Aug 25

1909 Postcard to Gerty Brewster from Mrs. Wyman

Here is a postcard my Uncle Vernie shared with me some time ago.

1909 postcard to Gerty Brewster from Mrs. Wyman.

It is postmarked from:
Mrs. Wyman
Brecksville, Ohio
11 Oct 1909, 4 p.m.

To:
Miss Gerty Brewster
Geneva, Ind., Route 5

Miss Gerty Brewster was my grandmother Gertrude (Brewster) Miller (1896-1973).

Brecksville, Ohio, is a city in Cuyahoga County, a suburb of Cleveland and also a township in Cuyahoga County.

Written on the back of the postcard:

My dear friend I promised to you a card of my house. It is Mother Wyman & a nephew of mine that stayed with us this Summer & Myself. Mr. W & the pony had gone to Cleveland or would have been on. I have been busy since I came home. Tell your mother I did not see her half as long as I wanted to. Hope when I come again I can stay longer & can have a good long time visit with her. I hope she is well and the Baby good natured and that you will keep well this Winter. Your sincere friend. Mrs. Wyman

1909 postcard to Gerty Brewster from Mrs. Wyman.

My grandma Gertie would have been almost 13 in October 1909. The baby the writer referred would have been my grandma’s younger sister Elva.

I like to look at and read these old postcards and try to figure out who they were from. Unfortunately there just is not enough information on this card to figure out who Mrs. Wyman was.

I did a few Internet marriage searches with a few family names but I did not come up with any Wyman-related marriages.

I do not know of any Wymans in our family history. I searched for Wymans in Cuyahoga County in the 1900 census but there were quite a number of them and without a given name I did not know who I was looking for.

Perhaps Mrs. Wyman was a teacher and lived in Indiana for a time.

I searched through all of Brecksville Township in the 1910 census but I did not find any Wymans there, in what was a very German and Polish community.

I would guess that Mother Wyman is the lady in the rocker and the younger girl standing by her is Mrs. Wyman, maybe married to Mother Wyman’s son. Maybe. It sounds like the writer came to Indiana to visit Gertie’s mother Pearl. That would have been quite a trip back in 1909, traveling from Cleveland to Geneva, Indiana.

I just do not have enough information to try to determine who sent the card.  Maybe someday I will figure it out.

 

 

Aug 22

Tombstone Tuesday–William George Bollenbacher

William George Bollenbacher, Kessler Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio (2017 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of William George Bollenbacher, located in row 4 of Kessler Cemetery [aka Liberty Cemetery], Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

William G.
BOLLENBACHER
Feb. 6, 1885
July 6, 1945

William George Bollenbacher was born 6 February 1885 in Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio, the son of Jacob and Magdalena “Lena” (Distler) Bollenbacher. He had a twin brother John David and both of their births are recorded in Mercer County. [1] This was the father Jacob Bollenbacher’s third marriage and son William had a number of half-siblings. In addition, William’s father Jacob served as a private in Company A of the 29th Regiment, OVI during the Civil War. [2]

In 1900 William Bollenbacher resided in Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio, with his parents and eight siblings. Their household in 1900: Jacob, 62; Magdalena, 43; Emma, 22; Elizabeth, 17; John D, 15; William G, 15; Daniel F, 12; Jacob D, 10; Molly, 8; Amelia, 5; and Hilda, 2. Jacob was born in Germany and immigrated in 1852. Magdalena was born in Ohio. Jacob and Magdalena had been married 38 years and she had given birth to eight children, all of whom were living. The father Jacob was a farmer. [3]

William George Bollenbacher married Mary Olga Huffman on 6 February 1907 in Adams County, Indiana. They were married on William’s birthday. Mary Olga Huffman was the daughter of George F. and Sarah Roseann (Dodge) Huffman, born in Adams County, Indiana, on 12 August 1889. According to their marriage license William was a farmer and Mary’s occupation was farmer’s daughter. It was the first marriage for both. [4] They were married by John Ault, JP. [5]

Two Bollenbacher brothers married Huffman sisters. William’s brother Jacob Dewald Bollenbacher married Mary Olga’s sister Maggie Iona Huffman.

William and Mary (Huffman) Bollenbacher resided in Jefferson Township, Adams County, Indiana, and in 1910 they had two children, Lulu I, 2; and Harold, 6 months. Lulu was reportedly born in Ohio, while Harold was born in Indiana. William farmed. [6] Their son Harold would eventually own and operate Bollenbacher’s Grocery in Chatt.

William Bollenbacher registered for the WWI draft in September 1918. His address was given as RR2 Geneva. He was 33 years old and was described as medium height and build with brown eyes and black hair. [7]

By 1920 William and Mary (Huffman) Bollenbacher had four children. Their family in 1920: William, 34; Mary O, 30; Lula I, 12; Harold A, 10; Gladys V, 6; and Alvin L, 3. William still farmed. [8]

William’s wife Mary Olga died on 16 November 1920. She was only 31 years of age [9] and left William to raise their four children who were under the age of 13 years.

In 1930 widower William lived with three of their four children in Jefferson Township. Their household in 1930: William, 45; Gladys I, 16; Alvin L, 12; and Mary Helen, 9. William farmed. [10] His son Harold Bollenbacher was already married, living with his own family in Jefferson Township, not all that far from some of my Brewster relatives. [11]

Widower William Bollenbacher resided in Jefferson Township the rest of his life. In 1940 he lived with his extended family. Living with him were daughters Mary and Gladys and Gladys’ family. Gladys was married to Robert Stuber and they had 3 children. In their household in 1940: William Bollenbacher, 50 (head); Mary Bollenbacher, 20 (daughter); Robert Stuber, 28 (son-in-law); Gladys Stuber, 27 (daughter); Richard Stuber, 4; Alice Stuber, 2; and Thomas Stuber, under a year; (grandchildren). William farmed and his son-in-law Robert drove a milk truck. [12]

At age 57 William registered for the WWII draft. He was 57 years old and resided at RR2, Geneva. He was 5’9”, weighed 145 pounds, had brown eyes, black hair, and a ruddy complexion. Mrs. Robert Stuber was the person named who would always know his address. [13]

William died on 6 July 1945 at RR 4 Berne, Adams County, Indiana. His death was caused by a brain tumor from an accidental head injury that he received some time before. He was 60 years and 5 months old. His daughter Lulu, Mrs. Gerald Farlow, was the informant for the information on his death certificate. He was buried on the 9th and Wells & Hardy, Geneva, were in charge of the arrangements. [14]

William and Mary Olga (Huffman) Bollenbacher had the following children:
Lulu I Bollenbacher (1907-2001), married Gerald Farlow
Harold (1909-1992), married Martha White
Gladys (1913-2004), married Robert Stuber
Alvin L (1916-1985), married Pauline Rupert
Mary Helen (1920-2006), married Charles Baker

William’s wife Mary Olga is buried in row 7 of Kessler Cemetery, just a few rows away from William.

 

[1] “Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003,” FamilySearch.org, Georg William Bollenbaugher, 6 Feb 1885; Liberty, Mercer Co, Births, FHL microfilm 2367095.

[2] U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865, National Park Service, Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System; Ancestry.com.

[3] 1900 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, ED 85, p.6B, dwelling 111, family 116, Jacob Bollenbancher; Ancestry.com; FHL microfilm 1241304, NARA microfilm T623, roll 1304.

[4] “Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007,” database with images, FamilySearch.org, William G Bollenbacher & Mary Olga Huffman; Adams County Marriage License Applications, Vol. 2, p.89; FHL microfilm 2321466.

[5] Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007,” database with images, FamilyhSearch.org, William G Bollenbacher & Mary Olga Huffman, 6 Feb 1907; Adams County Marriages, Vol. 1, p.179; FHL microfilm 2321629.

[6] 1910 U.S. Census, Jefferson, Adams, Indiana, ED 4, p.8B, dwelling & family 165, William G Bollenbacher; Ancestry.com; FHL microfilm 1374351, NARA microfilm T624, roll 338.

[7] U.S., WWI Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Adams, Indiana, roll 1439777, William G. Bollenbacher; WWI Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, NARA, Washington D.C., M1509.

[8] 1920 U.S. Census, Jefferson, Adams, Indiana, ED 4, p.6B, dwelling 125, visited 135, William G. Bollenbacher; Ancestry.com; NARA microfilm T625, roll 420.

[9] Indiana Archives and Records Administration, Death Certificates, 1920, roll 19; Mary Olga Bollenbacher, 16 Nov 1920; Ancestry.com; Indiana State Board of Health Death Certificates, 1900-2011, Indiana Archives and Records Administration, Indianapolis, Indiana.

[10] 1930 U.S. Census, Jefferson, Adams, Indiana, ED 4, p.6B, dwelling 148, family 149, William Ballembocher; Ancestry.com; FHL microfilm 2340309, NARA microfilm T626, roll 574.

[11] 1930 U.S. Census, Jefferson, Adams, Indiana, ED 4, p.4A, dwelling & family 80, Herold Bollenbacher; Ancestry.com; FHL microfilm 2340309, NARA microfilm T626, roll 574.

[12] 1940 U.S. Census, Jefferson, Adams, Indiana, ED 1-4, p.5B, line 41, house visited 92, William Bollenbacher; Ancestry.com; NARA microfilm T627, roll 1024.

[13] U.S., WWII Draft Registration Cards, 1942, Records of the Selective Service System, 1926-1975, Record Group No. 147, William George Bollenbacher; NARA, Selective Service Registration Cards, WWII, Fourth Registration, Record Group No. 147.

[14] Indiana Archives and Records Administration, Death Certificates, 1945, roll 9; William Bollenbancher [as indexed], 6 Jul 1945; Ancestry.com; Indiana State Board of Health Death Certificates, 1900-2011, Indiana Archives and Records Administration, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Aug 18

Mount Carmel EUB Sunday School Class of 1914

Today, an old photo that was submitted and printed in The Graphic, Portland, Indiana, in 1954. The photo was originally taken in 1914 of Edna Brewster’s Mount Carmel EUB Church Sunday School class. The church was located in Jefferson Township, Adams County, Indiana.

The Graphic had a feature section “From the Old Album” where people could submit an old photo with a description and maybe even a little bit of history.

From the Thursday, 7 October 1954 edition of The Graphic:

My grandmother Gertrude (Brewster) Miller (1896-1973) and her sister Alpha (Brewster) Derickson (1898-1968) are among the young ladies pictured in the photo below. The girls are all dressed in white, in their finest Sunday dresses. It looks like it was a special occasion. I wonder what what the occasion could have been.

Written below the photo:
Bryant—From the family album of Mrs. Herbert Arnold, RR1, Bryant, comes this picture of the Mount Carmel Sunday school class of 1914. The teacher for these young ladies was Edna (Brewster) Abnet. They’re the only clues we have on this picture post card except the guess that the picture was taken in the classroom at the church.

Mt Carmel Sunday School Class, 1914; postcard held by Karen.

The class:
Seated, left to right: Iva (Irwin) Charleston, Edna (Brewster) Abnet, Alpha (Brewster) Derickson, Clara (Fogle) Becher, Blanch (Beerbower) Foreman, and Janie (Irwin) Arnold.

Standing, left to right: Lola (Charleston) Taylor, Anna (Ketchum) Durbin, Cleo (Rumple) Pyle, Jannette (Charleston) Striker, Ethel (Evans) Houseman, Mary Champer, Gertrude (Brewster) Miller, Augusta (Brewster) Rockwood, Addie (Ketchum) Hisey, and Eathel (Evans) Dailey.

Interesting that the paper printed the girls’ names up-side-down, making the reader try to guess who they are.

In addition to my grandmother Gertrude and my great-aunt Alpha, a couple of the other names sound familiar. It turns out I have run across some of the names before.

Edna (Brewster) Abnet, the teacher, was Dora Edna Brewster (1892-1967), daughter of Daniel and Mary Loverda (Bebout) Brewster. Edna was my grandma Gertrude’s aunt and Edna’s father Daniel Brewster was my great-great-grandfather. Edna Brewster married Charles Calvin Abnet (1879-1960) and they had a son Don, who married Ruth E. Luginbill.

Augusta Blanch (Brewster) Rockwood (1897-1965) was the daughter of Daniel and Mary Loverda (Bebout) Brewster and a sister of Edna Brewster, the teacher. Augusta married Dale Henry Rockwood (1895-1965) and they had four children: Loverda (1915-1994), George Henry (1917-1920), Delno (1919-1985), and Veryl (1921-1998).

Clara (Fogle) Becher (1899-1980) was Clara Catharine Fogle, daughter of Samuel J. and Ida C. (Booher) Fogle.  She married Clarence Oliver Rehman “Raymond” Becher (1897-1956) in 1918. Raymond was the son of Jacob and Mary (Kettering) Becher. The Bechers attended Zion Chatt at one time.

My great aunt Alpha Ethel Brewster married Ralph Derickson (1894-1981) and they had children Pauline, Ruby, Elva, Ralph Jr, Alvin, and Paul. Ralph Jr was killed in Germany in 1945 during WWII.

Mount Carmel Church was a frame structure in rural Jefferson Township. It had a Geneva address and was located about two miles across the state line, about 4-5 southwest of Chatt. So it was not really all that far from Chatt. Google Maps indicates the address of the church was E 900 S, S 450 E. Back then it was an Evangelical United Brethren church (EUB), which is now United Methodist.

According to his obituary, Gertrude’s father Philip Brewster was a janitor at the Mount Carmel Church for many years.

This is the second family-related photo I have seen in “From the Old Album.” The other is a wonderful five-generation photo that also includes some good family history information. My grandmother Gertrude is also in the photo below. She is the little girl and the photo was probably taken about 1898. I appreciate that copies of both articles were saved by someone in our family.

Five Generation Photo, Cottrell, Headington, Reid, Brewster; The Graphic, 18 April 1957.

My ancestors in the photo above: William Reid, Gertrude (Brewster) Miller, Mary Ann (Cottrel) Headington, Pearl (Reid) Brewster, and Elvira (Headington) Reid. I have written about this photo before.

Aug 15

Tombstone Tuesday–Mary Olga (Huffman) Bollenbacher

Mary Olga (Huffman) Bollenbacher, Kessler Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio. (2013 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Mary Olga (Huffman) Bollenbacher, located in row 7 of Kessler Cemetery [aka Liberty Cemetery], Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Mary O.
Wife of
William G.
Bollenbacher
Aug. 12, 1889
Nov. 16, 1920

Mary Olga Huffman was the daughter of George F. and Sarah Roseann (Dodge) Huffman, born in Adams County, Indiana, on 12 August 1889. Her baptism is recorded in Zion Lutheran Chatt’s records, which tell that she was baptized at home on 6 November 1892. Jacob Huffman and Maria Kessler served as her sponsors. Her sister Maggie Iona Huffman, born 18 Aug 1892, was baptized that same day, with Jacob Bollenbacher and his wife serving as her sponsors. Their surname was recorded as Hoffmann in their baptism records as well as some of the other entries.

In 1900 Mary Olga Huffman, reportedly 10 years old, lived with her family on their farm in Jefferson Township, Adams County, Indiana. They had moved there from Liberty Township, Mercer County, in about 1884. [1]

Mary Olga married William George Bollenbacher on 6 February 1907 in Adams County, Indiana. William was the son of Jacob and Lena (Distler) Bollenbacher. According to their marriage license William was a farmer and Mary’s occupation was farmer’s daughter. It was the first marriage for both. [2] They were married by John Ault, Justice of the Peace. [3]

Two Huffman sisters married Bollenbacher brothers. Mary Olga’s sister Maggie Iona Huffman married William’s brother Jacob Dewald Bollenbacher.

William and Mary (Huffman) Bollenbacher resided in Jefferson Township, Adams County, and in 1910 they had two children, Lulu I, 2; and Harold, 6 months. Lulu was reportedly born in Ohio, while Harold was born in Indiana. William Bollenbacher farmed. [4] Their son Harold would eventually own and operate Bollenbacher’s Grocery in Chatt.

By 1920 Mary and William had four children. Their family in 1920: William, 34; Mary O, 30; Lula I, 12; Harold A, 10; Gladys V, 6; and Alvin L, 3. William still farmed. [5]

Mary Olga (Huffman) Bollenbacher died of nephritis rheumatism and pyemia [blood poisoning/septicemia] on 16 November 1920, likely at their home in Jefferson Township. She had suffered with the condition for six months and was only 31 years, 3 months, and 5 days old. The informant of information on her death certificate was Maggie Huffman of Geneva, Indiana. The undertaker was Wells Brothers, Geneva, and Mary was buried on the 18th. [6]

William and Mary Olga (Huffman) Bollenbacher had the following children:
Lulu I Bollenbacher (1907-2001), married Gerald Farlow
Harold (1909-1992), married Martha White
Gladys (1913-2004), married Robert Stuber
Alvin L (1916-1985), married Pauline Rupert
Mary Helen (1920-2006), married Charles Baker

 

[1] 1900 U.S. Census, Jefferson, Adams, Indiana, ED 4, p.11A, dwelling & family 198, Geo F Huffman; Ancestry.com; FHL microfilm 1240357, NARA microfilm T623, roll 357.

[2] “Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007,” database with images, FamilySearch.org, William G Bollenbacher & Mary Olga Huffman; Adams County Marriage License Applications, Vol. 2, p.89; FHL microfilm 2321466.

[3] Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007,” database with images, FamilySearch.org, William G Bollenbacher & Mary Olga Huffman, 6 Feb 1907; Adams County Marriages, Vol. 1, p.179; FHL microfilm 2321629.

[4] 1910 U.S. Census, Jefferson, Adams, Indiana, ED 4, p.8B, dwelling & family 165, William G Bollenbacher; Ancestry.com; FHL microfilm 1374351, NARA microfilm T624, roll 338.

[5] 1920 U.S. Census, Jefferson, Adams, Indiana, ED 4, p.6B, dwelling 125, visited 135, William G. Bollenbacher; Ancestry.com; NARA microfilm T625, roll 420.

[6] Indiana Archives and Records Administration, Death Certificates, 1920, roll 19; Mary Olga Bollenbacher, 16 Nov 1920; Ancestry.com; Indiana State Board of Health Death Certificates, 1900-2011, Indiana Archives and Records Administration, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Aug 11

From an Old Negative to a Digital Photo

A few weeks ago I found an old negative, 2¼ x 3¼ inches, among some old papers. I could tell there were three people and a tractor in the photo. In the past I have sent negatives away to have them digitized but I wondered if I could do this one myself. I decided to give it a try.

I scanned the negative with my Flip Pal portable scanner and then transferred that digital image to my laptop.

Scanning negative with Flip Pal scanner.

I opened the image of the negative with my photo program and in the editing section I selected Negative—Invert Image (all channels).

Old 3 1/4 x 2 1/4 negative after scanning with Flip Pal.

It worked! I got a fairly good digital image from the negative I scanned. It is a little scratched up but the negative was dull and scratched to begin with.

Negative after converting to digital photo. Carl, LaVerne, and Kenny Miller, c1944.

This experiment worked with this size negative but a smaller negative may not work. I use a free photo program called IrfanView, which I downloaded from the Internet. It suits my needs and is user-friendly.

The photo was taken in the barnyard just east of the old Miller farmhouse. My grandpa Carl Miller is sitting on the John Deere tractor. Two of his sons, my uncle Vernie and my uncle Kenny are standing nearby with Spot the family dog. My dad was probably in the Army at the time the photo was taken, likely around 1944-45.

My uncle Kenny mentioned that they had a tractor with metal wheels, similar to a McCormick Deering 10-20, before they had this John Deere tractor. Before that they used horses to pull wagons and other farm machinery.

I tried the same procedure with a 35mm slide but the results were not good. It ended up looking like a very poor quality photo.