Jan 04

Tombstone Tuesday-Lyre/Harp Symbol

A lyre or harp engraved on a tombstone is a symbol of heavenly music, praise to God, and the hope of heaven. Lyres and harps are often seen as the root of divine music.

Lyre Symbol, Greenlawn Cemetery, Wapakoneta, Ohio

The lyre is a stringed instrument with a U-shaped frame and is a member of the zither or harp family. A harp has an upright triangular frame with a curved neck. The strings on both are plucked with the fingers.

Harp, St. Joseph Cemetery, Auglaize County, Ohio

Lyres and harps are mentioned many times in the Bible but the first mention dates to before the flood, to a descendant of Cain. Genesis 4:21: His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes.

Probably the most famous Biblical lyre player was young David, who was called in the night to play his lyre before the ailing King Saul. 1 Samuel 16:23: And whenever the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

The ancient Sumerians and Egyptians are the oldest civilizations that recorded the use of lyres and harps. The ancient Greeks used lyres and harps to accompany song and recitation and the lyre was the instrument of Apollo.

The lyre or harp symbol on a tombstone may indicate that someone of Irish heritage.

Dec 31

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from Karen’s Chatt!

Wishing everyone a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2022!

Dec 28

Tombstone Tuesday-Anchor Symbol

An anchor symbol on a tombstone signifies hope.

Anchor symbol, Greenlawn Cemetery, Wapakoneta, Ohio.

The anchor is an ancient symbol of hope and early Christians drew a cross, disguised as an anchor, to mark and guide their way to secret meeting places. Crosses and anchors are still used together in designs today. 

Anchor with cross incorporated in design.

An anchor is mentioned in the Bible, in Hebrews 6:19. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil…  

Anchor, among other symbols, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Ohio.

Hope is one of the seven Virtues and is usually depicted as a person leaning on an anchor. Sculpted forms of the seven Virtues are usually found in larger cemeteries, individually or grouped together. Faith, Hope, and Charity are the three theological virtues.   

Virtue of Hope, with anchor, St. Joseph Cemetery, Wapakoneta, Ohio.

Virtue of Hope, with anchor, St. Joseph Cemetery, Wapakoneta, Ohio.

Virtue of Hope, with anchor, Elm Grove Cemetery, St. Marys, Ohio.

An anchor is sometimes used as a seafaring symbol on the grave marker of a sailor, but the Christian usage of this symbol is more prevalent.     

Dec 24

Merry Christmas from Karen’s Chatt!

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Merry Christmas from Karen’s Chatt!

Wishing you and your family all the blessings of Christmas!

 

 

Dec 21

Tombstone Tuesday-Henry M. & Minnie (Hoppe) Schumm

Henry M. & Minnie (Hoppe) Schumm, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Henry M. and Henrietta “Wilhelmina/Minnie” (Hoppe) Schumm, located in row 4 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

SCHUMM

Henry M.
1861-1941

Minnie Hoppe
His Wife
1860-1937

George Martin Heinrich “Henry M.” Schumm was born, 18 June 1861, the son of Friedrich (1814-1902) and Magdalena (Meyer) (1819-897) Schumm. Henry M. was baptized at Zion Lutheran Schumm on 24 June 1861, with George Schumm Jr, Martin Schinnerer, and Henry Schumm serving as his sponsors.

Henry M. Schumm was enumerated in 1870 with his family: Friedrich Schumm, 56; Magdalena, 50; William, 30; Friedrich, 25; Mary, 19; George, 14; Barbara, 12; Henry, 9; Lewis, 16; and Ferdinand, 6. The father Friedrich was a farmer. [1]

By 1880 most of Henry M.’s siblings had left home. The Friedrich Schumm family in 1880: Friedrich, 66; Magdalena, 59; Barbara, 21; Henry M, 18; and Ferdinand, 16. [2]

Henry M. Schumm was appointed Schumm’s Postmaster on 14 August 1886. He may have been appointed in 1885 but that name is recorded simply as Henry Schumm and there were several Henry Schumms in the area.

Henry M. Schumm married Minnie Hoppe on 5 May 1887 in Fulton County, Indiana, married by Rev. H. Diemer, Ev. Lutheran minister. [3]

Henrietta “Wilhelmina/Minnie” Hoppe was born in Rochester, Fulton County, Indiana, on 26 April 1860, the daughter of John F. (1835-1864) and Abalonia (Guenther) (1837-1923) Hoppe.

The John F. Hoppe family in 1860: John, 25, [born] Hannover; Abby [Abalonia], 22, Bavaria; Minnie, 3 months, Indiana; Frederick Runker, 33, Hanover; and Frederick Froman, 23, Hanover. The father John Hoppe was a grocer in Rochester, Indiana, and Runker and Froman were clerks, likely in John’s store. [4]

John and Abalonia Hoppe had two other children, born in 1862 and 1863, and both died in infancy. Minnie’s father John F. Hoppe died in Rochester, Indiana, 11 August 1864. Minnie’s widowed mother Abalonia (Guenther) married Henry F. Freese 15 July 1870 in Cass County, Indiana.

The Henry Freese family in 1870, living in Logansport, Indiana: Henry Freese, 34, Hanover; Abbie Freese, 32, Bavaria; and Mena Hoppe, 10, Indiana. Henry Freese’s occupation was car inspector. Possibly a railroad car inspector? [5]

The Henry Freese family in 1880, living in Rochester, Indiana: Henry, 44; Abby, 43; and Minnie, 20, stepdaughter. Henry’s occupation was farmer. [6]

Rochester, Indiana, is nearly 100 miles from Schumm, Ohio, but somehow Henry M. Schumm met Minnie Hoppe and they married in Fulton County, Indiana, in 1887. Minnie had some association with Schumm at least two years before their marriage because Minnie was a baptismal sponsor at Zion Lutheran Schumm in 1885. Henry M. and Minnie resided in the Schumm area by 1888, where their first child Agnes was born. Minnie’s parents Henry and Abby/Abalonia Freese moved to the Schumm area some time before 1900. Both Henry and Abby/Abalonia were living with the Henry M. Schumm family in 1900 and both Freeses are buried in Zion Schumm’s cemetery.  

The Henry M. Schumm family in 1900: Henry M, 39; Wilhelmina H, 40; Agnes, 12; Alma, 10 Emanuel, 9; Emil, 6; Edna, 4; Clara, 3; Alfred, 2 months; Henry Freese, 63, father-in-law; Abalonia, 61, mother-in-law. [7]

Minnie’s stepfather Henry Freese died in 1902.

Henry M. Schumm entered into a homestead contract in Cheyenne County, Colorado, about 1907 and was not enumerated with his family in Willshire Township in 1910. He seems to be MIA in the 1910 census, but I suspect he was living on his 160 acres in Colorado and was not enumerated there. 

Meanwhile, Minnie Schumm was enumerated with her 8 children in Van Wert County in 1910. However, this enumeration raises questions about the children, as Edna’s name is repeated and it appears Agnes was also enumerated in Indiana. Minnie Schumm and children in 1910: Minnie, 50, married, 8 children, all living; Edna, 22; [?], 20, daughter; Emanuel, 18; Emil, 17; Edna, 15; Clara, 12; Alfred, 10; and Oswald, 8. Abbie Freese, 72, widow, living next door, [Minnie’s mother]. [8]

Several Colorado newspaper items give information about Henry M. Schumm’s time in Colorado. I wrote about this a couple weeks ago. Then we come to the 1920 census, where some family members were enumerated twice.

The Minnie/Wilhelmina Schumm household in Willshire Township, enumerated 7 January 1920: Wilhelmina H Schumm, 59, IN, head; Agnes, 31, OH, daughter; Alma, 30, OH, daughter; Emanuel, 28, OH, son; Clara, 21, OH, daughter; Alfred, 19, OH, son; Oswald, 17, OH, son; and Abalonia Freese, 83, Germany, widow. [9]

The Henry M. Schumm household in Cheyenne Wells, Cheyenne, Colorado, enumerated a little over a month later, on 12-13 February 1920: Henry M Schumm, 58, OH, head; Wilhelmina H, 59, IN, wife; Clara Schumm, 20, OH, daughter; Alfred Schumm, 18, OH, son; Oswald Schumm, 16, OH, son. Henry was a farmer and owned house with a mortgage. [10] Wilhelmina, Clara, Alfred, and Oswald evidently traveled to Colorado after the Willshire census was taken on 7 January and were enumerated there, too.

By 1930 Henry M. Schumm (68) and his wife Wilhelmina (69) were back in Van Wert County, the two of them living in Willshire Township. [11]

Henry M. Schumm’s wife Minnie (Hoppe) died from a cerebral hemorrhage at Schumm on 19 November 1937, at the age of 77 years, 6 months, and 23 days. She was buried on the 22nd. Her obituary:

Mrs. H.M. Schumm
Van Wert, Nov. 20—Mrs. H.M. Schumm, 77, died yesterday following a paralytic stroke at her home in Willshire-tp. The deceased was born April 26, 1860 at Rochester, Ind., and was a daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. John Hoppe. She had been a resident of the county since her marriage May 5, 1887.

Surviving are three daughters, Alma at home, Eda Schumm of Mechanicsburg, and Clara of Troy, O; and four sons, Emmauel [sic], Alfred and Oswald Schumm at home, and Emil Schumm of Colorado Springs, Col.

Funeral services will be held Monday at 2:30 p.m. at the Schumm Lutheran church. Rev. Alfred Moeller, pastor officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. [12]

In 1940 widower Henry M. Schumm lived with his children Alma and Oswald near Schumm. [13]

Henry M. Schumm died from renal problems at Schumm on 1 February 1941 at the age of 79 years, 7 months, and 13 days. He was buried on the 3 February, with Rev. A. Moeller officiating. Henry M. Schumm’s obituary:

Henry M. Schumm
Ohio City, Feb. 1—Henry M. Schumm, 79, died Saturday at his home in Schumm, Willshire, tp, following a prolonged illness. He was born and lived all his lifetime in the Schumm community.

Surviving are seven children, Alma, Emanuel and Oswald at home, Edna of Mechanicsburg, Rev. Alfred Schumm of Rhodes, Mich., Clara M. of Troy, and Emil Schumm of Colorado Springs, Colo.

Funeral services will be held Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at the residence and 2 p.m. at the Zion Lutheran church at Schumm. Interment will be in the church cemetery. [14]

Interesting that both obituaries indicate that Henry M. and Minnie lived their whole married life in the Schumm area, but census records, newspaper clippings, and land records tell a little different story.

Henry M. and Wilhelmine/Minnie (Hoppe) Schumm had the following children:
“Agnes” Wilhelmine Barbara Schumm (1888-1921)
Alma Apollonia Schumm (1889-1972)
“Emanuel” Henry John Schumm (1892-1973), married Edna Scaer
“Emil” Fredrick Schumm (1893-1960), married Louise Stock
Edna Alwine Magdalena Schumm (1895-1990)
Clara Anna Maria Schumm (1898-1984)
Alfred Oswald Ferdinand Schumm, Rev. (1900-1981), married Irma S. Wambsganss
Oswald Hugo Otto Schumm (1802-1987) 

[1] 1870 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, p.438B, dwelling 130, family 131, Fred Schumm; digital image, Ancestry.com, viewed 18 Dec 2021.

[2] 1880 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 154, p.450C, family 129, Frede Schumm; digital image, Ancestry.com, viewed 18 Dec 2021. 

[3] “Indiana Marriages, 1811-2019,” Fulton County Marriages, Book E, p.129, Henry M Schumm & Henrietta Minnie Hoppe, 5 May 1887; FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939Z-BJH6-B?i=63&cc=1410397&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AVW5X-52N : viewed 18 Dec 2021).

[4] 1860 U.S. Census, Rochester, Fulton, Indiana p.669, dwelling 1074, family 1076, John F Hoppee; digital image, Ancestry.com, viewed 18 Dec 2021. 

[5] 1870 U.S. Census, Logansport, Cass, Indiana, p.190B, dwelling 628, family 618, Henry Freese; digital image, Ancestry.com, viewed 18 Dec 2021.

[6] 1880 U.S. Census, Rochester, Fulton, Indiana, ED 41, p.63D, dwelling, family, Henry Freese; digital image, Ancestry.com, viewed 18 Dec. 2021.

[7] 1900 U. S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 97, dwelling 182, family 195, p.9, Henry M Schumm; Ancestry.com, viewed 6 Dec 2021.

[8] 1910 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 114, p.2B, dwelling & family 37, Minnie Schumm; digital image, Ancestry.com, viewed 18 Dec 2021. [Abbie Freese, dwelling & family 38.]

[9] 1920 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 146, p.3A, dwelling & family 48, Wilhelmina H Schumm; Ancestry.com, viewed 6 Dec 2021.

[10] 1920 U.S. Census, Cheyenne Wells, Cheyenne, Colorado, ED 56, p.7B, dwelling 84, house 89, Henry M Schumm; Ancestry.com, viewed 6 Dec 2021.

[11] 1930 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 24, p.5B, dwelling 105, family 108, Henry M. Schumm; Ancestry.com, viewed 6 Dec 2021.

[12] Mrs. H.M. Schumm obituary, The Lima News, Lima, Ohio, 21 Nov 1937, p.2, Ancestry.com.

[13] 1940 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 81-28, p.5A, house visited 88, H M Schumm; Ancestry.com, viewed 6 Dec 2021.

[14] Henry M. Schumm obituary, The Lima News, Lima, Ohio, 2 Feb 1941, p.4, Ancestry.com.