August 2011 archive

Tombstone Tuesday–James Henry Brewster

This is the tombstone of James Henry Brewster. The tombstone is located in the Brewster plot of Mt. Hope Cemetery, Independence, Montgomery County, Kansas. The tombstone is inscribed BREWSTER, James H., Penn. 1841-1916, Co. E 80th O.V.V.I.– Jane, his wife 1840-1940. James Henry Brewster was born 9 August 1841 in Pennsylvania. He was the son …

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James Henry Brewster Meets the Dalton Gang

Occasionally I am asked if there are any famous ancestors in my family tree. I always have to think about that question. I have searched for an ancestor that did something remarkably noteworthy, but I haven’t come up with much. Most of my ancestors were just common folk, doing ordinary jobs and the necessary chores from …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Curtis R. Schumm

This is the tombstone of Curtis R. Schumm, located in row 3 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The tombstone is inscribed SCHUMM, Curtis R., son of L. & S. Schumm died Nov 15, 1901 aged 1y, 1m, 15d. Curtis Richard Schumm was born 30 September 1900, the son of Louis J. …

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Black Creek’s Black Gold

Black gold, devil’s tar, earth oil, flowing gold, fossil oil, rock oil–these were all terms for what we now call petroleum or crude oil that were used in the early part of the 20th century.  Ohio led the nation in oil production for several years around the turn of the century and Mercer County helped make …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Maria M. Hofmann

This is the tombstone of Maria M Hofmann. The stone is inscribed HOFMANN, Maria M., wife of Christian Hofmann, 1857-1934, John 5-24 [text]. The tombstone is located in row 2 of the Evangelical Protestant Cemetery, Harrison Township, Van Wert County, Ohio. Maria Magdalena Schinnerer was the sixth child of Frederick Schinnerer and his first wife, …

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