1916 Mercer County Directory

A few years ago I purchased a 1916 Farm Journal Illustrated Directory of Mercer County, Ohio, on Ebay. It was published by the Wilmer Atkinson Company, publishers of the Farm Journal, from Washington Square, Philadelphia. It contains 208 pages, an alphabetical list of the people living in Mercer County with some information about them, advertisements, and a classified business directory. The following is some information about my ancestors from this directory.

Jacob Muller [umlaut over the u] is listed on page 117: Muller, Jacob, wife Christina, 1 child, a farmer who owned 80 acres at Route 1 Willshire, Blackcreek Township. He owned 8 horses and 3 cows and had an Indiana telephone. I would imagine a telephone would have been quite a luxury in 1916.

Jacob’s son, John, was living next to Jacob, and is listed on page 115: Miller, John, wife Sophronia, 2 children, a farmer who owned 62 acres at Route 1, Willshire, in Blackcreek Township. John owned 4 horses and 3 cows and also had an Indiana telephone.

A map of Mercer County was included with the directory. Numbers on the map correspond with numbers given with the names of the people in the directory. Jacob and John Miller were both listed as #17 in Blackcreek Township. I was not aware that John owned land in this section. I need to look through the deed books at the Mercer County Recorder’s Office and check this out.

1916 Mercer Directory Map

Chattanooga was the nearest town to the farm, about 2 miles away. Several Chattanooga businesses advertised in the 1916 directory. It appears that Chattanooga was a thriving little village. The following are the Chattanooga businesses listed in the directory:

Chattanooga Hardware Co. [see photo]
Regedanz Brothers, blacksmiths
Heffner Brothers, garage
Merkle & Egger, general store
Baumgartner & Andrews, lumber
John H. Andres, meats
Perry Gibbons & Fred Heffner, saloon
A. Germann, shoes
Smith Brothers, tinners

The other day I was talking with my dad about the Miller farm in Blackcreek Township.  The 1853 Mercer County plat book showed that the 80 acres was divided into two tracts of land at that time, owned by two individuals, each having a cabin on their 40 acre plot. The cabin at the back end of the property would have been about ½ mile from the current road. My dad said that his grandfather, Jacob, talked about a cabin that had one time been toward the back of his farm. This would correspond with information from the 1853 plat book. Supposedly, the road from Berne, Indiana, now route 218, was to go by the cabin that was in the back 40 acres. Perhaps there was a dirt road back there in the 1850s. If the Indiana road from Berne came straight into Ohio it would have probably gone right by the cabin. However, route 218, instead of coming straight into Ohio, curves south at the state line and becomes Ohio route 707.

There were some Schumms living in Mercer County in 1916, but they lived closer to Rockford. The following Schumms are listed in the directory, all on page 135:

Schumm, Amos C, tenant, farmer, 6 horses, 5 cows, route 6 Rockford, Blackcreek Township, Indiana telephone.

Schumm, C.J., wife Jeanette, 2 children, farmer, owns 145 acre farm, 10 horses, 3 cows, route 2 Rockford, Dublin Township, Indiana phone.

Schumm, F.M., wife Amber, farmer, owns 62 acres, 5 horses, 19 cows, route 2 Rockford, Dublin Township.

Schumm, J.F., Sr., Rockford.

Schumm, Mary, Rockford.

Schumm, P.F., wife Leona, 3 children, farmer, owns 100 acres, 5 horses, 14 cows, route 2 Rockford, Blackcreek Township, Indiana telephone.

Schumm, Wm. L., wife Amanda, 2 children, farmer, owns 95 acres, 4 horses 1 cow, route 6 Rockford, Blackcreek Township, Indiana, telephone.

I will be happy to do any lookups from this 1916 directory. Just e-mail me with your request.

1916 Mercer County Directory

10 comments

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    • Don Hunziker on February 21, 2012 at 9:53 am
    • Reply

    Hello, Karen.

    I am the great-grandson of Rev. Samuel Hunziker (1836-1899) who served St. Paul Lutheran Church on Wabash Road southeast of Chatt from 1893 until his death. In those days, the church was on the west side of the road south of, and adjacent to, the St. Paul cemetery. This was years before the present church was built on the east side of Wabash Road.

    One of Samuel’s sons, William Hunziker (1871-1914), married Louise Kable (1878-1977). They inherited a farm less than a mile north of St. Paul near the northeast corner of Schaadt and Wabash roads, Liberty Township. Could you look in the 1916 Mercer County Directory for information about the Louise (Kable) Hunziker property?

    My dad, Paul Hunziker (1910-1992), would have been 6 at the time.

    Thanks so much, Karen. Your site is a little gem.

    FYI: I lived in the last house on the south end of Chatt from 1945 to 1948, directly across SR 49 from Zion Lutheran. My dad managed the Chatt location of Berne Equity (grain) Elevator on the north end of town. The former elevator building remains there today.

    Sincerely,

    Don Hunziker
    Coral Springs, Fla.

    1. How interesting! I know all the places you mention very well. I see your former home every Sunday! I notice that Samuel, William and Louise are buried in St. Paul Cemetery. There is also an Elizabeth (1842-1915). Was she Samuel’s wife? A few Hunzikers also attended Zion at one time.

      The 1916 Mercer County Directory does list Louise: Hunziker, Mrs. Louise, R5 Rockford, Lib. That is all that is listed. The name is actually misspelled as “Hunziher”.

      So nice to hear from you. Let me know if you need any more look-ups from the Chatt area.

      Karen

    • Don Hunziker on February 22, 2012 at 9:38 am
    • Reply

    Hello again, Karen.

    The woman you refer to is Elizabeth (Pfirsch) Hunziker, Samuel’s second wife. She had four of Samuel’s 11 children, including Rev. Conrad Henry Samuel Hunziker (1888-1956).

    Samuel’s first wife was Pennsylvania native Elizabeth Yoas (1835-1879), my great-grandmother. She is buried west of Cardington, Ohio, north of Columbus, about 100 miles east of Chatt. Samuel served two Lutheran churches in the Cardington area from about 1873 to 1883.

    Then he moved the family to Columbia City, Ind., where he preached at another Lutheran church for more than 10 years before accepting the St. Paul pastorate southeast of Chatt.

    Samuel was born in Moosleerau (canton of Aargau), Switzerland, and spoke German. One of his younger brothers, Heinrich Hunziker (1845-1904), also was a Lutheran minister. Heinrich settled in Courtland, Minn., 65 miles southwest of Minneapolis. His family moved to Washington state after his death and engaged in various work, including operating a fruit farm.

    Recently discovered that I have a third cousin in Yakima, Wash. She’s 82 and is employed as a bookkeeper.

    My dad’s first cousin (my first cousin/once removed) is Floyd Hunziker, 88, of Algonac, Mich., northeast of Detroit. Floyd’s late wife was the granddaughter of a Titanic victim.

    Interesting family, Karen.

    Cordially, Don

      • Jill Arteaga on April 26, 2015 at 12:42 am
      • Reply

      Oh my goodness! I just stumbled upon your post. I have been trying to figure out for years, one specific part of my family history. My great great Grandfather was Rev. Heinrich Hunziker. I have had no information farther back than him. ( parents, siblings) You said Samuel Hunziker was an older brother? My Grandmother had told me that Henry’s parents were Johanne James Hunziker, and Jenny LaVenchy. Both are buried in my home state of Washington, (Snohomish) however I don’t think that can be correct because Jenny is only 10 years older than Henry. Also, Henry was never listed as their child on census records or her obituary. I would greatly appreciate any information that you have. I have information I can pass on to you also. We are originally from Yakima. Thank you so much! Jill Hunziker-Arteaga

      1. A couple Hunziker descendants have written and commented here on Karen’s Chatt. They could probably give you much more information than I can. Have you seen their comments here? Perhaps you know them already. I can forward your e-mail address to them if you like. Just let me know. Thanks for reading!

          • Jill Arteaga on May 14, 2015 at 11:36 pm
          • Reply

          Thank you! I would really appreciate it if you would forward my email to any Hunziker descendants.

          Jill Hunziker-Arteaga

            • Karen on May 15, 2015 at 7:19 am
              Author

            Will do! Good luck with your research.

    • Mark Hunziker on August 6, 2013 at 12:53 pm
    • Reply

    Hello Everyone,

    My Name is Mark Hunziker. My Father Is Conrad Henry Samuel II, my grand father is Samuel Herbert Hunziker, and my Great-Grandfather is Conrad Henry Samuel Hunziker I. I am interested in learning more about this side of my family if you could point me in the right direction. I would appreciate any assistance.

    Thanks!

    Mark Hunziker

    1. Only a couple Hunzikers attended Zion Chatt over the years. There were three baptisms at Zion by a minister who spelled his name Hunzicker.

    • Waldo on August 8, 2013 at 9:17 am
    • Reply

    Bill and Dick Hunziker were in my age group in school (first Willshire Public, then renamed Parkway in the merger of the local schools). Bill was a year or two older, Dick my age. Dick played the trumpet in the band and was seated right next to me. They lived in the small house right next to the school (east side). Now I see lots of bicylces there as if the current resident sells, fixes or otherwise works with bicycles.

    As I recall they took Confirmation classes at Zion at the same time I did, though I think both were the year ahead of me. That would have been 1962 or after. Rev. Arnold Green would have been the pastor at least part of the time, as he came to Zion about that time. Pastor Green retired to Troy, Ohio or thereabouts. He visited our Church here in Cincinnati just a few years ago as a guest pastor on several occasions. (Ok, a few years ago might be a slight understatement).

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