm reunion, we published an updated Schumm genealogy. During the research for that book, I came across many interesting stories and facts about Schumm family members. Much of that information came from obituaries and newspaper articles, on which I based my talk.

John George Schumm’s descendants number in the thousands and live all over the U.S., so I could only mention a few in my talk. I do not give the surnames of living family members in some cases.

2024 Schumm Reunion group photo

The Schumm history in America began in 1833, when John George Schumm and five of his children immigrated to America from Ruppertshofen, Wuerttemberg. In 1838 they settled in Van Wert County, at what would become Schumm, Ohio.

The John George Schumm family has a strong Lutheran heritage that has continued through ten generations of Schumms in America, creating generations of life-long Lutherans across America.

Marjorie L. (Gunsett) Loveless’ 2018 obituary said it very well: “Marge and her two siblings were raised with a strong Lutheran influence…”

Descendants of John George Schumm travel long distances to see and visit the Schumm settlement area and the Schumm church and cemetery. A few years ago a couple from across the country made a special trip to visit Schumm and he wore a shirt with the Luther Rose symbol on it. I was not surprised.  

Because of this Lutheran heritage, there have been over 65 ministers in the family. Most of them are descendants of John George Schumm, while a few married into the family. Most of them were Lutheran Church Missouri Synod pastors.  

Each of the five Schumm immigrant children have ministers in their family lines. Some of the family’s earliest ministers:

Grandsons of John George Schumm, first generation Schumms who were born in America:

  • Georg M. Schumm (1841-1917), son of George Martin Schumm. His son, Rev. Paul Theodore Schumm (1887-1953) was also a minister.
  • George Conrad Ferdinand Schumm (1864-1926), son of Johann Friedrich Schumm.

Great-grandsons of John George Schumm. They did not have the Schumm surname, but their mothers were Schumms:

  • Dr. John Jacob Friedrich Schinnerer (1865-1950), son of Mary Schumm & Martin Schinnerer, and a grandson of George Ludwig Schumm. Two of Rev. Dr. Schinnerer’s sons became Lutheran ministers, Rev. Carl August Schinnerer (1889-1952), and Rev. Dr. Otto Paul Schinnerer (1890-1942) (WWI veteran).
  • Francis Lankenau (1868-1939), son of Katherina Schumm and Henry J. Lankenau), and grandson of Johann Jacob Schumm. Rev. Lankenau was the editor of The Lutheran Pioneer, President of LCMS, Ohio & other states, Pastor at Napoleon, Ohio, who died just as he was about to speak at a Walther League Conference in Kansas City in 1939.
  • Johann Ludwig Roehm (1881-1975), son of Anna Rosina Schumm & John Roehm, and grandson of George Martin Schumm.

Great-great-grandsons of John George Schumm:

  • Twin brothers, Rev. Oscar Linnemeyer (1891-1984) and Rev. Otto Linnemeier (1891-1967), sons of Henry Dietrich Linnemeier and Catherine Bienz, grandsons of Magdalene Schueler and John Bienz, and great-grandsons of Maria Katherine (Schumm) Schueler.

These are just few. There were many more ministers in the family throughout the years.

I am sure that John George Schumm would be very pleased to know that his faith and values have been passed on for over 190 years.

Dedication of Zion Lutheran Church, Schumm, 1915. H.G. Schumm, Rev. Geroge M. Schumm, Louis M. Schumm, J.F. Schumm.

There have been many veterans in the John George Schumm family.

Some who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving their country:

Civil War:

  • Daniel Schumm (1840-1863), 52nd OVI, son of Johann “Jacob” & Hannah (Billman) Schumm.
  • John Schumm (1843-1864), 60th OVI, son of George Martin & Maria (Pflueger) Schumm.

WWI:

  • Karl Schumm (1894-) KIA in France, son of Rev. Ferdinand & Wilhelmina (Brockmeyer) Schumm.

WWII:

  • Edgar Schumm (1914-1944) KIA in France, son of William & Amanda (Reidenbach) Schumm.
  • PFC Victor Schueler (1924-1945) died in Italy, 10th Mountaineer Division, son of Adolph & Marie (Limbach) Schueler.

Korean War:

  • PFC Emanuel George Roehm (1931-1951), KIA in Korea, 1st Marine Division, Purple Heart + 5 other service medals, son of Emanuel George & Esther (Ohnesorge) Roehm.


During WWII, there were about 14 men from Zion Lutheran Church at Schumm who served in the military.

  • Milton Schumm (1921-2009), was reported missing in action for a week after being isolated from his group while guarding a bridge.
  • Donald W. Schumm (1922-2009), a veteran who owned D & R Hardware in Willshire, was a member of Willshire’s American Legion for 65 years, presented 52 American flags at burials, and played taps.
  • Louis Allmandinger (1925-2013) Army Paratrooper, 11the Airborne, WWII Occupation, Japan.
  • Walter Louis Schumm (1923-2012), Purple Heart recipient. He sang in barber shop quartet.

Adolph M. Scare (1932-2004), Chief Medical Aidman, wounded in action by a missile in 1953, was hospitalized and returned to service. He was the recipient of 8 service medals and the Purple Heart.

Walter A. Scare (1929-2022) [brother of above], Korean War veteran, took part in the 2015 Honor Flight, was a Meals on Wheels volunteer.

Emanuel Schumm (1892-1973) and his brother Emil Schumm (1893-1960), both served in WWI.  

Allan Michael Loveless (1940-2008) served 23 years in U.S. Air Force.

Bradley Spahr & Lt. Douglas Schueler were appointed to U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis.

Five Lankenau brothers, sons of Rev. Francis J. Lankenau & Helen Beeke, served in the military:  

  • Wilfred E Lankenau (1901-1989), Naval Captain from 1924-1954
  • Norman Herbert Lankenau (1910-1979), 1932 West Point graduate, career Army officer.
  • Alfred Henry Lankenau (1893-1958)
  • Harold George Lankenau (1899-1953)
  • Otto Lankenau (1906-1987)

 
The Schumm women also played their part in the military:

Rosina (Germann) Schaadt (1874-1955) of Lima, received a medal for Red Cross work during WWI.

Katharine Skiba (1948-2008), U.S. Army Veteran, serving from 1967-1970.

Erna Clara (Lankenau) Bemont (1912-1958), was in the Army Nurse Corps and was Supervisor of nursing at Northwestern University. Her husband Lt. Col. Richard Bemont (1911-1968) was career military (WWII & Korea). Both are buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

A number of other Schumm veterans and their wives are buried in National Cemeteries across the country.

Members of the John George Schumm family who were veterans and who are buried in Zion Schumm’s cemetery:
William Otto Baker (1933-2009) U.S. Army, Korea
Edgar Jacob Dietrich (1915-1996) U.S. Army, WWII
Henry Walter Dietrich (1922-2005) U.S. Army Air Corps, WWII
Marvin J. Grote (1936-2022) U.S. Army Reserves
Edward Theodore Gunsett (1891-1973) U.S. Army, WWI
Paul Lawrence Hofmann (1913-1977) U.S. Army, WWII 
Paul A. Roehm Jr (1929-1968) U.S. Army, Korea
Donald T. Salway (1927-1993) U.S. Army, WWII
Harold F. Salway (1925-1996) U.S. Navy, WWII
Pvt. Edgar F. Schumm (1914-1944), WWII, died in France
Emanuel H. Schumm (1892-1973) Ohio Prov Guard Co, WWI
Frederick J. Schumm (1933-2015) U.S. Army, Korea
Harold P. Schumm (1921-1988) U.S. Army Air Corps, WWII
Oswald H. Schumm (1902-1987) U.S. Army, WWII
Richard E. Schumm (1922-1990) U.S. Marines, WWII
Roman C. Schumm (1924-1988) U.S. Army, WWII
Palmer L. Schwartz (1928-2010) U.S. Army

Emanuel Schumm WWI

Many members of the John George Schumm family seem to have a music gene, if there is such a gene. This talent has produced a number of musicians in the family.

Otto Henry Schumm (1883-1981) was a parochial schoolteacher and church organist.

Martin A. Schumm (1926-1997) sang in a barbershop quartet.

Jane Ann (Schumm) Buchanan (1921-2023) graduated from the St. Louis Institute of Music and taught piano.

Vanessa Ruth (Schumm) W. was a Capital University graduate and performed with the Columbus, Ohio, Symphony Opera Company.

Rev. Herbert Ivan Schumm (1928-2018) became the pianist and organist for the Willshire Church of God at age 12 and sang baritone in the choir. His wife was also a minister.

 Rev. Herbert Ivan Schumm’s sister Mary Schumm (1920-2016) played the harp, organ, and other instruments. She was my first organ teacher.

I started playing church organ at Zion Chatt in 1965, when I was 13, and I still play for the worship service every Sunday. I like to say that a church organist’s pay isn’t all that great, but the job security and heavenly rewards are great.

Velma Louise Schumm (1914-2016) was the organist at Zion Schumm for many years and was the organist for my parents’ wedding in 1950.

Ferdinand Schinnerer (1876-1949) started a church camp in California and his daughter Edna Sophie (Schinnerer) Ohlendorf (1904-1995) later established a summer music camp there.

Jason S. was an Elvis impersonator.

Schumm family members love to sing and always sing at the Schumm reunion.

The Schumm Singers, with Velma, 100, conclude the reunion with song. (2014 photo by Karen)

There have been a number of Schumm postal employees over the years. There was a Post Office at Schumm from 1881-1953 and the first four postmasters and the last postmaster were Schumms.

Martin J. Schumm was appointed the first Schumm postmaster on 31 December 1881. Henry Schumm was appointed in 1885, George F. Schumm, was appointed in 1885, Henry M. Schumm was postmaster from 1886-1903, and Emanuel Schumm (1892-1973), was the last postmaster at Schumm, for 13 years, from 1940-1953.

Other Schumm family postmasters were Walter Herbert Schueler Jr. was a mail carrier in Fort Wayne in 1950, Otto L. Acker (1912-1963), a letter carrier in Whitley County, Indiana, and Otto E. Lankenau (1906-1987), a postmaster at Napoleon, Ohio, in 1957.

Schumm Post Office, c1930.

A number of family members went into the medical profession, and I found this story from Los Angeles interesting. The wife of Schumm descendant Dr. David S., DDS, was a model and actress who helped put David through dental school. She starred in TV shows such as Emergency!, Adam-12, Laugh-In, Bob Hope Special, Tonight Show, and the Dean Martin Show. Her biggest role may have been when she played a chair, one of the Furniture Girls, in the 1972 sci-fi movie Soylent Green, which starred Charlton Heston.

Other interesting Schumm occupations and activities:

Schumm family hero, Vance F., pulled his nephew from the jaws of a shark in Florida, by grabbing the shark’s tail. The boy’s arm was bitten off, recovered from the shark, reattached, and he survived.

Dr. Robert F. Stamm (1915-2001) was a research physicist, atomic bomb researcher and principal flutist with the Connecticut Symphony Orchestra.

Richard Moellering Sr. (1940-2018) was a civil engineer who medaled in the Senior Olympics at age 77, a year before his death.

Dr. Harold Moellering (brother of above) was a professor of geography at The Ohio State University.

Herbert C. Roehm (1912-1997) worked for NASA.

Dr. Otto Paul Schinnerer (1890-1942) was an associate professor of German, the editor of Germanic Review at Columbia University, and wrote 2 standard college texts.

Gayle Forbes (1931-2023) was a rapture rescuer and had great horned owl for years that lived on a roost on top of her refrigerator. She worked for Lockheed.

Lorenz G. Schumm (1891-1959) was a historian and wrote books on the Civil War and northern Indiana history. He was the founder and president of the Chicago Civil War Round Table.

Paul R. Lankenau (1904-1982) was the director of athletics at Valparaiso University, the mayor of Napoleon, Ohio, and Napoleon Man of Year in 1968.

Fredrick Emil Schumm (1925-2012) was a WWII Veteran, Fullbright Scholar, and master sculptor.

John W. Gunsett (1931-2009) attended the Indy 500 over 50 times.

Robert Oscar Lankenau (1919-2000) was a chemist, attended Indiana School for the Deaf, and was was Co-founder and president of several state and national deaf associations. His wife Betty (Martens) was a member of some of the same deaf organizations.

Herman Andrew Schumm (1893-1984) was a painter and steeplejack who painted steeples in the Syracuse, New York area for over 30 years.

Lorenz Herold “Dick” Germann (1925-2015) was a member of the Old-Fashioned Farmer’s Association and past president of Van Wert Community Concert series.

Lillian Marie (Koenemann) Huener (1926-2009) ran an in-home typing service and was the first in her family to have an email address.

Arthur J. Bienz (1905-1989) was an assistant brewmaster in Pennsylvania and his 2nd cousin George Louis Schumm (1884-1950) was on the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.

Herbert A. Schumm (1922-2013) worked for NBC in New York City.

Verna E. (Meyer) Zink (1925-2014), of Fort Wayne, received the WANE TV award for work at the FWPD Victims Assistance Program. In the 1940s she was a softball catcher on the state and city championship teams and played on the City Lights championship basketball team.

John Martin Schumm (1873-1954) was a marshal and constable for 20 years.

Don A. Germann was an electrical engineer, a computer systems analyst with California Institute of Technology jet propulsion lab in Pasadena.

Ludwig W. Christman (1895-1988) was a stockbroker in Connecticut.

This is just a fraction of our Sensational Schumm family. A family of farmers, ministers, educators, health care professionals, veterans, musicians, quilters, postal workers, factory workers, scientists, technicians, athletes, engineers, artists, writers, carpenters, gardeners, and good cooks. All good hard-working people. 

It matters to most of us that we are not entirely forgotten when we die, but that our names are still spoken and that we are remembered.

You can contact Karen at karen@karenmillerbennett.com

Jul 23

Postmarked Schumm, 1912, from Anna (Seemeyer) Liebmann

This postcard is postmarked Schumm, Ohio, 19 August 1912, and provides some interesting Schumm connections for both the Schumm family and for Zion Lutheran Church at Schumm. 

1912 postcard, postmarked Schumm, Ohio, 1912, from Anna (Seemeyer) Liebmann

The message is handwritten in German script (Kurrentschrift) and was translated by Scribe AI on MyHeritage.com. Interesting that in 1912 this family was speaking and writing German. 

The postcard is addressed to:
Mrs. Augusta Liebmann
104 Pigeon Str
Jackson, Mich

Dear Mamma, We are still here in Schumm, but want to go back to Ft Wayne on Wednesday or Thursday, it is very warm will probably rain again soon, some things look different since I was here 7 1/2 years ago and all alright here arrived. Otherwise all well and cheerful. With greetings to all.
Annie [1]

Annie, the writer of the letter, is Anna Caroline (Seemeyer) Liebmann, a daughter of Rev. Gottlieb Seemeyer, a minister at Zion Schumm for over 20 years. Anna Seemeyer was born in Schumm in 1879 and lived there for over 20 years. She was married and had moved to Jackson, Michigan, and was visiting Schumm in August 1912 when she sent this postcard to her mother-in-law, who also lived in Jackson.

Postcard from Anna (Seemeyer) Liebmann, postmarked Schumm, 1912

Anna’s father, Rev. Gottlieb Seemeyer, was born in New York in 1853, the son of Gottleib and Caroline (Mueller) Seemeyer. Gottleib senior was a German immigrant and tailor. The younger Gottlieb Seemeyer married Wilhelmine Franke on 27 September 1876 in Fort Wayne. [2] Rev. Seemeyer died in Fort Wayne in 1905. Rev. Seemeyer, his wife Wilhelmine (1855-1939), all six of their children, and his parents are buried in Fort Wayne. All are buried in Concordia Lutheran Cemetery, except two of Rev. Seemeyer’s sons, Martin and Theodore Seemeyer, who are buried in Lindenwood Cemetery there.

Anna Seemeyer, the writer of this postcard, was born in Schumm on 7 November 1879 and was baptized at Zion Schumm on 16 November 1879.

In 1880 the Seemeyers resided in Schumm, and the Rev. Gottlieb Seemeyer was the pastor at Zion Lutheran Schumm. Their household consisted of Rev. Seemeyer, wife Wilhelmine, daughters Alwine, 2, and Anna C, 7 months, and the pastor’s sister Corda Seemeyer, 14. [3]

In 1900 Rev. Seemeyer was still Schumm’s minister and their household consisted of the Reverend, his wife, and children Alwine, 22; Bertha, 15; and Theodore, 13. [4]

In 1900 daughter Anna Seemeyer, age 20, single, resided in Jackson, Michigan, and was servant in household of physician Nathan Williams. [5] Another servant in the Williams household, Bertha Liebmann, 21, single, was the sister of Carl Liebmann, Anna’s future husband.

Carl Liebmann (1880-1951) married Anna Seemeyer on 29 October 1908 in Indiana. In addition, Bertha Liebmann married Rudolph Schumm, the son of William Schumm and Anna Maria Heffner.

Anna and Carl Liebmann had two daughters, Meta (1910-1993) (married Herman Krueckeberg)  and Hildegard (married Earl Moss), and a son, Arthur Carl Liebmann (1912-1969) (married Valette Doehrmann).

Rev. Gottlieb Seemeyer died in Fort Wayne on 17 May 1905, at age 51.

In 1910 Carl and Anna (Seemeyer) Liebmann resided in Jackson, Michigan. Living with them was Carl’s mother Augusta Liebmann, 53, Carl’s sister Erna, 7, and brother Julius, 27. Carl was a blacksmith. [6] Augusta Liebmann, Anna’s mother-in-law, was the recipient of this 1912 postcard.

Anna and Carl resided in Jackson, Michigan, into the 1920s, but by 1930 they had moved to Fort Wayne, where Carl worked as a machinist at an electric factory. Their household in 1930: Carl Liebmann, 49, head; Anna Liebmann, 50, wife; Meta W Liebmann, 19, daughter, Arthur C Liebmann, 17, son; Hildegard A Liebmann, 14, daughter; Wilhelmine W Seemeyer, 74, widow, mother-in-law; Alwine Seemeyer, 52, single sister-in-law; Bertha W Seemeyer, 44, single, sister-in-law; Martin G. Franke, 60, widowed, uncle. [7]   

Anna and Carl remained in Fort Wayne the rest of their lives. In 1950 they resided with Anna’s two unmarried sisters, Alwine and Bertha Seemeyer. [8]

Carl died the next year, on 6 March 1951, in Fort Wayne.

Anna died in Fort Wayne on 13 September 1974.

Anna’s obituary, from the Decatur Daily Democrat:
Mother of City Resident Dies
Mrs. Anna Liebmann, 94, mother of Mrs. Herman (Meta) Krueckeberg of 328 Limberlost Trail, [Decatur] died at 7:45 pm. Friday at the Lutheran Home in Fort Wayne where she had been a resident for the past five years. She was ill only a short time and death came unexpectedly. Mrs. Liebmann was a member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne.

She was born in Schumm, O., on November 7, 1879 to Rev. and Mrs. Gottlieb Seemeyer. Her father was a pastor of the Lutheran Church in Schumm. She was married October 29, 1908 to Carl Liebmann who preceded her in death in 1951.

Besides Mrs. Krueckeberg, Mrs. Liebmann is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Earl (Hildegard) Moss of Tucson, Ariz., and a sister, Miss Bertha Seemeyer who resides in the Lutheran Home in Fort Wayne, three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Three of her brothers, one sister and one son preceded her in death…Burial will be in the Concordia cemetery. [9]

Rev. Seemeyer and wife Wilhelmine had six children: Alwine (1877-1957), Anna C. Seemeyer Liebmann (1879-1974), Karl G. Seemeyer (1880-1947), Martin Seemeyer (1882-1960), Bertha W. Seemeyer (1885-1975), and Theodore Fredrick Seemeyer (1887-1964).

Per Zion Schumm records, all the children of Rev. & Mrs. Seemeyer, except for the firstborn, Alwine, were born in Schumm and baptized at Zion Schumm. Anna Seemeyer was the baptismal sponsor of Clara Anna Marie Schumm, daughter of H.M. Schumm and Wilhelmine (Hoppe), in 1898 and of Anna Maria Roehm, daughter of Friedrick Roehm and Henrietta (Schumm), in 1907.

It is interesting that Rev. Seemeyer died in Fort Wayne, but his death certificate indicates that he was buried in Zion Schumm’s cemetery. [10]

Rev. Gottlieb Seemeyer 1905 death certificate; Ancestry.com

Zion Schumm’s records also record his death and indicate that he was buried in their cemetery. It appears he was originally buried at Zion Schumm and that his remains were later interred in Concordia Cemetery.

You can contact Karen at karen@karenmillerbennett.com.

[1] Translated and transcribed by Scribe AI, MyHeritage.com. The transcription: Liebe Mamma Sind noch immer hier in Schumm, wollen aber am Mittwoch oder Donners- tag wieder zurück nach Ft Wayne, es ist sehr warm wird wohl bald wieder regnen, manches sieht an- ders aus seit ich hier war 7 1/2 Jahre und alle alright hier gekommen. Sonst alles wohl und munter. Mit Grüße an alle Annie

[2] Indiana, U.S. Select Marriages Index, 1748-1993, Gottlieb F Seemeyer & Wilhelmine Franke, 27 Sep 1876, Fort Wayne, Allen, Indiana; Ancestry.com.

[3] 1880 U.S. Census, Ohio, Van Wert, Willshire, ED 154, p.450c, family 131, G.F.C. Seemeyer; Ancestry.com.

[4] 1900 U.S. Census, Ohio, Van Wert, Willshire, ED97, p. 9, dwelling 180, family 193, Gottleb Sumeyer [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[5] 1900 U.S. Census, Michigan, Jackson, Ward 4, ED 11, p.17, dwelling 383, family 434, Nathan H. Williams; Ancestry.com.

[6] 1910 U.S. Census, Michigan, Jackson, Ward 5, ED 19, p.12a, dwelling 276, family 286, Carl Leibmann [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[7] 1930 U.S. Census, Indiana, Allen, Fort Wayne, ED 24, p.22A, dwelling 470, family 483, Carl W Liebmann; Ancestry.com.

[8] 1950 U.S. Census, Indiana, Allen, Fort Wayne, ED 95-201, p.10, dwelling 132, Alwine Seemeyer; Ancestry.com.

[9] Anna (Seemeyer) Liebmann obituary, Decatur Daily Democrat, Adams County, Indiana, 14 Sep 1974, Find a Grave memorial no. 43017471, Concordia Lutheran Cemetery, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

[10] Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2011, Year 1905, roll 1, Gottlieb Seemayer [sic], 12 May 1905, Fort Wayne, Indiana; Ancestry.com.

Jul 02

The Past 250 Years-America 250!

To commemorate Independence Day this year and America’s 250th anniversary, here is my list of some highlights of American’s past 250 years by decade. My timeline includes national, state, local, and personal milestones.

Declaration of Independence

1770s:
The Revolutionary War begins in 1775.
The Declaration of Independence is adopted on 4 July 1776.
Christian Whiteman [Karen’s ancestor] and Samuel Bennett, Jonathan Grant, & Hugh Montgomery [Joe’s ancestors] fight for American independence in the Revolutionary War.

1780s:
The Gnadenhutten, Ohio, Massacre is in 1782.
The Revolutionary War ends in 1783.
The U.S. Constitution is adopted as the law of the land in 1788.
The first settlement in Ohio is established at Marietta in 1788.

1790s:
The first U.S. Census is taken.
St. Clair is defeated by the Indian confederacy at the Battle of Wabash, Fort Recovery, in 1791.
Anthony Wayne defeats the Indian confederacy at the Battle of Fort Recovery in 1794.

1800s:
Ohio becomes the 17th state in 1803.
The Louisiana Purchase is completed in 1803.

1810s:
The War of 1812 is fought 1812-1815.
Nicholas Headington fights in the War of 1812.

1820s:
Mercer County, Ohio, is formed in 1820 and organized in 1824.
Shanesville, now Rockford, is established in 1820 by Anthony Shane, the oldest village in Mercer County and the original county seat.
Willshire is founded in 1821 and platted in 1822 by Captain James Riley.

1830s:
The Indian Removal Act relocation, “Trail of Tears,” is in 1830.
Charles Carroll dies in 1831, the last living signer of the Declaration of Independence.
John George Schumm and 5 of his children arrive in America in 1833.
Oberlin College, in Ohio, opens in 1833, the first coeducational college in the U.S.
Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, is born in 1835.
Samuel Colt patents the revolver in 1836.
The Battle of the Alamo ends with the deaths of Davy Crockett & James Bowie in 1836.
Digging begins for Grand Lake Reservoir in 1837.

1840s:
Samuel F.B. Morse sends the first telegraph message in 1844, “What hath God wrought?”
The Miami and Erie Canal is completed in 1845.
Zion Lutheran Church, Schumm, Ohio, is formed in 1846.
Gold is discovered in California in 1848.

1850s:
Ohio makes it illegal for children under 18 & women to work more than 10 hours a day in 1852.
Zion Lutheran Church, Chattanooga, Ohio, is formed in 1855.
The 1850 U.S. census is the first census to show the names of family members.

1860s:
The Pony Express is established in 1860.
The Civil War is fought, 1861-1865, ending slavery.
Daniel Brewster and is brother James Henry Brewster fight in the Civil War.
Daniel and John Schumm are killed in the Civil War.
The Shanesville name is changed to Shanes Crossing in 1866.
Barbed wire is patented by Lucien Smith of Ohio in 1867.
Decoration Day is established in 1868.

1870s:
Independence Day and Thanksgiving are officially established in 1870.
Jacob Miller arrives in America and settles in Mercer County, Ohio, in 1871.
Mary Arabelle Secaur is murdered near Chattanooga, Ohio, in 1872.
Nineteen students attend the opening class at Ohio State University in 1873.
Alexander Graham Bell telephones Thomas Watson in 1876, saying “Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you.” [Some accounts report that he said, “Can you hear me now?”]
Thomas Edison demonstrates the first incandescent light bulb in 1879.

1880s:
The Ruecks arrive in America in 1880.
The gunfight at the O.K. Corral occurs in 1881.
Christine Rueck marries Jacob Miller in 1882, while the rest of her family moves to Oregon.
The Statue of Liberty arrives from France and is dedicated in 1886.

1890s:
The Shanes Crossing name is changed to Rockford in 1890.
The first automobile accident occurs in Ohio City in 1891, when John Lambert runs into a hitching post.
Labor Day is established in 1894.
The Spanish American War is fought in 1898.
Milligan, Ohio, records minus 39 degrees in 1899.

1900s:
The Wright brothers make the world’s first flight near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903.
The post office closes in Chattanooga, Ohio, in 1905.
The Model T Ford hits the market in 1908.

1910s:
Zion Lutheran Schumm & Zion Lutheran Chatt build and dedicate churches 1915-1916.
The U.S. joins the Allies in WWI in 1917.
The Spanish Flu epidemic is from 1918-1920.
Carl Miller and Gertrude Brewster marry in 1919.
Armistice Day is observed in 1919.
The Cincinnati Reds win the World Series in 1919.

1920s:
Both Joe’s and my parents are born during this decade.
The current Mercer County Courthouse is completed in 1923.
Cornelius Schumm and Hilda Scaer marry in 1927.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial sculpture begins in 1927, is completed in 1941.
The stock market crashes in 1929.

1930s:
The Great Depression encompasses the whole decade, 1930-1939.
John Dillinger escapes from the Allen County Jail in Lima, Ohio, in 1933.
Gallipolis, Ohio, records 113 degrees in 1934.
The first All-American Soap Box Derby is held in Dayton in 1934.
Columbus Day is made a federal holiday in 1937.
Armistice Day is made a federal holiday in 1938.

1940s:
The Cincinnati Reds win the World Series in 1940.
Pearl Harbor is attacked on 7 December 1941 and America joins the Allies in WWII.
Herb Miller joins the Army and fights in the Battle of the Bulge.
WWII ends in 1945.

1950s:
Joe and Karen are born during this decade.
The post office at Schumm, Ohio, closes in 1953.
Armistice Day is renamed Veterans Day in 1954.
Alaska and Hawaii become states in 1959.

1960s:
President John F. Kennedy is assassinated on 22 November 1963.
The U.S. escalates their involvement in the Vietnam War in 1965.
Karen begins playing the organ at Zion Chatt in 1965.
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon on 20 July 1969.

1970s:
Decoration Day is renamed Memorial Day in 1971, observed the last Monday in May.
Joe and Karen marry in 1973.
The Big Red Machine wins the World Series in 1975 and 1976.
The Vietnam war ends in 1975.
America celebrates its Bicentennial in 1976.
The first home computers are sold in 1977.

1980s:
Son Jeff is born during this decade.
The first commercial cellular telephone service begins in 1983.
The Chicago Bears win the Super Bowl in 1986.

1990s:
The Gulf War begins in 1990 and ends in 1991.
The Reds win the World Series in 1990.

2000s:
Terrorists attack the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a 4th plane goes down in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on 11 September 2001.
The War in Afghanistan begins in 2001 and ends in 2021.
The Iraq War begins in 2003 and ends in 2011.

2010s:
Son Jeff marries and our 2 grandchildren are born during this decade.
Joe and Karen both retire during this decade.
An EF3 tornado hits Celina on 27 May 2019.

2020s:
The Covid-19 pandemic begins in 2020.
Both the USA Men and Women’s Ice Hockey Teams win gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The U.S. hosts FIFA World Cup Soccer in 2026. Go USA!
America celebrates America 250 in 2026!

What a time to be an American!

Have a happy and safe Fourth of July!

You can contact Karen at karen@karenmillerbennett.com