Sep 13

Remembering Uncle Kenny

Kenneth Eugene Miller
30 May 1933-7 September 2024

Kenneth Miller

It is sad when a beloved family member passes away. In this case his passing is the end of a generation.

My Uncle Kenny Miller, my dad’s brother, was the last surviving child of Carl and Gertrude (Brewster) Miller. Uncle Kenny passed away last Saturday evening. He was the seventh of eight Miller children.

Carl Miller Family, 1952: (standing) Kate, Ruth, Herb, Kenny, Vernie, Helen; (seated) Ann, Gertrude, Carl, Em.

Timing is everything and we are thankful that we visited Uncle Kenny in the hospital two days before he passed away. He fell in late July, a couple days before the Miller reunion, which he and his family had planned to attend. He was recovering from that concussion when he fell a second time a few weeks later and remained in the hospital.

We had a nice visit with Kenny that Thursday and he enjoyed talking about family and retelling the old family stories. As it turned out, he retold those stories one last time.

Every one of my Miller aunts and uncles loved telling those old family stories.    

Some of you may remember my Uncle Kenny. He graduated from Willshire High School in 1951, joined in the U.S. Army, and went to Tri-State College, Angola, Indiana, on the GI Bill. He graduated with a degree in chemical engineering and had a life-long career in northern Indiana.  

He married Delores “Dee” Martin in 1959 and they had 4 children. After retirement Kenny and Dee enjoyed spending winters in Arizona.

Although Uncle Kenny lived several hours away, he enjoyed getting together with family, most of whom still lived in this area. He came back for his siblings’ birthday dinners and for the Miller reunion. He and Dee would also visit Dee’s sister in Van Wert several times a year, and Joe and I usually met them for lunch and to visit.  

Kate, Ruth, Em, Vernie, Kenny, Herb in front, 2005

In the early 2000s, Kenny helped his siblings with their computer skills and got them (my dad Herb, Vernie, Kate, Ruth, and Em) to participate in a live computer chat once a week. They kept in touch this way every Friday morning for many years.

Uncle Kenny and I texted or called each other fairly often. We shared some of the books we read, had political discussions, and enjoyed sharing family photos and stories. He had a good memory and took the time to write down and share with me his memories of growing up on the Miller farm and his memories of his siblings. He gave me the old library table the Miller children used for their homework.

Karen sitting on Kenny’s lap, c1954

Coming from a family of eight, Uncle Kenny had a lot of family stories to tell.

Kenny was the one who sprang a mousetrap on his brother Vernie’s ear.

When he was very young, Kenny called Zion Chatt’s church balcony a haymow.

He drove a team of horses in the field and was a water boy for the threshers.

Kenny was a member of the Willshire Blue Blazers 4-H Club and his cow was 4-H Holstein Grand Champion and 3rd overall cow winner at the Van Wert County Fair one year.

Kenny & his Holstein, c1948

Before his family had a television, he went to Midlam’s Grocery in Chatt or to John Fritzinger’s house to watch TV.

Kenny and Vernie experimented with photo-shopping old photos:

Herb and Aunt Kate photo-shopped onto Herb’s old Model A

The passing of the last member from such a wonderful family is sad indeed.

Not only will we miss Kenny, but now that his generation is gone, our generation has become the oldest generation in the family. Our mortality is one step closer.

I am proud to have known each and every member of this special family and proud to say that I am a member of the Miller family.  

Sep 06

Safe Keeping

The village of Schumm, Ohio, once had a general store, located in a 2-story brick building that once stood on the lot next to the railroad tracks there.

General Store, Schumm, Ohio

Gustavus Jacob “Gus” Schumm (1881-1951) ran the general store in Schumm in the early 1900s. It was the major store in Schumm. The store was downtown Schumm. Schumm’s post office was also situated in the building at that time.

Gus Schumm had a free-standing, cast iron safe in the Schumm General Store. G.J. Schumm is painted on the front of the safe, from the  Victor Safe & Lock Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, likely about 1905. The gold emblem on the front indicates that the company won the Highest Award-Grand Prize in St. Louis in 1904, which helps to date the safe.

Safe from Gus Schumm’s General Store, Schumm, Ohio.

Gus sold the store to George Weinmann about 1916-1917 and Gus eventually moved his family to the Convoy area. Gus kept his Victor safe and the brick building in Schumm was razed sometime after 1929. No one knows for sure exactly when.   

After Gus died, his son Karl Schumm (1913-2019) inherited the safe, and after Karl died Karl’s son Bob acquired the safe. It is a true family heirloom, passed down from generation to generation.

Gus’ old safe is in very nice condition and his grandson Bob reports that the safe and its combination still work well. Bob’s dad Karl had him practice the safe’s combination, just to make certain he could always open it. Bob doesn’t lock the safe but keeps the combination nearby, on top of the empty safe.

Bob describes the safe as a massive heirloom, weighing a whopping 385 pounds. They used a forklift to move it onto a pickup truck and again off. 

It will come as no surprise to many of you, but I have a safe story of my own.

My great-grandfather “Louis” John Schumm (1851-1938) also had a safe very similar to the one Gus Schumm had. Louis’ safe was from the Vulcan Safe & Lock Company, for which I could find very little information. A paper left inside with the combination indicated that the lock was a Yale Lock, with 3 tumblers capable of 1 million changes. Wow. That would keep you busy.

Louis J Schumm safe

Louis also had his initials and surname painted on the front of his safe. How nice that these safes were personalized. But why? In case the safe was lost while traveling? I don’t think so. These babies are difficult to move.

Louis J Schumm’s safe

Louis’ son Cornelius (1896-1986), my grandfather, inherited the safe and kept it in their bedroom, as I recall. Or maybe in his garage. My parents eventually ended up with Louis Schumm’s safe. Thank goodness they decided to store it no farther than their garage. Had they stored it in their basement, it would still be there today.

Louis J Schumm’s safe

Louis J Schumm’s safe

The safe sat in my parents’ garage for about 30 years and was not in as good a condition as the Schumm Store safe.

Joe and I love family heirlooms and kept many of them, but this one was just too heavy and bulky for us to keep. Remember, Bob described his safe as a massive heirloom. The weight is the problem, not so much the size. They aren’t really that big, just very heavy.

We sold the safe and the buyer came over to get it with a truck and a flat-bed trailer. Joe and the buyer tried but could not get the safe onto the trailer. It was way too heavy. I guess they needed two men and a boy, as my dad used to say.

The next day the buyer came back with another man, but after several tries the three men could still not lift the safe onto the trailer. 

As they struggled to lift the safe, like magic, it suddenly flipped over. The heavy safe seemed to do a somersault right onto the trailer and landed completely upside-down! Wheels sticking straight up in the air. It was the craziest thing we ever saw.

Louis J Schumm’s safe on trailer

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and decided that the safe could travel upside-down to its next destination.

Off they went and we have no idea how they got the safe off the trailer or how they moved it after that. It was now their problem.

 

Sep 03

Tombstone Tuesday-Philip Linn

Philip Linn, UCC Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. (2024 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Philip Linn, located in row 7 of  St. Paul UCC Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. His marker is inscribed:

Philip
LINN
February 12, 1910
September 29, 1994

Philip Linn was born in Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio, on 12 February 1910, the youngest child of Jacob Linn Jr (1865-1927) and Elizabeth (1872-1943) Garman. Philips’s parents were both born in Germany.

Philip Linn, at age 3 months, was enumerated in the 1910 census with his parents and four siblings: Jacob Linn Jr, 44; Elizabeth, 37; Otto, 16; Lucy, 14; Caroline, 12; Peter, 10; and Philip, 3 mo. [1]

From the 1916 Mercer County Directory: Jacob Linn Jr, wife Elizabeth, 5 children, farmer, owned 120 acres, Liberty [Twp] 48, Route 1 Celina, 8 horses, 18 cows, with an Indiana telephone. [2]

In 1920 Philip Linn, 9, resided with his father and 3 siblings: Jacob Linn Jr, 54; Louisa, 25; Caroline, 22; Peter, 19; and Philip, 9. [3]

From 1930-1950 Philip Linn resided with his brother Otto and his family in Black Creek Township, helping on the farm. [4] [5] [6]

Philip Linn died in the Mercer County Hospital, Coldwater, on 29 September 1994, at age 84.

Philip Linn had the following siblings:
Infant brother (1891-1891)
Otto Linn (1893-1960), married Norah Gladys Stover
Infant brother (1894-1894)
Catharine Louisa Linn (1895-1974), married Theodore Arndts
Caroline Linn (1897-1983), never married
Peter Linn (1900-1976), married Iola Ione Kanorr 

[1] 1910 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 119, p.16a, dwelling 349, family 310, Jacob Linn; Ancestry.com.

[2] The Farm Journal Illustrated Directory of Mercer County, 1916, Wilmer Atkinson Co, Philadelphia: 1915, p.108.

[3] 1920 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 140, p4B. dwelling, 83, family 86, Jacob Linn; Ancestry.com.

[4] 1930 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Black Creek, ED 54-1, p.8B, dwelling & family 184, Otto Linn; Ancestry.com.

[5] 1940 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Black Creek, ED 54-1, p.7A, household 146, Otto Linn; Ancestry.com.

[6] 1950 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, ED 54-1, p.8, line 28, Philip Linn, Ancestry.com.  

Aug 30

Church Cookbook Recipes

A shout-out to Jean Giesige, who mentioned my Aunt Kate last week in her weekly column, Calamity Kitchen. Her lighthearted, often touching and inspirational articles are featured in the Daily Standard. We look forward to reading them and having a little chuckle.  

Last week’s piece reflected on sauerkraut and babies, and she ended it with my Aunt Kate’s Mango Kraut Recipe, which was published in the Mercer County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee Cookbook, about 1982.

Kate (Miller) Eichler

Aunt Kate (Miller) Eichler (1927-2016) and her four sisters were all very good cooks. I would recommend any of their recipes that you find in old local cookbooks.

And those cookbooks are still out there.

Churches often published cookbooks that featured the best recipes from the members of their women’s group. Other organizations, like the Mercer County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee, published cookbooks with local tried and true recipes.

When I was a teenager, I spent a day at Aunt Kate’s house and she taught me how to make her award-winning Swedish Tea Ring. Aunt Kate usually won a blue ribbon for her Swedish Tea Ring every year at the Mercer County Fair. It took the better part of a day to make the yeast bread and it was delicious. Her sugar cookies were delicious, too. So, I would imagine her Mango Kraut recipe would also be tasty.

I am not the cook my aunts were. I think I could be. I’m a decent cook and baker when I cook. I just don’t take the time to cook for a couple reasons. For one, cooking takes a lot of time and I prefer to do other things. Like genealogy research. Plus, it is easy and healthy to put a salad together. We are pretty creative with our lettuce salads and we try to eat light.

Even though I don’t cook much, I do have a collection of cookbooks, many from local churches. I pull them out when the family comes home and for family reunions. And when I feel like cooking a special meal.

Some people collect cookbooks. My mom was one of those people and she was also an excellent cook. She had a lot of cookbooks from a lot of places and a cookbook was always a good gift for her. A cookbook from Amish country or from another church was a good choice. I saved some cookbooks from my mom’s collection but gave many of them to my cousin Sharon.

But I saved the church cookbooks. Church cookbooks are the best. Women submitted their best recipes, the ones they knew were tasty and for the most part fool-proof. Some of these recipes have been in handed down in families for generations. It was often a difficult decision to pick which recipes to include. After all, these cookbooks would be around for along time. 

Take for example:

St. John Lutheran Church, Hopewell Township, 1968 cookbook

This is A Book of Favorite Recipes from the Women of St. John’s Lutheran Church [Hopewell Township], 1968. Aunt Kate gave me this cookbook, from her church, as a bridal shower gift in 1973 and I have used this cookbook for over 50 years since.

Aunt Kate submitted about 18 of her favorite recipes for the book. She submitted a variety of recipes from appetizers, salads, vegetables, and main dishes, to cakes, cookies, and desserts. One of my favorite recipes that she submitted, which I haven’t made for years, is her recipe called Beef Porcupines. An easy, tasty recipe.

BEEF PORCUPINES
1 lb. ground beef
1 ½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. celery salt
1 Tbsp. grated onion
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
¼ – ½ c. uncooked rice   
¼ tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped green pepper
4 c. tomato juice
1Tbsp. sugar

Mix together beef, rice, salt, pepper, celery salt, green pepper, and onion. Form into about 18 small meat balls. Pour tomato juice into a large skillet, add sauce and sugar. Add the meat balls, cover and simmer over low heat for about 1 hour or until rice is tender in the center of the meat balls. You can also add ¼ – ½ cup of uncooked rice to the tomato juice when you add the meat balls. Stir occasionally.

I can almost taste those meat balls. I may have to make this again soon.

No doubt about it, the church ladies are some of the best cooks and have the best recipes.  

Aug 27

Tombstone Tuesday-Knights of Pythias Flag Staff

This is a Knights of Pythias flag staff, located at the Feasel monument, Willshire Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio.

Knights of Pythias flag staff, Willshire Cemetery (2024 photo by Karen)

This flag staff incorporates many of this fraternal society’s symbols.

Its general shape is that of a sword, topped with a knight’s helmet.

Inscribed below that in a triangle are the letters F C B, an acronym for the society’s motto, Friendship, Charity, and Benevolence.

Below the triangle are the large letters K P, the initials of Knights of Pythias.

Knights of Pythias flag staff, Willshire Cemetery (2024 photo by Karen)

The rest of the flag staff looks like a sword.

The Knights of Pythias symbol is also carved into the Feasel tombstone.

Knights of Pythias symbol, Willshire Cemetery (2024 photo by Karen)

Below is the Knights of Pythias logo:

Knights of Pythias logo

What an attractive and unique flag staff.