2017 archive

Dear Mom & All–WWII Letters from Herb (part 2)

Continuing on with the letters my dad wrote home during his induction and basic training. My dad, Herbert Miller, was 18 years old in 1944 when he volunteered for the draft. He had graduated from Willshire High School the year before. He spent 2 days at Fort Hayes, Columbus, Ohio, for his pre-induction physical in …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Infant Sons of J & M Bollenbacher

These are the tombstones of two infant sons of J. & M. Bollenbacher, located in row 10 of Kessler Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The markers are inscribed: INFANT Son of J. & M. Bollenbacher Born Nov. 24, 1888 Died Nov. 24, 1888 INFANT Son of J. & M. Bollenbacher Born Oct. 1, 1893 …

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Dear Mom & All–WWII Letters from Herb

A few weeks ago I purchased a book, Home Front to Battlefront, An Ohio Teenager in World War II, by Frank Lavin. Frank’s father Carl Lavin was from Canton, Ohio, and was a high school senior when Pearl Harbor was attacked. When Carl turned 18 he enlisted in the Army and eventually was part of …

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Tombstone Tuesday–Mildred B. Bollenbacher

This is the tombstone of Mildred B. Bollenbacher, located in row 9 of Kessler Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed: Mildred B. Dau of Abe & Amanda Bollenbacher Died Dec. 7, 1914 Aged 6y, 6m, 3d Our Darling Mildred B. Bollenbacher was born 4 June 1908, as calculated from her tombstone …

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Schumm Elevator Burned, 1972

The year was 1972 and there was a big fire in the little village of Schumm, Ohio. Recently I wrote a couple blog posts about the Willshire Grain & Supply elevators that were located in Willshire, Wren, and Schumm for several decades, from the1940s to the early 1980s. My mom worked as a bookkeeper at …

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