Dec 21

Advent–The Nativity Sets

Nativity display at St. Charles Senior Living Community

Nativity display at St. Charles Senior Living Community

If you are reading this blog post it must mean that the world has not ended by some catastrophic disaster. Yes, we are all still here. It can be said that the reports of the end of the world have been greatly exaggerated. Life goes on and, ready or not, we are about to embark on another Christmas Season with family and friends.

The last quarter of this year has been exceptionally busy for us. Our son got married and we hosted several family gatherings, all the while dealing with daily life and the usual seasonal preparations. Add to that some unexpected happenings such as my PC crashing and a minor car accident. To put it mildly we have been stressed out around here.

In an effort to try and relax and regain the feeling of the true meaning of Christmas, last Saturday Joe and I went to the St. Charles Senior Living Community, formerly St. Charles Seminary, in Carthagena, Mercer County, Ohio, to view a display of over 50 Nativity sets from around the world. The Nativities were on loan from the University of Dayton Marion Library.

St. Charles Senior Living Community, Carthagena, Ohio.

St. Charles Senior Living Community, Carthagena, Ohio.

The grounds and buildings at the former seminary site are beautiful. I was there years ago on a field trip with my high school Latin class. While touring the chapel back then someone mentioned that I was our church organist and the tour guide allowed me to play the chapel pipe organ. I was honored and thrilled to play the first song that came to my mind, Silent Night. Last Saturday I hoped to view the chapel once again and see how my memories of the chapel and the organ compared to the way they actually look today. Things were not quite as I remembered, but there is a good possibility that some remodeling had been done in the past forty-plus years. The organ pipes were still visible and the console was where I remembered.

Organ pipes in the Chapel

Organ pipes in the Chapel

Below are a few photos of some of the Nativities that we viewed last week.

Nativity from Peru.

Nativity from Peru.

Wood with gold Nativity from the Philippines.

Wood with gold Nativity from the Philippines.

 

I liked the Nesting Doll Nativity set from Poland, shown below. When I see nesting dolls I think of Russia or Eastern Europe. To me they symbolize folk-art of that region. However, not everyone likes this type of art. We talked with a resident of the Senior Community who was a native of Poland and had lived in the United States for forty years. She did not like the Nesting Nativity at all. She said that it did not look like Poland. That Poland was beautiful and ornate. She thought the Nesting Nativity must have been made by Communists. She was appalled that I liked it at all. She showed us the Nativity that she liked, one with more life-like figures and trimmed in glimmering gold. She said that it was more representative of Poland. To each his own… I still like the nesting dolls.

Nesting Doll Nativity from Poland.

Nesting Doll Nativity from Poland.

Straw Nativity from Honduras

Straw Nativity from Honduras

Gourd Nativity from Ecuador.

Gourd Nativity from Ecuador.

Mahogany Nativity from Haiti

Mahogany Nativity from Haiti

Clay Nativity

Clay Nativity

 

I really do like Nativity sets and enjoyed seeing so many types and styles made from many different kinds of materials. Thank You to Sister Martha Bertke, manager of the St. Charles Senior Living Community, for arranging the display. It was wonderful.

 

 

Dec 18

Tombstone Tuesday–Anna M. Schumm

Anna Schumm w of HG

Anna M. Schumm, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio.

This is the tombstone of Anna M. Schumm, located in row 7 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Anna M.
Ehefrau Von
H. G. Schumm
Geboren
24 Mai 1857
Gestorben
23 Sep 1901
Text
1 Petri, Chp 5, Vers 6

Translation: Anna M., Wife of H.G. Schumm, Born 24 May 1857, Died 23 Sep 1901, Text 1 Peter 5:6.

According to the church records of Zion Lutheran, Schumm, Mrs. Anna M. Schumm, born Roehm, the legal wife of Mr. H.G. Schumm, was born 24 May 1857 in Tully Township, Van Wert County, Ohio. She died 23 September 1901 of typhoid, at the age of 44 years, 3 months and 20 days. She was buried 25 September in the church cemetery. Her funeral text was 1 Peter 5:6.

Anna Roehm married Henry George “H.G.” Schumm on 1 April 1879 at the home of her parents. They had the following children: Maria Amalia (1880-1946; m. John Henry “Hugo” Schumm), Anna Wilhemina (1883-1901), Henrietta Clara (1885-1901), Walter Emanuel (1888-1967; m. Erna Theresa Schumm) and Esther Emilie (1893-1983; m. Amos C. Schumm).

Dec 14

Advent–The Christmas Trees

For centuries, at Christmas time, one of the main objects in homes has been the Christmas tree. As I look through family photos I see that our family is no exception to this tradition. Christmas trees are bright and pretty and photos often focused on them. Here are some pictures of family trees in various styles and sizes.

Carl Miller family Christmas tree (1951)

Carl Miller family Christmas tree (1951)

According to Wikipedia the custom of the Christmas tree originated in Germany. Christmas trees were originally decorated with foods such as apples, nuts or dates and were lighted with candles.

Grandma Miller and Uncle Vernie by the same Christmas tree. (1951)

Grandma Miller and Uncle Vernie by the same Christmas tree. (1951)

This past summer I found the photo shown below in a box stowed away in the Miller barn. The items hanging from the tree were dish cloths that look like they were made into slippers, probably made by my aunts. Each pair was labeled for their recipient:  Kate, Mom, Florence, Martha and Em.

Miller dish cloth gifts. (c1951)

Miller dish cloth gifts. (c1951)

When I was a young child we had a live Christmas tree. It was exciting to get the box of beautiful old-fashioned glass ornaments down from the attic and decorate the tree. I don’t know what happened to all those old ornaments. They probably broke over the years but I would love to have a few of them for keepsakes. We also used lots of tinsel and the large colored Christmas lights to adorn the tree. The tinsel was messy but the cats loved it.

A few years later artificial trees became popular and we got one to replace the annual live tree. The first artificial tree we had was green and resembled a real tree. The next artificial tree we purchased was a shiny silver aluminum tree. Those were quite popular in the late 50s and I loved watching the multi-colored light wheel rotate and change the color of the tree. Each of those aluminum trees came with the light wheel because we were cautioned not to string electrical lights on the metal tree.

The photo below was taken at a Farm Bureau Council meeting at my parents’ home. Some of you may recognize Donna and Vernon Caffee, Fred Miller and Bob Humbert holding his daughter Rita Kay. Note the aluminum tree in the corner.

Aluminum tree. (c1959)

Aluminum tree. (c1959)

We now use a mid-size artificial tree in the basement. Upstairs I have become very lazy with my trees. I group four skinny, folk-art-style trees of various sizes together and I decorate each differently. Here is the lazy part: I leave the lights on the trees, take them to the basement and cover each with a bag for storage. Each of these trees is one piece so there is nothing to take apart. The next Christmas all I have to do is take the trees upstairs, plug them in and hang a few decorations on them. How simple! And I have my own little pine forest.

Karen's trees

Grouping of my 4 trees.

Last year we visited the Fort Wayne Botanical Conservatory on Black Friday. It was decorated beautifully for Christmas and it was peaceful walking through the plants and flowers. There was no shopping and fighting the crowds for us. They had a poinsettia tree there.

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We have a beautiful 12 foot tree at Zion, Chatt, decorated by a group of ladies at the church.

Zion, Chatt's, 12 foot tree.

Zion, Chatt’s 12 foot tree.

O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum,
Wie treu sind deine Blatter!

[O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
Your branches green delight us!]

Dec 11

Tombstone Tuesday–Henry G. Schumm

Henry G. Schumm, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio.

This is the tombstone of Henry G. Schumm, located in row 4 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Henry G. Schumm
1854-1939

Georg Heinrich Schumm was born 14 November 1854 near Schumm in Willshire Township, Van Wert County, Ohio. He was the tenth of fourteen children born to Georg Martin and Maria (Pflüger) Schumm. Henry was baptized 19 November 1854 at home. His baptismal sponsors were Ludwig Schumm and wife, Friedrich Schumm and wife and Pastor John Georg Streckfuss and his wife Margaretha. Henry’s father, George Martin, was one of the Schumms that immigrated to America in 1833.

Heinrich G. Schumm married Anna Roehm on 1 April 1879 at the home of her parents. They had the following children: Maria Amalia (1880-1946; m. John Henry “Hugo” Schumm), Anna Wilhemina (1883-1901), Henrietta Clara (1885-1901), Walter Emanuel (1888-1967; m. Erna Theresa Schumm) and Esther Emilie (1893-1983; m. Amos C. Schumm).

Henry’s wife Anna (1857-1901) died in 1901 and Henry married Wilhelmina (Kramer/Kroemer) Limecooley on 23 November 1904 in Allen County, Indiana, by Henry Luchn. [1]

Henry George Schumm died 26 July 1939 near Schumm at the age of 84 years, 8 months and 12 days. He was buried 29 July 1939 in Zion Lutheran Cemetery.  His funeral text was 1 Timothy 1:15, with Pastor A. Moeller officiating.

Obituary:

H.G. Schumm Laid To Rest Saturday
With simple, but impressive rites, Henry G. Schumm, one of the oldest members of Zion Lutheran Church at Schumm, was laid to rest in the congregation’s cemetery at Schumm, last Saturday afternoon.

A German service was conducted at the old homestead for the family and other relatives. A girls’ choir sang in German the ancient choral: “Lord Jesus Who Dost Love Me,” a favorite hymn of the departed grandfather.

The service in the church was conducted in English. The Walther League Choir sang a 17th century selection appropriate for the occasion. The pastor of the church at Schumm was in charge of both services. In spite of the inclement weather, a large number of relatives and friends from far and near filled the church to pay last respects to Grandfather Schumm. [2]

 

[1] Indiana Marriages 1811-1959, Allen County, Indiana, Vol. 27:38, digital image, (FamilySearch.org : accessed 10 December 2012).

[2] The Willshire Herald, Willshire, Ohio, 27 July 1939, p.8.

 

 

 

Dec 07

Advent–The Christmas Program

Three Wise Men, Christmas program, c2008.

The children’s Christmas program is an annual event at our church. It is a time of pride for parents and grandparents as they get to see their little ones dressed in special Christmas clothes, nervously saying their “pieces” and singing in front of the congregation.

When I was a child our Christmas pageants were usually held on Sunday morning or Sunday evening. We had a rehearsal on the Saturday before the performance. There was a big party in the church basement after the rehearsal and we had food and a gift exchange. It was a lot of fun.

The first Christmas program that I remember participating in was held in our church basement. It may not have been the Christmas program, but it was an event of some sort held during the Advent season. I was about five years old and I sang the 1950s hit, All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth.

I was scared to death to sing in front of people and would never have gotten through that song had it not been for the beautiful pink and blue Teddy bear that our neighbor Cindy had set on top of the upright piano. I focused on that bear and I somehow knew that he would be mine if I could finish the song. I did finish the song and I did get the bear. “Smiley” was my cuddly companion for many years after that.

Memorizing and reciting a Christmas piece has always been a part of our Christmas programs. I was never good at memorizing and worried about saying my verse correctly. I don’t think most children are good at memorizing their pieces. The little ones get a lot of prompting from the Sunday School teachers and the older kids usually just read their parts.

Most Christmas programs include a live nativity (sans animals) and the children play the parts of Mary, Joseph, angels, shepherds and the wise men. The role of Baby Jesus is usually played by a doll baby. I never had the major role of Mary in any of our programs. I was usually just in the background chorus. A few years ago my husband and two other men played the roles of the three wise men. My husband got to wear a fancy robe and crown and carried a gift for Baby Jesus. It was a proud moment for our family to have one of our very own cast in a major Nativity role. [And, yes, I have heard all those “wise men” jokes and chose not to go there.]

Joe as a Wise Man, Christmas Pageant, c2008.

I guess I have always been a Nervous Nellie. When I was young I was anxious about my part in the Christmas program and later I was nervous about our son’s part in the program. He was a spirited, independent and strong-willed little boy and we never knew what he would do in front of a crowd. It did not matter that the crowd was our church family. He had no shame as he rolled around on the floor or ran around the manger. We held our breath until the program was over. Why are the antics of little ones always more amusing when they are not your own children?

When all the characters of the Nativity are all in place the rest of the children usually sing Away In a Manger and Silent Night. The program concludes and the costumes are put away for another year.