For the past several weeks I have been posting personal items, items of interest, and various advertisements from the 5 May 1904 edition of the Willshire Herald. Those items give us a glimpse of the past—what Willshire was like just after the turn of the century. I am nearing the end of information I can gather from that newspaper but there are still a few items that I have not covered.

Willshire had several fraternal societies in 1904, and evidence of one of them is still visible to this day.

Below is an 1886 map of Willshire. Although it was printed 18 years before this 1904 newspaper, it is a nice map showing the streets and a few of the businesses and churches. It gives you an idea of where some of these meetings were being held.

1886 Map of Willshire, Ohio.

Today, notices of some Willshire church and society meetings in 1904.

The Willshire Herald, 5 May 1904.

The ME Church was on the corner of Simpson and Hogan.

ME Church
Regular Services every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Sunday School at 9:30 a.m.
Prayer Meeting Thursday evening. Everyone invited.
Rev. J.B. Gottschall, Pastor

Willshire Lodge, F. & A.M.
Regular meetings first and third Wednesday of each month. Hall in the Cornell Block on Wolcott Street.
Visitors cordially welcomed.
James Chilcote, W.M.
D.O. Thorp, Sec.

This society was the “Free and Accepted Masons.” Secretary D.O. Thorp was a painter and wallpaper hanger and his ad was mentioned in the paper before.

Bethlehem Chapter, O.E.S.
Regular Meetings second & fourth Wednesday of each month at Masonic hall. Visitors cordially invited.
Mrs. Lulu Thomas, W.M.
Mrs. Idora Chilcote, Secy.

“Order of the Eastern Star,” is a Freemason organization and the largest fraternal lodge to which men and women can both belong, according to Wikipedia. Idora Chilcote and James Chilcote [W.M.–Worshipful Master of the Masons, shown above] may be related since both are in branches of the Masons.

Willshire Lodge, I.O.O.F.
Regular meetings every Friday evening in hall over Clothing store. Visiting Brothers cordially invited.
August Brown, N.G.
O.T. Salleys, Recording Secretary

 “Independent Order of Odd Fellows,” a non-political and non-sectarian fraternal society, according to Wikipedia. It evolved from the Order of Odd Fellows, which was founded in England in the 1700s. Their motto is Friendship, Love, and Truth and the first letters of this motto (FLT) are often inscribed in a three-link chain on a deceased member’s tombstone. Sometimes they use only the three chain links, without the letters, on a tombstone to indicate their membership.

Chas. A. Knott Lodge No. 542, K. of P.
Meets every Tuesday evening. All Pythian Knights cordially invited to visit us.
John Wechter, C.C.
Wm. G. Hoffer, K. of R. and S.

The Order of “Knights of Pythias,” a secret fraternal benefit society. The symbol of this society is still visible on the west face of the building, above Willshire Home Furnishings. It is a triangle with “1907, FCB.” The FCB stands for their motto–Friendship, Charity, Benevolence. [Note that Wm. G. Hoffer was also the publisher of the Willshire Herald.] The Pythian Sister’s is K. of P. female auxiliary.

Knights of Pythias emblem, Willshire, Ohio.

Knights of Pythias emblem above Willshire Home Furnishings.

Willshire Central Star Lodge, C.M.A.-O.T.N.
Meet every Thursday evening, in W.R.C. hall. All visiting members invited.
F.C. Myers, Pres.
C.E. Wechter, Sec’y

I am not sure what these letters stand for or what this society was, although I see that John Wechter was C.C. [could be Castle Chancellor?] of the Knights of Pythias and C.E. Wechter was Secretary in the C.M.A.-O.T.N. There could be a connection between the two Wechters and the latter society could have been a branch of the Pythian Sisters. Not sure, just speculation. Local Pythian Sister units are called Temples and there is a “T” in the letters.

This, on this same page of the newspaper:

Hon. C.B. Hoke, the Happy Hooligan of Van Wert county Pythians, has a large sized boom for election as Grand Outer Guard at the Grand Lodge meeting in Cleveland next month. Hoke is not only one of the most enthusiastic of Pythians, but he is also one of the most deserving. The Grand Lodge will bring honor on itself by elevating Mr. Hoke to the position for which the Fifth district Knights in convention assembled nominated him by unanimous consent. 

These societies were very popular at that time and their symbols and insignia were often placed on the tombstones of their deceased members. There were many such lodges and societies in the area and I have seen many of their symbols in Woodlawn Cemetery in Ohio City and in Woodland Union Cemetery in Van Wert. It is interesting to note how many different societies there were in an area by their tombstone insignia.  

Example of I.O.O.F. (Independent Order of Odd Fellows) insignia, Woodlawn Cemetery, Ohio City.

I am nearing the end of posting some of the many interesting items from the 5 May 1904 edition of the Willshire Herald, a newspaper that my great grandfather Louis J. Schumm saved. I have been posting items for several weeks now and have not yet covered all the information about the area people and the businesses in and around Willshire.

How ironic, this past week, while going through and sorting some digital photos my dad saved, I saw that he also scanned this very same newspaper. Evidently my dad also found the local news from 1904 interesting and scanned several items before he and my mom stored the newspaper away. It must be a family thing!   

More from that 1904 edition of the Willshire Herald:

The following group of items was under the heading Little Bopeep Items. This seems to be a strange heading but has some information about some local people. Maybe you will see one of your ancestors mentioned:

Bo-Peep Items, 1904 Willshire Herald.

Little Bopeep Items
The roads are better at present.
Wm. Tinkham was collecting money for the quarterage last week.
Frank Sipe has put up a picket fence within the last month.
Mrs. Jacob Vogt is on the sick list.
Matie Fogle visited Mrs. Martha Grim and family last week.
Eleanora and Catharine Reitz, of New Corydon, visited Mrs. C. Kuntz last week.
Mrs. Silas Oliver and daughter visited Mrs. Jennie Hecker last week.
June McDaniel has the scarlet-rash.
The two youngest sons of Allen Waggoner have the whooping cough.
Mrs. Mary Marbaugh visited her mother last week, who has been sick for a short time.
Mrs. Martha Grim was the guest of Mrs. Rebecca Bevington last Saturday afternoon.
Harry Stopher was the guest of Jennie Tinkham last Sunday.
Mrs. and Mrs. F.M. Tinkham made a flying trip to Decatur last Friday.

I am not exactly sure where Willshire Center was. Perhaps a reader knows.

Willshire Center Items
F.G. Roehm and J.C. Schumm were Willshire business visitors Wednesday.
Mrs. Wm. Buechner visited her sister, Mrs. F.G. Roehm, Wednesday.
W.A. Carter, of Pleasant Mills, was seen in our neighborhood last Wednesday.
C. Ault is teaching the spring term of school at Willshire Center.
J.S. Schumm is putting down a new dry well on his place and will erect a new windmill and put in a pump.
Mrs. John Roehm, Mrs. Fred Schinnerer, and Mrs. John Buechner spent Sunday afternoon very pleasantly with Mr. and Mrs. F.G. Roehm.

Some news from neighboring Adams County, Indiana:

Adams County Items
Will this winter ever end and summer come?
Old Mr. Lizar, of near Steele, is lying at death’s door with consumption. Henry Durrs visited John P. Hillyard’s last Sunday.
John Hoblet and family were calling on friends in this community last Sabbath.
R.O. Elston was at Berne Sunday.

Marriage:
Mr. and Mrs. James Gause were at Van Wert last Wednesday, for the purpose of procuring a marriage license for Mr. Loop and Parmelia King. They also brought home with them some of the very dainty refreshments served at the wedding dinner.

A Birthday Dinner
A grand birthday dinner was served at the home of Grandpa and Grandma Dull, two and one-half miles north of Willshire, last Sunday, May 1^st, in honor of the 87^th birthday of Mr. Dull. Those present and partaking of the splendid dinner and having an enjoyable time were their children, grand-children and great-grand-children, as follows: U.S. Dull, wife and child; A.W. Dull, wife and two children; S.R. Dull, D.L. Spahr, Miss Maude Spahr, C.M. Spahr, Will Myers and wife, Mrs. O. Swoveland and child; Dorcie Morehead and wife; Charles Dull, Bessie Bell, Samuel Slater, Marion and Flossie Baxter and Albert Case.

And finally, a Resolution:

Resolutions
Whereas: God in his wise providence has seen fit to remove from our Sunday school little Ruth Krick, we deeply mourn our loss yet our loss is Heaven’s gain. Be it resolved, that we extend our deepest sympathy to the bereaved family and that these resolutions be spread upon the minutes of the Sunday school and a copy presented to the family and one to the Willshire Herald for publication. Committee.

Today, more about Willshire, Ohio, in 1904, from information taken from the 5 May edition of the 1904 Willshire Herald.

From this newspaper I learned that Willshire once had a canning factory, which was mentioned several times in the paper. They were trying to convince local farmers to grow tomatoes or sweet corn for the factory:

The Willshire Canning factory now has over 150 acres of sweet corn and tomatoes contracted. Better get into the band wagon while there is yet a chance to toot a lead horn.

 And:

Farmers, Attention!
All persons desiring to avail themselves of the opportunity to raise sweet corn or tomatoes for the Canning Factory for the coming season, can contract with the processor, Chas. Nachbauer, on or after March 10, at the Hardware Store of Hurless & Brown, Willshire, O.

Professor Catchpole is going to put in his summer vacation superintending and caring for fifteen acres of corn and tomatoes, for the Canning Factory. How much better such a course is than to sit around like a bump on a log and croak against the Canning Factory and its success, as a number of our citizens are doing.

A couple testimonials:

Another Testimonial
This is to certify that I had out eight acres of tomatoes and raised 420 bushels to the acre, which made a profit of $52.00 an acre. This crop I raised in Lewis township, Clay County, Ind., in 1903, for the Clay City Packing company. I intend to raise another crop this year for the same company, as I consider it the most profitable kind of farming. If there is anyone who desires to inquire into this statement, I refer them to the Clay City Packing Co., Clay City, Ind. Yours truly, L. Phegley.

Willshire Herald, 1904

 And:

DOES IT PAY?
Read this statement from men who have raised material for canning factories and then ask yourselves this question: DOES IT PAY NOT to RAISE VEGETABLES for the CANNING FACTORY WHEN YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY? Following is the statement of one of them:

Clay City, Ind., April 19, 1904.
“We made a little over One Hundred dollars an acre off our tomatoes. So, you see, it paid us well for raising them. There are a number of others here who did as well. I will give you a few names of farmers around here who say that it paid them to raise tomatoes for the factory.

Wm. Liechty
George Williamson
Robert McKee
Mr. Phegley

And there are many others who would willingly add their testimony, but I think that it is not necessary to mention the names of others.

Yours truly, J.P. Scherb, Clay City, Ind.”
The above letter was written to Chas. Nachbauer, processor for the Willshire Canning factory.

Willshire Herald, 1904

One final item about the canning factory:

C.E. Detter is now at Oklahoma City, working up a $15,000 canning factory proposition. He says that city is a hustling, bustling place.

I wonder where the canning factory was located? Perhaps someone knows.

Willshire had a bank in back in 1904:

Willshire Bank
Willshire, Ohio
Henry Altheon, President
Alex Beall, Cashier
Do a General Banking Business
Collections Promptly Attended to
Banking Hours, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Willshire Bank, 1904

The following ad gives you an idea of home prices in 1904. William G. Hoffer was the man to see if you needed a home loan:

Who Has Money to Loan?
We can place at once $2,500 on First Mortgage.
$400 on a good residence property, located on a good street, worth $700.
$150 on a good residence property and one and a half acre of ground, worth, when house is completed, $900.
$600 on a good building lot, and house when completed, worth $900.
$500 on a good building lot, worth when house is completed, $900.
We have for sale, one residence property for $550.
Another for $1,000.
Another for $600.
Still another for $900.
And yet another for $1,350.
Wm. G. Hoffer,
Willshire, Ohio.

Wm. G. Hoffer, 1904 Willshire Herald

And William G. Hoffer could also set you up with property insurance:

Why Insure Your Property?
Because it is a business proposition.
Because the rate on residence property and household goods—three years for one per cent—is cheaper than you can carry it yourself.

Let Us Place Your Insurance
Because the commission don’t go out of town—you get a chance to get part of it back. You never do if you insure with an outside agency.

We represent the Anchor, Glens Falls, Connecticut, American Central, National, Commonwealth—all as good as the best and licensed to write fire insurance in Ohio—and James Watkins & Co., general insurance agents, Chicago, Illinois.

Place your next order for insurance with us.

Your truly,
Wm. G. Hoffer

Hoffer was a very busy man. He was also the publisher of the Willshire Herald.

Finally, the Willshire Markets in 1904:

The prices are much different than today’s prices, with some different items mentioned.