May 2023 archive

1911 Patterson Exams in Mercer and Van Wert Counties

As the school year draws to a close, students and teachers look forward to summer vacation. But before wrapping up the school year there are those end-of-the-school-year tests, to determine how much information the students retained during the year. I remember those dreaded tests very well.

Tombstone Tuesday-Carl P. Bollenbacher

This is the tombstone of Carl P. Bollenbacher, located in row 3 of St. Paul’s County Church Cemetery, formerly known as St. Paul’s UCC Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

CARL P.
BOLLENBACHER
Died May 8, 1906
Age 15y, 3m, 2d

It’s a Long Way From Shipshewana

You may have heard the old British song from WWI, It’s a Long Way to Tipperary. It begins like this: “It’s a long way to Tipperary, it’s a long way to go…” If you know the melody, substitute these words: It a long way from Shipshewana, it’s a long way to Holmes… Those words went through our minds last weekend. 

Tombstone Tuesday-Walther League Symbol

This is the symbol for the Walther League, a youth society for the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS).