Oct 02

The Ministers of Zion Lutheran Church, Chattanooga, Ohio (1-6)

Last week Zion Lutheran Church at Chattanooga, Ohio, celebrated its 160th anniversary with a special church service and dinner afterward. During those 160 years Zion has had nearly 30 ministers. Ten years ago, for Zion’s 150th anniversary, I compiled short biographies of Zion’s ministers. The information for these biographies came from the ELCA Archives at Trinity Seminary, Columbus, and my personal research.

Zion’s first six ministers:

Gackenheimer JD 1855-60Johann Gackenheimer was born 25 April 1820 in Güttlingen, Württemberg, and died 29 November 1882 near Bippus, Indiana, at the age of 62. He was educated at the Basel Mission House, Switzerland, from 1840-1846. After he was ordained he was sent to America to minister to the German immigrants. His first congregation was in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, in the late part of 1846. In 1850 he moved to Van Wert County, Ohio, where he established and served at the Evangelical Church in Harrison Township from 1850-1875. He established at least one other congregation in Van Wert County, near Convoy. During this time he would travel to the Chattanooga area to baptize children and give communion to the adults. He served at Zion Chatt and St. Paul Liberty Township from 1855-1860. Rev. Gackenheimer also owned and farmed about 40 acres of land in Willshire Township, Van Wert County. He left the area about 1875 and went to serve an Evangelical congregation in Hayesville, Ohio. He retired from the ministry at St. John’s, Warren Township, Huntington County, Indiana. He married Elsbeth Kramer, from Bridgewater, Pennsylvania, on 23 May 1853 and they had seven children. Three sons died young and are buried in Evangelical Protestant Cemetery, Harrison Township, Van Wert County. For additional information about Rev. Gackenheimer see my blog post, J.D. Gackenheimer—Zion Chatt’s First Minister.

HeintzGeorge Heintz was born in Dornbuch, Bavaria, on 14 August of 1833 and died 4 July 1911 in Crown Point, Lake County, Indiana, at the age of 76. He immigrated to America between 1848-1852. He served at St. Paul, Jenera in 1860; Zion Chatt, 1861-1872; and moved to Indiana by 1873. In 1880 he was living and serving at a Lutheran church in Crown Point. He first married Agatha Kirn and they had two children while at Zion: Johann Mathias, born in 1866, and Friederich Christoph, born in 1867. Agatha died 2 February 1868, at the age of 24 years, 5 months, and 2 days. Agatha’s tombstone is the oldest surviving tombstone in Zion’s cemetery. Rev. Heintz married Maria Elisabetha Germann about 1869. Maria was from Van Wert County and their son Karl Georg Peter was born in 1870, while the couple was still living at Chatt. They had five more children who were born in Indiana: Clara, Willie, Oscar, Martha, and Martin. Rev. Heintz is buried in Maplewood Historic Cemetery, Crown Point, Indiana. His second wife Maria died 28 October 1931 and is buried beside Rev. Heintz. For additional information about Rev. Heintz’s first wife Agatha see my blog post, Tombstone Tuesday—Agatha Heintz.

Heintz, Agatha (2)

Agatha Heintz, first wife of Rev. George Heintz.

Philip SchmidtPhillipp H. Schmidt was born in 1 December 1846 in Schillersdorf, Alsace, the son of George and Margaret (Anstaetter) Schmidt, and died 13 January 1913 in Columbus, Ohio, at the age of 66. He immigrated to America in 1866, graduated from Capital University, and in 1872 graduated from the ELT Seminary in Columbus. He served at Zion Chatt from 1872-1875; St. Peter, Trenton, Ohio, 1875-1885; and St. John, Grove City, Ohio, 1885-1912. He retired from the ministry in 1912 due to illness. He married Mathilde Meyer in 1872 and they had one son, Rev. Hugo Schmidt, and one daughter, Olga (Mrs. William Voeller). Rev. Schmidt is buried in Green Lawn Cemetery, Columbus, Ohio.

 

Hugo Willert was born in October 1835 in Germany and died before 1910. He immigrated to America, sailing from Hamburg on the ship Westphailia and arriving in New York on 28 September 1868. His occupation was “Lutheran Pastor” on the ship’s passenger list. Less than a year later, in April of 1869, his wife Bertha, their two-year-old son, Otto, and six-month-old son Hugo arrived in New York on the ship Allemannia. Rev. Willert served at St. John Lutheran, Covington, Ohio, from 1873-?; at Zion Chatt, 1876-1879, and at Exeter, Monroe, Michigan 1880-? In 1900 the Willerts were living in Jackson Township, Franklin County, Ohio.

Frederick H. Besel was born 8 March 1855 in Illinois to John Frederick Carl and Sophia (Melber) Besel. His parents were born in Germany and his father was a minister. F.H. Besel served at Zion Chatt from 1881-1883. He married Angie Cook in Trumbull County, Ohio, on 2 February 1882 and they had the following children: Clara M., Walter Adolph, and Carl William. Rev. Besel died 5 October 1941 and is buried at Lakeview Cemetery, Windsor, Weld County, Colorado.

Adam, Rev. Carl (1)Karl Christian Konrad Adam, Jr. was born 6 August 1823 in Swabia, the son of Karl and Christiana (Roecker) Adam, and died of a stomach ailment in Chattanooga, Ohio, 2 March 1889, at the age of 65. He is buried in row 6 of Zion’s cemetery. He immigrated to America in 1833, graduated from Capital University, and was licensed to preach in 1842. He immediately began serving at St. Paul, Sulphur Springs, from 1842-1848. He was ordained in 1850 and in 1851 took a three month trip through Northwest Ohio and Eastern Indiana for the new Northern District. For this he was became known as a “traveling preacher.” He served the following parishes: St. Thomas, Dixon and Harrison, Van Wert, Ohio, 1851-1855; Wapakoneta, Ohio; Fort Wayne, Indiana; and Saginaw, Michigan; New York; Eden, Indiana; Woodland; Michigan; and Zion Chatt, 1883-1889. He married Wilhelmine Philippine Rieger in 1862.

 

To be continued with Zion’s next five ministers.

Sep 29

Tombstone Tuesday–Michael Allmandinger

Michael Allmandinger, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. (2015 photo by Karen)

Michael Allmandinger, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. (2015 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Michael Allmandinger, located in row 1 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Michael
Allmandinger
Gestorben
Den 9 Dec 1883
Alter
25 Jahr, 8 Tag

Translation: Michael Allmandinger, died 9 Dec 1883, aged 25 years, 8 days.

Michael was the son of Lewis and Rosina (Schneider) Allmandinger. He was likely born in Butler County, Ohio. The Lewis Allmandinger family did not move to Mercer County until sometime between 1870 and 1880.

The first Allmandinger entries appear in Zion’s communion records in April 1878, when Louis Sr, Rosina, Louis Jr, Johann, and Michael received Holy Communion. The first Allmandinger confirmations at Zion Chatt were in 1884, when Michael’s brothers William and Friedrich were confirmed on the same day.

Michael’s death is not recorded in Zion Chatt’s records but it is recorded in the Mercer County, Ohio, Probate Death records. The probate death record indicates he died 20 December 1883 in Blackcreek Township by hanging himself. He was single, aged 24 years, 9 months, and 4 days, and was born in Ohio. [1]

Michael Allmandinger (2015 photo by Karen)

Michael Allmandinger (2015 photo by Karen)

Although the tombstone is very difficult to read, his age as carved on his tombstone disagrees with the county death record. According to his tombstone Michael was born 1 December 1858. According to his probate death record he was born 5 March 1859.

The first census Michael was enumerated in indicates he was born about 1859 in Ohio. [2]

The 1880 census indicates he was born about 1858. In 1880 he worked on the family farm in Blackcreek Township. [3]

 

[1] “Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 13 Sep 2015), Mike Allmandinger, 20 Dec 1883: citing Deaths, Black Creek Township, Mercer, Ohio, Vol.1-2, p.194, from FHL microfilm 914954.

[2] 1870 U.S. Census, Wayne, Butler, Ohio, p.491B, dwelling 78, family 75, Lewis Allmandinger; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Sep 2015); from FHL microfilm 552676, from NARA microfilm M593, roll 1177.

[3] 1880 U.S. Census, Black Creek, Mercer, Ohio, ED 179, p.323A, line 38, Lewis Allmanding; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Sep 2015); from NARA microfilm T9, roll 1048.

Sep 25

Zion Lutheran Church, Chattanooga, Celebrates Its 160th Anniversary (1855-2015)

It was established a mere 160 years ago and is still active to this day. This coming Sunday, 27 September 2015, we will celebrate Zion Chatt’s 160th anniversary during a celebratory worship service at 10:30 with a carry-in dinner to follow. All are welcome to attend, visit, and reminisce. And eat!

Zion Evangelical Church was formed in 1855 as an outgrowth of the west half of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Liberty Township. Zion is located in Section 5 of Liberty Township, on the corner of State Route 49 and Tama Road, at the south end of Chattanooga, in Mercer County, Ohio.

Zion’s first pastor was J.D. Gackenheimer, a traveling missionary educated in Switzerland and sent to America to serve German settlers with the Word of God.  While serving an Evangelical church in Harrison Township, Van Wert County, he would travel to the Chattanooga area to minister to the Lutheran and Evangelical settlers by baptizing the children and serving communion to the adults.

Gackenheimer JD 1855-60

Rev. Johann Gackenheimer, Zion’s first pastor.

Zion’s congregation worshiped in homes until 1860 when members purchased land to build a frame church. Church elders Conrad Heffner and Frederick Herzog purchased the 100×85 foot parcel of land from Jacob & Charity Deitsch in 1860 for $5. A frame church was built and was located directly southwest of the present church, on the corner of State Route 49 and Tama Road. For seven years the building served both Lutheran and Evangelical worshipers, until the Evangelicals sold their interest and organized their own church.

Zion Lutheran Church, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio, Old Frame Church

Zion Lutheran Church, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio, Old Frame Church

Another view of Zion's frame church.

Another view of Zion’s frame church, c1916. Note the brick church on the left side of the photo.

In 1863 the congregation purchased three acres on the south side of Tama Road from Conrad & Margaret Heffner for $5. A small Lutheran School was built there and was run by the pastor and used during the summer for teaching the Bible. A frame parsonage was located south of the school. The current brick parsonage was built and dedicated in 1947. Two ball fields also occupy the lot and are used by local teams.

Zion Lutheran School, Chattanooga, Ohio (c1904)

Zion Lutheran School, Chattanooga, Ohio (c1904)

The old parsonage, south of the Lutheran School, c1900.

The old parsonage, south of the Lutheran School, c1900.

In 1889 Zion purchased 1/5 acre adjacent to the frame church from Michael & Elizabeth Zellinger and in 1916 Henry C. & Margaret Baker sold an adjacent twelve by ten rods to the church for $260.This would be the location of the congregation’s new brick church.

The cornerstone for the present church building was laid 2 July 1916, during the pastorate of the Rev. W.F.H. Heuer. The present church was dedicated 13 May 1917 and the frame church was moved to the north end of Chattanooga, where it was used as a garage and eventually torn down.

The frame church and the "new" brick church, side-by-side, until the frame structure was moved.

The old frame church and the “new” brick church, side-by-side, until the frame structure was moved.

Another view of both churches.

Another view of both churches, c1916.

The first minister to be installed at Zion was the Rev. George Heintz in 1860. Zion and St. Paul Liberty shared pastors during the years 1855-1883, 1914-1931, and 1978-2011.Two sons of Zion joined the ministry, Rev. B.F. Brandt and Rev. Paul Becher.

Services at Zion were held in German for more than sixty years. The first English service was held in about 1910 and some German services were provided into the 1930s.

Zion Lutheran Cemetery is located about a quarter mile east of the church, the land deeded from Michael Burger in 1866. The oldest known and surviving tombstone in the cemetery is that of Agatha Heintz, who died in 1868. She was the wife of Pastor George Heintz, Zion’s pastor at the time.

Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. (2013 photo by Karen)

Zion Lutheran Cemetery. (2013 photo by Karen)

The Chattanooga Mausoleum Association purchased 100 x 60 feet of land immediately west of the cemetery from Henry C. and Margaret Baker in 1917 for the construction of a mausoleum. In 2013 the Chattanooga Mausoleum Association turned the mausoleum over to the Liberty Township trustees.

Chatt Mausoleum. (2000 photo by Karen)

Chatt Mausoleum. (2000 photo by Karen)

The parcel of land between the church and mausoleum was purchased from Gertrude Hoblet In 1997. Crops are currently grown on the land.

Zion was part of the American Lutheran Church (ALC) during the mid-20th century. Zion joined the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in 1987, the same time the ELCA was formed. On 4 December 2011 Zion voted to disassociate from the ELCA and at the same time joined the North American Lutheran Church (NALC). Zion is currently a member of the Northwest Ohio Mission District of the NALC.

In the spring of 2012 Zion Lutheran and St. John Lutheran, Hopewell, joined to form a two-point parish. Pastor Karen Tamorria accepted a call from the parish in the fall of 2012 and began her ministry in the parish in November 2012. Pastor Tamorria was installed 6 January 2013.

Zion’s brick church building will be 100 years old in 2016. The building is in very good condition but does require regular maintenance. The whole church was extensively remodeled in 1968 when the upper balcony was made into three Sunday School rooms, the first floor area under the balcony was made into two offices and a Sunday School room, and the basement was remodeled. The sanctuary was redecorated in the late 1960s and again redecorated by Henry Husmann of Portland, Indiana, in 1992. In 2013 the slate roof was repaired, the brick chimney on the east side of the structure was removed, and a new heating system was installed. The stair lift going up to the sanctuary was replaced and a new lift going down to the basement was installed in February of 2015, making the both levels handicap accessible. The stair lifts are located on the west side of the church [the door nearest route 49], where there is also handicap parking.

Zion Lutheran Church, 2015.

Zion Lutheran Church, 2015.

Zion continues to teach the Word of God at weekly worship services, mid-week services during the Lenten season, and at Bible Study groups. Active groups include Sunday School for all ages, Zion Lutheran Church Women, a Bible Study group, Chatta-John youth group, Kingdom Kids, Zion’s Diner and summer Bible School. Mission projects include the Ohio Mission District of the NALC, CALL Food Pantry, Wernle Children’s Home, Lutheran World Relief, Water Mission International, Van Wert Area Youth for Christ, and Heart to Heart. The church women make comforts for Lutheran World Relief, make and deliver Christmas plates to shut-ins, and prepare and serve funeral dinners. Chatta John youth fund raisers include Zion’s Diner and a concession stand at the Parkway basketball tournament.

Zion’s website, Zion’s Chatt, www.zionchatt.org , was created in 2012 and the congregation has a print newsletter, Zion’s Chatt Line.

During the past 160 years, nearly 1100 people have been baptized and over 900 members have been confirmed at Zion Lutheran in Chattanooga.

We hope you will join us Sunday as we celebrate Zion Chatt’s160th anniversary.

 

Sep 22

Tombstone Tuesday–Harriet “Eliza” (Bobo) Edgington

Eliza (Bobo) Edgington, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. (2015 photo by Karen)

Eliza (Bobo) Edgington, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. (2015 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Harriet Eliza (Bobo) Edgington, located in row 1 of Zion Lutheran cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. This marker is broken and a section is missing, but what can be read is inscribed:

ELIZA
Wife of
FRANKLIN EDG…[broken stone]
Died
[broken stone]
Aged
30 ys. 4 mo. 18 da.

I wrote a Tombstone Tuesday about Eliza on 11 August of this year and at that time I lamented that I would probably never know the identity of the person laid to rest here, judging by what could be read on the stone.

There just isn’t a whole lot to go on by reading the stone. Only three letters of her surname are legible and the third letter is so difficult to read that has been misread for years. The beginning of the surname that looked like EDO, is actually EDG. What looks like an O should be a G.

In addition, her death date is missing from the stone and there is no church record of her death or burial and nothing recorded in the Mercer County Probate Death Records. This tombstone was a real mystery.

Only a couple weeks after that I set out to learn about the woman buried next to Eliza, Carrie W. Friedell, who also appears to have no connection to Zion Chatt or the Chattanooga area whatsoever. I set out to learn how Carrie came to be buried in Zion’s cemetery, never thinking that there might be a connection between the two women. During my research into Carrie’s life I learned that Carrie W. Friedell was Carrie Wren (Edgington) Eichhorn Friedell, and she was Eliza’s daughter. Carrie W. Friedell was buried next to her mother, Eliza (Bobo) Edgington, wife of Dr. Benjamin “Franklin” Edgington. I wrote four blog posts about my research and conclusions concerning Carrie (Edgington) Friedell this past summer–Zion Chatt’s Mid-Summer Mystery Series, in case anyone missed it.

There is no church record of Carrie’s death or burial and no record of her death in Mercer County, Ohio. The same as her mother Eliza,

Eliza (Bobo) Edgington, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio. (2015 photo by Karen)

Eliza (Bobo) Edgington, broken stone, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio. (2015 photo by Karen)

Since I now know more about Eliza (Bobo) Edgington I decided to write this revised Tombstone Tuesday about her, with the hope that this information may be helpful to other researchers. Since there is so little readable information remaining on the tombstone I believe that researchers from this family do not know where Eliza is buried.

[Note: Benjamin Franklin Edgington usually went by the name of Franklin or Frank and although Eliza was given the name Harriet Eliza, she usually went by the name of Eliza. I will use the names Franklin and Eliza hereafter in this post when I refer to them. In addition, Franklin Edgington was Dr. Franklin Edgington. He was a physician.]

Eliza Bobo was born about 1848 in Ohio, probably in southeast Ohio, the daughter of Ezekiel and Sarah “Sally” (Wren) Bobo. Her family lived in Vinton, Athens, and Crawford counties and her parents are buried in Vinton County. [1] [2] [3] Ezekiel and Sarah used the Wren name as the middle name for two of their children: Carrie Wren Bobo and Thomas Wren Bobo.

Find a Grave.com indicates that Ezekiel Bobo was born 10 September 1804 in Washington County, Ohio, and died 26 August 1885 in Vinton County, Ohio. [2] Find a Grave.com also indicates that Sarah “Sally” Wren was born 1 December 1804 in Virginia, and died 6 February 1873 in Vinton County, Ohio. A photo of her tombstone is on their website. [4]

Eliza was one of the youngest children, if not the youngest child, in the Bobo family. In 1850 Ezekiel and Sarah Bobo lived with their 9 children in Vinton County, Ohio. In the household were Ezekiel, 46, Sarah, 46, Letta, 22, Phares, 18, Amos, 16, Charlotte, 14, Thomas W, 12, Frances, 10, Mary, 6, Eleline, 4, and Harriet E, 2. [1] Harriet E, aged 2, was our Eliza.

In 1860 Eliza, 12, was living with her mother Sarah and siblings Thomas, 21, Elihu, 14, and Mary, 16, in Bucyrus, Ohio. Her mother’s occupation was farmer and she was born in Virginia. [5] Eliza’s father Ezekiel was a farmer living in a hotel run by Hiram Halbert, 54, in Vinton County. There were several others borders in the hotel. [6] I do not know why Ezekiel and Sarah were living apart.

At some point Eliza traveled northwestward to Indiana, where she met and married Franklin Edgington.

Unfortunately I have not been able to locate Eliza in the 1870 census. Nor have I located her soon-to-be husband Franklin Edgington in that census. The census was taken in the summer of 1870 and they married in September of that year.

Franklin Edgington and Eliza Bobo married 24 September 1870 in Blackford County, Indiana, married by Rev. R.S. Bosman. [7]

Franklin and Eliza lived in Eaton, Delaware County, Indiana, where their two daughters were born, their only two children that I know of:
Nettie D Edgington (1871-1940), married Harry W. McMullen; married Charles A. Sutton; married Charley H Haley [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]
Carrie Wren Edgington (1873-1965), married Glen Eichhorn; married Max W. Friddle/Friedell

Eliza died sometime between 1873 and 1879, probably around 1877. Her widowed husband Franklin remarried in 1879. That time period is also consistent with the look of her tombstone. According to her tombstone she died at the age of 30 years, 4 months, and 18 days. Perhaps she died in childbirth. How Eliza came to be buried in Zion’s cemetery, I do not know. But I would like to know.

Carrie & Eliza (2015 photo by Karen)

Carrie W. (Edgington) Friedell beside her mother Eliza (Bobo) Edgington. (2015 photo by Karen)

After Eliza’s death Franklin Edgington married Malinda Blake on 13 December 1879 in Blackford County, Indiana, married by E T Chaffee of the M E Church. [13]

Dr. Benjamin Franklin Edgington, born 8 August 1849, died 13 September 1930 and is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Warren, Huntington County, Indiana. He is buried beside his second wife, Malinda J (Blake) Edgington (1857-1937). [14]

As far as Carrie W. Friedell , I think she likely died in Indiana, had her funeral service there, and was brought to Zion’s cemetery for burial. That is only my theory at this point. How the plot by her mother was reserved for Carrie for nearly 90 years is another mystery. Who knew to bury Carrie in Zion’s cemetery?

The questions and the mystery continues…

 

[1] 1850 U.S. Census, Elk, Vinton, Ohio, p.218A, dwelling & family 1, Ezekiel Bobo; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 Aug 2015); from Nara microfilm M432, roll 736.

[2] Find a Grave.com, Ezekiel Bobo, (1804-1885) Elk Cemetery, McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio, memorial 109718262.

[3] “Ohio, Marriages, 1789-2013,” database with images, FamilySearch, (https://familysearch.org : accessed 15 Aug 2015), Ezekiel Bobo and Sarah Wren, 8 Apr 1825; citing Athens, Ohio, Marriages, Vol. 1-2, p.4; from FHL microfilm 4016282.

[4]  Find a Grave.com, Sarah “Sally” Wren Bobo, (1804-1873) Elk Cemetery, McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio, memorial #109718133.

[5] 1860 U.S. Census, Bucyrus, Crawford, Ohio, p.62, dwelling 455, family 466, Sarah Bobe; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Aug 2015); from FHL microfilm 803951, from NARA microfilm M653, roll 951.

[6] 1860 U.S. Census, McArthur, Vinton, Ohio, p.332, dwelling 258, family 250, Hiram Halbert; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 Aug 2015); from FHL microfilm 805046, from NARA microfilm M653, roll 1046.

[7] “Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 22 Sep 2015), Franklin Edgington and Eliza Bobo, 1870; from Blackford Marriage Book B, p.349.

[8] 1900 U.S. Census, Salamonie, Huntington, Indiana, ED 89, p.15A, dwelling 321, family 364, Chas A Sutton; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 Sep 2015); from FHL microfilm 1240378, from NARA microfilm T623, roll 378. [Nettie D (Edgington) Sutton, 29, wife in the household of Chas A Sutton, with son Elba M Mcmullen]

[9] “Montana Death Index, 1860-2007,” database, FamilySearch (https:///familysearch.org : accessed 17 Sep 2015), Nettie Haley, 2 Mar 1940; from “Montana Death Index, 1868-2011,” database, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : 2009); citing State of Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Office of Vital Statistics, Helena.

[10] “Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 17 Sep 2015), Harry W McMullin and Nettie Edgington, 11 May 1890; citing Muncie, Delaware, Indiana Marriages, Vol. 9, p.453; from FHL microfilm 2069290. DIVORCED

[11] “Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007,” database with images, FamilySearch (http://fmailysearch.org : accessed 17 Sep 2015), Charles A Sutton and Nettie D Mcmullen, 20 Mar 1895; from Huntington Indiana Marriages, Vol. K, p.367; from FHL microfilm 2295249.

[12] “Montana, County Marriages, 1865-1950,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 17 Sep 2015), Charley H. Haley and Nettie D. Edgington, 29 April 1914; citing Marriage, Helena, Lewis and Clark, Montana Marriages, 1865-1950, p.119; from FHL microfilm 1906501.

[13] “Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 15 Aug 2015), Franklin Edgington and Malinda Blake, 13 Feb 1879, from Blackford Marriages Col. C, p.99, from FHL microfilm 1672562.

[14] Find a Grave.com, B Franklin Edgington, (1849-1930), Woodlawn Cemetery, Warren, Huntington County, Indiana; memorial #72918097.

 

 

Sep 18

Zion Chatt’s Mid-Summer Mystery, Part 4. The Conclusion and My Ah-ha Moment

So far, in my quest to discover Carrie Edgington Eichhorn Friedell’s connection to Zion Lutheran Church in Chatt, I have learned a whole lot about her adult life. I learned about her two husbands, Edwin H. Eichhorn and Max W. Friddle/Friedell; her two children, Glen and Lillian Marie Eichhorn Whitney; and her grandchildren.

I made the necessary connections in her family tree and put families together with my on-line research but I still had not learned what I had set out to learn–her connection to Zion Chatt and how she came to be laid to rest in Zion’s cemetery. [1]

Carrie W. Friedell, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. (2011 photo by Karen)

Carrie W. Friedell, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. (2011 photo by Karen)

The research indicates she lived most, if not all, of her life in the area around Niles, Huntington, Muncie, Marion, and Salamonie, Indiana. I don’t know that she was ever even in Ohio except to cross our state on her way to Pennsylvania in 1919 when she married Max Friedell. There seems to be no “recent” information about Carrie on the Internet; very little after the 1940 census. Carrie’s daughter moved to Canada and Carrie’s second husband Max Friddle/Friedell seemed to vanish. I know only that Carrie was living in Albany, Indiana, in 1957. [2]

There were still a lot of unanswered questions: What did Carrie do and where did she live between 1940 and 1965, the year she died. Did she meet someone from the Chatt area during those years? When exactly did she die? Where did she die? I think she died in Indiana.

My strategy has been to look at Carrie’s “FAN Club”–her family, associates, and neighbors. So far I had found no connection to Zion Chatt among Carrie’s FAN Club during her adult life.

Did I miss something or should I try another strategy?

I decided to go in another direction. The only other direction to go was backward and to look at Carrie’s early life. Carrie’s life before she married Edwin Eichhorn. I would look at her parents, her grandparents, and her siblings, to see if her connection to Zion Chatt was somewhere among those people, somewhere among that “FAN Club.” See if any names sounded familiar and maybe connect with one of Zion’s past members. Anything.

Carrie was born 31 March 1873 in Eaton, Delaware County, Indiana. Her parents were Benjamin “Franklin” and Harriet “Eliza” (Bobo) Edgington. [3]

Although Carrie’s father’s name was Benjamin Franklin Edgington he usually went by the name of Franklin or Frank and her mother, named Harriet Eliza, usually went by the name of Eliza. I am going to use the names Franklin and Eliza in this post when I refer to them. In addition, Franklin Edgington was Dr. Franklin Edgington. He was a physician.

Carrie’s parents, Franklin Edgington and Eliza Bobo, married 24 September 1870 in Blackford County, Indiana, married by Rev. R.S. Bosman. [4]

As far as information about Carrie’s youth, there isn’t a whole lot to look at between her birth and her first marriage in 1893. Born in 1873, she would have been enumerated as a 7-year-old child in the 1880 census. The 1880 census is the only census to look at because the 1890 census was destroyed by a fire and she was already married to Edwin Eichhorn in the 1900 census.

In 1880 Carrie, 7, was living in Niles, Delaware County, Indiana. She was living with her father Franklin, 31, and her sister Nettie D, 9, in the household of her paternal grandparents, Willie, 72, and Hannah Edgington, 70. Carrie, her father, and her sister were living with Franklin’s parents. Also in the household were two of Willie’s other granddaughters, Julia, 17, and Cora E, 15, as well as Malinda J Edgington, 22, daughter-in-law. Daughter-in-law? Wife of Franklin? [5]

Where was Carrie’s mother Eliza? Did she die sometime between 1873 and 1880? If so, why wouldn’t Franklin be shown as a widower? Instead he is shown as single and married. Both boxes are checked. Was Malinda J really Franklin’s wife?

Willie Edgington was a farmer and Franklin’s occupation was “at home.” Willie, Hannah, and Franklin were all born in Ohio while everyone else was born in Indiana. [5]

I looked at the Edgingtons. The Wilson Edgington family moved from Adams County, Ohio, to Indiana about 1853. They likely settled in Delaware County, where they remained for decades. [6] [7] [8]

Still, no names from Carrie’s Edgington “Fan Club” seemed to connect her to Zion Chatt .

I looked at the Bobos. Carrie’s mother, Eliza Bobo was the daughter of Ezekiel Bobo and Sarah (Wren) Bobo. Ezekiel and Sarah were married 8 April 1825 in Athens County, Ohio. [9] So that is where Carrie’s middle name Wren comes from.

Eliza Bobo was born about 1848 in Ohio and her family lived in Vinton County, Ohio. [10] Ezekiel and Sarah remained in the southeast Ohio area and are buried in Vinton County. [11]

Ezekiel and Sarah had a large family and some of their children moved to west central Ohio and east central Indiana. Eliza’s brother Thomas Wren Bobo married Mary E. Jacobs in Allen County, Ohio, in 1864. [12]

Her brother Elihu married Dora Lillibridge in Blackford County in 1874. [13] Perhaps Eliza came west to Indiana with one of her siblings, where she met and married Franklin Edgington.

I looked at Bobo marriages and Carrie’s sister Nettie D’s marriages, but none of those names are common or familiar to the Chatt area.

Then I found a clue! Information on Find A Grave.com indicates that Ezekiel Bobo’s daughter Harriet “Eliza” Bobo died in 1875. It also indicates she was born in 1849, but there is no link to her tombstone on the website. [11] What happened to Eliza?

Again I thought of the 1880 census, where I wondered where Carrie’s mother Eliza was and if she died before 1880. Did Eliza really die in 1875?

I found a record showing that Franklin Edgington married Malinda Blake on 13 December 1879 in Blackford County, Indiana, married by E T Chaffee of the M E Church. [14]

Carrie’s mother Eliza (Bobo) Edgington must have died because Franklin Edgington married Malinda Blake in 1879. Eliza (Bobo) Edgington died sometime after Carrie’s birth in 1873 and before Franklin’s marriage in 1879. And Malinda J, enumerated as Willie Edgington’s daughter-in-law in the 1880 census, was Franklin’s wife.

Suddenly these names were sounding very familiar. Eliza…Franklin…

Eliza…

Franklin…

Where had I heard those names before?

Eliza…Franklin…Edgington…

No! Could it be? I could not believe what I was thinking.

One of the basic things to look at when doing cemetery research, something I have mentioned over and over in my cemetery talk, is to take note of who is buried near the deceased. Who are the deceased’s neighbors in the cemetery?

Who is buried in the plot next to Carrie?

I raced to get Zion’s cemetery plat map. There it was.

Then I had my Ah-ha moment. I should have thought of this before!

Carrie W. Friedell is buried next to Eliza, wife of Franklin Edo…

ELIZA
WIFE OF FRANKLIN EDO…

That is what is inscribed on the tombstone. Eliza’s stone is an old broken tombstone that is barely legible. It is broken right in the middle of the surname. EDO—broken stone.

But I suddenly realized that the three legible letters of the surname aren’t EDO after all. The letters are EDG. The surname has got to be EDGINGTON. What looks like an O is actually a G.

Carrie is buried next to her mother, Harriet “Eliza” (Bobo) Edgington.

Eliza, Wife of Franklin EDG [ington]. That is how the broken tombstone should read.

A few weeks ago, in the middle of August, I wrote a Tombstone Tuesday post about a broken marker in Zion’s cemetery, the broken tombstone of Eliza, wife of Franklin “Edo…” Eliza was the name carved on an old broken stone in row 1. All that is legible is Eliza, wife of Franklin, and what looks like a surname beginning with the letters EDO. Her death date is broken off but her age remains: 30 years, 4 months, and 18 days. [15] Joe and I studied that tombstone this past summer, trying to make out any additional letters and trying to figure out a surname that would begin with the letters EDO.

I had just solved two mysteries while at the same time creating even more questions.

Now I know who Eliza was and why Carrie is buried in Zion’s cemetery. The answer was in Zion’s cemetery all the time.

Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. (2013 photo by Karen)

Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. (2013 photo by Karen)

But now I have to wonder, how did Eliza (Bobo) Edgington come to be buried in our cemetery? Eliza and Franklin were married in Indiana and they lived in Indiana. Delaware County, Indiana.

Eliza died sometime between 1873 and 1879. Two census enumerations indicate she was born about 1848. [16] According to her tombstone she died at the age of 30 years, 4 months, and 18 days. She likely died about 1877-1878. Perhaps she died in childbirth.

There is no record of Eliza’s death or burial in Zion’s records. The same for Carrie. Nothing recorded in the church records. Like mother like daughter… Eliza’s death is not recorded in Mercer County’s probate death records either.

I can come up with one possible scenario: Perhaps Dr. Franklin Edgington lived and/or practiced in the Chatt area in the mid to late 1870s and his wife Eliza died here and was buried in Zion’s cemetery. Carrie would have been a young girl, about 4 or 5 years old when her mother died.

Maybe. Maybe not.

And, I have other questions as well:

Who knew, after all those years, to bury Carrie by her mother?

Who kept that plot reserved for Carrie for nearly 90 years?

Were burial instructions in Carrie’s will?

Who even knows Carrie’s mother Eliza is buried in Zion Chatt’s cemetery? Very little information can be read from Eliza’s broken tombstone. No on-line sources with Bobo or Edgington descendants and researchers seem to know that Eliza (Bobo) Edgington is buried in Zion Chatt’s cemetery. I have found no indication of that knowledge whatsoever.

And the search will continue, just not as fervently. I will continue to wonder why and search for an answer to learn how Eliza (Bobo) Edgington came to be buried in our cemetery. I would love to hear from any Bobo or Edgington researchers and learn more about Dr. Franklin and Eliza during their short married life. And to close the final chapter on this mystery.

Carrie & Eliza (2015 photo by Karen)

Tombstones of Carrie & Eliza, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. (2015 photo by Karen)

A couple additional notes:

Dr. Benjamin Franklin Edgington, born 8 August 1849, died 13 September 1930 and is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Warren, Huntington County, Indiana. He is buried beside his second wife, Malinda J (Blake) Edgington (1857-1937). [17]

I mentioned several times that Carrie is buried in row 1 of Zion’s cemetery. What I call row 1 is an arbitrary row number, assigned when the cemetery was read in 1990 by the Mercer County Chapter OGS. They assigned row numbers so people could locate a tombstone easily. Row numbers were not assigned by our church. The oldest surviving tombstone in our cemetery dates back to 1868 and it is located in the center of the cemetery. Back then I doubt there was a driveway around the cemetery. People probably just walked in from the road. Thinking of how the cemetery looked back then, Eliza’s tombstone would have been at the very back of the cemetery, on the far west side.

 

[1] See blog posts Tombstone Tuesday—Carrie W. Friedell, 25 August 2015; Zion Chatt’s Mid-Summer Mystery, Part 1, 29 August 2015; Zion Chatt’s Mid-Summer Mystery, Part 2, 4 September 2015, Zion Chatt’s Mid-Summer Mystery, Part 3, 11 September 2015; Karen’s Chatt, www.karenmillerbennett.com.

[2] “Funeral Today for Dr. G.F. Eichhorn,” The Berne Witness, Berne, Indiana, 15 July 1957, p.1.

[3] U.S. Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, database on-line, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 Aug 2015); Carrie Wren Friedell.

[4] “Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 2 Sep 2015), Franklin Edgington and Eliza Bobo, 1870; from Blackford Marriage Book B, p.349.

[5] 1880 U.S. Census, Niles, Delaware, Indiana, ED 175, p.237C, dwelling 201, family 202, Willie Edgington; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 28 Aug 2015); from FHL microfilm 1254274, from NARA microfilm T9, roll 274.

[6] 1850 U.S. Census, Sprigg, Adams, Ohio, p.112B, dwelling & family 957, Wilson Edgington; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 28 Aug 2015); from NARA microfilm M432, roll 657.

[7] 1860 U.S. Census, Niles, Delaware, Indiana, p,657, dwelling, family, William D Edgington; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 Aug 2015); from FHL microfilm 803254, from NARA microfilm M653, roll 254. [Daughter Clarissa was born about 1853 in Indiana. ]

[8] 1870 U.S. Census, Niles, Delaware, Indiana, p.638B, dwelling & family 45, Wilson Edgington; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 28 Aug 2015); from NARA microfilm M593, roll 310.

[9] “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013,” database with images, FamilySearch, (https://familysearch.org : accessed 15 Aug 2015), Ezekiel Bobo and Sarah Wren, 8 Apr 1825; citing Athens, Ohio, Marriages, Vol. 1-2, p.4; from FHL microfilm 4016282.

[10] 1850 U.S. Census, Elk, Vinton, Ohio, p.218A, dwelling & family 1, Ezekiel Bobo; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 Aug 2015); from Nara microfilm M432, roll 736.

[11] Find a Grave.com, Ezekiel Bobo, (1804-1885) Elk Cemetery, McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio, memorial #109718262.

[12] “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 18 Aug 2015), Thomas W. Bobo and Mary E. Jacobs, 15 Apr 1864; citing Allen, Ohio, Marriages, reference 41; from FHL microfilm 901413.

[13] “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 18 Aug 2015), Elihu Bobo and Dora Lillenbridge, 15 Dec 1874; citing Blackford, Indiana Marriages, Vol. B, p.521; from FHL microfilm 1672562.

[14] “Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 15 Aug 2015), Franklin Edgington and Malinda Blake, 13 Feb 1879, from Blackford Marriages Col. C, p.99, from FHL microfilm 1672562.

[15] Tombstone Tuesday–Eliza, 11 August 2015; Karen’s Chatt, www.karenmillerbennett.com.

[16] 1850 U.S. Census, Elk, Vinton, Ohio, p.218A, dwelling & family 1, Ezekiel Bobo; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Aug 2015); from Nara microfilm M432, roll 736. And 1860 U.S. Census, Bucyrus, Crawford, Ohio, p.62, family 455, dwelling 466, Sarah Bobe; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Aug 2015); FHL microfilm 803951, from Nara microfilm M653, roll 951.

[17] Find a Grave.com, B Franklin Edgington, (1849-1930), Woodlawn Cemetery, Warren, Huntington County, Indiana; memorial #72918097.