Jun 04

Tombstone Tuesday–Franklin H. & Sarah S. Beach

Franklin & Sarah Beach, Woodlawn Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2013 photo by Karen)

Franklin & Sarah Beach, Woodlawn Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2013 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Franklin H. & Sarah S. Beach, located in Woodlawn Cemetery, Ohio City, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

BEACH
Franklin H.
1857-1922
Sarah S.
1869-1926

I enjoy looking for and photographing unusual insignia on tombstones. The two images on the Beach tombstone are ones that  I show in my “Rocks of Ages,” tombstone art and cemetery research presentation.

The emblem on the left is not unusual on tombstones in this area and is the insignia of the secret fraternal society Knights of Pythias, which was formed in 1864. The letters on the shield are an acronym for the society’s motto, Friendship, Charity and Benevolence.

The emblem on the right is much less familiar and took some research to discover that it is the insignia of the Benefit Association of Railroad Employees.

 

Knights of Pythias

Knights of Pythias

Benefit Association of Railroad Employees

Benefit Association of Railroad Employees

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to his death certificate, Franklin Huriah Beach was born 7 June 1857 in Connecticut to Oscar and Louisa (Scofield) Beach. His mother was born in England. Franklin was married to Sarah S. Beach and was employed by the Erie Rail Road. He died 14 November 1922 at 8:30 a.m. near Ohio City, Van Wert County, Ohio, when he was accidently struck by a freight train which crushed his skull. His wife Sarah was the informant for the information on his death certificate. [1]

Franklin H. Beach, Ohio death certificate, 1922.

Franklin H. Beach, Ohio death certificate, 1922.

Below is Frank’s graphic obituary:

Frank Beach Was Instantly Killed
The remains, mangled beyond recognition, with quivering flesh and crushed bones scattered along the track, of Frank Beach, were picked up along the right of way of the Erie Railroad, Tuesday morning about the hour of ten o’clock, after he was struck by a freight train just east of Ohio City. Mr. Beach had been in the employ of the railroads for the past thirty-five years and had been with the Erie for a number of years where he served as section foreman and in filling other vocations for the company. Tuesday he was painting angle bars on the track and failed to hear or observe a freight train that was bearing down upon him, carrying the massage of death under a full head of steam. Mr. Beach was working on the fireman’s side, hence the engineer did not notice the accident and the crew was not appraised that they had left a corpse in their wake until arriving at a station farther east. The crew with which Mr. Beach was working saw that the fatality could not be averted by them and just as the pilot was about to strike the unfortunate man, all turned their backs and closed their eyes to a scene where a man was hurled into eternity in a most horrifying manner. It was then they observed that Frank Beach had passed the great divide and was in the hands of One more powerful than earthly care. The top of his head had been torn off in the terrific impact, the brains splached [sic] over the body and bones crushed. The Cowan & Acker ambulance was called and the lifeless body was taken to the undertaker’s parlors. Mr. Beach is survived by his widow, a daughter, Mrs. Lawrence Black, of Convoy, and one son, Lieutenant Perry Beach, Ohio City. One son, Lawrence Beach, was gassed while in service across sea and died in a hospital at Washington, D.C. while en route to his home in Ohio City. The funeral services will be held at the Lutheran church this afternoon at 1:00 o’clock conducted by Rev. Stuckenberg. Interment will be made in Woodlawn cemetery, Ohio City. Frank Beach was a man who worked hard, lived according to the Golden Rule and courted the friendship of everyone. He will be missed among a wide circle of friends. Unexpected and sudden, the accident was appalling, shocking. His familiarity with the work at hand, an intuition born of long service, failed Tuesday to warn Frank Beach of impending danger, death and the lingering sadness that will mark the trail so oft traveled with lightdess [sic] of heart and a keen sense of the duty he owed those for whom he worked. [2]

Frank’s wife Sarah Sophia died 6 April 1926 in Ohio City, Ohio, of cancer of the stomach and spine. She was 57 years and 24 months old. Sarah was born 12 March 1869 in Ohio to John A. and Martha (Hackett) Roberts.  [3]

 

Sarah Beach, Ohio death certificate, 1926.

Sarah Beach, Ohio death certificate, 1926.

 

[1] “Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953, Index and images,” database, Family Search (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X8RZ-7HT : accessed 2 June 2013), for Franklin Huriah Beach, Registration District No 1293, (1922).

[2] The Ohio City Progress, Ohio City, Ohio, Nov 17 1922 p. 1.

[3] “Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953, Index and images,” database, Family Search (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X6C6-NFF : accessed 2 June 2013), for Sarah Sophia Beach, Registration District No 1293, (1926).

 

May 31

Johann Christian Pflueger

J. Christian Pflueger family on passenger list of Ship France, July 1832.

J. Christian Pflueger family on passenger list of Ship France, July 1832.

All in all, I was fairly successful in researching the Pflueger branch of my family, thanks in part to the records of Zion Lutheran Schumm. Those records told me the most important thing I needed to know in order to research an ancestor back in Germany—his town of origin. Those church records told me that Johann Christian Pflueger came from “Schrotzberg” [Schrozberg], Württemberg.

Once I knew that information, the Pfluegers were fairly easy to trace. Fortunately for me, the Family History Library had microfilmed the Evangelical Church records at Schrozberg and my good luck continued because the Pfluegers stayed in Schrozberg and attended that same church for years. They did not move around like the Müllers did. With those two FHL microfilms I was able to document J. Christian Pflueger’s marriage to Anna Barbara Sekel as well as the births and baptisms of nine of their children. Interestingly, Schrozberg is not too far from Ruppertshofen, the home town of the Schumms.

The Schrozberg marriage record of J. Christian and Anna Barbara contained a lot of family information. It told that J. Christian was the son of Johann Georg and Magdalena (Dumler) Pflueger of Schrozberg and that Anna Barbara was the daughter of Johann Michael and Elisabetha Maria Friederika (Hilgert) Sekel, from Rechenhausen. Both were farm families. J. Christian was born 12 May 1781 and Anna Barbara was born 23 June 1791. They were married 20 April 1814. All this from their marriage record! [1]

The Schumm church records mentioned that Christian immigrated in the 1830s. With that information I went on to find that J. Christian Pflueger applied for emigration in February 1832. This emigration record gives his place of birth as Schrozberg, OA Gerabronn, with his destination as North America. [2]

The Pflueger family sailed from Havre, France on the ship France and arrived at the Port of New York on 9 July 1832. Their name was listed as Pfleger on the passenger list and all family members were from Württemberg. Their names and ages agree with the information I found in the Schrozberg church records.

The Pflueger family in the 1832 passenger list of the Ship France:

Johann, age 50 [b. 1781]
Anna, age 41 [Anna Barbara Sekel, 1791-1846, wife]
Maria, age 18 [Maria Rosina, 1814-?]
Anna, age 12 [Anna Maria “Mary”, 1820-1903, m. Georg Martin Schumm]
Maria, age 10 [Maria Barbara, 1822-1908, m. Johann Ludwig Schumm]
Georg, age 8 [George “Michael”, 1824-1903, m. Catherine Brandt]
Eva, age 4 [Eva Margaretha “Margaret”, 1828-?, m.  George Reidenbach]
John, age 2 [unknown; died in Holmes county?] [3]

Soon after the Pfluegers arrived in America they settled in Holmes County, Ohio. Most immigrants traveled to where relatives, friends or neighbors had already settled and the Pfluegers probably did the same. New settlers wrote letters back to the home country, telling family and friends of the opportunities in the new land. Holmes County was established in 1824 and the little village of Winesburg in Holmes County was laid out in 1832. Winesburg was settled by German Lutheran immigrants who had hoped to establish a Lutheran college there. Many immigrants were from the Württemberg area. It appears the Pfluegers went to Holmes County to live soon after their immigration. Less than a year later, in 1833, the Johann Georg Schumm family arrived in Holmes County.

A congregation for the German Lutherans and Swiss Reformed was established in Winesburg in 1832. It was named Evangelical United Zion and is still called Zion today. While in Holmes County some of the Pflueger children married. Mary Pflueger married George Schumm, Barbara Pflueger married Lewis Schumm and Margaret Pflueger married George Reidenbach.  A daughter Elizabeth was born to J. Christian and Anna Barbara there in 1835. [4] These families eventually moved to Van Wert County within a few years.

Zion Church, Winesburg, Holmes County, Ohio. (2005 photo by Karen)

Zion Church, Winesburg, Holmes County, Ohio. (2005 photo by Karen)

Other families with familiar names also attended church in Winesburg in those early years: Brandt, Scar/Scaer and Reidenbach. I also have Scar/Scaer ancestors.

In 1840 the J. Christian Pflueger family was living in Holmes County. There were 7 children listed in the 1840 census. [5]

J. Christian Pflueger and his family moved to Van Wert County by 1846, where his wife died 26 September of that year. They very likely followed the Schumms to the area, who had settled in the area east of Willshire in 1838.

J. Christian Pflueger lived with relatives and/or friends in Willshire Township after the death of his wife. The 1850 census indicates that “Christian Filger” was living with the Jacob and Hannah Schumm family. [6] I’m sure Christian knew Jacob but to my knowledge there was no family relationship. On that census page, directly above the Jacob Schumm family was the Louis and Barbara (Pflueger) Schumm family. Barbara was J. Christian’s daughter and I wonder if the enumerator put J. Christian in the wrong household. I wonder if he was actually living with his daughter Barbara. Either way, Christian would have been living very close to his daughter.

In 1860 Christian was living with his daughter “Barbary” (Pflueger) Schumm and her family. [7] Barbara was the widow of Ludwig Schumm (1817-1855) and they were my great-great-grandparents.

In 1870 Christian was living with his youngest daughter Elizabeth and her husband Jacob Bienz. Christian was 89 years old. [8]

About the Sekel/Seckel family: I wonder if there might be a connection between J. Christian’s wife Anna Barbara Sekel/Seckel and Louis Breuninger’s wife, Maria Seckel. Louis and Maria were my great-great-grandparents and both were born in Württemberg. Shortly after the Civil War Louis Breuninger, also originally from the Schrozberg area, moved from Wisconsin to Atlanta, where he resided for a couple years. By 1870 Louis had moved to the Schumm area, near the Pfluegers. Why did he move to the Schumm area? No Breuningers were living there. Who did he know there? Was Maria Seckel related to Anna Barbara (Sekel) Pflueger? So far I have not been able to link the two Seckel families but I keep searching for that connection.

 

[1] Evangelische Kirche (Schrozberg, OA Gerabronn, Württemberg), Kirchenbuch 1634-1961, year 1814, unpaginated, record no. 2, Johann Christian Pflüger and Anna Barbara Sekel marriage, FHL microfilm #1528614.

[2] The Wuerttemberg Emigration Index, Volume Five, Trudy Schenk and Ruth Froelke, (Salt Lake City, Utah : Ancestry Publishing, 1988) p. 158.

[3] Passengers Arriving at the Port of New York, June 13-Sept. 29, 1832, microfilm publication M237 (Washington, D.C. : National Archives and Records Service), Roll 17.

[4] Marguerite S. Dickinson, compiler, Winesburg, Ohio, Birth Records, 1833-1897, (Millersburg, Ohio: Holmes County Chatper, Ohio Genealogical Society, 1993); originally published in 1955.

[5] 1840 U.S. Census, Millerburg, Holmes County, Ohio, p. 292, line, 3, Chris Filuger; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com, (www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 May 2013); FHL film 0020168, from National Archives microfilm M704, roll 404.

[6] 1850 U.S. Census, Willshire Township, Van Wert County, Ohio, page 170A, dwelling 334, family 353, line 28, Jacob Schumm; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com, (www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 May 2013); from National Archives microfilm M432, roll 736.

[7] 1860 U.S. Census, Willshire Township, Van Wert County, Ohio, p. 150 (penned) p. 425 (stamped), dwelling 1069, family 1063, line 15, Barbary Schumm; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com, (www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 May 2013); FHL film 805045, from National Archives microfilm M653, roll 1045.

[8] 1870 U.S. Census, Willshire Township, Van Wert County, Ohio,  p. 437A, dwelling 107, family 108, line 10, Jacob “Bence”;  digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com, (www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 May 2013); FHL film 552774, from National Archives microfilm M593, roll 1275.

 

 

May 28

Tombstone Tuesday–J. Christian Pflueger

J. Christian Pflueger, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

J. Christian Pflueger, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of J. Christian Pflueger, located in row 9 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Hier ruht in Gott
J. Christian Pflueger
geb. den 12 Mai 1781
gest. den 28 Mar 1877
Alter
95 Jahre, 10 Mo, 16 Ta

“Here rests in God, J. Christian Pflueger, born 12 May 1781, died 28 March 1877, age 95 years, 10 months and 16 days.”

Johann Christian Pflueger was born 12 May 1781 in Schrozberg, Oberamt Gerebronn, Württemberg, the son of Johann Georg and Anna Magdalena (Dumler) Pflueger. His father was a kobler [farmer of a small farm] in Crailshausen. Johann Christian Pflueger married Anna Barbara Sekel on 20 April 1814 in Schrozberg. Anna Barbara was born 20 June 1791 in Rechenhausen, Württemberg, to Johann and Elisabetha (Hilgert) Sekel. [1] Christian and Anna Barbara were my great-great-great-grandparents.

Johann Christian died 28 March 1877 at the home of his daughter Maria Barbara (Pflueger) Schumm Buechner near Schumm. He was nearly 96 years old.

Obituary:
Grandfather Pflueger died at the residence of Adam Buechner in Willshire Township Wednesday morning and was buried yesterday at the Schumm Cemetery. [2]

Obituary:
Willshire township has again lost one of its oldest citizens, Christian “Pflengar”, who died on the 28th of last month.  He would have been 96 years old next May. [3]    

According to the oldest records of Zion Lutheran Schumm Christian’s wife Anna Barbara (Sekel) Pflueger died 26 September 1846 in Willshire Township. She is buried in Zion’s cemetery but her tombstone no longer exists.

According to the Schrozberg church records the Pfluegers had at least ten children who were born in Württemberg before the family immigrated in 1832. At least four of their children died in infancy in Württemberg. One child was later born in Ohio. Their children:

Maria Rosina (1814-?)

Maria Margaretha (1815-1816)

Maria Barbara (1816-1816)

Anna Barbara (1817-1817)

Eva Maria (1819-1822)

Anna Maria “Mary” (1820-1903) married Georg Martin Schumm

Maria Barbara (1822-1908) married Ludwig Schumm; 2nd marriage to Adam Buechner

George “Michael” (1824-1903) married Catherine Brandt

George Leonhard (1825-1825)

Eva Margaretha “Margaret” (1828-?) married George Reidenbach [4]

Elizabeth (1835-1913) born in Holmes County, Ohio; married Jacob Bienz [5]

The Pfluegers may have had at least one other son, Johann (c1830-?), who was listed on the passenger list with the family when they immigrated. It is not known what happened to Johann.

More about the Pfluegers in this Friday’s blog post.

 

[1] Evangelische Kirche (Schrozberg, OA Gerabronn, Württemberg), Kirchenbuch 1634-1961, year 1814, unpaginated, record no. 2, Johann Christian Pflüger and Anna Barbara Sekel marriage, FHL microfilm #1528614.

[2] Christian Pflueger death notice, Van Wert Times, Van Wert, Ohio, 30 March 1877.

[3] Christian Pflueger death notice, Van Wert Bulletin, Van Wert, Ohio, 6 April 1877.

[4] Evangelische Kirche (Schrozberg, OA Gerabronn, Württemberg), Kirchenbuch 1634-1961, taufen 1814-1828, unpaginated, FHL microfilm #1528613.

[5] Marguerite S. Dickinson, compiler, Winesburg, Ohio, Birth Records, 1833-1897, (Millersburg, Ohio : Holmes County Chatper, Ohio Genealogical Society, 1993), 4; originally published in 1955.

May 24

Memorial Day 2013

Willshire Memorial Day Parade 2005.

My dad in the Willshire Memorial Day Parade in his 1953 Army Jeep, 2005.

Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, traditionally marks the beginning of summer. But the true meaning of the holiday is much more than that.

Memorial Day dates back to the Civil War and began as a way to remember and honor both Union and Confederate soldiers who were killed in battle. Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, the national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. On that day, at Arlington National Cemetery, Logan declared in General Order No. 11:

The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion…

We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. All that the consecrated wealth and taste of the Nation can add to their adornment and security is but a fitting tribute to the memory of her slain defenders…

Let no vandalism of avarice of neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten, as a people, the cost of free and undivided republic…

Let us, then, at the time appointed, gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with choicest flowers of springtime; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from dishonor…

After WWI, Memorial Day was extended to honor Americans who died in all wars. Today many Americans use this holiday to decorate all graves, whether the deceased served in the military or not. For more information about the history of Memorial Day visit Memorial Day History.

Memorial Day was declared a US federal holiday in 1971 and is now observed the last Monday in May, which falls on May 27th this year.

In December 2000 the “National Moment of Remembrance” resolution was passed. This asks all Americans “To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of Remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to ‘Taps’ ” at 3:00 local time.

Most towns in our area, including Willshire, Rockford, and Celina, will have Memorial Day parades followed by ceremonies at local cemeteries. The ceremonies are usually conducted by the local American Legion or VFW, who also mark all veterans’ graves with an American flag. In Willshire there will be a display of military uniforms, photos, flags, maps and letters of local servicemen. This display will be at the Willshire Home Furnishings store this coming Saturday-Monday.

Memorial Day Service at Willshire Cemetery 2000.

Memorial Day Service at Willshire Cemetery 2000.

Proper American flag etiquette should be observed this weekend. The American flag should be flown at half-staff until noon on Memorial Day and then raised to full-staff. During a parade there may be several participants with a flag and it is appropriate to salute only the first flag as it passes by. As the first flag passes everyone should show respect by standing at attention with their right hand over their heart. Those in uniform should give their appropriate formal salute.

The red poppy has been associated with Memorial Day for over 90 years. Since 1922 VFW members and American Legion Auxiliary volunteers have distributed red poppies on Memorial Day weekend in exchange for a contribution to assist disabled and hospitalized veterans. This tradition originated with Moina Michael in 1915. She was inspired by the poem “In Flanders Fields” and came up with the idea to wear a red poppy on Memorial Day in honor of those who died serving our nation during war. She sold poppies to her friends and co-workers and the money went to needy service men. By 1922 the VFW had taken on the project. You can read more about this tradition at The Story Behind the Poppy.  

We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.
—Moina Michael, 1915.

The following is a list of my collateral ancestors who died while serving our country:

Civil War:

Hallet Bryan (c1836-13 Sep 1863) was the son of Peter and Mary (Huey) Bryan of Jay County, Indiana, and was my 3rd great-granduncle. Private Bryan served in Company E, 89th Regiment, Indiana Infantry and was killed in Memphis, Tennessee. He is buried in the Memphis National Cemetery.

Daniel Schumm (2 Mar 1840-8 Feb 1863) was the son of Johann “Jacob” and Hannah (Billman) Schumm and was my 1st cousin 3 times removed. Corporal Daniel Schumm served in the 52nd OVI and never returned home from the Civil War.

John Schumm (30 Mar 1843-28 Oct 1864) was the son of George Martin & Maria (Pflueger) Schumm and was my 1st cousin 3 times removed. Corporal John Schumm served in Company A, 60th OVI. He was wounded and captured in Virginia during the Battle of Petersburg and was imprisoned at Salisbury, North Carolina, where he died.

WWI:

Carl Schumm was the son of Rev. Ferdinand and Wilhelmina (Brockmeyer) Schumm and was my 2nd cousin twice removed. He was killed in France during WWI.

WWII:

Ralph J. Derrickson (5 Apr 1925-15 Jan 1945) was the son of Ralph and Alpha (Brewster) Derrickson and was my 1st cousin once removed. Private Derrickson served in the 99th Infantry Division during WWII and was killed in action during the Battle of the Bulge in Luxembourg.

Edgar Schumm (18 Nov 1914-13 Nov 1944) was the son of William & Amanda (Reidenbach) Schumm and was my 3rd cousin once removed. He was killed while serving in WWII.

Victor Schueler (23 Jan 1924-3 Aug 1945) was the son of Adolph and Marie (Limbach) Schueler and was my 4th cousin. Private First Class Schueler was a member of the 85th Mountain Regiment, 10th Mountaineer Division and was killed in Italy during WWII.

Korean War:

Emanuel George Roehm (3 Aug 1931-23 Apr 1951) was the son of Emanuel George and Esther (Ohnesorge) Roehm and was my 4th cousin. Private First Class Roehm was a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division. He was killed in action while fighting in Korea. Roehm was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal. (source: Ancestry.com. WWI, WWII, and Korean War Casualty Listings [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.)

Viet Nam:

Corey Wayne Ellenberger (19 Oct 1946-12 Jan 1967) was the son of Kenneth & Nola (Charleston) Ellenberger and was my 2nd cousin. Private First Class Ellenberger served as a rifleman in Company L, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division and was killed in South Vietnam. (source: National Archives and Records Administration. Vietnam War: U.S. Military Casualties, 1956-1998 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.)

And they who for their country die shall fill an honored grave, for glory lights the soldier’s tomb, and beauty weeps the brave. –Joseph Drake

This Memorial Day, amid the family gatherings, the cookouts and the sales, take a moment to remember the real meaning of this holiday.

May 21

Tombstone Tuesday–Michael G. Pflueger

Michael Pflueger, Greenbriar Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2013 photo by Karen)

Michael Pflueger, Greenbriar Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2013 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Michael G. Pflueger, located in row 6 of Greenbriar Cemetery, Willshire Township, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Michael G. Pflueger
Died 1 Jul 1903
Aged 79 y, 1 m, 13 d
Gone but not forgotten

There is also a flagstaff near his marker that is inscribed: GAR 1861-1865.

Michael’s tombstone has fallen from its base and is partially embedded in the soil, as are many tombstones in this cemetery. It appears that the fallen stones did not have a cement foundation, while most of those with a cement foundation are still standing.

Michael G. Pflueger. (2013 photo by Karen)

Michael G. Pflueger. (2013 photo by Karen)

Greenbriar Cemetery is located about 3½ miles west of Ohio City, at the intersection of Willshire-Ohio City Road and Glenmore Road, Section 13 of Willshire Township. There are three sections in the cemetery, section one being the oldest. Many of the grave markers have fallen over in section one and that is where Michael Pflueger’s tombstone is located. Bethel Church was next to Greenbriar Cemetery and the frame church building is still standing.

Georg Michael Pflüger was born 18 March 1824 in Schrozberg, Württemberg, the son of Johann Christian and Anna Barbara (Sekel) Pflüger. [1] George “Michael” Pflueger was my second great-granduncle, the brother of my second (and third) great-grandmother, Maria Barbara Pflueger, who became the wife of Johann Ludwig Schumm.

Michael Pflueger married Maria “Catharine Brant” on 28 May 1846 in Holmes County, Ohio. [2] According to the records of Zion Lutheran Schumm, they were probably living in the Schumm area by 1848 when their daughter Maria Rosina was born and baptized. Michael and Catharine had at least eleven children and at least six of them died young and are buried in Zion Lutheran Schumm Cemetery. Catharine (Brant) Pflueger died in 1882 and is also buried in Zion Schumm Cemetery. I do not know why Michael is buried at Greenbriar instead of with his wife and children at Schumm. [Their children’s names are listed in last week’s Tombstone Tuesday, Maria C. Pflueger.]

Michael Pflueger was a private during the Civil in Company C of the 41st Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He served from 4 September 1864-13 June 1865, for 9 months and 12 days. During the war he suffered from camp diarrhea and rheumatism. [3] [4]

Michael G. Pflueger GAR 1861-1865 flagstaff. (2013 photo by Karen)

Michael G. Pflueger GAR 1861-1865 flagstaff. (2013 photo by Karen)

According to the 1872 map of Van Wert County “M. Pflueger” owned land in the southwest quarter of the northeast quarter of Section 26 and the southeast half of the southeast quarter of Section 29 in Willshire Township. Both farms were on Willshire Eastern Road. The 80 acres in Section 26 was east of Zion Lutheran Church. The 55 acres in Section 29 was closer to Willshire and what is now State Route 81 ran through the farm.

In 1900 widower Michael Pflueger was living with his son Adam in Willshire Township. [5]  

 

[1] Evangelische Church at Schrozberg, Württemberg, entry 5 (1824 Baptisms), unpaginated, Family History Library microfilm #1528613, birth and baptism of Georg Michael Pflüger.

[2] “Ohio , County Marriages, 1789-1994,” index and images, FamilySearch.org (www.familysearch.org : accessed 12 May 2013), citing Holmes County Marriages, Vol. 2:298, Michael “Pfleger” and Catharine Brant, 1846.

[3] 1890 Veterans Schedules, Van Wert County, Ohio, Willshire Township, p. 3, line 34, Home 121, Family 126, Michael Pflueger, database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 Apr 2013), from National Archives Microfilm, Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Publication M123, Record Group 15.

[4] U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865, on-line database, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 May 2013), from National Park Service, Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/.

[5] 1900 U.S. Census, Van Wert County, Ohio, Willshire Township, ED 0097, p. 9B, line 77, dwelling 185, family 199, Adam “Pfluegar”; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com, (www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 May 2013); FHL microfilm 1241329, from National Archives microfilm R623, Roll 1329.