Aug 06

Tombstone Tuesday–Infant Son of J & E Linn

Infant Male Linn, 1894, St. Paul UCC Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. (2024 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of the infant son of Jacob Jr. and Elizabeth Linn, located in row 2 of St. Paul UCC cemetery. The marker is inscribed:

INF. Son Of
J. & E. Linn
1894

A male child was born to Jacob (1865-1927) and Elizabeth (Garman) (1872-1943) Linn in 1894. Both of his parents were born in Germany and immigrated in 1872 and about 1888, respectively.

The only record of this child is his tombstone. Neither his birth or death were entered in Mercer County’s probate records. He may have been stillborn or lived only a short time after birth and was never given a name.

This child had the following siblings:
Infant brother (1891-1891)
Otto Linn (1893-1960), married Norah Gladys Stover
Catharine Louisa Linn (1895-1974), married Theodore Arndts
Caroline Linn (1897-1983), not married
Peter Linn (1900-1976), married Iola Ione Kanorr 
Philip Linn (1910-1994), never married

Aug 02

Family Tales-Fact or Fiction?

At last week’s Miller reunion one of my older cousins asked me if it was true that Grandpa Miller had six toes on each foot. It seems that when he was a young boy his uncles (maybe some aunts as well) tried to convince him of this. I had never heard this story before, and I am pretty sure they were telling him a tall tale, trying to pull a fast one on a young impressionable lad.

I question some other stories have been passed down in the family through the years.

Some I believe are true. Such as the fact that Jacob Miller spoke very bad English, if he spoke English at all, and he needed a translator to communicate. And that great-uncle John Miller was a bouncer at the Chatt Bar.

Some of the biggest tales come from Grandma Miller’s side of the family, the Brewsters.

Jackson Brewster, my great-great-great-grandfather, a person that seemed to appear out of nowhere in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, in time for the 1840 census, was said to have worked on a river boat, perhaps was a boat pilot, or even a river boat pirate! Most likely false tales for any of those river boat positions. It appears that he traveled from Pennsylvania to Indiana, straight through the middle of Ohio, stopping for a time in Brewster, Ohio.

It was said his wife was a beautiful Indian princess, or at least a Native American. Again, probably false. There seems to be very little proof that she was of Native American descent. Some family members have a very slight amount of Native American DNA, depending on what test is used, but we have more Neanderthal and Pigmy DNA than Native American DNA. Besides, her name was Mary Ann Martin. What sort of Native American name is that?

Jackson (1816-1890) & Mary Ann (Martin) Brewster (1822-1895) Photo courtesy of Brian Brewster

Another Brewster family tale (why are all the tales in the Brewster family?) is that we descend from the Mayflower Brewsters. Again, this appears to be a falsity. Our Brewster DNA is not a match to the DNA of proven Mayflower descendants. And I don’t believe genealogy lineage research shows the connection either.  

Going back a few more generations in another branch of Grandma’s family, there is the tale of the three brothers who immigrated from Germany. That same tale has been told in many other families as well. It does not appear to be the case in our family. He was very likely born in Pennsylvania.  

But, going back to the story that Grandpa had six toes, I am not surprised that my uncles were trying to fool my cousin years ago. That side of the family has had a number of jokesters and pranksters, starting with Grandma Miller. She and her sister Bernice (Brewster) Dudgeon were quite a pair. They were trouble and they knew how to have a good time. Even their youngest sister Dorothy, when I talked with her years ago, said the Brewsters liked to kid around and play jokes on each other. And some of that was passed onto a couple of my aunts and uncles, including my dad.

Gertrude and Bernice, 1971.

Grandma started playing practical jokes on her Brewster siblings when she was a young girl, putting turpentine on her brother’s tobacco leaves that were drying in the barn, ironing the seat of her brother’s wet pants while he was still wearing them, and leaving frozen footprints in the mud that made people think there was a wild person running around.

Grandma Miller with funny glasses

Grandma’s pranks continued into her married life, when she packed raw eggs instead of hard-boiled eggs in Grandpa’s lunch bucket, baked cotton balls in cupcakes, and dressed up like a hobo to scare her boys when they were tenting in the yard.

This carried down to some of her children, when they got their dad to take a big sniff of sneezing powder, accidentally shoot a rifle in the kitchen, and snapped a mouse trap on a sibling’s ear.

Carl Miller family.

That was all from the Brewster side of the family. Grandpa Miller did not have the same sense of humor that Grandma did. He was pretty serious.

They say that opposites attract.

I guess they were a good match.      

 

Jul 30

Tombstone Tuesday–Carl J. Linn

Carl J Linn, St. Paul UCC Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. (2024 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Carl J. Linn, located in row 5 of St. Paul UCC cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

LINN
 Carl J.
1897-1927

Carl John Linn was born in Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio, on 28 March 1897, the son of Henry Linn (1871-1934) and Margaret “Maggie” Deitsch (1877-1964). His father was born in Germany and his mother was born in Ohio. Carl was the oldest of 9 children born to Henry and Maggie Linn.

Carl Linn was enumerated as Charley Sinn in the 1900 census. His family in 1900: Henry [Linn], 28, head; Maggie, 28, wife; Charley, 3, son; and Edward, 1, son. [1]

Carl Linn, enumerated as John, with his family in 1910: Henry, 37; Maggie, 31; John, 13; Edward, 11; Andy, 9; Valentine, 7; Herbart, 6; Powell, 3; William, 2; and Caroline, 1 month. [2]

Carl Linn applied for the WWI draft on 5 June 1918. He was 21 years old, resided at Route 3 Rockford, and was employed by Michael Linn, Route 1, Celina. He was short, of medium build, with blue eyes and light hair. [3]

Carl Linn, 22, resided with his cousin Michael Linn, 36, and his family in 1920, working as hired farm labor. [4]

Carl Linn married Hulda Bollenbacher in Mercer County, Ohio, on 19 July 1923, married by Rev. S. Egger. [5] Hulda Bollenbacher was the daughter of Jacob and M. (Distler) Bollenbacher, born in Liberty Township, Mercer County, on 6 March 1898.

Their son Carl John “Junior” Linn was born in Mercer County on 6 March 1925.

Carl Linn, 31, was killed in a farm accident 6 May 1927, one-half mile east of the intersection of State Route 49 and 707, when he was run over and pinned beneath his tractor as he was plowing.  

He was survived by his parents, wife, and small son. His widow married widower Fred J. Miller in 1935.

Carl and Hulda (Bollenbacher) Linn had one child:
Carl John Linn Jr (1825-2016), married Phyllis E Shirk

[1] 1900 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 85, p.8, dwelling 153, family 158, Henry Sinn [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[2] 1910 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 119, p.9A, dwelling, 156, family 157, Henry Linn; Ancestry.com.  

[3] U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Ohio, Mercer County, Carl John Linn, 1918; Ancestry.com.

[4] 1920 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 140, p.4B, dwelling 80, family, 81, Michael Linn; Ancestry.com.

[5] Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993, Mercer, Vol. 1912-1940, p.223, Carl Linn & Hulda Bollenbacher, 19 July 1923; Ancestry.com.   

Jul 26

Family Reunion Time Once Again

We have two family reunions coming up very soon, my paternal and maternal family reunions. Many families do not have reunions anymore, but both sides of my family, the Millers and the Schumms, have reunions regularly. How special is that. 

The Miller reunion is this weekend and the Schumm reunion is the following weekend.

The Miller reunion is the smaller of the two reunions, attended by the descendants of my paternal grandparents, Carl and Gertrude (Brewster) Miller, both born in 1896. About 45-50 people attend and it is the same weekend every year. It is basically an unstructured, but enjoyable, reunion. We gather for a pot-luck noon meal, overeat the delicious food, and spend the afternoon visiting, sometimes looking at old photos and taking new family photos. The first families to show up set up tables and chairs and the last to leave do a little clean up and put the tables and chairs back. Not a whole lot of planning is involved.

Miller reunion, c1958.

We have had a Miller reunion for about as long as I can remember, probably at least 65 years. In the early years the Miller reunion revolved around the Brewster reunion. My Aunt Ruth’s family would come from Pennsylvania and stay a whole week and attended both reunions. My cousin Linda would stay with my mom and dad and me. That was back in the late 50s. At first the Millers gathered at grandpa and grandma Miller’s house, then sometimes at Aunt Kate’s or at Aunt Em’s, then many years at the park at Berne, then the park at Willshire, and now we meet at a fellowship hall at a church in Berne.      

We have had at least 65 Millers reunions.

In that respect, the Miller reunion beats the Schumm reunion.

This year’s Schumm reunion will their 45th. The first Schumm reunion was held 10 August 1924, making this year the 100th year anniversary of the reunion. With a few exceptions, the Schumm reunion is held every other year and that is why they have had fewer reunions.

The first Schumm Reunion, 1924, at the Schumm homestead.

The Schumm reunion is for the descendants of John George Schumm (1777-1846) who immigrated to America in 1833. Their reunion goes back much farther than the Miller reunion and because of that, the Schumm reunion is much larger.

The first Schumm reunion was held at the original Schumm homestead, west of the church, and was held there for many years, until the old Schumm barn was razed. After that, their reunions were held at the farm across the road from the church, which at that time was the Ned Alspaugh farm. Now reunions are held at the pavilion at the church. 

Usually about 150-200 family members attend the Schumm reunion. Their reunion is held the same weekend every-other year. The day begins with a church service, followed by a delicious carry-in dinner, followed by a program, business meeting, some singing, and a reunion photo is taken.

This all takes a lot of planning. The reunion committee meets 4-5 times in the months before the reunion, planning many details. It is advertised on various media. Tables and chairs have to be carried out to the pavilion and set up. The PA system is set up. There is a carry-in meal, ice cream, beverages, activities for the children, a program and business meeting, a self-guided cemetery walk, and a reunion photo. An event this well-organized takes a lot of time and work from many volunteers.

2016 Schumm Reunion (2016 photo by Karen)

The Schumm reunions are also well documented. Reunion officers, including president, secretary, and treasurer, are elected. Minutes are recorded and there is a treasurer’s report. A schedule of the afternoon program is printed and distributed. Programs, minutes, announcements, and newspaper clippings from past reunion have been saved for the past 100 years.

Since this is the 100-year reunion anniversary of the Schumm reunion, the reunion committee is planning a 2-day event. Saturday’s events include an ice cream social, speaker, tour of Wyneken House near Decatur, and a Fort Wayne Tin Caps ball game in the evening. Sunday’s activities will be the usual reunion events (church, meal, program). Special monogrammed Schumm items, donated for the event, are given to attendees. It is a special reunion.  

2018 Schumm reunion

This year we have an updated Schumm history/genealogy book and I’m going to give a brief talk about some of our Schumm family members, past and present.  

Yes, there are differences between the two reunions, but both have the two important ingredients of a family reunion–visiting with family, some you don’t see very often, and lots of good food.

It’s all about family.  

Jul 23

Tombstone Tuesday-Jacob Jr & Elizabeth Linn

Jacob & Elizabeth Linn, UCC Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio.

This is the tombstone of Jacob Linn Jr and Elizabeth Garman, located in row 5 of St. Paul UCC Cemetery, Liberty Township Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Jacob
1865-1927
Elizabeth
1872-1943
LINN

Jacob Linn Jr was born June 1865 in Bavaria, the son of Jacob Linn Sr and Katharina Mueller. Jacob Jr, age 7, arrived in America with his parents and two brothers, Philip, 4, Henry, 9 months, on 28 May 1872, sailing on the ship Hanover. [1] The family settled in Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio, where Jacob Jr and his five brothers grew up. Jacob Jr’s mother was the sister of my great-grandfather Jacob Mueller/Miller.

Jacob Linn Jr married Elizabeth G. (aka Lizzie) Garman on 2 April 1891 in Mercer County, Ohio, married by Rev. Karl Moeller. [2] Elizabeth was born in December 1871. [3]

Elizabeth’s name was written as Germann on her marriage record but Find A Grave.com and other records indicate that her name was most likely Garman. The 1900 census indicates she was born December 1871 in Germany and immigrated in 1888. There was a Jacob German, born in Germany in 1876, and his aunt, Hermelia (Mrs. Peter) Alt, and both lived in Liberty Township in the early 1900s. I do not know if Elizabeth was related to these two individuals or not.

By 1900, Jacob Linn Jr, 34, and his wife Elizabeth, 28, had four children, Peter [sic] (per the 1900 census; was actually Otto), 6; Louise, 4; Caroline, 2; and Peter, 2 mo. This enumeration indicates that Jacob Jr and Lizzie had been married 9 years and that 4 of their 6 children were living. Both parents were born in Germany and their children were born in Ohio. Jacob Jr immigrated in 1872 and Lizzie in 1888. Jacob was a farmer. [3]

By 1910, Jacob and Elizabeth had five children. The Jacob Linn Jr family in 1910: Jacob, 44; Elizabeth, 37; Otto, 16; Lucy, 14; Caroline, 12; Peter, 10; Philip, 3 mo. The couple had been married 19 years and 5 of their 10 children were living, according to his enumeration. If this information was correct, they lost three more children between 1900-1910. [4]

Elizabeth Linn was admitted to the Toledo State Hospital for a year and a half in January 1905 and again in September 1913. [5] 

The 1916 Mercer County Directory shows the following: Jacob Linn Jr, wife Elizabeth, 5 children, farmer, owned 120 acres, 8 horses, and 18 cows, lived at Route 1 Celina, Liberty 48, Indiana telephone. [6]

Jacob Linn, 54, and his children in 1920: Jacob, 54, daughters Louisa, 25, and Caroline, 22, and sons Peter, 19, and Philip, 9. [7] Elizabeth Linn, married, born in Germany, was again a patient at Toledo State Hospital, as shown in the 1920 and 1930 censuses. [8] [9]  

Jacob Linn died in 1927.

By 1940 Elizabeth was back in Mercer County, living with her son Otto Linn and his family: Otto, 46; Norah G, 44; Ethel L, 21; Herman R, 15; Gene G, 13; Alice J, 11; Janet, 9; Paul K, 6; Robert G, 2; Philip Linn, 30, brother; and Elizabeth Linn, 80, mother.

Elizabeth Linn died 25 April 1943 in Mercer County.

Jacob Linn Jr and Elizabeth (Germann/Garman) had the following children:
Infant son (1891-1891)
Otto Linn (1893-1960), married Norah Gladys Stover
Infant son (1894-1894)
Catharine Louisa Linn (1895-1974), married Theodore Arndts
Caroline Linn (1897-1983), not married
Peter Linn (1900-1976), married Iola Ione Kanorr 
Philip Linn (1910-1994), never married

[1] Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, NY, 1820-1897, Records of the U.S. Customs Service, RG: 36, National Archives, Washington DC, NAID: M237, Ship Hanover, 28 May 1872; Ancestry.com.

[2] Ohio U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993, Mercer, Vol. 1887-1904, p.260, Jacob Linn & Lizzie Germann, 2 Apr 1891; Ancestry.com.

[3] 1900 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 85, p.8, dwelling 149, family 154, Jacob J Sinn [sic]; Ancestry.com.

[4] 1910 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 119, p.16a, dwelling 349, family 310, Jacob Linn; Ancestry.com.

[5] The Celina Democrat, Celina, Ohio, 19 Sep 1913; NewspaperArchive.com.

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

[7] 1920 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Liberty, ED 140, p4B. dwelling, 83, family 86, Jacob Linn; Ancestry.com.

[8] 1920 U.S. Census, Ohio, Lucas, Toledo Ward 13, ED 139, p.17A, line 35, Elizabeth Linn; Ancestry.com.

[9] 1930 U.S. Census, Ohio, Lucas, Toledo, Ed 116, p.23A, line 20, Elizabeth Linn; Ancestry.com.

[10] 1940 U.S. Census, Ohio, Mercer, Black Creek, ED 54-1, p.7A, household 146, Otto Linn; Ancestry.com.

[11] Ohio Death Index, 1908-1932, Mercer, p.980, Elizabeth G Linn, 25 Apr 1943; FamilySearch.org.