Feb 26

Tombstone Tuesday–Odas “Hod” Becher

"Hod" Otis Becher, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio. (2011 photo by Karen)

Otis “Hod” Becher, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio. (2011 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Odas “Hod” Becher, located in row 5 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

“Hod”
ODAS BECHER
1901-1971

According to the church records of Zion Lutheran Chatt, Odas LeRoy Becher was born 16 December 1901 to Georg W. and Maria (Schlenker) Becher. He was baptized 12 January 1902 at Zion, with Johann Becher and Friedericke Becher as sponsors. Odas was confirmed 30 May 1915 by Rev. W.F.H. Heuer.

Odas LeRoy Becher died 9 June 1971 at the age of 69 years. He was buried on 12 June, the Rev. Ralph Hershberger officiating at Ketcham-Ripley Funeral Home, Rockford. His funeral verses were Heb 4:16, 7:25 and 12:1-3.The church record also shows that he was survived by his wife, a brother and a sister.

Obituary:

Hod Becher Dies at 69

Odas (Hod ) Becher, 69, R. 1, Rockford, died at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in Lima Memorial Hospital where he had been a patient six weeks.

He was born Dec. 16, 1901 in Mercer County, the son of George and Mary (Schlenker) Becher.

He married Vivian Carr in August of 1945 and she survives with two step-children, Robert Carr, Celina, Mrs. Doyle (Wanda) Gilliland, R. 1, Rockford; nine step-grandchildren; one sister, Mrs. Cletus (Lucille) Menchoffer, Coldwater; and one brother, Clarence Becher, Coldwater.

Mr. Becher was a member of Zion Lutheran Church, Chattanooga, a retired-employee of General Electric Co., Fort Wayne, and a member of Willshire Lodge 667 S&AM.

Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in Ketcham-Ripley Funeral Home, Rockford, with the Rev. Ralph Hershberger officiating. Burial will be in Zion Lutheran Cemetery.

Friends may call at the funeral home after 1:30 p.m. Friday. Masonic services will be held in the funeral home at 8 p.m. Friday. [1]

I wonder how Odas came to have the nickname “Hod”. Hod Becher and his side-kick Ivan Johnson were mentioned nearly every week in the “Chattanooga News” section of the Willshire Herald. One installment reported that he was a Chevrolet salesman in 1933. [2]  But you have to wonder if that was fact or fiction since there was a lot of good-natured kidding in that section of the newspaper.

A few months later the paper reported: Hod Becher made a trip to Fort Wayne the first of this week to open the G.E. and put men to work. Everything looks rosy now. [3]

And, Hod Becher has been wearing a “wet” scented red rose. Several of the girls admired its great beauty. [4]

In 1930, “Otis” was living with his parents, George and Mary “Becker” and his brother Clarence. Otis’ occupation was farm laborer. [5]

In 1940 Odas was living with his widowed mother and brother Clarence in Chatt. Odas was single, 38 years of age and his highest level of education was the 8th grade. His occupation was given as an assembler at General Electric. [6] The Bechers lived near the Ted Lininger family in 1940. I remember Ted because he and his family went to Zion Chatt. His daughter Catherine still attends church there. I’m sure Catherine remembers Odas.

The above’ tombstone provides a nice likeness of Odas.

[1] The Daily Standard, Celina, Ohio, 10 June, p.1.

[2] The Willshire Herald, Willshire, Ohio, 3 February 1933.

[3] The Willshire Herald, Willshire, Ohio, 6 April 1933.

[4] The Willshire Herald, Willshire, Ohio, 27 July 1933.

[5] 1930 U.S. Census, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio, Enumeration District 20, p.3B, line 74, dwelling 68, family 68, George Becker; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 24 February 2013); FHL microfilm 2341584 from National Archives microfilm T626, roll 1850.

[6] 1940 U.S. Census, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio, Enumeration District 54-22, p.3A, line 39, house order 51, Mary Becher and p. 3B, line 41, house order 51, Odas Becher digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 24 February 2013); National Archives microfilm T627, roll 3114.

Feb 22

Old Map of Chattanooga, Ohio

Regular readers of my blog posts notice that I mention a frequent occurrence here in the Bennett house—finding something that has been long forgotten while searching for another item. Fortunately these forgotten and often interesting items have a way of popping up just in time for the next blog.

Map of Chattanooga, c1925.

3′ Map of Chattanooga, c1925.

As I was rooting through my office closet last weekend, something from the overhead shelf fell on my head. Not to worry, it was not heavy enough to cause any cerebral damage. It was just a tightly rolled piece of heavy paper with an old postage stamp on the outside. It was something I forgot I had. I have no idea who gave it to me but I’m glad that it popped out and hit me last week.

On a side note, I do wish people would not roll up papers and photos tightly and put rubber bands around them. My grandma Schumm was guilty of this practice. She had a photo of the first Schumm reunion rolled up so tightly that the photo still curls up after a decade of trying to flatten it out with heavy books. You can see from the above photo that I had to place items on both ends of the paper to keep it from curling up.

I carefully unrolled the brittle piece of yellowed paper that had hit me in the head. It was a 36 x 15 inch hand-drawn map of the lots in Chattanooga with the land owners’ names. There was no date on the map but there was a 2-cent George Washington stamp on the outside. That stamp was issued and used between 1922 and 1931. The location of the Chattanooga bank is shown on the map and as far as I know, it closed in 1930. So, I would estimate the map was drawn after 1922 and before 1930.

Old Chattanooga Map, c1925.

Old Chattanooga Map, c1925.

Written above the old stamp was “M Lutz, Celina, Ohio”, probably the equivalent of a return address. That was likely Martin Lutz (1860-1934), a Mercer County surveyor and the county’s engineer in 1896. Martin Lutz surveyed maps for Mercer County’s 1900 Atlas. [1] The Chattanooga map was addressed to T. W. Baker, Rockford, Ohio, who was likely the same T.W. Baker who owned a plot of land in Chatt.

The map is labeled CHATTANOOGA on the left (north) side. Strable Road (east/west) is shown going up and down on the left side of the map and State Route 49 (north/south) is in the center, dividing the village in half. SR 49 is the only road in town, making Chatt a one-street town.

North end of Chatt, c1925.

North end of Chatt, c1925.

The writing on the map is very faded and difficult to read and I transcribed the names the best I could. Starting at the north end (left side), below are the names of the property owners on the west side of SR 49 and the amount of road frontage that was written on the map. These lots were 13 rods deep:

S…. [I couldn’t make this name out] (90’)
Vernon Dull (98’ 9”)
C L Vining (50’)
2’ 4” Gap
Betty Myers (57’)
D & B Bebout (57’)
Jacob Bollenbacher (100’ 6”)
2’ 8” Gap
Perry Gibbons (201’)
Perry Gibbons (66’)
Wm Sheets (frontage not given)
S Egger (20’)
Bank (24’ 8”)
5’6” Gap [perhaps an alley/walkway?]
TW Baker (144’ 6”)
Sarah Huffman (95’ 6”)
Harley Smith (42’)
WR Smith (48’)
Wm Betzel (99’)
Alex Smith (55’)
LP Wendel (50’)
Paul Baumgardner (169’)
Geo Koch (58’)
Clyde Grim (50’)
2’2” Gap
Clyde Grim (100’)
Mill Lot (229’ 10”)
Mary E Bollenbacher (68’)
Mary E Bollenbacher (55’)
Paul Baumgardner (55’)
IM Baumgardner (55’)
JE Regedanz (55’)
Sophia Andrews (55’)
Sophia Andrews (55’)
EJ Swark (55’)
Elmer Hisey (55’)
Grace Butcher (55’)
EJ Swark (55’)

South end of Chatt, c1925.

South end of Chatt, c1925.

Below are the owners on the east side of SR 49, starting at the north end of Chatt. Most of these lots were 165 feet deep:

Theo Lininger (86’)
RG Heffner (112’)
ME Church (100’)
JM Duff (72’)
VE Stuckey (70’)
HC Baker (121’ along road, land extends to lot of acreage east of village)
GW Becher (117’)
HC Baker (again, extension of farmland)
WR Smith (55’)
Harley Smith (100’)
CM Bollenbacher (86.5’)
Elmer Baker (66’)
Ivan Johnson (66’)
Chas Regedanz (55’)
Jacob Betzel (93’)
Anna Heffner (50’)
Etta Huffman (66’)
Lydia Rothaar (65’)
Simon Egger (67’)
More of the HC Baker farm
Lutheran Church (198’ x 165’ deep)

Ivan Johnson's Garage, Chattanooga, unknown date.

Ivan Johnson’s Garage, Chattanooga, unknown date.

The map shows that there is a ¼ post marker in the middle of SR 49 at Tama Road. Tama Road begins at SR 49 and goes east. Zion Lutheran Church is on the northeast corner of Tama and SR 49.

Strable Road runs east and west at the north end of Chatt. Listed along Strable Road:

Misey Bebout [?] (60’ road frontage along Strable Road, behind the first lot [unreadable] and Vernon Dull)
Theo Lininger (SE corner of SR 49 & Strable Road)
Equity Elevator (153’ 6” frontage x 142’ deep)
Anton Koch (107’ frontage x 206’ deep)

This is a very interesting old map and I’m glad I found it again. Maybe I should root around in that closet more often…

 

[1] Atlas of Mercer County, Ohio (1906; reprint, Mt. Vernon, Indiana: Windmill Publications, Inc., 1999).

 

Feb 19

Tombstone Tuesday–Abraham Pflueger

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

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

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

Abraham
Pflueger
1853-1936


According to Abraham Pflüger’s death and burial record at Zion Lutheran Schumm, Abraham was born 5 March 1852 in Willshire Township, Van Wert County.  He died 5 June 1936 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, at the age of 84 years and 3 months and was buried in Zion’s cemetery on 8 June.

Abraham was most likely the son of Michael and Catherine (Brandt) Pflüger. He was enumerated with the Michael Pflüger family in 1860 [1] and 1870 [2], but neither of those census enumerations give the relationships of family members. And unfortunately there were not many Pflüger entries in Zion’s church records.

Abraham Pflueger & Elizabeth Hoffman marriage, 1875, Fan Wert County, Ohio.

Abraham Pflueger & Elizabeth Hoffman marriage, 1875, Van Wert County, Ohio, Vol. 4:339.

Abraham married Elizabeth Hofmann on 23 May 1875 in Van Wert County, Ohio. [3] They were living near Monroe, Allen County, Indiana, in 1880. Their household in 1880: Abraham (27, born in Ohio, works on farm), Elizabeth (23, Oh, keeping house), Emma (4, Oh, daughter), Mary (1, Ind). [4]

Abraham was a carpenter by trade and built and repaired many barns in the Schumm/Willshire area. In fact he built a two-story granary for my great-grandfather Lewis Schumm’s farm. We know this because he carved Granary built in 1901 by Abraham Pflueger on one of its walls. The granary was converted into a cottage several years ago by my mom and dad and was moved near the farm pond, north of its former location.

Granary build by Abraham Pflueger in 1901, now a cabin.

Granary build by Abraham Pflueger in 1901, now a cabin.

 

[1] 1860 U.S. census, Van Wert County, Ohio, p. 425, dwelling 1066, family 1060, Michael Pfluger; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.comn : accessed 18 February 2013); FHL film 805045 from NARA microfilm M653, roll 1045.

[2] 1870 U.S. census, Van Wert County, Ohio, p.445A, dwelling 216, family 217, Michael Pfluger; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.comn : accessed 18 February 2013); FHL film 552774 from NARA microfilm M593, roll 1275.

[3] “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XD24-TL3 : accessed 18 Feb 2013), Abraham Pflueger and Elizabeth Hoffman, 1875; Vol. 4: 339, FHL microfilm 1015860.

[4] 1880 U.S. census, Allen County, Indiana, ED 112, p. 379B, dwelling 161, family 161, Abraham Pluegar; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.comn : accessed 18 February 2013); FHL film 1254264 from NARA microfilm T9, roll 264.

Feb 17

Breaker, Breaker One-nine

Breaker, breaker one-nine. How ‘bout ya, Good Buddy? Got your ears on? What’s your handle? Where’s your 20? Over.

Those were phrases heard around our house back in the early 60s. They were slang terms used by people that owned a Citizens’ Band radio, or CB radio for short. Yes, my dad had had a CB base unit in our kitchen as well as a mobile unit in his car. Yup! We had cutting-edge technology in our remote rural area near Chatt.

The CB radio was invented in 1945 for short distance communication between people. Owners were initially required to have a license but that law was eventually dropped. By the late 1960s CB radios were popular with motorists and particularly popular with truckers. I don’t know if many truckers still use CB radios. I imagine cell phones have pretty much taken their place.

The mobile CB unit could be considered the bulky equivalent of today’s cell phone, with a few other differences. A cord was attached to the mike so you were physically connected to the mobile unit while talking. There was a talking range of a few miles. An antenna had to be affixed to the car. My dad had a long whip antenna that gave his car a look that was not appealing to me. CB transmissions were noisy and difficult for me to understand. What could be deciphered was not private and everyone within range on that particular channel could hear and join in on the conversation. But that could be part of the fun. Despite all of this, it was a way to talk to others while driving. And that was pretty cool back then.

Herb Miller "The Railsplitter" postcard from the 1960s.

Herb Miller “The Railsplitter”  CB postcard from the 1960s.

When you got your CB license back in the 60s you received your own call letters. Our call letters were KNM-2696. My dad even had postcards that gave our CB information. You get an idea of his wacky sense of humor from the little cartoon on the postcard. My mom’s name is on the postcard but I don’t think she ever talked on the CB radio. I think my dad also had a bumper sticker with his call letters. He had an hour-long commute to work every day and I’m sure he used his CB a lot while going to and from.

The “handle” was the CB user’s nickname. After all, you wouldn’t want to use your given name. My dad’s handle was The Railsplitter, chosen because of his WWII service in the 84th Infantry Division, aka The Railsplitters.

Joe put a CB radio in my car not long after we were married. My CB radio was mainly to call for help in case I ever had car trouble, and I rarely used it. My handle was Tooth Fairy, a good nickname considering my profession.

Truck & Car

CBers have their own long list of slang terms. Many of the terms were used to warn of upcoming traffic conditions or problems but they were mainly used to warn of police cars up ahead. A few slang terms that I remember:

Back door—area behind a vehicle

I got your back door—I’m watching your back

Bear/Smokey Bear—police officer or highway patrol

Bear in the air—police in aircraft

Bear in the grass—speed trap

Bear taking pictures—police with radar

Bear with ears—police officer listening to others on CB

Blinders—high beam headlights

Breaker—letting others know you would like to start talking

Breaker One-nine—you would like to start talking on channel 19, a widely used channel

Clean & Green—no police ahead

Convoy—group of 3 or more truckers in a line

Double nickel—55 mph speed limit

Eighteen-wheeler—semi truck

Four-wheeler—car or truck with only 4 wheels

Good Buddy—friend or acquaintance on CB radio

Got your ears on?—asking someone if they are on the air and listening

I’m gone/We gone—end of transmission

Picture-taker—police with radar gun

Pony Express–mail carrier

Put the hammer down—flooring the accelerator

Ratchetjaw—person talking non-stop

Ten-four—affirmative, agreement

Ten-twenty, or Twenty—a location

If you enjoy reading these slang CB terms, Wikipedia has a long list of others. You can also read about The History and Use of CB Radios.

Well, I’m done ratchetjawing. We gone, Good Buddy. Ten-four. Over and out.

 

 

 

Feb 12

Tombstone Tuesday–Elizabeth Pflueger

Elizabeth Pflueger, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (Photo by Karen, April 2012)

Elizabeth Pflueger, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (Photo by Karen, April 2012)

This is the tombstone of Elizabeth Pflueger, located in row 10 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Elizabeth
Ehefrau Von
A. Pflueger
1857-1913
PFLUEGER

Translation: Elizabeth, wife of A. Pflueger, 1857-1913.

According to the records of Zion Lutheran Church, Schumm, Rosina Elisabetha Hofmann was born 23 February 1857 in Willshire Township to Johann Georg and Catharina Hofmann. She was baptized at home on 25 February 1857 with Jakob Bienz and wife and Pankratius Schinnerer as sponsors. She married Abraham Pflüger on 23 May 1875 at Zion. Both were members of the Schumm parish. Elizabeth died 4 October 1913 at Schumm, ten weeks after suffering a stroke. She was 56 years, 7 months and 11 days old. She was buried 6 October in the parish cemetery, with 1 John 3:14 as her funeral text.  Survivors included her husband, 7 children, 2 brothers, 1 sister, 2 half-sisters and 10 grandchildren.

According to her death certificate her mother’s name was Catherine Minsimer and both of her parents were born in Germany. Her death certificate shows her cause of death as apoplexy. [1]  Apoplexy is defined as a sudden and often fatal event resulting from a cerebral hemorrhage.

Elizabeth Pflueger death certificate, 1913.

Elizabeth Pflueger death certificate, 4 October 1913.

In 1900 Abraham and Elizabeth Pflüger were living in Willshire Township, Van Wert County. Their household in 1900: Abraham, 48; Elizabeth, 43; Ferdinand, 15; Henry, 13; Justinia, 11; Martha, 7; Willie, 4; and Louise 1. This census tells us that the couple had been married 25 years, that Elizabeth had given birth to 10 children and that 7 children were still living. [2]

Obituary:

A Pioneer Dead After a Life of Usefulness
The last issue of the Herald reported the critical sickness of Mrs. Abraham Pflueger. She is now relieved and has gone to her rest. On Saturday morning she peacefully passed away.

Elizabeth (Hoffman) Pflueger was born near Schumm, Ohio, February 23, 1857, and was baptized into the Lutheran Church at an early age. Here she also attended the parochial school and received a thorough training in the Christian faith. At the age of 14 years she was received into communicant membership of the congregation by the rite of confirmation.

In 1875 she was married to Abraham Pflueger, who survives to mourn her departure. This union was blessed with ten children, four sons and six daughters.

With the exception of about four years spent in Indiana, her entire life was spent in this vicinity.

Ten weeks ago she suffered a stroke of paralysis. She leaves a husband, seven children, two brothers, one sister, ten grandchildren, and many other relatives. The children are: Fred Pflueger, Kingfisher, Oklahoma; Mrs. William Myers, Willshire; Mrs. Henry Sauer, Schumm; Henry Pflueger, Decatur, Indiana; and Martha, Wilson and Louis, who are still at home.

The funeral services were held in the German Lutheran church, and were conducted by Rev. Meyer, and the throng that filled the church was ample tribute to the esteem in which she was held.

A devoted wife and mother, a kind neighbor and friend, a patient cross bearer and an earnest Christian was laid to rest here on Monday afternoon. [3]

The artwork on this tombstone reminds me of the chorus from the old hymn, The Old Rugged Cross: “I will cling to the old rugged cross…”

 

[1] “Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X8XD-1LY : accessed 10 Feb 2013), Elizabeth Pflueger, 04 Oct 1913; citing Willshire Township, Van Wert, Ohio, reference fn 61029; FHL microfilm 1953761.

[2] 1900 U.S. Census, Van Wert County, Ohio, Willshire Township, Enumeration District 97, p. 9B, line 65, dwelling no. 183, family no. 197, Abraham Pflueger; digital image, FamilySearch.com (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MMXJ-8ML : accessed 10 Feb 2013); FHL microfilm 1241329, from NARA microfilm publication T623.

[3] The Willshire Herald, Willshire, Ohio, 9 October 1913, p.1.