May 20

Tombstone Tuesday–John F. Merkle

John F. Merkle, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. (2011 photo by Karen)

John F. Merkle, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. (2011 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of John Francis Merkle, located in row 7 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

John F.
Merkle
Feb 2, 1870
July 27, 1895
MERKLE

John Merkle was the son of Joseph and Lucinda (Kentner) Merkle, born in Wapakoneta, Auglaize County, Ohio. [1]

There are conflicting records concerning John’s date of birth. His Auglaize County birth record indicates he was born 13 December 1869. [1] That would appear to be the most reliable record, but the 1870 census, taken only months after his birth, indicates he was five months old and born in February 1870. [2] Finally, his tombstone is inscribed with 2 February 1870 as his birth date. Note that John’s parents were still living when he passed away and likely purchased his cemetery marker.

In 1870 the Joseph Merkle family was living in Wapakoneta, Auglaize County. At that time John was living with his parents and three sisters. [2]

The Merkle family moved to neighboring Mercer County by 1880. They resided in Chattanooga where John’s father worked as a blacksmith and his sister Mary taught school. [3]

The Merkle family attended Zion Lutheran Church when they lived in Chattanooga. John’s mother Lucinda was confirmed as an adult at Zion in 1885 and several of John’s siblings were baptized, confirmed, and married there.

John was the victim of a fatal accident on 27 July 1895 in Chicago. The following newspaper report tells of his misfortune:

Drowned in the Calumet
J.S. Merkle, 35 years old [sic], of No. 104 East Ninety-Second street, a well-known carpenter and contractor of South Chicago, was drowned in the Calumet River between Ninety-Ninth and One Hundredth streets last evening. His body was not recovered. Merkle went out in a boat alone for a row. A short time after the boat was found floating in the river bottom up and Merkle could not be found. [4]

John Merkle drowning, 1895

John Merkle drowning, The Inter Ocean, Chicago, Ill, 28 July 1895

This newspaper account gives his ages as 35, which appears to be an error. I believe he was 25 when he drowned. I do not know if John’s body was ever recovered but Zion Chatt’s records indicate that he was buried on the 30th. The church record verifies the above information–that John Francis Merkle, son of Joseph and Lucinda, drowned on 27 July 1895 in the Chicago River when his sailboat capsized. It also indicates that he was survived by his parents and siblings.

John’s parents and several of his siblings are also buried in Zion Chatt’s Cemetery.

John Merkle birth record, Vol. 1, p.25, item 83, Auglaize County, Ohio.

John Merkle birth record, Vol. 1, p.25, item 83, Auglaize County, Ohio.

[1] Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VN7R-R3Q : accessed 18 May 2014), Joseph Merkle in entry for John Merkle, 13 Dec 1869; citing Vol. 1 p. 25, item 83, Wapakoneta, Auglaize, Ohio; FHL microfilm 959200.

[2] 1870 U.S. Census, Wapakoneta, Auglaize County, Ohio, p. 36 (penned), dwelling 304, family 298, Joseph Merkley; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 May 2014); from FHL film 552671, from NARA film M593, roll 1172.

[3] 1880 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer County, Ohio, ED 188, p. 2 (penned), dwelling 13, family 14, Joseph Markrle; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 May 2014); from FHL microfilm 1255048, from NARA microfilm T9, roll 1048.

[4] “Drowned in the Calumet,” The Inter Ocean, Chicago, Illinois, 28 July 1895, p.2; digital image by subscription, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 18 May 2014).

May 16

Live Streaming From the 2014 NGS Conference

Last week, 7-10 May, was the annual National Genealogical Society [NGS] Conference, held in Richmond, Virginia. The 2014 Conference, entitled Virginia: The First Frontier, offered over 175 lectures during the four day conference.

Genealogical conferences, whether national, state, or local, are a wonderful means to learn and network. I enjoy attending them as often as I can, if they are within reasonable driving distance, which for me is no more than five to six hours travel time. It would have been about a nine hour drive to this year’s conference. Plus it just did not fit into my schedule this year. So I did not attend the 2014 NGS Conference.

Although I was not there in person, I was able to see a few of the sessions. Live. Right here at home, in my office, on my PC.

Viewing_PCThat’s right. This year NGS offered something new, something for those of us that could not attend the conference for one reason or another. For the first time NGS offered “live streaming” of certain sessions, making those sessions available to persons with an Internet connection anywhere. I was able to watch and listen to the sessions live, at the same time they were being presented. Or I can watch them later if I was busy when they were shown live. Roots Tech, a conference that focuses on genealogy and technology, has offered live streaming the past couple of years.

NGS offered ten sessions for live streaming, in two tracks that consisted of five sessions each. They chose lectures on popular topics presented by nationally known speakers. You could chose to view either or both tracks, at a cost of $65/track or $115 for both, for NGS members. Non-members could also sign up for the live stream, at $80/track or $145 for both. Membership has its advantages.

Track one was Records and Research Techniques and track two was Virginia Resources and Migration Patterns.

I chose to watch track one, which consisted of two lectures on Thursday afternoon and three on Friday morning. Sessions were: “Using Evidence Creatively, Spotting Clues in Run-of-the-Mill Records,” Elizabeth Shown Mills; “Can a Complex Research Problem Be Solved Solely Online?” Thomas W. Jones; “Using NARA’s Finding Aids and Website,” Pamela Boyer Sayer; “Disputes and Unhappy Differences…Surprises in Land Records,” Sharon Tate Moody; and “A Sound Mind and Body, Using Probate Records in Your Research,” Michael Hait.

I watched Elizabeth Shown Mills and Tom Jones present their sessions live on Friday. Then on Saturday I watched Sharon Tate’s presentation a few hours after its completion. I will watch the other two sessions some time in the future.

The nice thing is that I can watch the lectures as often as I want, whenever I want, for ninety days after the end of the conference. NGS On Demand Online Access was to be available within 24 hours of the recording, but it was actually available sooner than that. I watched one of Saturday’s sessions a few hours after the session had ended.

Live stream registrants also received a digital version of the conference syllabus, all 628 pages in PDF format. The syllabus includes the handout material for each session, which is usually four pages per session. The syllabus itself is a great source of information and interesting to look through.

LectureNGS selected Playback Now to broadcast sessions live and show the recordings after that. The live stream was simple enough to set up. I simply went to the conference live streaming website and logged in with my password. It worked extremely well. The video and audio were excellent. The video was a good mix as it went back and forth between the speaker and their Power Point slides.

There were a coupe disadvantages to the live stream for me:

  • It used a lot of data. I use my tablet as a hot spot for my Internet connection and I found that two sessions use about 1 GB of data.
  • There was a limited number of sessions for live streaming.
  • I did not get to chose the sessions I wanted to view.  They were already chosen.

It appears the 2014 NGS Conference live stream was a success. I received an e-mail from NGS yesterday announcing that they were taking registrations until 31 May for post-conference viewing of the ten sessions mentioned above. Before the conference over 400 signed up for the live stream, but others learned about it after the conference and want the opportunity to view the sessions, too. Post-conference registrants will be allowed to view sessions in track one, track two, or both tracks for the next three months, at the pre-conference price. The digital syllabus is also included.

I also have another option to hear the lectures I missed. I can purchase an audio recording from JAMB Tapes, Inc. They offer recordings of most conference sessions on audio CD for $12 each. The 2014 conference CDs will be available soon. And I can follow right along with my syllabus.

I still enjoy attending conferences in person to learn, to network with other genealogists, to see old friends and meet new ones, to shop in the exhibit hall, and to see the various conference venues, but I cannot attend every year. Live streaming was a nice opportunity to see some presentations this year.

It is almost the next best thing to being there.

 

 

 

 

May 13

Tombstone Tuesday–Infant Son & Daughter of A.L. & N.M. Schumm

Infant son and daughter of A.L. & N.M. Schumm, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

Infant son and daughter of A.L. & N.M. Schumm, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of stillborn twins, the son and daughter of Arnold and Naomi (Schumm) Schumm, located in row 8 of Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Infant Son & Dau. of
A.L. & N.M. Schumm
1926

Zion Schumm’s records show only that the infant son and daughter of A.L. Schumm were buried in 1926.

Ohio death records indicate that a stillborn male was born on 18 April 1926 in Van Wert County to Arnold L. and Naomi Schumm and was buried on 19 April. [1] The index below shows the information about the stillborn infant. [2] Neither of the state records mention the twin girl, although the FamilySearch record was an abstract of the original.

SchummStillbo DR 1926, ODH - Copy

Ohio Death Index 1908-1932.

About the parents: According to Zion Schumm’s records, Arnold Ludwig Schumm was born 7 August 1890, the son of John and Wilhelmine (Breuninger) Schumm. “Naemi” Margaretha Schumm was born 2 March 1897 to Fredrick Jr and Maria (Buechner) Schumm. Her name was spelled Naemi in her baptism and marriage records, but was spelled Naomi in later church records.

Arnold and Naomi were married at her parents’ home on 16 November 1922 by Rev. R.O. Bienert. Witnesses to their marriage were Amos Schumm and Salome Schumm.

It appears that the twins were the first children born to Arnold and Naomi. Other children born to the couple:

Lois Margaret 1928
Frederich John 1933
Wilma Louise 1936

Arnold Schumm died in 1968 and Naomi died in 1982.

[1] “Ohio, Deaths and Burials, 1854-1997, ” index. FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:MM9.1.1/F6CN-H73 : accessed 11 May 2014), Infant Schumm, 18 Apr 1926; citing Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, reference item 11 cn 40; FHL microfilm 1952874.

[2] Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1932, 1938-2007, and 1958-2007, from Death Certificates and Index, Ohio Division of Vital Statistics, December 20, 1908-December 31, 1953, on-line database, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 11 May 2014), Stillbo Schumm, 18 Apr 1926; from State Archives Series 3094, p.7530, Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, Ohio.

May 09

Chattanooga On Google Earth

Last week I wrote about Google Earth and posted some area photos that I screen captured while looking around in the program. It is interesting to look at the photos from various years and different views on Google Earth. This week I have some photos of Chattanooga, Ohio, from Google Earth.

Google Earth’s most recent aerial view of Chattanooga was taken 26 February 2012. Chatt’s downtown area looks pretty much the same today as it did in 2012. The Chatt Bar is in the left center of the photo below. Notice that the 2012 aerial view shows a vacant lot to the south of the Chatt Bar.

Chattanooga, Ohio, Google Earth, 26 Feb 2012 photo.

Chattanooga, Ohio, Google Earth, 26 Feb 2012 photo.

But when I switched to Google Earth’s Street View in front of the Chatt Bar I got a big surprise. I noticed that the aerial view and the street view were taken at different times. The street view photos were taken October 2008, four years before the aerial photos were taken. And I noticed something very interesting in the photos. The old brick building, once located south of the Chatt Bar, was still standing in October 2008 and it can still be seen in Google Earth’s Street View photos.

Chatt Bar and brick building, Google Earth, image Oct 2008.

Brick building & Chatt Bar, looking north, Google Earth, October 2008 photo.

That old brick building was once the Chattanooga Bank. Yes, Chattanooga had a bank at one time–the Farmers & Merchants State Bank. It was in business by 1917 and closed about 1930. A plat map of Chatt from the 1920s shows the bank was south of the hotel and bar. Semon Egger’s property and businesses were between the two.

Part of Chatt Plat Map, c1920s, showing Chatt Bank.

Part of Chatt Plat Map, c1920s, showing Chatt Bank.

A document from the Chattanooga Farmers & Merchants State Bank, dated 1917.

Farmers & Merchants State Bank, Chattanooga, Ohio, 1917.

Farmers & Merchants State Bank, Chattanooga, Ohio, 1917.

The brick bank building later housed two grocery stores, Heffner’s Grocery and then Bollenbacher’s Grocery.

Heffner's Grocery, Chattanooga, Ohio, undated photo.

Heffner’s Grocery, Chattanooga, Ohio, undated photo.

By studying Google Earth’s aerial maps of Chatt I was able to determine that the old brick building was torn down between July 2009 and August 2010. Someone from Chatt probably knows the exact date.

Chatt Bank/Grocery & Chatt Bar. Google Earth, October 2008 photo.

Chatt Bank/Grocery & Chatt Bar. Google Earth, October 2008 photo.

At one time there was another building between the Chatt Bar and the brick building. That building was Semon Egger’s grocery, which also included the Chattanooga Post Office and Egger’s mortuary, which was upstairs.

When I was a child that building was the home of the Chattanooga Volunteer Fire Department. At that time there was a large garage door on the ground level and the Chatt Chums 4-H Club would sometimes meet upstairs. Back then we had no idea the second floor had once been a funeral parlor.

Chatt Volunteer Fire Dept, undated photo, c1970s, courtesy of Jerry Miller.

Chattanooga Volunteer Fire Dept, undated photo, c1970s, courtesy of Jerry Miller. The building was once Egger’s store. Notice the former bank building to the left.

Today Chatt’s Fire Department is across the street, in the building that once was Wendel’s Garage and Auto Sales. My parents purchased Pontiac autos from them years ago. Below is a Google Earth photo of that building as it looked in 2008.

Google Earth, October 2008 image.

Google Earth, October 2008 photo.

I am grateful that the 2008 Street View images of Chatt still remain on Google Earth and that I am able to see that old brick building once again.

Google Earth, October 2008 image.

Chatt Bar and Bank, looking south, Google Earth, October 2008 photo.

I did not have a photo of the brick structure before they tore it down, but I do now, thanks to Google Earth.

 

(All images accessed from Google Earth 30 April 2014.)

May 06

Tombstone Tuesday–Emma Germann

Emma Germann, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

Emma Germann, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Emma Germann, located in row 11 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

EMMA GERMANN
1907-1917

Emma Germann was born 14 January 1907 in Harrison Township, Van Wert County, the daughter of Friederick “Fred” C. and Clara C.M. (Pflueger) Germann. [1] [2]

I found very little information about little Emma. Her baptism was not recorded in Zion Schumm’s records because her family probably attended another church at that time. Nor could I find her Ohio death certificate, but her death and burial information was recorded in Zion Schumm’s records. I was able to locate more information about her parents, however.

Fred Germann, Emma’s father, was born 30 December 1866 in Harrison Township, the son of Henry and Magdalena (Boyer) Germann. Fred was a timber dealer at the time of his marriage and a farmer at the time of his death. Emma’s mother Clara was the daughter of Abraham and Elizabeth (Hofmann) Pflueger, born 2 April 1881 in Monroeville, Indiana.

Fred and Clara married in Van Wert County on 5 August 1900 and afterward they lived in Harrison Township. They had at least two daughters, Pauline C., born about 1903, and Emma, born in 1907.

Fred Germann died 28 January 1909 in Harrison Township of “cancer of superior maxilla,” probably cancer in the upper jaw or sinus. His death certificate indicates that he had this affliction for 9 months. Fred is buried in the Evangelical Protestant Cemetery, several miles northeast of Schumm.

In 1910 Clara Germann was a widow, living with her two daughters in Harrison Township. Soon after, Clara married William O. Myers on 15 May 1910 in Van Wert County. William was born in Pennsylvania on 25 February 1863 to John and Anna (Painter) Myers. William had also been married once before.

Emma Germann died 29 December 1917 in Willshire, at the age of 10 years, 11 months and 14 days. She was buried on the 31st. Survivors included her mother, her step-father, 3 sisters and 1 brother, according to the church records. Pauline was Emma’s full sister and Mildred, Oscar, and Louise Myers were her half-siblings. Since I could not locate Emma’s death certificate, I do not know the cause of her death. The church records did not mention that fact.

 

[1] “Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-23316-71542-76?cc=1932106 : accessed 04 May 2014), Emma E. Germann, 14 January 1907; citing Harrison Township, Van Wert County, Ohio, Birth Registers 1899-1908, Vol 4, p.185, from FHL microfilm 1015857.

[2] Zion Schumm’s records indicate Emma was born 15 January 1907, but her Van Wert County birth record indicates her date of birth as 14 January 1907.

Other sources of information:

“Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-18084-11862-25?cc=1614804 : accessed 04 May 2014), Friederick Germann and Clara C.M. Pfleuger, 5 August 1900; citing Van Wert, Ohio, Marriage Records 1899-1903, Vol. 10, p. 193; FHL microfilm 1015863.

“Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-21292-5946-99?cc=1307272 : accessed 04 May 2014), Frederick C. Germann, 28 January 1909; citing Harrison Township, Van Wert, Ohio; FHL microfilm 1952875.

1910 U.S. Census, index and images, Van Wert County, Ohio, ED 90, p. 16B, dwelling 283, family 292, Clara C.M. Germann;  digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 04 May 2014); from NARA microfilm T624, roll 1238.

“Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-18084-117367-45?cc=1614804 : accessed 04 May 2014), William O. Myers and Clara Germann, 15 May 1910; citing Van Wert, Ohio, Marriage records 1908-1912, Vol 13, p. 310; FHL microfilm 1015864.

1920 U.S. Census, index and images, Blue Creek, Adams County, Indiana, ED 1, p. 2A , dwelling 29, family 30, William Myers; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 04 May 2014); from NARA microfilm T625, roll 420.