Nov 05

Tombstone Tuesday–Frederick G. & Minnie A. (Roehm) Schinnerer

Frederick & Minnie (Roehm) Schinnerer, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Frederick G. and Minnie A. (Roehm) Schinnerer, located in row 6 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

SCHINNERER
Father
Frederick G.
1861-1935

Mother
Minnie A.
1871-1953

George “Frederick” Schinnerer was born 16 February 1861, the first child born to Martin and Mary (Schumm) Schinnerer. Frederick was baptized 17 February 1861, with George Schumm and Frederick Schinnerer serving as his sponsors.

Frederick’s parents, Martin and Mary (Schumm) Schinnerer, had 5 more children after Frederick. Their last child, Johann Ludwig, was born 17 August 1870 and died 14 days later, on 31 August 1870. The mother Mary (Schumm) Schinnerer died a day later, on 1 September 1870. Martin Schinnerer then married “Rosina” Maria Schumm on 2 March 1871 and they eventually had 3 children of their own.

The Martin Schinnerer family in 1880: Martin, 46; Rosina M, 32; Frederick G, 19; Henry A, 17; John J, 15; Susannah B, 13; Andrew L, and John F, 4. [1]

Frederick Schinnerer married Minnie Roehm on 8 September 1889 at Zion Lutheran Church, Schumm, where both of them were members.

Maria Wilhelmine Amalia “Minnie” Roehm was born 28 January 1871, the daughter of John and Anna Rosina (Schumm) Roehm. She was baptized 30 January 1871, with Mrs. Maria Barbara Germann, Mrs. Wilhemine Schumm, and Mrs. Amalia Schumm serving as her sponsors.

The John Roehm household in 1880: John, 37; Anna R, 34; Minnie M W, 8; Andres F G 6; Julia Ann, 5; Paulina S, 4; and Mary H, 2. The father John was a farmer. [2]

Frederick and Minnie Schinnerer, married in 1889, had 5 children by the time the 1900 census was taken. The Frederick Schinnerer family in 1900, living in Willshire Township: Fred G, 39; Minnie, 29; Alma, 8; Martha, 6; Herman, 4; Carl, 2; Paula, 0; and Delton Bohlembach, 21, farm laborer. The father Frederick was a farmer and the family lived east of Willshire. [3]

The Frederick Schinnerer family in 1910: Frederick, 49; Minnie, 39; Alma, 18; Martha, 16; Herman, 14; Carl, 12; Paula, 9; Gerhart, 6; and Arthur, 4. [4]

The Frederick Schinnerer family in 1920: Frederick, 58; Minnie, 48; Alma, 28; Martha, 26; Herman, 23; Gerhardt, 16; and Arthur, 14. [5]

By 1930 Frederickm 69, and Millie, 59, lived with two of their children Alma Schinnerer, 38, Arthur Schinnerer, 24, in the large white Schinnerer house just east of Willshire, where Frederick farmed. [6]

Frederick Schinnerer died in Willshire Township from a stroke on 24 September 1935, at the age of 74 years, 7 months, and 8 days. He was buried on the 27th. [7]

In 1940 widow Minnie Schinnerer, 69 lived with her daughter Alma, 48, and son Arthur Schinnerer and his family, likely living in Friedrich Schinnerer’s (1824-1905) old house just east of Willshire. Arthur was married by this time and had a year-old son, Joseph. [8]

Minnie Roehm died in Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana, from complications of heart disease on 31 December 1953. She was 82 years old and was buried on 3 January 1954. [9]

Frederick and Minnie (Roehm) Schinnerer, had the following children:
Alma Rosina Elizabeth (1891-1977), never married
Martha Juliana Louisa (1893-1989), married George “William” Joseph Schinnerer
Herman George Ludwig (1896-1954), married Norma Emilie Nofer
Karl Friedrich (1898-1964), married Ella Thomas
Paula Ida (1900-1912)
Gerhardt Johan (1903-1953), married Lillian Marcella Buechner
Arthur Heinrich Ludwig (1905-1961), married Helen Rosetta Spring

[1] 1880 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 154, p.450D, family 135, Martin Shinerer; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1880usfedcen/ : viewed 28 Oct 2019). 

[2] 1880 U. S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 154, p.449B, family 123, John Roehm; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com  (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1880usfedcen/ : viewed 28 Oct 2019).

[3] 1900 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 97, p.9, dwelling 179, family 193, Fred G Schinerer; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1900usfedcen/ : viewed 13 Oct 2019). 

[4] 1910 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 114, p.3A, dwelling & family 51, Frederic Schimerer; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1910uscenindex/ : viewed 13 Oct 2019).

[5] 1920 U. S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, Ed 146, p.6A, dwelling 116, family 117, Fred G Schinnerer; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1920usfedcen/ : viewed 21 Oct 2019).

[6] 1930 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, Ed 24, p.2A, dwelling 27, family 28, Fredrick G. Schinnerer; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com  (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1930usfedcen/ : viewed 21 Oct 2019).

[7] “Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953,” Willshire, Van Wert, Frederich G Schinnerer, 24 Sep 1935; database with images, FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9PTH-9HBL?i=1505&cc=1307272&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AX6WL-3FG : viewed 21 Oct 2019).

[8] 1940 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 81-28, p.10A, house visited 195, Minnie Schinnerer; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1930usfedcen/ : viewed 20 Oct 2019).

[9] Indiana, Death Certificates, Indiana Archives and Records Administration, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1953, Roll 12, Wilhelmina Rosina Schinnerer, 21 Dec 1953; database on-line, Ancestry.com.

Nov 01

A Few More Photos & Articles, 1918 Dynamiting of Schumm School

Last week I posted a photo of the exterior of Schumm’s Parochial School, after it was dynamited in the early hours of Sunday, 20 October 1918.

Schumm Parochial School after 20 October 1918 dynamiting.

The dynamiting of the small parochial school was big news for this area and across the country as well. Many newspapers covered the story. This past week I looked through some newspapers on-line and found news articles and a couple more photos of the school and of Zion Lutheran Church.

These three photos were in The Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette the week after the dynamiting. I assume a news photographer came from Fort Wayne and took these photos soon after the bombing. [1]

The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, 27 Oct 1918, p.3B.

Caption below the photos: Church edifice of Zion’s German Lutheran Congregation at Schumm, Ohio, and the school building which was partly wrecked at an early hour last Sunday by unknown persons who placed a heavy charge of dynamite under the structure. The interior of the school room as it appeared on the morning following the explosion is shown in one of the pictures. [1]

The first of the three photos shows Zion Lutheran Church and their parochial school across the road. I find this photo interesting because it was taken before the church addition was built and before the school was taken down, quite a few years later.  

Zion Lutheran Church & School, The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, 27 Oct 1918, p.3B.

The second photo is of the interior of the school. You can see the blackboard and some overturned desks and some structural debris and damage from the explosion.

Interior of Schumm Parochial School after 1918 bombing, The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, 27 Oct 1918, p.3B.

The third photo is of the outside damage to the school, where the dynamite was placed. This photo is taken from a slightly different angle than the photo I posted last week, the first photo in today’s post.   

Dynamite damage to Schumm Parochial School, The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, 27 Oct 1918, p.3B.

Caption below the above photo: East wall of Lutheran parish school at Schumm, Ohio, after the explosion.

Newspapers across the country carried the story. This news story printed in a Helena, Montana, newspaper:

DYNAMITE LUTHERANS
By Associated Press.
Van Wert, O., Oct. 20—A German Lutheran school at Schumm, a village southwest of here, was wrecked by dynamite early this morning. The dynamiters are said to have been traced across the line to into Indiana. The Rev. George Mayers [sic], teacher in the school, was born in Wisconsin of Swiss parents. [2]

“…village southwest of here…” Hmmm. I don’t think they really knew where Schumm, Ohio, is located. It would be a stretch to say Schumm is southeast of Helena, let alone southwest of Helena.

The Pittsburgh Press, The Washington Post, and several other papers across the county also reported the very same story, almost verbatim, all saying Schumm is “southwest of here.” [3] [4] Apparently Schumm is southwest of everywhere. They obviously picked up the story from one source and never bothered to change the town’s location. Some papers did spell Rev. Meyer’s name correctly.

The Washington Post titled their article “German School Blown Up. Wreckers of Ohio Institution Said to Have Come From Indiana.” Blown up is somewhat of an exaggeration, but I like that they called the little school an Ohio Institution.

Another exaggeration from the Evansville Journal, Evansville, Indiana: “Lutheran Church Blasted by Mob.” I don’t believe they ever determined it was a mob.

Zion Lutheran Parochial School, Schumm, Ohio (built in 1899)

You gotta love newspaper research. Such interesting reading.

[1] “The Journal-Gazette’s Sunday Picture Page,” The Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 27 Oct 1918, p.3B; Newspapers.com, viewed 30 Oct 2019.

[2] “Dynamite Lutherans,” The Helena Independent-Record, Helena, Montana, 21 Oct 1918, p.2; Newspapers.com, viewed 30 Oct 2019.

[3] “Ohio Lutheran School Wrecked by Dynamite,” The Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 21 Oct 1918, p.7; Newspapers.com, viewed 30 Oct 2019.

[4] “German School Blown Up. Wreckers of Ohio Institution Said to Have Come From Indiana.” The Washington Post, Washington DC, 21 Oct 1918, p.3; Newspapers.com, viewed 30 Oct 2019.

Oct 29

Some Cemetery Statue Photos

Halloween is this Thursday and today I am taking a break from my usual Tombstone Tuesday to instead post some of my favorite photos that I have taken of cemetery statues.

First, the beautiful Kuhl monument in Woodlawn Cemetery, Ohio City, Ohio. This couple is gazing at each other for all eternity. 

Kuhl monument, Woodlawn Cemetery, Ohio City, Ohio. (2014 photo by Karen)

Kuhl monument, Woodlawn Cemetery, Ohio City, Ohio. (2014 photo by Karen)

Kuhl monument, Woodlawn Cemetery, Ohio City, Ohio. (2014 photo by Karen)

Kuhl monument, Woodlawn Cemetery, Ohio City, Ohio. (2014 photo by Karen)

Kuhl monument, Woodlawn Cemetery, Ohio City, Ohio. (2014 photo by Karen)

Kuhl monument, Woodlawn Cemetery, Ohio City, Ohio. (2014 photo by Karen)

Beautiful! I wonder if the Kuhl statues actually resemble the couple.

Some other beautiful statues in local cemeteries:

Arnet monument, Elm Grove Cemetery, St. Marys, Ohio. (2013 photo by Karen)

Closeup of Arnet statue, Elm Grove Cemetery, St. Marys, Ohio. (2013 photo by Karen)

Mumaugh monument, Woodlawn Cemetery, Lima, Ohio (2013 photo by Karen)

Closeup of Mumaugh monument, Woodlawn Cemetery, Lima, Ohio (2013 photo by Karen)

A statue of a young woman who looks very pensive:

Union Cemetery, Greenville, Darke Co. Ohio (2006 photo by Karen)

Armstrong monument, Elm Grove Cemetery, St. Marys, Ohio (2013 photo by Karen)

Closeup of Armstrong monument, Elm Grove Cemetery, St. Marys, Ohio (2013 photo by Karen)

The statue of a young child:

Greenlawn Cemetery, Wapakoneta, Ohio (2013 photo by Karen)

Greenlawn Cemetery, Wapakoneta, Ohio (2013 photo by Karen)

This lovely angel statue is only a few miles away in Kessler/Liberty Cemetery. There is one just like it at Riverside Cemetery, near Geneva, Indiana:

Bollenbacher monument, Kessler/Liberty Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio (2013 photo by Karen)

Closeup of Bollenbacher monument, Kessler/Liberty Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio (2013 photo by Karen)

Closeup of Bollenbacher monument, Kessler/Liberty Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio (2013 photo by Karen)

Union Cemetery, Greenville, Darke County, Ohio (2006 photo by Karen)

Inscription on the Mumaugh monument, Woodland Cemetery, Lima, Ohio:
Each departed friend
Is a magnet
That attracts us
To the next world.

I hope you have enjoyed looking at these monument photos.

Until next week…

Oct 25

1918 Photo of Dynamited Schumm Parochial School

One hundred and one years ago residents in the area of Schumm, Ohio, were shocked when Zion Lutheran’s parochial school was dynamited in the early morning hours of 20 October 1918. The time was during WWI, when the country was filled with anti-German sentiment. Schumm was settled by German immigrants. It was a German-Lutheran parish and they still held church services in German and taught the German language at the school at that time.

I wrote about this event last year, “Schumm Parochial School Dynamited in 1918.” [1] I have heard a couple theories about why the school was dynamited, but the most accepted theory is the anti-German sentiment at the time.

I have acquired a photo of Schumm’s parochial school not long after it was dynamited. The damage was to the northeast corner of the building:

Schumm Parochial School after 20 October 1918 dynamiting.

The brick school building, built in 1899, was about 24 x 32 feet. You can see where the dynamite was placed, under the window in the northeast corner, creating a large hole. The force of the explosion was so great that one end of the building was blown out, every window was broken, the seats were blown loose from their fastenings on the floor, the ceiling was wrecked and the entire North wall was damaged. The vibrations caused by the explosion created a report which was heard for miles around, indicating that a large quantity of the explosion was set off. [2]

Schumm’s parochial school:

Zion Lutheran Parochial School, Schumm, Ohio (built in 1899)

Tragic as this event was, at least the perpetrators chose a time when no one was at the school. No one was injured.

How ironic that at that same time there were young German-American men from Schumm, risking their lives while fighting the Germans in Europe. They were patriotic Americans.

[1] Karen’s Chatt, “Schumm Parochial School Dynamited in 1918,” 13 July 2018, https://karenmillerbennett.com/schumm/schumm-parochial-school-dynamited-in-1918/.

[2] Van Wert Daily Bulletin, Van Wert, Ohio, 21 Oct 1918, pg. 3. [The whole newspaper article at “Schumm Parochial School Dynamited in 1918.”]

Oct 22

Tombstone Tuesday–Alma Schinnerer

Alma Schinnerer, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Alma Schinnerer, located in row 7 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

ALMA SCHINNERER
1891-1977

“Alma” Rosina Elizabeth Schinnerer was born 17 November 1891 in Van Wert County, Ohio, the first child born to Frederick G. and Wilhelmine “Minnie” (Roehm) Schinnerer. Alma was baptized 20 November 1891, with Mrs. Elizabeth Schinnerer, Mrs. Rosine Schinnerer, and Mrs. Rosine Roehm serving as her sponsors.  

The Frederick Schinnerer family in the 1900 census, living in Willshire Township: Fred G, 39; Minnie, 29; Alma, 8; Martha, 6; Herman, 4; Carl, 2; Paula, 0; and Delton Bohlembach, 21, farm laborer. Her father Frederick was a farmer and the family lived east of Willshire. [1]

The Frederick Schinnerer family in 1910: Frederick, 49; Minnie, 39; Alma, 18; Martha, 16; Herman, 14; Carl, 12; Paula, 9; Gerhart, 6; and Arthur, 4. [2]

The Frederick Schinnerer family in 1920: Frederick, 58; Minnie, 48; Alma, 28; Martha, 26; Herman, 23; Gerhardt, 16; and Arthur, 14. [3]

By 1930 just Alma Schinnerer, 38, and her brother Arthur, 24, lived with their parents in the large white Schinnerer house just east of Willshire. Her father Frederick, 69, was a farmer and her mother Minnie was 59 years old. [4]

The father Frederick Schinnerer died 24 September 1935. [5]

In 1940 Alma, 48, lived with her widowed mother Minnie Schinnerer, 69. It appears they were living with Alma’s brother Arthur and his family, likely living in Friedrich Schinnerer’s (1824-1905) old house, just east of Willshire. Arthur was married by this time and had a year-old son, Joseph. [6]

It appears Alma had moved to Fort Wayne by 1950. Forty Wayne city directories indicate that she worked as a maid there in 1950-1952 and possibly longer, and as a cook at the Duemling Clinic in 1960. The Old Duemling Clinic was located on Fairfield Avenue in Fort Wayne.

Alma died of a heart attack on 29 January 1977 at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana. She was buried on the 31st. [7]

Alma’s parents, Frederick and Minnie (Roehm) Schinnerer, had the following children:
Alma Rosina Elizabeth (1891-1977), never married
Martha Juliana Louisa (1893-1989), married George “William” Joseph Schinnerer
Herman George Ludwig (1896-1954), married Norma Emilie Nofer
Karl Friedrich (1898-1964), married Ella Thomas
Paula Ida (1900-1912)
Gerhardt Johan (1903-1953), married Lillian Marcella Buechner
Arthur Heinrich Ludwig (1905-1961), married Helen Rosetta Spring

[1] 1900 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 97, p.9, dwelling 179, family 193, Fred G Schinerer; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1900usfedcen/ : viewed 13 Oct 2019). 

[2] 1910 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 114, p.3A, dwelling & family 51, Frederic Schimerer; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1910uscenindex/ : viewed 13 Oct 2019).

[3] 1920 U. S. Cesus, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, Ed 146, p.6A, dwelling 116, family 117, Fred G Schinnerer; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1920usfedcen/ : viewed 21 Oct 2019).

[4] 1930 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, Ed 24, p.2A, dwelling 27, family 28, Fredrick G. Schinnerer; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com  (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1930usfedcen/ : viewed 21 Oct 2019).

[5] “Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953,” Willshire, Van Wert, Frederich G Schinnerer, 24 Sep 1935; database with images, FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9PTH-9HBL?i=1505&cc=1307272&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AX6WL-3FG : viewed 21 Oct 2019).

[6] 1940 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 81-28, p.10A, house visited 195, Minnie Schinnerer; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1930usfedcen/ : viewed 20 Oct 2019).

[7] Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011, Indiana Archives and Records Administration, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1977, Roll 1, Alma E. Schinnerer, 29 Jan 1977; database on-line, Ancestry.com.