May 12

1911 Patterson Exams in Mercer and Van Wert Counties

As the school year draws to a close, students and teachers look forward to summer vacation. But before wrapping up the school year there are those end-of-the-school-year tests, to determine how much information the students retained during the year. I remember those dreaded tests very well.

This end-of-year testing has been going on for quite some time. A while back I wrote about the Boxwell Test, tests from the early 1900s that covered a variety of subjects, given to eighth graders before entering high school. The questions were used to examine eighth grade pupils from rural and village schools to make sure they were ready to enter high school.

Apparently the test was also called the Boxwell-Patterson or the Patterson Test. Celina and Van Wert newspapers called it the Patterson Test in 1911. Perhaps the test name had changed by that time or was in the process of changing.

Here are some newspaper articles from Celina and Van Wert newspapers concerning the 1911 Patterson Test in those areas. Perhaps one of your relatives was one of the students who passed the test.

Patterson Commencements at Liberty, Blackcreek and Hopewell Townships, Mercer County:

Liberty Twp, Patterson Commencement, The Celina Democrat, 9 Jun 1911

Blackcreek Township Patterson Commencement, The Celina Democrat, 16 Jun 1911

Hopewell Township Patterson Commencement, The Celina Democrat, 9 Jun 1911

Mercer County’s Successful Patterson Exam applicants:

Successful applicants, Mercer County Patterson Exam, The Celina Democrat, 2 Jun 1911

Successful applicants, Mercer County Patterson Exam, The Celina Democrat, 2 Jun 1911

Van Wert County’s Successful Patterson Exam applicants:

Van Wert County Patterson Exam, successful applicants, Van Wert Daily Bulletin, 26 May 1911

Van Wert County Patterson Exam, successful applicants, Van Wert Daily Bulletin, 26 May 1911

Van Wert County Patterson Exam, successful applicants, Van Wert Daily Bulletin, 26 May 1911

Van Wert County Patterson Exam, successful applicants, Van Wert Daily Bulletin, 26 May 1911

Here is a sampling of the Patterson Exam questions. How would you do?

Geography questions, 1911:

Patterson Exam questions, Geography, Celina Democrat, 26 May 1911

Patterson Exam questions, Geography, Celina Democrat, 26 May 1911

Grammar questions, 1911:

Patterson Exam questions, Grammar, Celina Democrat, 26 May 1911

Patterson Exam questions, Grammar, Celina Democrat, 26 May 1911

Physiology questions, 1911:

Patterson Exam questions, Physiology, Celina Democrat, 26 May 1911

History questions, 1911:

Patterson Exam questions, History, Celina Democrat, 26 May 1911

May 09

Tombstone Tuesday-Carl P. Bollenbacher

Carl P Bollenbacher, St Paul’s County Church Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio. (2023 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Carl P. Bollenbacher, located in row 3 of St. Paul’s County Church Cemetery, formerly known as St. Paul’s UCC Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

CARL P.
BOLLENBACHER
Died May 8, 1906
Age 15y, 3m, 2d
BOLLENBACHER

The thunderstorm that went through here early last Sunday morning reminded me of the following incident that I ran across, which occurred 117 years ago, almost to the day.

STRUCK BY LIGHTENING
Young Son of J.J. Bollenbacher of near Chattanooga, Ohio

Last Tuesday at about one o’clock Charles Bollenbacher, the fifteen-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. J.J. Bollenbacher, of Liberty township, was struck by lightening and instantly killed while plowing his father’s field. The team of horses the young man was driving were also killed by the deadly bolt. Another brother and a team of horses were near by as was also his father, who was burning out a stump, but they all escaped unhurt, being only stunned by the flash that killed the young lad and his team.

Charles was just making his second round of plowing after dinner when the deadly flash came that snuffed out the life of the lad and the horses.

Charles was an exemplary young man and had just attained an age when he was a great help to his father. He was an enthusiastic worker and gave great promise of becoming an intelligent and successful farmer. His death was a terrible shock to his family and the profoundest sympathy of all is extended to them in their sorrowful affliction.

Funeral services were held at the German Evangelical church in Liberty township Thursday afternoon. An immense concourse of people assembled to pay a last tribute of respect to the memory of a young man who was greatly respected and admired by all who knew him. It was one of the largest funerals ever held in that township. A number of persons from this city were in attendance. [1]

Carl P. Bollenbacher, aka Charles Bollenbacher, was born 6 February 1891, the son of John Jacob (1863-1942) and Eva Barbara (Strable) (1866-1943) Bollenbacher.

Carl Bollenbacher was enumerated with his family in just one census, the 1900 census. The Jacob J. Bollenbacher family in 1900: Jacob J, 36; Effie B, 33, wife; Lawrence A, 11; Carl P, 9; Alonzo B, 3; and Alma E, 6 months. All family members were born in Ohio and Jacob was a farmer. Jacob and Effie had been married 12 years. Effie had given birth to six children, four of whom were living. [2]

Carl P Bollenbacher, St Paul’s County Church Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio. (2023 photo by Karen)

Carl had five siblings when he died and two other siblings were born after his death. Theodore/Ted was born later that same year and Laura Christina was born in 1911.

Charles Bollenbacher had thee following siblings:
Adam Lawrence Bollenbacher (1888-1934), married Margaret Jane McDonald
Matilda Bollenbacher (1893-1894)
Albert William Bollenbacher (1895-1898)
Alonzo Benjamin Bollenbacher (1897-1991), married Faye Teresa Now
Alma Elizabeth Bollenbacher (1899-2007), married Robert H Stephenson; married Orris Edgar Now
Pearl C Bollenbacher (1902-1982), married John Wood
Cora Bollenbacher (1904-1992), married Raymond Elmer Fetters
Theodore “Ted” Edgar Bollenbacher (1906-1992), married Esther Nutt
Laura Christina Bollenbacher (1911-1958), married Charles A Deerhake

[1] The Celina Advocate, Celina, Ohio, 17 May 1906.

[2] 1900 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, ED 85, p.16, dwelling 307, family 313, Jacob J Bollenbacher; Ancestry.com, viewed 8 May 2023.

May 05

It’s a Long Way From Shipshewana

You may have heard the old British song from WWI, It’s a Long Way to Tipperary. It begins like this: “It’s a long way to Tipperary, it’s a long way to go…” If you know the melody, substitute these words: It a long way from Shipshewana, it’s a long way to Holmes… Those words went through our minds last weekend. 

Warning. This blog post is not genealogy related. Well, maybe just a little at the end.

Last weekend we took a little time away. As luck would have it, our two favorite groups had concerts two nights in a row, in two different states, both in Amish country. I guess we don’t see enough Amish around here because we often find ourselves vacationing in either Northern Indiana, in Shipshewana, or in Holmes County Ohio. Last weekend we were in both areas, Shipshewana on Friday and Holmes County on Saturday. And it was quite a drive from Shipshewana to Holmes County. Five plus hours to be sure. It a long way from Shipshewana, it’s a long way to Holmes…

Riders in the Sky, Blue Gate Theater, April 2023

On Friday night we saw the Western/cowboy group Riders in the Sky at the Blue Gate Theatre, Shipshewana. I have seen them about half a dozen times, the first time at the Grand Ole Opry about 20 years ago. Riders in the Sky have been together over 40 years and perform well-known cowboy songs such as Rawhide, Cool Water, Tumbling Tumbleweed, Ghost Riders in the Sky, and others. They have two Grammy Awards for two Disney albums and are known for the song Woody’s Roundup from the movie Toy Story 2. The group consists of Too Slim, Woody Paul, Ranger Doug, and Joey the Cowpolka King. Often the chuck-wagon cook and sidekick, Side Meat, makes an appearance, and he was there Friday night.

Ranger Doug & Too Slim, Riders in the Sky, Blue Gate Theater, April 2023

In addition to singing and yodeling, Riders in the Sky entertained and engaged the audience with jokes and funny stories, all done the Cowboy Way. Friday night’s show was great and we got to thank Too Slim in person at breakfast Saturday morning.

Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, Amish Country Theater, Berlin, April 2023

After breakfast we got on the turnpike, headed toward Ohio, on our way to Homes County to see Rhonda Vincent and the Rage at the Amish Country Theater in Berlin that evening. Rhonda Vincent and the Rage is a Blue Grass group and we try to see them whenever they are within reasonable driving distance. We have seen them about 8-10 times. The group consists of Rhonda, Aaron, Adam, Jeff, Mickey, and Zack.

Rhonda Vincent, singing There’s a Record Book, April 2023

Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, Amish Country Theater, Berlin, April 2023

Rhonda Vincent and the Rage put on a wonderful show Saturday night and they even performed one of my favorite songs, the Gospel song There’s A Record Book. I was thrilled to hear it again live. In my opinion, Rhonda does the best version of this song, which has been performed and recorded by many artists.

Historic Zoar Village, April 2023

Many things are closed on Sunday in Holmes County so we drove over to Tuscarawas County and took a guided tour of the historic village of Zoar. The tour was very interesting and was even more enjoyable when the rain stopped and the sun came out. It was a beautiful afternoon.

Historic Zoar Village, April 2023

Historic Zoar Village, April 2023

Historic Zoar Village, April 2023

The rest of our stay in Holmes County consisted of shopping, eating, touring the David Warther Carvings Museum, eating, driving around, visiting Baltic Mill Winery and Breitenbach Winery, and more eating.

The David Warther ivory ship carvings were amazing. His ships range in size from about 8-15 inches and the detail is incredible. Many had a magnifying glass nearby to see the details.

David Warther’s USS Constitution

Detail of David Warther’s USS Constitution

A closeup of another ivory ship hand-carved by David Warther

It rained every day we were away but we made the best of it and had a wonderful trip despite the weather.

Rainy afternoon at Breitenbach Winery

Delicious wine and food at Baltic Mill Winery

On the way home we stopped at the Holmes County Recorder’s Office in Millersburg to look through their old deed records. I have wanted to do this for some time and that rainy morning seemed like the right time. I was hoping to learn if and where John Georg Schumm owned land in Holmes County, between 1833-1838, before he and his children settled in Van Wert County in about 1838. We did not find the name Schumm or a variation of the name Schumm in their land records.

However, we did find some Scars and Pfluegers in the records. My great-great-great-grandfather Christian Pflueger owned land in Holmes County and resided there during those early years and was enumerated in Walnut Creek Township in 1840. He owned farmland in Walnut Creek Township and we determined that his farm was just east of Heini’s Cheese Chalet, a little north of Berlin, on a road we have driven on several times. How interesting to know where he once lived.

But where were the Schumms? Did they not own land in Holmes County? Is their name unrecognizable in the deed records? Or did they live in nearby Tuscarawas County?

I see more research is needed. I guess we’ll just have to go back to the Holmes County area again. Oh, the sacrifices we make… 

May 02

Tombstone Tuesday-Walther League Symbol

This is the symbol for the Walther League, a youth society for the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS).

Walther League symbol, Immanuel Lutheran Church, Decatur, Indiana

The International Walther League was formed in 1893 and named after Rev. C.R.W. Walther. [1] The goal of the league was to assist in keeping young people within the Church.

Over the years the league established Lutheran hospices and supported the Evangelical Lutheran Sanitarium in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, which it owned and operated from 1927-1959. The league sent out over 400,000 Bibles and prayer books to U.S. servicemen during WWI and provided aid to the European Relief effort after the war. During the Great Depression the league ran local food banks and soup kitchens and helped fund the new Lutheran Hour radio program. By 1936 the Walther League had 85,000 members in 2,180 societies. An estimated 25,000 Walther Leaguers served in the military during WWII and the league turned their focus to aiding its military members. After WWII the league attracted a younger age group, of high school age. However, the high schoolers could not provide the financial support the working-age young adult members had provided and the league suffered financial and other problems. In 1977 the LCMS dropped its affiliation with the league and in 1989 the Walther League’s board of directors met for the last time. [2]

[1] The Walther League was named after Rev. Carl Ferdinand Wilhelm Walther (1811-1887), a German-American Lutheran minister. Rev. Walther was the first president of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod from 1847-1850 and was reportedly its most influential theologian. Walther was born in Langenchursdorf, Kingdom of Saxony, educated at the University of Leipzig, emigrated to America in 1838, and accepted a Doctor of Theology degree from Capital University, Columbus, Ohio, in 1877. He is described as a man who gave up his homeland for the freedom to speak freely, to believe freely, and to live freely, by emigrating from Germany to the United States. Walther died in St. Louis, Missouri in 1887.

[2] “A Short History of the Walther League,” Walther League Redux, https://waltherleague.com/ , viewed 24 Apr 2023.

Apr 28

A Bienz-Ross Photo Mystery

Last week I showed three very old Schumm-related documents, the 1835 baptismal certificate of Magdalene Schueler, Magdalene Schueler’s 1850 confirmation certificate, and the 1853 baptismal certificate Johann Friedrich Bienz (Jr), the son of Magdalene and her husband John Bienz (Sr). See below for a summary of these individuals. [1]  

With the three documents was this photo:

Lee Ross, Robert & Effie (Koontz) Morrison, Alice (Koontz), Jesse & Frank Ross; Photo to Grandma Bence from Alice Ross, April 1902

A closeup of the individuals in the photo:

Alice (Koontz) & Jesse Ross, Frank Ross; Photo to Grandma Bence from Alice Ross, April 1902

Robert & Effie (Koontz) Morrison; Photo to Grandma Bence from Alice Ross, April 1902

Someone wrote the following on the back of the photo:

From Mrs. Alice Ross
to Grandma Bence
Taken in April 1902

Bentz II [this may have been written by the photographer]

From Mrs. Alice Ross, to Grandma Bence, taken April 1902

I have been trying to figure out who the people in this photo are, but it has me stumped. The home in this photo was very likely in the Blackcreek or Liberty Township area because the photo was taken by Morrison Photography, Chattanooga, Ohio.

1902 photo taken by Morrison Photography, Chattanooga, Ohio

I believe the surname Bence is what we know as Bienz today and since the photo was with the three other old documents I am guessing the photo has a connection to the John Bienz (Sr) family. But I cannot find a Bienz/Ross connection.

Or maybe there is no family connection. Perhaps Grandma Bence was a grandmother figure to Alice and her family.

The Mrs. Alice Ross may be Alice (Koontz) Ross (1874-1947), wife of Jesse Ross, daughter of Joel D. and Anna J (Frock) Koontz. Alice and her parents lived in Blackcreek Township, Alice grew up in Blackcreek, and Alice and Jesse lived in Blackcreek in 1900. Alice had two young boys in 1900 who would be about the same age as the two boys in the photo. It is my best guess that Jesse and Alice Ross and their two boys are four of the individuals in the photo. In addition, Alice’s sister Effie married Robert Morrison. Was Robert the photographer? Is that the connection?

Also, two Bienz families lived in Blackcreek Township in 1900, Joseph W. Bienz (1864-1961), with wife Lucy (Billman) (1869-1928) and their children, as well as Joseph’s mother Mary (Harrod) Bienz (1836-1905). Either woman could have been Grandma Bence.

Help!

Maybe someone will recognize the names, the individuals, or the house and will be able to solve this mystery.

Note by kmb: After posting this blog a reader identified the individuals on the photo as, left to right, Lee Ross, Robert & Effie (Koontz) Morrison, Alice (Koontz), Jesse, Frank Ross. I have updated the information under the photos. Thank you!

[1] A summary of the family relationships connecting the three certificates: Magdalene Schueler (1835-1916) was the daughter of Michael Schueler (1808-1880) and his wife Maria Katherine Schumm (1810-1938). Wife Maria Katherine Schumm was the daughter of immigrant John Georg Schumm (1777-1846) and she immigrated to America in 1833 with her father and four brothers. The Schumm immigrants first settled in Holmes County, Ohio, where, in 1833, Maria Katherine Schumm married Michael Schueler. Their second child, Catharina “Magdalene” Schueler, was born in Holmes County on 3 November 1835. About 1838 the Schumms and the Michael Schueler family moved to Van Wert County, where they purchased land and established the village of Schumm and Zion Lutheran Church. Magdalene Schueler married John Bienz (Sr) (1823-1898) at Zion Schumm in 1852. Their first child, Johann Friedrich Bienz (Jr) (1853-1918), was born 20 June 1853.